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.
You'll support the site, and get ad-free DCR! Plus, you'll be more awesome. Click above for all the details. Oh, and you can sign-up for the newsletter here!
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.
-
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?
-
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.
Hi Ray, is it me or are you accidentally publishing old podcasts when you publish your weekly review? On a separate channel, maybe an old auto publish script or something? Or my phone is knackered :)
Nope, why? What are you seeing? In my iTunes Podcast app thingy on the phone I only see the most recent ones.
(And for the record, I blame Ben.)
It’s clearly user error at my end for having the old podcast still subscribed (DC Rainmaker) as well as the new (The DC Rainmaker Podcast). The posts are showing all the text from the above article and playing an old episode of the new podcast – the 15th May plays “Ladies Night”.
link to support.wahoofitness.com
So now I can control the KICKR from my Garmin bike computer? If this is true, when or where to do they release instructions as to how to do this?
You’ll need a Garmin Edge 520/1000 first. Assuming you have that (and the firmware is updated on both your Garmin and the KICKR), then you can search for new sensors and find the Trainer within that. from there you can go into the training menu and control the trainer based on past activities, downloaded courses, or set resistance/wattage levels.
There was a tomtom spark firmware update this week too:
link to en.discussions.tomtom.com
Also a 920xt firmware update this week
6.20 to 7.10 update
link to www8.garmin.com
Looks like it pushed out a whole load of new running metrics, some of which have been flat/blank lines in GC for the last few months. Not sure I know what Vertical Ratio is, but I’m sure it’s cool :)
Anyone else experiencing problems with pool swims? I updated yesterday before my swim and it missed like 50% of my laps. Before it barely missed any.
And then you get those who don’t recognise Danny even in the flesh…
link to facebook.com
Ray, could you expand on the utility of the update re:recorded speed via sensors on VIRB edit-generated videos and indoor cycling? I have used VIRB elite for videos and wonder if this has any impact on my set-up. I use the generated videos on a tablet along with the VIRB-generated GPX files on a Mio Cyclo controlling a Tacx smart. IT works great for indoor riding during the winter
Cycleops vid appears several times
Hmm…odd, I only see it once. :-/
that surfboard is awful! Why oh why would you ever want something like that?
Yep, from the pictures of the LG camera, it looks to me like they bodged it into a GoPro Session Frame and mount with some bits of Velcro. They might not have got that far in designing their own mount yet…
Yeah, exactly what I thought it looked like too. It’s actually kinda funny they used that in PR shots. Especially since I think they only had 2-3 shots of the product..
I see Danny McAskill has posted a video of him doing some tricks in a Glasgow street.
A passer-by says to him: “No bad mate, no bad. Wee bit to go before you’re Danny MacAskill”