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.
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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/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!
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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 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.
The Apple Watch Waterproofing Extravaganza: Swim, High Diving, Test Chamber
This past week I’ve been slowly plotting a series of tests to batter the Apple Watch and see exactly how well it’d hold up to a variety of aquatic adventures. No doubt I’ve been showering with it twice-daily since it … Read More Here
The 2015 Swim/Bike/Run Gear I Use List
It’s that time of year again – the “Swim/Bike/Run Gear I use List!”. Well, ok, it was that time of year like 8 months ago, but life got in the way. Thankfully, enough of you kept reminding me each week … Read More Here
First rides with the PowerTap P1 Pedals & PowerTap C1 Chainring…and more
This past weekend I spent time riding on PowerTap’s latest products that were announced about two months ago (much more background in that post), all of which are in various non-final forms, but nearing release. They’ve got a full suite … Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend
This was officially the weekend that never seemed to end, nor one where I stayed in any one place very long. Here’s the run-down. 1) Flew to Mallorca to test out PowerTap P1 & C1 power meters With Friday being … Read More Here
Week in Review–May 3rd, 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
The DCR Podcast is now on iTunes! Also: Episode 2 is out, RSS feed available
Just a super-quick update that earlier this week the DC Rainmaker Podcast got approved by Apple for iTunes. That means you can subscribe to it right there from within your Apple device (or iTunes), as well as do something even … Read More Here
The DCR’s on Vacation Fenix3 Giveaway Winner!
Holy cow, there were almost 7,000 entries on the giveaway – the largest to date around these parts! To be precise, some 6,911 comments in total, after removal of duplicates and the like. Apparently people really want the new Fenix3. … Read More Here
TomTom Bandit Action Camera In-Depth Review
Today TomTom has announced they’re venturing into the action cam business, with the introduction of the TomTom Bandit. This Twinkie sized action cam contains 2.7K (30FPS) and 4K (15FPS) capabilities, as well as GPS functionality that you’d expect from a … Read More Here
The North Huvadhoo Atoll (Maldives) Swimaround
The Girl and I have been taking a long awaited vacation to a place far away from the hustle and bustle of daily life (and our respective jobs). For that, we burned a bunch of points and flew to the … Read More Here
Week in Review–April 26th, 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
The DCR’s on Vacation Fenix3 Giveaway!
It’s giveaway time! Partly because it’s been a while, partly because it’s Friday and it seems fitting, and partly just cause I’m on vacation and this seemed a whole lot easier than writing an in-depth review. This time I’m giving … Read More Here
My Thoughts On The LIMITS Power Meter
Update – Nov 10th, 2015: I’ve recently posted quite a bit more details on where LIMITS stands. I’d highly encourage you to check it out, via this link. Ok, I wasn’t planning on doing a post on the LIMITS power … Read More Here
The Mid-Week in Review–April 23rd, 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
The DCR Podcast Pilot Episode is Now Available!
Back about two weeks ago while in Austin I spent the morning recording the first few episodes of the DC Rainmaker Podcast with TRS Triathlon. And now, after much technical hand-wringing (read: we dug out of our inboxes) – the … Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend
Here’s what I was up to over the last few days. 1) Friday Afternoons at The Studio TGIF takes on a slightly different tack at the Cake Studio than most other days. As is often the case for companies aligned to … Read More Here
Power Meter Pricing Wars: Let The Games Begin
The Winds are a Shifting: Over the past few weeks there have been a number of notable price drops by power meter companies. While some of these price drops may seem reactionary to news from PowerTap’s new products, or that 4iiii … Read More Here
Quarq introduces new $799 RIKEN AL power meter
Overview: Just another day in April 2015 – whereby power meter companies continue to drop the hammer in the battle for your bucks. Today SRAM’s Quarq has announced their lowest cost entrant to date, the $799 Quarq RIKEN AL. This … Read More Here
Recon Jet starts shipping, a look at my first month with it
Earlier this week Recon Instruments started shipping their long-awaited Recon Jet heads up display for sports, to real-life actual consumers. Completing a journey that began just over two years ago upon announcement of the product. In fact, a few DCR … Read More Here
Garmin announces Vector2 (and 2S), also upgrade kit for original Vector owners
Overview: Today Garmin has announced their next iteration of the Vector product line. This relatively minor update aims to simplify installation, as well as make the unit more durable and easier to move between bikes. Most notable however, is that … Read More Here
ROTOR announces new INpower power meters, starting at $779US
Overview: ROTOR has as of today somehow managed to accomplish the near-impossible in this day and age: Putting a brand new unseen power meter on pro rider’s bikes in major events for months…and have nobody notice. Stepping that up: Having their … Read More Here
Power2Max goes to $599 – Joins Quarq, Pioneer in April power meter price slashing
Power2Max Price Cuts Today Power2Max announced price drops of about 21% off of their existing units, dropping the base price to a mind-boggling $599. This is ahead of the bike industry event this weekend, Sea Otter, where we’ve seen a … Read More Here
A Doha (Qatar) Nighttime Runaround
I landed in Qatar rather late Sunday night, about 11:30PM or so, making it roughly 12:30AM by time I got to the hotel. For the super-quick geography reminder, here’s where Doha is: With work meetings taking up most of the … Read More Here
The Ashton Instruments Power Meter: An Early Look
Last fall I sat down to meet with the folks behind Ashton Instruments, an up and coming power meter company. At the time we sat down in a random hallway at the Mandalay Bay convention center on horrible looking carpet … Read More Here
Garmin announces new VIRB X and VIRB XE action cams
Today, Garmin announced two new action cameras – the next in their VIRB action cam lineup. These two cameras continue in the footsteps of the Garmin’s first generation cameras by focusing heavily on sensor data and internal metrics that can … Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend
Here’s what I was up to this weekend. Or rather, all of about 24 hours of it while at home. Had to squish things in a bit! 1) Flew home from NYC While it may seem as a bit of … Read More Here
