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 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.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.
Tag Archives: ANT+ Symposium
Garmin’s Connect IQ Platform Updates: A Round-Up
Yesterday Garmin held their annual developer conference, officially called the Garmin Developer Virtual Conference (GDVC). This event is the successor to the Garmin Connect IQ Summit, which in turn is somewhat the Garmin-focused sibling to the once ANT+ Symposium. Albeit, … Read More Here
Garmin’s Virtual Developer Conference News Tidbits for Connect IQ 4.0 and Garmin Connect Platform
Last week was Garmin’s 3rd annual Garmin Connect IQ developer event, this time called the Garmin Virtual Developer Conference since it’s all online, versus the Connect IQ Summit that was in person and held at Garmin’s headquarters in Olathe, Kansas. … Read More Here
DC Rainmaker State of Sports Tech 2020 Keynote
This post is gonna be a quickie, because frankly, if you want to watch my full keynote, it’s gonna be a…umm…longie? For a decade now I’ve been giving a ‘State of Sports Tech’ annual keynote each fall, and this fall … Read More Here
My 2018 State of Sports Technology Keynote Video
It’s that time of year again – my annual state of sports technology presentation at the ANT Wireless Symposium. This year marks the 8th year that I’ve given such a presentation at the event, which includes the vast majority of … Read More Here
My 2017 ANT+ Symposium Keynote Video
Each of the last 7 years I’ve gone to the ANT+ Symposium held in the mountains outside of Calgary. As always, this annual event caps off the busy sports tech conference season (following Interbike & Eurobike). But unlike those two … Read More Here
My 2016 ANT+ Symposium Keynote and Session Videos
For the last 6 years I’ve gone to the ANT+ Symposium held in the mountains outside of Calgary. This annual event caps off the busy sports tech conference season (following Interbike & Eurobike). Unlike those other two events though, this … Read More Here
Garmin Connect IQ Announces New Features and Apps/Devices
Last week while at the annual ANT+ Symposium, Garmin announced a pile of new features for Connect IQ, and in the process, also lit up a bunch of partner apps and devices. I had a chance to get a run-through … Read More Here
My 2015 ANT+ Symposium Session & Panel Videos
I’ve been delivering a session at the ANT+ Symposium now for 4 years. Kinda crazy. While technically the ANT+ Symposium is focused on ANT+, the reality is that almost every major player in the sport technology world is there – … Read More Here
4iiii Dual Sided Power Meter: A Short Test Ride
Last Friday while on the way to the airport from Kananaskis (in the mountains for the ANT+ Symposium) to Calgary I swung by the 4iiii headquarters in Cochrane. The time I had was rather limited, as I was super time-boxed … Read More Here
A Week of Mountain Workouts in Kananaskis (Canada)
Well that was a busy week. Phew! I left Paris early Monday morning for the annual ANT+ Symposium, located about 75 minutes outside of Calgary (Alberta, Canada), in the Kananaskis Country area. Basically, the mountains. The Symposium is where the … Read More Here
Garmin rolls out Connect IQ to Edge series devices, announces new updates
It’s been precisely one year since Connect IQ was unveiled at the ANT+ Symposium. This morning (at this year’s edition of the conference), Garmin unveiled their next phase of the platform. Since that unveiling last year, Garmin has rolled out four … Read More Here
Heads up: Eurobike & Interbike (and more) soon!
Just a super-quick heads up that next week begins the annual 5-week long sports technology sweep (or sprint) that starts with Eurobike, continues with Interbike, and then rounds out with the ANT+ Symposium. It’s predictably packed with new products, cool … Read More Here
My 2014 ANT+ Symposium Keynote Presentation
It’s been five years now that I’ve been presenting a keynote session at the ANT+ Symposium. The annual event each September represents a solid cross section of the sports technology industry, with just about everyone present. And the crowd isn’t … Read More Here
Garmin announces ability to develop apps on wearables, with Connect IQ
Today, at the ANT+ Symposium in Kananaskis, Canada, Garmin has announced a sweeping change to how 3rd parties can interface with Garmin wearable devices a new platform called Connect IQ. This will ultimately allow 3rd party developers to write applications … Read More Here
Samsung to add ANT+ to full range of mobile devices, plus a look at the S Health app
ANT+ being added to all recent and new Samsung mobile devices: Probably the single biggest bit of news that came out of the ANT+ Symposium last week was Samsung’s announcement that they’ll be releasing ANT+ to all S4 devices in … Read More Here
My 2013 ANT+ Symposium Keynote Presentation
Last Thursday, for the fourth year in a row I presented to the ANT+ Symposium in Kananaskis, Alberta. The ANT+ Symposium is the yearly gathering of all the major companies in the sector that make up the ANT+ Alliance, which … Read More Here
A Kananaskis Moose Runaround
As many of you know, Wednesday and Thursday of last week I was in Kananaskis, Alberta (Canada) for the ANT+ Symposium where I delivered my annual keynote session on the state of sports technology. While you’ll see a handful of … Read More Here
2012 ANT+ Symposium Technology Roundup
You saw my presentation to the ANT+ Symposium yesterday, highlighting my keynote session that I gave last week. However, I wanted to loop back and highlight some of the things that were delivered to me, rather than me delivering to … Read More Here
My 2012 ANT+ Symposium Presentation
For the third straight year in a row, I’ve presented a keynote session yesterday at the ANT+ Symposium. In presenting here I’m able to address the vast majority of the sports technology industry, from the big player names you hear … Read More Here
A Kananaskis Mountain Bikearound
The last few days I’ve been up in Kananaskis, Alberta – which is about 90 minutes away from Calgary, into the mountains. For those wondering where Alberta is, it’s in Canada. Canada’s that thing that sits between the North Pole … Read More Here
Coolness: Me and Simon Whitfield presenting at ANT+ Symposium
Well, not together at the same time. Because that’d be awkward – mainly for me. And probably a little for him. He would talk about Olympic Gold and Silver medals and Olympic opening ceremonies…and I would talk about plastic trophies … Read More Here
Friday Photo of the Day
I had planned to post a Tip of the Day today (though I hadn’t yet decided which of the three different ones I wrote up I’d end up posting). But then I got some of the official photos back from … Read More Here
A look at Simon Fraser University’s Running Speed/Pace Control System
Two weeks ago while I was up at the ANT+ Symposium outside of Calgary I had a chance to spend some time running around in circles with two guys (Dr. Max Donelan and Mark Snaterse) from Simon Fraser University who … Read More Here
My 2011 ANT+ Symposium Presentation
This Wednesday I presented to over 150 ANT+ Alliance members as part of the annual ANT+ Symposium. Like last year, my speech is primarily aimed at taking all of your feedback and delivering it back to them. The folks at … Read More Here