Heads up!!! Here’s your massive Cyber Monday sports tech deals list! This includes the Garmin Forerunner 965 for just $499, Garmin Epix for $429, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 for just $619, the GoPro Hero 12 Black for $299, (or Hero 13 bundle for $339!) and plenty more! Go check out the full list of 100+ deals here!
I’m DC RAINMAKER…
I swim, bike and run. Then, I come here and write about my adventures. It’s as simple as that. Most of the time. If you’re new around these parts, here’s the long version of my story.
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Here’s how to save!
Wanna save some cash and support the site? These companies help support the site! With Backcountry.com or Competitive Cyclist with either the coupon code DCRAINMAKER for first time users saving 15% on applicable products.
You can also pick-up tons of gear at REI via these links, which is a long-time supporter as well:Alternatively, for everything else on the planet, simply buy your goods from Amazon via the link below and I get a tiny bit back as an Amazon Associate. No cost to you, easy as pie!
You can use the above link for any Amazon country and it (should) automatically redirect to your local Amazon site.Want to compare the features of each product, down to the nitty-gritty? No problem, the product comparison data is constantly updated with new products and new features added to old products!
Wanna create comparison chart graphs just like I do for GPS, heart rate, power meters and more? No problem, here's the platform I use - you can too!
Think my written reviews are deep? You should check out my videos. I take things to a whole new level of interactive depth!
Smart Trainers Buyers Guide: Looking at a smart trainer this winter? I cover all the units to buy (and avoid) for indoor training. The good, the bad, and the ugly.
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Check out my weekly podcast - with DesFit, which is packed with both gadget and non-gadget goodness!
Get all your awesome DC Rainmaker gear here!
FAQ’s
I have built an extensive list of my most frequently asked questions. Below are the most popular.
- Do you have a privacy policy posted?
- Why haven’t you yet released a review for XYZ product you mentioned months ago?
- Will you test our product before release?
- Are you willing to review or test beta products?
- Which trainer should I buy?
- Which GPS watch should I buy?
- I’m headed to Paris – what do you recommend for training or sightseeing?
- I’m headed to Washington DC – what do you recommend for training?
- I’m from out of the country and will be visiting the US, what’s the best triathlon shop in city XYZ?
- What kind of camera do you use?
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5 Easy Steps To The Site
In Depth Product Reviews
You probably stumbled upon here looking for a review of a sports gadget. If you’re trying to decide which unit to buy – check out my in-depth reviews section. Some reviews are over 60 pages long when printed out, with hundreds of photos! I aim to leave no stone unturned.
Read My Sports Gadget Recommendations.
Here’s my most recent GPS watch guide here, and cycling GPS computers here. Plus there are smart trainers here, all in these guides cover almost every category of sports gadgets out there. Looking for the equipment I use day-to-day? I also just put together my complete ‘Gear I Use’ equipment list, from swim to bike to run and everything in between (plus a few extra things). And to compliment that, here’s The Girl’s (my wife’s) list. Enjoy, and thanks for stopping by!
Have some fun in the travel section.
I travel a fair bit, both for work and for fun. Here’s a bunch of random trip reports and daily trip-logs that I’ve put together and posted. I’ve sorted it all by world geography, in an attempt to make it easy to figure out where I’ve been.
My Photography Gear: The Cameras/Drones/Action Cams I Use Daily
The most common question I receive outside of the “what’s the best GPS watch for me” variant, are photography-esq based. So in efforts to combat the amount of emails I need to sort through on a daily basis, I’ve complied this “My Photography Gear” post for your curious minds (including drones & action cams!)! It’s a nice break from the day-to-day sports-tech talk, and I hope you get something out of it!
The Swim/Bike/Run Gear I Use List
Many readers stumble into my website in search of information on the latest and greatest sports tech products. But at the end of the day, you might just be wondering “What does Ray use when not testing new products?”. So here is the most up to date list of products I like and fit the bill for me and my training needs best! DC Rainmaker 2023 swim, bike, run, and general gear list. But wait, are you a female and feel like these things might not apply to you? If that’s the case (but certainly not saying my choices aren’t good for women), and you just want to see a different gear junkies “picks”, check out The Girl’s Gear Guide too.
Nice that KK finally spiffied up their stands a bit. I love their resistance units, but the stands have been behind the Cyclops design now for a few years.
The old road machine had multiple holes in the legs, to reposition for wheel size. Kinda’ a pain in the butt, as you need to have two wrenches to do it (er… my daughter likes to play on my trainer sometimes… with her 24 inch tires). Not clear how the new stand is adjustable in this regard.
Cyclops wheel resistance yellow locking handle still looks like it functions better than the new KK green knob. oh well. thanks for the photos.
Hey Ray,
I’m thinking about switching from the powerbeam pro to the Rock n’ Roll + inride or the Kickr. The powerbeam has been a nightmare. My question relates to the pro flywheel. For someone who does indoor training on an extremely frequent basis, is getting the pro flywheel worth it, or will the standard trainer serve me just fine?
I don’t use a pro flywheel, definitely don’t see a need to.
6 years with the Road Machine and no complains about it (well, I did have to change the resistance unit because of a failure, not related to leaking, but they changed without any questions). Seems like the Pro version has a better feel when it comes to coasting. But the Road version is hard enough for going at least until 40km/h (25mph) without problems (because I never actually went over this during my workouts, so I can´t tell how they behave above that, but it seems like they hold fine even faster than this).
Any word on an upgrade kit so I can just buy a new frame and mount my resistance until to the new Rock and Roll?
The new models aren’t even showing up on the website yet.
Hey Ray, what’s your take on carbon frames and static trainers? I have KK road machine and don’t really care about rocking so i don’t wanna upgrade to rock’n’roll, but I am not sure if there is any damage to the frame…
FWIW, I have been using a KK road machine with my Wilier Cento for four years and have hammered the heck out of it without any frame damage. Carbon is very tough. (I’m light @ 140 lbs.)
There’s no issues. It’s a bit of a rumor based in part on a few random magazine articles a number of years ago. Nobody in the trainer industry I’ve talked to has ever seen an issue in real-world normal use, and the same goes for bike companies. If it were, we wouldn’t see pro teams with sponsored carbon bikes warming up on trainers. ;)
I’m relatively new to the sport, going into the second year for triathlons, and I’m looking for a trainer for the off season. Which trainer would be best to get between the Kinetics by Kurt, Cycleops fluid2, or Wahoo KickR if price isn’t an option
My girlfriend and I have been using the Rock and Roll consistently (3-5x/week) for almost 7 years, and the frame has just this year developed a crack. I think that’s pretty good durability. We’ll see how good KK is w/warranty service. I like using the Pro flywheel for long steady efforts, the extra mass is much harder to get up to speed, and once up to speed it provides a nice bit of extra stability to the effort-great if you want to simulate climbing or time trialling. I don’t use it for short intervals (30sec-3minutres) though b/c by the time I get up to speed the interval’s half over !
Seems that Kinetic will update the trainers with Smart Control Power Units this fall.
link to kurtkinetic.com
link to kurtkinetic.com
Any plans for a review?
Yup, once I have one in my hands. Unclear on when that’ll happen.
Doesn’t look like it supports Ant+ trainer control :(
“More speed, more resistance…more sweet”
Are you dreaming of cookies again Ray? :)
Always. :)