I’m DC RAINMAKER…
SUPPORT THIS SITE
Wanna help support the site? You have two options. The first is to use Clever Training with either the coupon code (DCR10BTF) or the VIP program. Both save 10%, see details by clicking below:
In the UK/EU/Australia/New Zealand? Then hit up Wiggle at the link below!
Alternatively, for everything else on the planet, simply buy your goods from Amazon via the link below and I get a tiny bit back. No cost to you, easy as pie!
UK based here! Canada! Germany! France! Spain! Italy! Australia!
Check out my weekly podcast - with GPLAMA, which is packed with both gadget and non-gadget goodness!
5 Easy Steps To The Site
1In 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.
2Read My Sports Gadget Recommendations.
Here’s my most recent gadget recommendations guide (Winter 2019-2020 edition) and trainers here (Winter 2019-2020 edition) – covering 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!
3Have 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.
4My 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!
5The 2019 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 2019 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 2018 Gear Guide too.
Tag Archives: Garmin
Garmin Venu GPS Smartwatch In-Depth Review
Here’s everything you need to know about the Garmin Venu GPS Smartwatch after more than 3 months of usage. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Read More Here
The Best Garmin Charger: Only $9 for a Two-Pack of These Pucks
The Girl hates the standard Garmin charging cable. And I can’t really disagree with her. While I appreciate Garmin has mostly managed to standardize on the little four-pin connector for most wearable products in the last 3 years, it’s still … Read More Here
How to: Garmin’s Semi-Secret Triathlon Display Mode (aka ‘Extended Display mode’)
Like any true triathlete, I violate all the rules of common sense. The most important one being to never try something new on race day. But given I have a long history of violating said rule, I figured a few … Read More Here
Garmin’s Biggest Competitor Is Their Own Software Instability
To the casual observer, one might assume Garmin’s biggest competitors are Apple, Fitbit, and in certain cycling circles – Wahoo. But in reality, I’d disagree. Garmin’s biggest competitor is themselves. Or more specifically, their lack of focus on solving bugs … Read More Here
Garmin Live Event Sharing: Everything you ever wanted to know about it
Over the last month as part of Garmin’s new devices extravaganza, there was barely a mention of ‘live event sharing’ for certain devices. It was almost listed as fine print, right next to ‘if you do something stupid using our … Read More Here
Garmin Acquires Tacx: Detailed analysis and what it means to you
In what is unquestionably the biggest sports tech news of the year, Garmin announced today the acquisition of Tacx – the privately held Dutch company that makes trainers, water bottles, and tools. This news no doubt will have people turning … Read More Here
Garmin HRM-DUAL Heart Rate Strap In-Depth Review
Garmin’s finally released a dual-capable ANT+ & Bluetooth Smart heart rate strap – but is it worth buying? I dive in with plenty of data to see if it does the job. Read More Here
Garmin Instinct GPS Watch In-Depth Review
When it comes to looks, you’re either going to love or hate the new Garmin Instinct watch. There’s not likely to be much middle ground. If you like the looks of Casio watches, you’ll probably be pretty excited about this … Read More Here
Garmin’s New $249 Edge Explore Full Mapping & Navigation Bike GPS: Everything you ever wanted to know
The Edge Explore is quite possibly the best deal in a bike computer that Garmin has ever made. The question is: Can you live with the features cut from i? Read More Here
Garmin Fenix 5/5S/5X Plus In-Depth Review (with Maps, Music, Payments)
Everything you could ever want to know about the Garmin Fenix 5 Plus lineup, which includes the 5/5S/5X, and maps, music, contactless payment and PulseOx. Read More Here
Garmin Edge 130 In-Depth Review
As a techie-geek I suppose there’s some expectation that I’ll be most impressed with the higher end gear. The stuff that has all the bells and whistles, and usually costs more. But here’s the funny thing – out of the … Read More Here
Hands-on: Garmin’s New Descent MK1 Diving Watch
Sometimes, I do sports that are actually not swim-bike-run. Be it skiing, or…ok, I guess that’s it. Actually, I scuba dive, which I suppose is still technically swimming. Or swimming done rather poorly. So poorly that you’re never-endingly sinking to … Read More Here
Garmin Edge 1030 In-Depth Review
After over three years, Garmin has updated its flagship GPS navigation computer with a new edition – the Edge 1030. This new large-screen style unit features a longer battery life along with a new external battery pack option. Not only … Read More Here
Garmin quietly drops the price of Edge 520 to match Wahoo BOLT
The Battle Royale between Garmin and Wahoo on bike computers continues to heat up with each side sending up stronger and stronger serves…all to the benefit of us consumers. After a number of weeks of Wahoo throwing down (first with … Read More Here
Investor Call Tech Tidbits: Garmin Q2 2017
When I’m sufficiently bored, I listen to investor calls for companies in the segment. Or, I read through investor reports – such as Amer Sports (parent company of Suunto), last weekend. In actuality, these calls are often filled with interesting … Read More Here
Best Action Cam 2017: GoPro Hero5 Black vs Garmin VIRB Ultra 30
In virtually every post or video I make where I use an action cam, I’m asked which camera I’m using and why. And even more commonly since this past fall I’m asked whether to go with the GoPro Hero5 Black … Read More Here
ISPO 2017 Roundup: Kuai Fit, Coros, Garmin, Salming RunLAB, Digitsole, LG, Casio, Kettler, Bonx Grip, Wiralcam
Sunday was a whirlwind day for me. As I noted previously, the annual pilgrimage to the largest sporting show on earth occurs in early February (this year anyway). And in my case, I make it a one-day trip. I leave … Read More Here
Hands-on: Garmin’s New Fenix 5 Multisport GPS Series–with mapping!
!!!Heads up – March 24th, 2017! My full Fenix5 In-Depth Review is now available! Click on to read it all!!! Right on cue, Garmin has released their next edition of the Fenix series – the Fenix 5. This follows a … Read More Here
Garmin releases Strava Live Segments for Running, Muscle Oxygen on devices, Photo Watch Faces
Phew, all sorts of Garmin news over the last few days on numerous fronts, and this post seems the easiest way to bundle up three totally different things into one tidy little package. Let’s get on with the show! Strava … Read More Here
Garmin Forerunner 630 In-Depth Review
It’s been almost two months since Garmin announced the FR630, alongside the new Garmin FR230 & FR235. They started shipping the FR630 about 5 weeks ago, and I’ve been using it on and off since, in conjunction with the other … Read More Here
Garmin releases new Edge Explore 1000 Edition: Tells your friends when you crash into a ditch
Minor Confession: A small part of me simply wanted to title this post: “Garmin Releases Yet Another Product This Summer, Because It Can”. But alas, I hear that’s not terribly great for search engine optimization (SEO) and since I get … Read More Here
Hands on with Garmin’s new Varia bike radar and smart light system
Today Garmin has introduced their Varia lineup of what they call ‘smart cycling devices’. This marketing terminology basically translates to connected bike lights and a bike radar system. These two products connect to Garmin Edge cycling computers for additional functionality. … Read More Here
Hands-on with Garmin’s new Edge 20 & Edge 25 GPS units
Today Garmin has rolled out two new bike GPS computers, the Edge 20 and Edge 25. These products add to what has seemed to be a near monthly (or more) cadence of new products from the company within the fitness … Read More Here
Garmin quietly introduces automatic sleep detection to existing activity trackers
Over the last few days Garmin has enabled automatic sleep tracking on all of their sleep capable activity tracker devices. They did so not as part of any firmware update that you have to install, but rather on their backend … Read More Here
Garmin acquires Backtracker bike radar system (and company iKubu)
This morning Garmin has announced the acquisition of iKubu. Of course, nobody knows the name iKubu, but many of you likely remember them by their product name – Backtracker. I took a look at this product back in July during … Read More Here
