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:
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.
-
Check out my weekly podcast - with DesFit, which is packed with both gadget and non-gadget goodness!
-
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.
2
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!
3
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.
4
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!
5
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 2024 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.
DJI OSMO Action: In-Depth Review of DJI’s First Action Camera
The day has finally arrived that everyone predicted would eventually come: DJI has announced an action camera. For realz this time, not a small hand-held gimbal that’s sorta like an action camera but not, not another drone that can be … Read More Here
COROS VERTIX Adventure GPS Watch: Hands-on with their new premium watch
Today COROS announced their new VERTIX multisport GPS device, which adds in SpO2 measurement for high-altitude adventures, while also bringing with it a more premium feel that apparently demands an equally premium price – from $599 to $699 depending on … Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend
Ahh yes, finally getting some re-warmth into the springtime weather here in Amsterdam. Not a massive amount of warmth, but I’ll take any bit I can get. Here’s what I was up to this weekend, with family in town as … Read More Here
Week in Review–May 13th, 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
Zwift’s New Giro d’Italia Course Released: First Ride
Earlier this week Zwift announced that their new course would be a short time trial route mirroring the 2019 Giro d’Italia Stage 1, which starts today with the pros riding the real thing in Bologna. But it wasn’t until now … Read More Here
4iiii Acquires STAC Performance, Makers of Near-Silent Trainers (and other products)
The consolidation in the power meter and trainer industry continues this year, with 4iiii announcing today they’ve completed the acquisition of STAC Performance, which you’ll remember makes the virtually silent trainer that I rode inside our baby nursery. STAC also … Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend
After countless non-stop tech weekends, it was finally a little bit more relaxing on the sports tech gadget testing front. Still, I was carrying out some less critical tests over the course of the weekend which I suspect some of … Read More Here
Week in Review–May 6th, 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
Sunday Tidbits: Polar’s new Vantage V Titan + Roadmap Updates, Suunto Updates, and Xert iOS App
While this was a busy week when it came to new product reviews, there was a small undercurrent of notable sports tech news this past week that my brain couldn’t quite squirt onto the page. But…now that time has come. … Read More Here
IQ2 Power Meter Changes Direction: Backers Now Getting Pedals
On the list of things coming down the pipeline this Friday, I didn’t see the day wrapping up this way. IQ2 just announced that their belated power meter project (which was essentially a small spacer in between the pedals and … Read More Here
Wahoo ELEMNT ROAM Cycling GPS In-Depth Review
Sometimes, I don’t quite know how to start a product review. And unfortunately, today is one of those days. See, the thing is, when I review products – price is an important piece of the equation. Just as it is … Read More Here
Garmin Forerunner 945 Multisport Watch In-Depth Review
Ahh yes, the moment you’ve all been waiting for has arrived: The plastic Fenix 5 Plus. Except, wait…not really. Yes, it has everything the Fenix 5 Plus does, but it actually has more. It’s got special sauce both from a … Read More Here
Garmin Forerunner 245 Music GPS Watch In-Depth Review
When Garmin first introduced the Vivoactive 3 almost two years ago, I wondered how exactly they’d create a successor to the Forerunner 235. Sure, the FR235 had more buttons than the Vivoactive 3, but ultimately the Vivoactive 3 was a … Read More Here
Garmin Forerunner 45/45S GPS Watch In-Depth Review
On one hand, the Forerunner 45 represents Garmin’s most capable running watch they’ve ever made below $200. On the other hand, it tries to counter the wave of Apple and Samsung products at or flirting with $199 price points as … Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend
It’s been a crazy busy last week, and this weekend was no exception. So let’s dive right into it! 1) Cycling The Tulip Fields Friday afternoon The Girl and I grabbed our bikes and headed 1-2 hours south. To tulip … Read More Here
Garmin Speed & Cadence Sensors V2 with ANT+/Bluetooth Smart: In-Depth Review
In the highly unlikely event that you didn’t get enough Garmin news today with the announcement of two brand new head units (the Edge 530 and Edge 830, see reviews at those links), you’ve also got yourself some new sensors … Read More Here
Garmin Edge 530 Cycling GPS In-Depth Review
Today Garmin announced three new products, the Edge 530 (this review), the Edge 830 (that review), and new dual ANT+/Bluetooth Smart Speed and Cadence sensors (that review coming up momentarily). These products effectively complete Garmin’s x30 lineup of higher-end cycling … Read More Here
Garmin Edge 830 Cycling GPS In-Depth Review
If you’re looking for new Garmin cycling products – there’s no bigger day than today. The company has just dropped three new products: The Edge 830 (this review), the less expensive Edge 530 (review here), and a set of new … Read More Here
Week in Review–April 21st, 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
TrainerRoad Opens Up New Outside Workouts Feature, Outlines Bike Computer Integration
Last week TrainerRoad semi-quietly announced outside workouts for some of their structured workouts. I say ‘semi-quietly’ as they announced it on their popular forums. It’s there that they detailed how it works, as well as allowed anyone to join the … Read More Here
Sea Otter Sports Tech Update: 4iiii, Acer/Xplova, Barfly, Bryton, K-Edge, Stages, Wahoo
Last week was the annual Sea Otter Classic cycling festival. It’s part trade show, part consumer show, and part bike racing scene. Also, there’s free beer at sunset at the CLIF bar booth…and you get a free metal cup for … Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend (Sea Otter Edition)
I’m just wrapping up my long weekend here in Monterey, CA hanging out at the Sea Otter Classic bike festival/event. While I’ve got a couple of tech-focused posts coming up over the next 24-36 hours, I figured I’d dive into … Read More Here
SRAM Acquires PowerTap: What it means for both brands and consumers
SRAM has just announced the acquisition of PowerTap, inclusive of their entire lineup of power meters (wheel hubs, pedals, and chainrings). The acquisition is not inclusive of the CycleOps trainer brand, nor of the Saris rack brands. Both of those … Read More Here
Garmin Connect IQ Summit Day 2 Announcements
We’re onto the second day of announcements here at the Garmin Connect IQ Summit. The list from Day 1 is over on my previous post, though as noted the majority of those were developer focused (except the new iOS/Android Connect … Read More Here
Garmin Connect IQ Summit–Day 1 Announcements
Today kicked off the annual Garmin Connect IQ Summit. This event takes place at Garmin’s headquarters in Olathe, KS and attracts sports and non-sports partners, and 3rd party software developers for their Connect IQ teams. You’ll find everyone from TrainingPeaks … Read More Here
Optical HR Armband Shootout: Polar OH1+, Scosche Rhythm24, Wahoo TICKR FIT
The last few weeks, well…months really, I’ve been spending an excessive amount of time wearing optical HR sensor straps. It mostly started back in January as I was preparing my Polar Vantage M and COROS APEX reviews, with the optical … Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend
Here’s what I was up to this past weekend as I prepped for a bit of time across the pond. Enjoy! 1) Getting the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active post out Friday was the day that never quite ended. I got … Read More Here
Week in Review–April 7th, 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
Samsung Galaxy Watch Active – Sport & Fitness In-Depth Review
***Update: Just a note the Galaxy Watch Active 2 is out, you can see my post about it here*** Each year for a number of years now, Samsung has released fitness-focused smartwatches. Correspondingly, each year they seem to be getting … Read More Here
Your GPS watch will (most likely) continue to work fine tomorrow (April 6th)
There’s been plenty of chatter in recent weeks and months about whether this weekend’s upcoming GPS Week Number Roller (WNRO) will impact various GPS devices. In short, on April 6th, 2019 some older devices could effectively reset their knowledge of … Read More Here
How To (Sorta) Make Your CompuTrainer Wireless: PerfPro’s CT Smart Wireless Bridge
While the company is no longer in business (and still, nobody seems to know who purchased the CompuTrainer assets specifically from RacerMate), there are undoubtedly many CompuTrainers left in service out there. And aside from a handful connected with the … Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend
First up, since I don’t have a ‘Week in Review’ post this week, if you didn’t catch the latest podcast episode that went up late Friday, here’s the skinny: We dive into left-only power meters, Apple Watch ECG expansion, early … Read More Here
Four Days of Swim/Bike/Run Amazingness in Mallorca
I’ve been down in Mallorca since earlier this week, for a jam-packed slate of daily swim/bike/run workouts, with a side boatload of photo and video shooting. This trip was almost exclusively about testing a slate of devices set for review … Read More Here
Friday Tidbits: Stages Factory Install, Apple ECG in Europe, and COROS adds Navigation
There’s been lots of interesting tidbits in the sports tech world over the past week that’s worth a quicker dive into…but as always with my tidbit posts, not quite a full-on standalone post. Here’s what happened in the week that … Read More Here
How to export fitness data from the Samsung wearables (and Samsung Health app)
For each of the last three years or so, I’ve started the review process of a Samsung GPS watch, all variants of either the Samsung Galaxy line or Samsung Gear lineup. And each of those years I get a few … Read More Here
