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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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 and Equipment 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! 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.
Search results for: 'interbike 2015'
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend
Wow, this has definitely been a whirlwind weekend. Yet somehow, it didn’t feel all that busy. Almost even sorta relaxing. Go figure. 1) Flew home From South Africa This one is pretty self-explanatory, and I touched on it Saturday in … Read More Here
Power2Max drops prices…again. Now $610US.
This post might take the award for my shortest Eurobike post this year. But that’s OK, because all you basically need to know is that Power2Max cut their prices by 20%, down to $610US – including the cranks. Yes, seriously. … Read More Here
Stages drops prices, down to $529US
Two weeks ago Stages tweaked their European pricing, along with announcing their first carbon crank offerings (and talked about dual left/right power meters). Today at Interbike they announced their US pricing, bringing the lowest model pricing down to $529USD – … Read More Here
Hands-on: Specialized ANGi Helmet Crash Sensor
Today Specialized continued their slow invasion into sports tech gadgetry with the introduction of the Specialized ANGi standalone pod and fully pod-equipped helmet lineup. These connected helmet pods alert your friends and family when you crash, but also give those … Read More Here
The Pioneer Power Meter System In-Depth Review
It’s been nearly 3 years since Pioneer seemingly stumbled onto the bike power meter scene. The move by what is primarily an audio/visual company to break into the high end cycling scene was looked at by many as…well…odd. But Pioneer … Read More Here
I’m featured in Runner’s World’s 50 Most Influential People in Running
Holy cow! I started getting tweets and notes last week that I’d apparently been featured in Runner’s World’s 50 Most Influential People in Running piece, but didn’t have the chance to see it for myself until the Newsstand App updated … Read More Here
PowerTap gives sneak peek at new product development, and other updates from the company
Last year at Eurobike, PowerTap had on display a bit of a historical timeline of the company’s past products. 15 years worth of power meter products on display, a nod to the company’s long line of various developments that hit retail … Read More Here
CompuTrainer to add WiFi controller, ANT+ & Bluetooth Smart support
RacerMate, the maker of the CompuTrainer, is preparing to release a new controller that includes support for WiFi, ANT+ and Bluetooth Smart. They had the head unit (controller) on hand within their booth this year at Interbike, and were able … Read More Here
Tacx Rolls out open ANT+ Trainer Profile support, Zwift/TrainerRoad/Kinomap follow
Today Tacx announced and made available open ANT+ trainer profile support. This support (technically called FE-C, for Fitness Equipment – Controls), allows any 3rd party app to control certain Tacx trainers, as part of their Tacx ‘Smart’ series of trainers. … Read More Here
Reminder: Deal ends tomorrow on $329 FR920XT & 20% off Wahoo KICKR’s
Wahoo KICKR’s Sale: Some readers have brought to my attention the reality that my initial deal post two weeks ago didn’t actually include the Wahoo KICKR or KICKR SNAP 20% off sale, and as such, a large portion of readers probably … Read More Here
The Massive Eurobike Power Meter News Roundup: Quarq, Stages, SRM, PowerBeat, Ciclo, Verve Infocrank, Xpedo
For some power meter companies here at Eurobike I put together full posts if they had a number of new major products, or if they had some sort of significant news. These included: Garmin: New model, announcement of Cycling Dynamics … Read More Here
Interbike Power Meter Tidbits Roundup: Pioneer, Xpedo, WatTeam, PowerTap
As seems to be more and more the trend, the majority of power meter news came from Eurobike this year – with only smaller tidbits coming out of Interbike this year. Things such as pricing changes and slight model adjustments. … Read More Here
Update on Polar/Look Keo Pedal Power Meter Bluetooth Smart Plans
While Polar is strangely absent from this years Eurobike show floor, their partner with the already released Polar/Look Keo Power System – Look – was present and more than happy to sit down and talk about their upcoming plans for … Read More Here
Heads up: Eurobike & Interbike (and more) soon!
Just a super-quick heads up that next week begins the annual 5-week long sports technology sweep (or sprint) that starts with Eurobike, continues with Interbike, and then rounds out with the ANT+ Symposium. It’s predictably packed with new products, cool … Read More Here
Eurobike Sports Tech Snippets Part 1: Cateye, Fly6, Elite Trainers, Wahoo, Canyon
There’s a lot of new tech this year on the floor of Eurobike, more so than I’ve seen in years past. On Thursday alone I spent 12 hours in meetings with these companies. And that didn’t even touch all the coolness … Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend in Côte d’Azur
We just wrapped up an awesome few days with friends down on the other side of the country – here’s what we were up to! 1) Flew down to the French Riviera Getting a slight head start on the weekend, … Read More Here
Garmin announces Vector S: $899 power meter, also announces Cycling Dynamics
Today, at the start of the outdoor portion of Eurobike, Garmin has made two cycling specific announcements. The first is unveiling the Vector S power meter, while the second is announcing upcoming ‘Cycling Dynamics’ metrics that will be applicable to … Read More Here
Kinetic announces new ‘Smart’ trainer lineup, and subscription service
Kinetic was at Eurobike showing off both their updated trainer lineup, as well as their plans for trainer software world domination. Let’s get right to it. The New Trainers: First up is their new smart trainers. In many ways these … Read More Here
My 2015 ANT+ Symposium Session & Panel Videos
I’ve been delivering a session at the ANT+ Symposium now for 4 years. Kinda crazy. While technically the ANT+ Symposium is focused on ANT+, the reality is that almost every major player in the sport technology world is there – … Read More Here
Week in Review–September 6th, 2015
The Week in Review is a collection of both all the goodness I’ve written during the past week around the internet, as well as a small pile of links I found interesting – generally endurance sports related. I’ve often wondered … Read More Here
Hands on with the Dyno Velo power meter
At Interbike this past week a startup company was showing off a new entrant into the crank spindle power meter world. The Dyno Velo power meter is currently planned to hit production next year, for a target price of $399. … Read More Here
K-Edge shows off new combo Garmin/GoPro mount, new Pioneer mount, also new more aerodynamic Garmin mount
Today at Eurobike K-Edge had on hand a number of their just announced mounts, the most interesting being a new combo mount adapter that holds both your GoPro (or other action cam), as well as your Garmin bike computer. Beyond … Read More Here
BKOOL demonstrates KICKR compatibility, new user-video route upload function, Android app
Today at Interbike BKOOL made a slew of announcements related to their trainer platform. In doing so they’re adding themselves to a growing chorus of companies that are adopting standards around indoor training and the software and devices that are … Read More Here
Garmin rolls out Connect IQ to Edge series devices, announces new updates
It’s been precisely one year since Connect IQ was unveiled at the ANT+ Symposium. This morning (at this year’s edition of the conference), Garmin unveiled their next phase of the platform. Since that unveiling last year, Garmin has rolled out four … Read More Here