I’m DC RAINMAKER…
Here’s how to save!
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And both Backcountry & Competitive Cyclist offer free 2-day shipping!
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You can use the above link for any Amazon country and it (should) automatically redirect to your local Amazon site.
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Check out my weekly podcast - with GPLAMA, which is packed with both gadget and non-gadget goodness!
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5 Easy Steps To The Site
1
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.
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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!
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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.
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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!
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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: 'zwift'
Zwift Increases Zwift Hub Price to $599
Today Zwift announced a slate of new software features for the upcoming season, including new roads in Watopia, Climb Portal updates, an entirely new methodology for racing categorization called Race Score, along with new features to take advantage of the … Read More Here
Wahoo and Zwift Reach Patent Dispute Agreement: Here’s What’s Happening Next
Exactly one year ago today, Zwift announced the Zwift Hub smart trainer – which priced at $499USD, immediately lit a fire across the rest of the smart trainer industry. The product was mostly a rebrand of the existing JetBlack VOLT … Read More Here
Apple Watch Ultra 2: Hands-on and What’s New
In addition to the new Apple Watch Ultra 2, Apple has also refreshed its regular Apple Watch lineup with the new Series 9. These units share a ton of new features, both from a hardware standpoint, but also a … Read More Here
Elite & Wahoo Reduce List Prices on Trainers
Over the past 7 days, both Elite and Wahoo have reduced prices on a few models of their trainers that directly or indirectly compete with the direct drive based Zwift Hub smart trainer. That trainer was announced one year ago … Read More Here
Wahoo KICKR BIKE SHIFT: Hands-On and Initial Thoughts
Today Wahoo announced a more affordable version of their high-end KICKR BIKE, the new KICKR BIKE SHIFT. This slices $1,000 off the price in exchange for a few trade-offs, notably removing the built-in CLIMB-like up and down incline simulation, as … Read More Here
MyWhoosh Selected for UCI Cycling Esports World Championship for 2024-2026: A Few Thoughts
The UCI & MyWhoosh announced yesterday that the MyWhoosh virtual cycling platform has been selected for the UCI Cycling Esports World Championships in 2024/2025/2026. Up till now Zwift has been the platform utilized for the online cycling World Championship event, … Read More Here
Apple Adds Cycling Power Meter Recording to Fitness+ Workouts
Apple has quietly added power meter and cadence data to your completed workout data in Apple’s Fitness+ cycling workouts, which is their coached platform where trainers iterate through structured workouts. This addition is supported in the latest public betas of … Read More Here
Apple Watch Power Meter Support: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know
Last month at Apple’s annual developer conference the company outlined the future of Apple Watch, at least in terms of software, for the next year. One item that seemed to surprise many was the announcement that Apple would be adding … Read More Here
Rolla: Finally a Viable Zwift Competitor?
I think I’m getting old. I’ve been around the block enough times to remember writing about not just numerous viable Zwift competitors, but rather a decade ago when Zwift themselves was announced as a company to replace now relics of … Read More Here
Zwift Play Controller Review: Surprisingly Useful!
Zwift has just released their Zwift Play controller, which lets you do everything from steering in-game, to quickly accessing settings while riding, all while also hurling burritos at other racers. It’s Zwift’s second piece of cycling hardware they’ve announced in … Read More Here
Peloton’s Seatpost Recall, Zwift’s Curious Steering Rebirth, and GoPro Price Drop
Things have been heating up this week in the sports tech space – albeit, not all of the heating has been of the new product variety. Still, here’s a few things I found worthy to dive into deeper. Peloton Seat … Read More Here
Zwift Outlines Summer Features, Plus Zwift Hub Firmware Update
Yesterday Zwift announced their summer feature plans, which include a number of actually pretty useful features. And in this case, ‘summer’ really means anything vaguely warm, including May. Also, this is not Australian summer, but Austrian summer. Atop that, as … Read More Here
Wahoo KICKR STEER In-Depth Review
Wahoo has made a trio of announcements today, including new hardware, new RGT app features, and new firmware. This post is all about the new hardware side of things for Wahoo KICKR STEER, in conjunction with the new RGT steering … Read More Here
Wahoo’s Injunction Request Against Zwift Hub Denied By Judge
A judge has denied Wahoo’s request to prevent Zwift from continuing to sell the Zwift Hub smart trainer. That smart trainer is the center of a legal dispute between the two companies, which Wahoo says infringes on their existing patents, … Read More Here
Zwift CEO Signals Upcoming Price Increase, Subscriber Goals, and More
Zwift has a long and vibrant history of hinting at upcoming changes via financial media organizations such as Bloomberg. And the latest interview with Bloomberg news is no different. I mean, I suppose it was slightly different in that it … Read More Here
Zwift Announces New Layoffs Reducing 15% of Workforce
Zwift has internally announced a restructuring that is resulting in a reduction of the workforce by 15%, or approximately 80 people in total. The change is largely coming out of a “fresh look” at things with Zwift’s recently added Co-CEO, … Read More Here
Zwift’s New Scotland World: First Rides!
Ahead of February’s UCI Esports World Championships, Zwift is launching a new world/map: Scotland. This follows in the footsteps of other historical UCI-driven maps, such as the always-loved Richmond (2015), Innsbruck (2018), Yorkshire (2019), and the little-remembered Bologna TT event … Read More Here
Astounding Data Stream Hack Gets UCI World Championship Qualifier Banned
I’ve never been good at writing titles. They’re all too factual, and usually too boring. The titles I considered writing here were: 1) UCI Esports World Championship Qualifier Banned after Spicy Real-Time Manipulation of Data Stream 2) Zwift Race Cheating … Read More Here
Zwift Enables Video Highlight Uploads to Strava
If you’ve already been Zwifting this morning or last night, you might have noticed a new feature: Video highlight uploads to Strava. This new feature will automatically capture certain key moments (such as unlocking a new level/etc…), while also … Read More Here
Zwift Adds New Roads, Brings Back Other Features, Apple TV 4K 2022 Update Timelines
Consider this post a Zwift potpourri of updates. Depending on your time zone on this planet, last night Zwift rolled out a new update that adds a bunch of new pavement (and dirt..and sand) to the platform, while also bringing … Read More Here
Wahoo Fitness Dismisses Smart Trainer Lawsuit Against JetBlack, Sets Timetable Against Zwift
As you may be aware, earlier this fall Wahoo Fitness decided to sue Zwift over Zwift’s introduction of their $499 Zwift Hub smart trainer into the market. Wahoo argues that the Zwift Hub infringes on a number of patents utilized … Read More Here
Zwift Hub Smart Trainer In-Depth Review: The Best Bang For Your Buck?
Today Zwift starts selling their first smart trainer, the Zwift Hub. Announced about a month ago, this ‘new’ smart trainer is essentially a repackaged JetBlack VOLT V2 trainer, but at a substantially lower price point than virtually every other direct … Read More Here
Previously Disqualified Zwift Cheater Tries MyWhoosh, Gets Promptly Disqualified
While cheating happens every day, all day, on Zwift and other virtual cycling platforms. Every few months there exists a story worth writing about. And today is one of those days. I’m out riding, running, and swimming a stupid number … Read More Here
Zwift Hub $499 Smart Trainer Hands-On: A Competition Killer?
Update – October 3rd, 2022: The Zwift Hub has now started shipping, and with it, I’ve released my full Zwift Hub In-Depth Review. In that review, you’ll find my accuracy testing on the final firmware/hardware, as well as all the … Read More Here
Wahoo Adds Voice Chat to RGT Racing & Training, Further SYSTM Expansions
Wahoo has announced its major changes for the Wahoo SYSTM & RGT apps (Wahoo acquired RGT this past spring), including new routes in both platforms, as well as being the first major platform to add integrated voice chat between riders … Read More Here