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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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 DesFit, 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 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.
Suunto
Suunto Race S In-Depth Review: Smaller, cheaper, yet better?
Suunto has just announced the Suunto Race S, a smaller and lighter version of the Suunto Race they announced last fall. Except, it’s got more features, better accuracy, and is substantially cheaper. Unlike some of their competitors, it appears … Read More Here
Suunto Race In-Depth Review: The Best Suunto Yet?
Look, I’ll spoil it upfront (headline included): The Suunto Race is easily the best watch Suunto has ever made. It’s not even close. Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s perfect. For those details, you’ve got nearly 10,000 more words … Read More Here
Suunto Race Hands-on: Everything You Need to Know!
Update – Nov 13th, 2023 – My full Suunto Race in-depth review after 30 days has been posted here, where you can dive into accuracy, long-term usage, and plenty more. Suunto has just announced their newest watch, the Suunto Race. … Read More Here
Suunto Vertical: The Complete User Guide
Just a quick heads up for those that aren’t subscribed on YouTube, that I’ve just hit publish on my detailed 45-minute-long user guide for the new Suunto Vertical watch. In this guide I dive into virtually every feature and how … Read More Here
Suunto Vertical GPS Watch In-Depth Review: Solar, Mapping, WiFi, and More!
<span data-mce-type=”bookmark” style=”display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;” class=”mce_SELRES_start”></span> Suunto has finally delivered. With the new Suunto Vertical, the company appears to be heading down the right track towards having a more competitive hardware offering. The new Suunto … Read More Here
Suunto Expands Coaching & Training Analytics With New Update
Suunto is joining the fray of companies releasing major software updates over the last two weeks, with a suite of updates on their smartphone app that are available for all Suunto App-capable watches. The first part of this update changes … Read More Here
Suunto 9 Peak Pro In-Depth Review
The Suunto 9 Peak Pro is both a modest update and a major update, depending on how you look at it. Internally, the Suunto 9 Peak Pro is substantially different – with almost everything revamped: Processor, GPS chipset, heart rate … Read More Here
Suunto 9 Peak Pro First Look: A Turning Point?
Suunto has announced their new Suunto 9 Peak Pro multisport watch, which takes the existing Suunto 9 Peak, and makes it a bit more ‘Pro’ through a variety of hardware and software updates. One could argue it’s actually the biggest … Read More Here
Suunto 5 Peak In-Depth Review
Suunto’s just revamped their existing Suunto 5 multisport GPS watch with the new slimmer and more stylish Suunto 5 Peak. This follows in the footsteps of the Suunto 9 Peak last summer, in terms of cleaning up the external design … Read More Here
Suunto 9 Peak In-Depth Review
I’ve been wearing the Suunto 9 Peak for about two months now, getting a feel for how it handles workouts as well as day-to-day wear. In many ways, the Suunto 9’s biggest changes are physical in nature – the design, … Read More Here
Suunto 7 and New Routes Features: Hands-on Details & Explainer
Over the coming days Suunto will roll-out a new update for the Suunto 7 which adds the ability to follow a course/route on the Suunto 7 app. Of course, with the watch being Wear OS based, there were other apps … Read More Here
Suunto Rolls Out New Popular Routes & Starting Points App Features
Suunto has begun a Summer update release cycle, starting this week Suunto App updates – rolling out to iOS and Android smartphones near you. While today’s updates might seem like merely a minor app update, I’d argue Suunto has really … Read More Here
Suunto 7 Wear OS GPS Watch In-Depth Review
Here’s your most detailed in-depth review of the Suunto 7 watch, from a heavily sports and fitness standpoint. Can it compete with the others in the market? Read More Here
Suunto 5: Everything You Need to Know & First Runs
The Suunto 5 takes the best endurance features of the Suunto 9, but adds in new functionality not seen on the higher end watch. Here’s all the details you need to know. Read More Here
Suunto 9 Baro Multisport GPS In-Depth Review
How does the Suunto 9 handle months of testing? I dig in and find out, including all the details on new features and how well the new GPS chipset handles. Read More Here
Hands-on: The New Suunto 9 Multisport GPS Watch
Everything you need to know about Suunto’s latest and highly anticipated GPS device, and the successor to the Spartan series. Read More Here
Suunto 3 Fitness In-Depth Review
By and large, Suunto has been a company that’s been focused on endurance users. Be it people climbing to the top of a mountain, racing a triathlon, or doing something else that justifies eating large quantities of donuts without feeling … Read More Here
Suunto Spartan Trainer Wrist HR In-Depth Review (It’s a full triathlon watch for $279)
I think Suunto finally got their groove back. After what I’d argue as 1-2 years of being a bit lost, today they’ve nailed it with a product that hits the target audience perfectly and does so at an awesome price. … Read More Here
Suunto Spartan Sport Wrist HR In-Depth Review
Last summer (2016) amidst Suunto announcing the Spartan series, they made note of a planned optical heart rate enabled version that would be released down the road. Fast forward to this past January (2017) and at CES they did just … Read More Here
Suunto Spartan Ultra In-Depth Review
It’s been a bit over four months since Suunto started to announce the Spartan series, which contains two watches at present: the Ultra and the Sport. These two watches are set to be the successor models to the rather successful … Read More Here
The New Suunto Ambit3 Vertical: An Explainer
About 10 days ago Suunto announced the Ambit 3 Vertical, making it the latest high-end watch from the company, and a continuation of the Ambit lineup. However, with the announcement has come a bit of confusion around what exactly is … Read More Here
Suunto Ambit3 Multisport GPS Watch In-Depth Review
It’s been nearly three months since Suunto announced the Ambit3, though considerably less time since the unit started making its way into the wild with final hardware and firmware. Since well before either of those dates I’ve been testing the … Read More Here
First look at the Suunto Ambit3 multisport GPS watch
(My Ambit3 Full In-Depth Review is now published! Swing on over to that post for all the full details and analysis!) This morning Suunto has announced their latest endurance and multisport watch, the Suunto Ambit3. The watch incrementally builds on … Read More Here
Suunto Ambit2 R In-Depth Review
Back in late January Suunto announced their Ambit2 R running-focused watch, which comes as a derivative of the Ambit2 line that was introduced last spring. The 2R aimed to offer a lower price point than the higher end Ambit2 and … Read More Here