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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And both Backcountry & Competitive Cyclist offer free 2-day shipping!In the UK/EU/Australia/New Zealand? Then hit up Wiggle at the link below!
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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 GPLAMA, 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 2021 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: 'watch'
Apple Significantly Changes Apple Watch Running Power In Latest Beta
Apple has quietly made a pretty substantial change to how and when running power is calculated in the Apple Watch, which will impact ultra and trail runners the most. Thankfully, this is a good change. This change is part of … Read More Here
Apple Watch Running Track Mode Expands To More Countries
A quick post for today as Apple has expanded their Apple Watch running track mode to more countries. This mode will automatically detect the running track as you step onto the track, offering to enter/trigger track mode (assuming you’re in … Read More Here
Oura Ring & Apple Watch Integrations: A Closer Look
Late last week Oura launched a new integration with the Apple Watch, adding both an app to display data as well as data fields that can be used in watch faces. While other display-less companies like Whoop have resisted integrations … Read More Here
Week in Review – March 19th, 2023
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
Fitbit Makes Some Premium Subscription Features Free
Fitbit has announced that they’ll be making a set of their Fitbit Premium subscription features free to all Fitbit users – including for Pixel Watch users which leverage the Fitbit features. These features are mostly historical data access features (versus … Read More Here
Garmin Vivomove Trend In-Depth Review: First Garmin Wireless Charging Watch!
Garmin has just announced their first watch with wireless charging, the new Vivomove Trend. This analog-hand capable watch is the latest in the Vivomove series of watches that aim to avoid the smartwatch look, yet have all the smartwatch features … Read More Here
Garmin Forerunner 965: The Complete Beginners Guide
Just a quick heads up for those that aren’t subscribed on YouTube, that I’ve just hit publish on my incredibly detailed hour-long user guide for the new Garmin Forerunner 965. As always, this comprehensive guide thoroughly explores every feature of … Read More Here
Google Pixel Watch In-Depth Review: A Promising Start
After many years of rumors, hints, acquisitions, and probably a few false starts – the Pixel watch is finally here. The end resultant is largely what you’d expect in a first-generation watch from a major company: Something that appeals as … Read More Here
Samsung Outlines Galaxy Watch4: First New Google WearOS Watch–Full Details
Today, Samsung announced their Galaxy Watch 4, which is the first watch to utilize the new Google + Samsung variant of Wear OS. This new operating system (or, slightly rebranded one) allows access to the Google Play store, while Samsung … Read More Here
Apple Watch Ultra In-Depth Review: It’s a Start!
The Apple Watch Ultra is Apple’s real first foray into a watch suited for endurance sports, and other sporty adventures. Sure, Apple’s WatchOS 9 update for many of their other watches, including the recent Apple Watch Series 8, has brought … Read More Here
Apple Watch Series 8 In-Depth Review
While all eyes last week were on the Apple Watch Ultra, the reality is that the Series 8 will sell the most units (by far), has almost every software feature of the Ultra, and includes the same slate of massive … Read More Here
Apple Watch Ultra Hands-On: Everything you need to know!
Today, Apple has announced the biggest shift to their Apple Watch product lineup since launch, by announcing the new Apple Watch Ultra, which is targeted at the endurance athlete. This new watch has increased battery life, an added button, larger … Read More Here
Apple Watch Adds Native Running Power & Triathlon Support: All New watchOS 9 Features Detailed
Today, as part of announcing watchOS 9, Apple rolled out a massive slate of new sports and fitness features including running power, triathlon mode (including automatic transitions), custom workout support, and plenty more. Apple’s annual Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC), which … Read More Here
COROS VERTIX Adventure GPS Watch: Hands-on with their new premium watch
The COROX Vertix might look like a Garmin Fenix 5 watch, but are the features the same? I dig in to find out how well it stacks up. Read More Here
Samsung Galaxy Watch5 Pro: Early Sports Review
With the Samsung Galaxy Watch5 and Watch5 Pro, the company joins the ranks of other entities stamping products with the ‘Pro’ moniker. Sometimes that designation is deserved, and other times it’s little more than marketing. This time around, Samsung appears … Read More Here
MWC 2017 New Watches Hands-on: Huawei Watch 2 & LG Watch Sport
Over the last week or so two new sport-focused watches from non-sport focused companies have been announced. First up was last week’s announcement of the LG Watch Sport (and LG Watch Style), which was then followed by Sunday’s announcement from … Read More Here
Hands-on with the new Garmin Vivomove watch
Garmin’s first classy looking wearable is out! Time to dive into all the details, and compare it against the competition. Read More Here
Apple Watch–Fitness Focused
Yes, I am indeed working towards a fitness/sport-focused Apple Watch review. It’s still likely a few weeks away. In the mean-time, here’s a spot to see a few pics and ask questions. Also, see my Apple Watch YouTube videos here!
In the Queue: The Leikr GPS Multisport Watch
The Leikr project was crowd-funded via Kickstarter a number of months ago and has now reached beta stage. The unit features mapping, GPS support, ANT+ compatibility, and Bluetooth compatibility. I’ll be testing it until final release, but keep in mind … Read More Here
Soleus FIT GPS Watch
I’ve reviewed both the Soleus 1.0 and 2.0 GPS watches, and while the basic watch functionality is good, I found the 2.0 software horrible. Thus, I only agreed to review the new downloable Soleus FIT watch if they addressed the … Read More Here
Garmin Swim watch In-Depth Review
The Garmin Swim is Garmin’s first attempt at a swimming-only product. It builds on the FR910XT’s swimming functionality within the triathlon world, but can it do it all? Read More Here
The Next Garmin Forerunner Multisport Watch
Without doubt, one of the most frequent questions I get around these parts is: “When will the next version of ____ be released?” – which is typically “When will the next Garmin Forerunner be released?”. I should first say – … Read More Here
Apple Watch Updates: Running Track Mode, Race Route, and Extended Battery Times
This has been a busy last week or two for Apple, especially in the watch realm. But also in other areas like expanding out iPhone 14 Emergency SOS via Satellite to some European countries. In this quick post, I’m going … Read More Here
Apple Watch SE (2022/2nd Gen) In-Depth Review
This fall we saw a slew of Apple product releases. From the much anticipated Apple Ultra Watch, to the hugely popular Apple Watch Series 8. But slotted below those in price is the Apple Watch SE (2nd gen). This has … Read More Here