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
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 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.
Tag Archives: Apple Watch
Apple Watch Series 10: Everything You Need To Know
Today Apple announced Apple Watch Series 10, with a substantial hardware change and upgrade. In fact, so big it’s now got a bigger screen than the Apple Watch Ultra 2 (which didn’t see a new hardware version this year, … Read More Here
Apple’s New Training Load & Vitals App: After 30 Days of Usage
A bit over a month ago at Apple’s WWDC event, the company announced their newest versions of WatchOS, the software platform that the Apple Watch uses. It also announced new versions of iOS and various other operating systems. All … Read More Here
Apple to Sell Apple Watch Ultra 2 & Series 9 Tomorrow without Blood Oxygen Feature
On Wednesday, Apple lost its most recent appeal, which had sought to delay the import and sales ban of the Apple Watch Series 9 & Apple Watch Ultra 2 watches. Apple had won a different appeal back a few weeks … Read More Here
Apple Watch and TrainingPeaks Integration: How-to Guide
It’s been more than 6 months since Apple and TrainingPeaks announced plans for integration back at WWDC, and it’s finally here. In some ways, it’s kinda funny. From an end-user perspective, this actually isn’t some mind-bending new fancy feature. … Read More Here
Apple Watch Ultra 2 In-Depth Review: Focused Sports Progress
With the launch of the 2nd edition of the Apple Watch Ultra series, Apple has set the tone for an annual release cycle. As they’ve done with the existing/regular Apple Watch lineup, that cadence has focused on incremental updates … Read More Here
Apple Watch Series 9 In-Depth Review: A Sports Focus
Apple’s latest mainstream watch, the Apple Watch Series 9, has arrived. And with it comes minor incremental hardware updates, but a slate of software updates focused on sports and fitness. The hardware upgrades are entirely internal, focused on faster … Read More Here
Apple Adds Cycling Power Meter Recording to Fitness+ Workouts
Apple has quietly added power meter and cadence data to your completed workout data in Apple’s Fitness+ cycling workouts, which is their coached platform where trainers iterate through structured workouts. This addition is supported in the latest public betas of … Read More Here
4iiii Adds Apple Find My Feature to Power Meters: Hands-On
4iiii has become the first power meter company to add Apple’s Find My support to their devices. This capability is called ‘Find My’, but is essentially the 3rd party program Apple has that allows companies to make a variant of … Read More Here
Apple Watch Power Meter Support: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know
Last month at Apple’s annual developer conference the company outlined the future of Apple Watch, at least in terms of software, for the next year. One item that seemed to surprise many was the announcement that Apple would be adding … Read More Here
Apple Expands Running Track Mode to France, Spain, and Netherlands
Finally, I’m able to run on a track with an Apple Watch! Apple has turned on the previously launched running track mode for additional countries – notably France, Spain, and the Netherlands (my home). Apple’s running track mode automatically detects … Read More Here
Apple Significantly Changes Apple Watch Running Power In Latest Beta
Apple has quietly made a pretty substantial change to how and when running power is calculated in the Apple Watch, which will impact ultra and trail runners the most. Thankfully, this is a good change. This change is part of … Read More Here
Oura Ring & Apple Watch Integrations: A Closer Look
Late last week Oura launched a new integration with the Apple Watch, adding both an app to display data as well as data fields that can be used in watch faces. While other display-less companies like Whoop have resisted integrations … Read More Here
Apple Watch Updates: Running Track Mode, Race Route, and Extended Battery Times
This has been a busy last week or two for Apple, especially in the watch realm. But also in other areas like expanding out iPhone 14 Emergency SOS via Satellite to some European countries. In this quick post, I’m going … Read More Here
Apple Watch Ultra vs New York City: GPS Accuracy Test!
In the event you aren’t subscribed over on YouTube, I’ve posted a full comparison of the Apple Watch Ultra vs Garmin Epix in New York City, on an epic route through the city, including up and down some of the … Read More Here
Apple Releases New Secondary Lower-Power Apple Watch Ultra Workout Mode
When the Apple Watch Ultra was announced last month, it included an initial lower-power mode across the entire watch that mostly just reduced some background features while preserving workout fidelity. Meaning, heart rate and GPS sampling rates remained the same … Read More Here
I Tested All Three Apple Watch Ultra Band Types
Since first trying on the new Apple Watch Ultra, I’ve been inundated with questions about which band to choose. While it may seem like there are many models of the Apple Watch Ultra, in reality, there’s only one hardware … Read More Here
Apple Watch Ultra In-Depth Review: It’s a Start!
The Apple Watch Ultra is Apple’s real first foray into a watch suited for endurance sports, and other sporty adventures. Sure, Apple’s WatchOS 9 update for many of their other watches, including the recent Apple Watch Series 8, has brought … Read More Here
Apple Watch Series 8 In-Depth Review
While all eyes last week were on the Apple Watch Ultra, the reality is that the Series 8 will sell the most units (by far), has almost every software feature of the Ultra, and includes the same slate of massive … Read More Here
Apple Adds Manual Triathlon Transitions to Latest WatchOS 9 Beta
Hot on the heals of my full Apple WatchOS 9 triathlon beta test earlier this week, Apple has added manual transitions to the latest beta preview build, which went live on Wednesday. Obviously, this was in the works for considerably … Read More Here
Tri Amsterdam Race Report (Testing Apple Watch Triathlon Mode!)
Earlier this summer, Apple announced WatchOS 9, which is by far the company’s most ambitious push into endurance sports to date for their Apple Watch platform. It includes customizable interval support, running power, and a multisport mode, among many other … Read More Here
Apple Watch Running Power Data Comparison (vs Garmin/Stryd/Polar/COROS)
Two weeks ago Apple announced a slate of huge sports-focused updates to the Apple Watch platform (called Watch OS). That platform will not only end up on current watches, but far more importantly on whatever watches Apple will likely … Read More Here
Apple Watch Series 7 Launched: Complete New Features & Tech Details
Today Apple has launched their Apple Watch Series 7 slate of watches, including the largest display in the Apple Watch lineup to date. This is combined with WatchOS 8, which was announced back in June. Meaning that while many new … Read More Here
Here’s All The New Apple watchOS 8 Upcoming Features
As part of Apple’s annual Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC), held each June – again this year held purely online, the company has outlined numerous aspects of their platforms (iOS, iPad OS, watchOS, etc..) However, for this post I’m going to … Read More Here
Apple Watch Series SE: A Fitness First Impressions Untangled
Trying to detangle exactly how the Apple Watch SE stacks up against the Apple Watch Series 6 from a sports and fitness standpoint? This dives into all the details and nuances, from GPS accuracy to HR accuracy, features and more. Read More Here
Apple Watch Series 6: First Run Accuracy & SpO2 Sensor Data
While I already posted earlier this week on the new features of the Apple Watch Series 6, I figured I’d share some quick first run Friday data for ya. As well as some initial thoughts on the handful of other … Read More Here