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?
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- I’m headed to Paris – what do you recommend for training or sightseeing?
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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.
The Fitbit Charge 5 was released when? You seem to be struggling with the 2020’s this week Ray ;-)
The Fitbit does look cool. 1 week battery life and the features are also good. But my problem would be the subscription. If you assume several years of use, then it’s no longer so cheap. Then you could go straight for a Garmin or Apple Watch.
Which annoys me a bit:
Apple and Fitbit have cool different original wristbands. Cool designs (like the Fitbit fabric wristbands) and colours.
Garmin is too lame and offers far too little.
This is so true!
Unless you want to access their workout videos, there is very little need anymore to purchase the Fitbit subscription. People complained so bitterly to Fitbit about requiring a subscription to access historical metric charts (like hrv, resting hr, etc) that this is now free without a subscription.
You should go for a Garmin Vivofit Junior if all you care about is colours.. ;)
Oh la la, they actually have coloured wristbands. Unfortunately, I have a Forerunner 265 ;) and the wristband range looks pretty dull. Whoever is responsible for the colour selection…has no idea and no taste.
And Apple has something like that…thats my little collection:) If you take a look at the thread “Every Apple Watch band Apple released. Ever.” on macrumors and see how people talk about the different e.g. blue tones from different years or collections, then you understand how the wristband selection alone keeps people with the Apple Watch or creates a hurdle so that they don’t switch somewhere else.
I had the Charge 5 for a few months. The incompatibility of the HR/GPS made it kind of useless for outdoor activities. I’m not in the market but I’m still looking forward to Ray’s evaluation. If Fitbit can fix that issue with software, I’ll be impressed.
With the Charge 5, they dropped the price within a month or two by $50. on Black Friday.
If someone is considering this tracker, it could be worthwhile to wait till November.
My biggest concern with the Charge 5 was its longevity. I had battery issues with two of them. One drained rapidly, was replaced under warranty and then seven or eight months later the replacement stopped charging. I ended up shifting over to a Garmin Vivosmart 5 which is no where near as nice to use, but seemingly a lot more solid.
I may have been incredibly unlucky, but if not, I hope that the Charge 6 resolves some of these reliability issues.
You weren’t unlucky. Battery issues were a known problem with the 5.
> Requires usage of a Google Account
Something to keep in mind is that this doesn’t work with Google Workspace accounts (eg G Suite legacy free edition ones)
The cyclist pictured is Erick Cedeno.
I think the mount is still on the bike. Just not as obvious from that angle due to the weird angle it’s mounted at.
Are you optimistic for the Pixel Watch 2 and WearOS 4? I was hoping the workout app on my Pixel Watch would get more advanced through software updates, but not really much seems to have happened.
Unfortunately the HR broadcast feature does not seem to work with bike computers. Tried it with Garmin 1040 solar and Elemnt roam, both connected no problem but will not show HR. Tried it on Zwift it connects and then broadcasts. With Zwift I got a approve to share on the 6 but this was not the case with the 2 bike computers.
I came here looking for this. Same problem for me. Won’t connect to Garmin or Karoo. I also tried Zwift via an iPad and it wouldn’t transmit there either.
I was suspicious about how specific their language was about gym machines etc vs just blanket any fitness device.