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?
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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.
I’ve been using Final Surge for awhile primarily because they have the best support for Running Power currently. They have a good partnership with Stryd. Their structured workout builder is on par with Training Peaks. Their analytics are not as deep as TP or SportTracks. Their Garmin app is great. Loading structured workouts from Final Surge to my 945 is seamless and easy. Analytics are lacking is the biggest turnoff. Biggest positive is that the athlete version is free, including the structured workout builder. Good selection of paid training plans available.
It’s great that Polar is finally putting more emphasis on FIT files. The support of ANT+ is also a great step.
The API endpoint for the FIT files already exists in the Polar API since July 2018. After we found out that the files were more or less buggy we used the TCX format. To test the FIT files we will offer the option to load the TCX or FIT files soon.
I’ve been using Runalyze for some time now and love it to analyzing, comparing and storing my Polar data. I don’t understand the differences between the file formats, though. What advantage would it have, if Runalyze would also use FIT instead of TCX? Is some data lost due to TCX?
In terms of the data Polar is sending today, not much. However, if you were to apply that to Garmin’s data – the picture becomes more clear.
Things like Cycling Dynamics, Running Dynamics, even lots of details around underlying device usage are all stuffed in the .FIT file. For example real-time battery drain, or firmware versions, or even battery of the connected sensors, as well as sensor ID’s too. Garmin also writes the exact backlight status – so when users call in and say that their unit is draining battery crazy-fast, they can look at the file and be like ‘Your backlight is set to 100%, Always-on…try reducing that’.
Stages cycling computers meanwhile puts things like the exact power meter calibration values in there, and the firmware of their power meters. Wahoo and Garmin both write tire air pressure to the files, as well as things life shifting data.
The world’s your oyster, and while technically a lot of these things could be accomplished on .TCX, the files are crazy big in comparison and the standards aren’t there like they are in .FIT (where all of these fields are well defined according to standards so that apps like Training Peaks or Final Surge can instantly leverage it).
Thanks for your quick reply Ray and clarifying on the significance of FIT! :)
I’ve been using FinalSurge for over a year now (heard about the service on the On Coaching Podcast with Magness & Marcus) and it’s my favourite training log.
Killer Features for me:
* Pain & Injury Tracking and Reporting (signed up just to use this feature alone)
* easy to enter post-workout comments
* ability to print your training log with workout comments (perfect if you want to get advice from another person)
FinalSurge may be not the best platform for a purely data-driven training (like e.g. WKO4 and/or TrainingPeaks), but is best in class for quickly plaining workout, creating a workout library, checking for training compliance and subjective key metrics like RPE or General Feel.
I would love to pay for this service because I worry for their existence (don’t have any details about their finances).
It’s not working as is see a few minutes ago..
From Polar Flow can download only tcx format file, and no other possibility to get fit file from polar’s activity…