I’m DC RAINMAKER…
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:
With TPC (The Pro's Closet), you'll save $40 on purchases over $200 with coupon code DCRAIN40 for tech and non-tech purchases!
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.
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Check out my weekly podcast - with DesFit, which is packed with both gadget and non-gadget goodness!
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5 Easy Steps To The Site
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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.
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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 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.
Wahoo Acquires Speedplay: Hints At Power Meter Pedal Future
Coming out of nowhere this morning, Wahoo Fitness has announced the acquisition of Speedplay – the makers of cycling pedals. The acquisition marks the second company that Wahoo has acquired this year, following The Sufferfest a bit earlier in the … Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend
Another fairly busy weekend. I’m sure it’ll calm down eventually. However, first, a quick note about three specific trainer-type deal sales, since I didn’t publish a ‘Week in Review’ this weekend: CycleOps Hammer 1 – $699 (from $1,000): This is … Read More Here
Apple Watch Series 5 First Run Impressions Video Up!
Looking for initial data on the Apple Watch Series 5? Look no further, here’s a pile of GPS/HR/activity and much more data and first impressions. Read More Here
Wahoo Releases TrainerRoad Integration, Plus Ability to Customize Radar Icons to a Chicken
Over the last 24 hours Wahoo has semi-quietly rolled out firmware updates to the Wahoo ROAM, BOLT, and ELEMNT units. These two updates though are functionally at completely opposite ends of the spectrum, one is practical and can improve your … Read More Here
Rouvy Rolls Out Apple TV & Mac Support, Free During Public Beta
Rouvy has now joined the club of apps offering Apple TV support for their indoor training suite, alongside Zwift, FulGaz, and to a degree – Road Grand Tours. While Apple TV support may not be critical for less graphically intense … Read More Here
Tacx NEO Bike Smart In-Depth Review
Here’s everything you wanted to know about the Tacx NEO Bike Smart, after some 5 months of usage and testing. From accuracy to responsiveness and more! Read More Here
Elite’s New Tuo Smart Trainer: First Look and Specs
You know, for a toaster, it rides pretty well. I’m serious – Elite’s newly announced Tuo smart trainer actually feels way better than I expected it would. Which isn’t a knock on Elite, but a compliment. The reality is that … Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend
This weekend was a bit of a calm before the inevitable storm. The storm that will inevitably occur anytime the number of children increases in a household, but in particular, increases beyond the number of parents in the household. In … Read More Here
Week in Review–Sept 15th, 2019
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
Garmin Launches ‘Connected GPS’ Functionality For Wearables Without GPS (Vivosmart 4 & Vivomove 3)
Last week Garmin ever so quietly added so-called ‘Connected GPS’ functionality to the Garmin Connect Mobile application, while concurrently releasing a firmware update for the Vivosmart 4 (which came a year ago), as well as incorporating it into the base … Read More Here
Apple’s Series 5 Watch Will Have Always-on Display, drops price of Series 3 to $199
Like clockwork, today Apple announced the new Apple Watch Series 5, which includes one substantial change, and only a handful of other modest updates. However, perhaps far more important than that is Apple’s official pricing shift on the Series 3 … Read More Here
SRM X Power MTB Power Meter First Look: A Turning Point for SRM?
For the first time in approximately ever, I’m actually excited about an SRM product and where the company is heading. Here, right off the top of this post without a wordy intro, in a mere three bullets I’ll explain why: … Read More Here
First Look: The 4iiii Fliiiight Smart Trainer
December 2019 Update: My full 4iiii Fliiiight Smart Trainer In-Depth Review is now published, hit up that page for all my final details after a bunch of usage. Remember back in May when 4iiii announced the acquisition of STAC the … Read More Here
Garmin’s Vivoactive 4 Series: Everything you need to know
Update! My full long-term in-depth review of the Garmin Vivoactive 4/4S is over here, with tons of accuracy data and months of testing. Dive in! Today Garmin announced the new Vivoactive 4 & 4S watches, within a pile of different … Read More Here
Garmin Venu with AMOLED Display: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know
Update! Head over to my full Garmin Venu In-Depth Review for all the analysis and testing after months of usage! I suppose one could simply say that the Garmin Venu was simply just a Vivoactive 4 with a really beautiful … Read More Here
Wahoo Adds Cadence Support & Multichannel Bluetooth to KICKR/CORE Trainers via Firmware Update
I think this post should be a quick one. As of today, Wahoo is rolling out a firmware update to existing Wahoo KICKR18 & KICKR CORE trainers that will now calculate and broadcast your cadence over ANT+ & Bluetooth Smart. … Read More Here
Zwift Demonstrates Mountain Biking & Steering at Eurobike
As the flurry of announcements at Eurobike get under way, Zwift themselves has two items on the docket. The first is availability of the new Yorkshire course later today, a shorter looped replica of the real world UCI World Championship … Read More Here
Wahoo’s KICKR Bike with Built-In CLIMB: Everything you ever wanted to know
*** Check out the Wahoo KICKR Bike In-Depth Review Here*** In a move that probably shouldn’t surprise anyone– Wahoo has joined the indoor smart bike fray, with their new KICKR Bike. This unit is far more than just a KICKR and … Read More Here
Wattbike Announces US Availability for ATOM Smart Bike
Almost exactly two years after announcing the Wattbike Atom, the hard to get indoor smart bike is finally going to be available to purchase in the US. The company has made significant tweaks to the bike in the last two … Read More Here
Stages Announces New Smart Bike: Hands-on Details
Note: My full in-depth review of the Stages Bike SB20 is published and available here, go check it out! Stages is the first company at Eurobike 2019 to bring a new smart bike to market, though, it’s hardly the first … Read More Here
Hands-On: Tacx’s NEO 2T Smart Trainer With Increased Power
Update: My complete Tacx NEO 2T In-Depth Review is now available here! Hit it up for all the details after months of testing! At Eurobike this year Tacx has announced their latest update to the Tacx Neo Series, with the … Read More Here
Elite Direto X Smart Trainer In-Depth Review
While Eurobike doesn’t officially start for another 15 hours, Elite is joining Saris in getting a jumpstart on things, this time on Eurobike Eve. Elite has just announced three new products – the Elite Direto X (this post), the Elite … Read More Here
Hands-on: Sigma’s iD.TRI & iD.FREE Multisport GPS Watches
I’ve always been a bit impressed by Sigma. Here’s a company that is mostly unknown outside of Europe (or even Germany), yet they tend to put out high-quality products that compete technically with those from the bigger-name American and European … Read More Here
Saris H3 Smart Trainer In-Depth Review
CycleOps…err…now Saris is getting a bit ahead of the Eurobike show announcement flood by starting early. Today they’ve announced three new products. First, is this post – the Saris H3 (Hammer 3) trainer. This trainer gets a bit quieter while … Read More Here
Garmin Fenix 6 Series In-Depth Review
Garmin’s latest Fenix series watch now includes solar power, but how well does it work? And what’s PacePro all about? Here’s everything you wanted to know. Read More Here
