Garmin HRM-FIT In-Depth Review: Best Women’s Heart Rate Monitor?

 Garmin’s newest heart rate strap is one designed specifically for women, which essentially takes the features of Garmin’s high-end HRM-PRO Plus, but molds it into a strap that snaps onto your existing sports bra. The design aims to increase … Read More Here → | Continue reading


@dcrainmaker.com | 3 months ago

How Strava Accidentally Got Their Annual Report Stats Wrong

Welcome to 2024, and the year’s first legit DC Rainmaker Sports Tech Rabbit Hole. Every year Strava publishes their year in review stats, both in individual athlete form (more recently), but many years of total global and regional user-compiled stats. … Read More Here → | Continue reading


@dcrainmaker.com | 3 months ago

A Strava Race Is Getting Spicy for Free Burritos

While digging around through press releases for a different post, I stumbled upon an announcement for a new Chipotle and Strava promotion running the month of January. While this press release had a lot of hand-waving feel-good New Year's resolution … Read More Here → | Continue reading


@dcrainmaker.com | 3 months ago

Peloton Adds Automated Power Zone ERG Mode: Hands-On

Peloton has launched automation for power zone workouts, allowing the Peloton Bike+ (that’s the fancier of the two models) to automatically adjust resistance according to the power zones specified by the instructor. Previously, the Bike+ would only change resistance levels … Read … | Continue reading


@dcrainmaker.com | 3 months ago

Getting the Christmas Tree Home via Bike: 2023 Edition

After crossing through the decade barrier last year, we’ve moved onto the 11th year of getting the Christmas Tree by bike. With Christmas itself nearly over, it was high time for me to finish this post. Obviously, this happened a … Read More Here → | Continue reading


@dcrainmaker.com | 3 months ago

Xert’s New Forecast AI Let’s You Pick Future Max Power

As we slide into the quiet period around the holidays and end of year, companies are doing their best to finish off projects. And one such project that Xert has launched into beta is their Forecast AI tool. Essentially, the … Read More Here → | Continue reading


@dcrainmaker.com | 3 months ago

Wahoo Fitness CEO On Future Wahoo Products, Past Mistakes

 Last week while visiting Wahoo Fitness, I sat down with the founder and current co-CEO of the company, Chip Hawkins, for a wide-ranging interview discussing everything from past Wahoo initiatives (and failures), to the status of current products, as … Read More Here → | Continue reading


@dcrainmaker.com | 3 months ago

DC Rainmaker Open House 2023 Recap!

Two weekends ago we held the 8th annual DC Rainmaker Cave Open House, where a couple hundred people descended upon the DCR Cave for an evening of sports tech geekery. As usual, they could explore the entire DCR Cave/Studio, and … Read More Here → | Continue reading


@dcrainmaker.com | 4 months ago

Apple To Halt Sales of Apple Watch Ultra 2 & Series 9: Explained

Apple has confirmed they’ll be halting sales of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2, following a ruling this past October by the International Trade Commission that ruled in favor of a patent dispute with Masimo, a … Read More Here → | Continue reading


@dcrainmaker.com | 4 months ago

Apple Watch TrainingPeaks Native Integration Launches: Hands-On

 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 → | Continue reading


@dcrainmaker.com | 4 months ago

Tech Tidbits: New Zwift Features, New Strava CEO, Apple Watch Siri Health Integration

Here’s a quick round of notable new sports tech things in the last 24 hours or so. New Strava CEO Appointed: After a 10-month search, Strava has announced the name of their new/upcoming CEO - Michael Martin. He will replace … Read More Here → | Continue reading


@dcrainmaker.com | 4 months ago

Today’s Plan Announces Closure

Training & coaching platform Today’s Plan has announced they’ll be closing early next year. The Australian-based company has long been the chief competitor to TrainingPeaks, especially for coaches and high-performance teams. Numerous Tour de France teams have used the platform … … | Continue reading


@dcrainmaker.com | 4 months ago

Garmin Fenix & Epix Release Cycles: History Explained

With all the sales of various sports tech products for the holiday period, there’s the inevitable question of whether or not new releases are around the corner. After all, companies offloading older inventory to make way for newer inventory is … Read More Here → | Continue reading


@dcrainmaker.com | 4 months ago

Wahoo KICKR MOVE vs Tacx NEO 3M: The Definitive Comparison Guide

 With the just released Tacx NEO 3M from Garmin this week, Wahoo’s KICKR MOVE smart trainer finally has a legit competitor in the built-in motion-enabled trainer space. Sure, you could (and still can) plop any trainer atop a rocker … Read More Here → | Continue reading


@dcrainmaker.com | 4 months ago

The Massive 2023 Sportswatch Year in Review with DesFit

 It’s December - and you know what that means: It’s time for the annual (and sprawling) - Sportswatch Year in Review video! This marks half a decade in a row of this annual video, where Des of DesFit, and … Read More Here → | Continue reading


@dcrainmaker.com | 4 months ago

Behind The Scenes: DC Rainmaker Cave Tour

 Last weekend was the annual DCR Open House, which was the most packed it’s ever been. However, after the beer, tech, and dust settled, Matt Legrand spent the following morning doing a full tour of the DCR Cave. And … Read More Here → | Continue reading


@dcrainmaker.com | 4 months ago

Tacx NEO 3M In-Depth Review: Motion and Accuracy at a Price!

 After a four year wait, the next generation Tacx NEO series trainer is here - the Tacx NEO 3M. As one will quickly assess, the ‘M’ in 3M stands for ‘motion’, as this trainer isn’t sitting still. Instead, Garmin/Tacx … Read More Here → | Continue reading


@dcrainmaker.com | 4 months ago

Garmin Adds Wrist Temperature and More: How it Works

 Garmin has begun rolling out wrist temperature tracking to watches with the newer Garmin ELEVATE V5 optical heart rate sensor in them, which includes the Garmin Epix Pro, Fenix 7 Pro, Tactix 7 AMOLED, and Venu 3 series. Those … Read More Here → | Continue reading


@dcrainmaker.com | 4 months ago

Strava Adds Direct Messaging Feature: How It Works In 2 Minutes!

 This is not a complex feature, nor hard to use. Starting today, the “social network for athletes” includes the most social of features: Texting. Or rather, direct messaging. This new feature lets you (optionally) accept direct messages from nobody, … Read More Here → | Continue reading


@dcrainmaker.com | 4 months ago

The 2023 Swim/Bike/Run Gear I Use List

So, it’s been two years since I last updated this list, and it’s clear many of you would like a refresh. As I always note though, I’m not a person of change. At least when it comes to gear. My … Read More Here → | Continue reading


@dcrainmaker.com | 4 months ago

The Girl’s 2023 Swim/Bike/Run Gear I Use List

Hey there, this is Bobbie (The Girl), otherwise known as Ray's other half. This year, 2023, I decided I had been away from competition for long enough, and wanted to get back into racing. Having been out of the triathlon … Read More Here → | Continue reading


@dcrainmaker.com | 4 months ago

Zwift Kills Zwift Hub Classic, Wahoo Further Drops KICKR CORE Prices: Two Companies Increase Partnership

At this point, it’s probably really only a matter of time before we see the Wahoo KICKR CORE with an orange paint job and called Zwift Hub 2. But, before we get there, let’s first explain what Wahoo (and Zwift) … Read More Here → | Continue reading


@dcrainmaker.com | 4 months ago

All Indoor Cycling App Pricing Compared (2023 Edition)

Yesterday, after (many) years of people asking, Zwift has finally added an annual payment option. In doing so, they became the final company to add in annual pricing for their product, joining the rest of the industry. Of course, the … Read More Here → | Continue reading


@dcrainmaker.com | 4 months ago

COROS Pace 3 In-Depth Review: The Best Bang for The Buck?

 As I’ve said for many years, COROS as a company is most deadly when it’s competing on price. And back three iterations ago, their first breakout product that really introduced the company to the world was the original COROS … Read More Here → | Continue reading


@dcrainmaker.com | 5 months ago

Tech Tidbits: Peloton Rolls out Netflix, Apple Satellite SOS Extended, RideWithGPS QuickNav

Things are quieting down in the sports tech world as companies tend to take a breather after the busy fall season for most of them. Still, there’s always a few items that pop-in around this timeframe, and this post is … Read More Here → | Continue reading


@dcrainmaker.com | 5 months ago

Strava Launches Activity Video Flyover Feature: Hands-on

 Strava has just announced and launched the first stage of their video flyover function. This feature creates a 3D map video fly-over of your activity, showing an orange line and a moving blue dot along side line. It’s roughly … Read More Here → | Continue reading


@dcrainmaker.com | 5 months ago

The Complete Sports Tech Deals List!

It's that time of year again - when everything goes on sale, or at least, the things companies need you to buy. While historically the best deals have been saved for Black Friday weekend, that's slowly slipped further and further … Read More Here → | Continue reading


@dcrainmaker.com | 5 months ago

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 → | Continue reading


@dcrainmaker.com | 5 months ago

Polar Vantage V3 In-Depth Review: The Comeback Kid?

 The Polar Vantage V3 is arguably the most important product for the company in at least a decade, if not ever. It’s no secret that Polar has had a rough last few years, as it struggles to find its … Read More Here → | Continue reading


@dcrainmaker.com | 5 months ago

Google Pixel Watch 2 In-Depth Review

 It’s been a month since Google announced the Pixel Watch 2, and with it, it’s spent the last month on my wrist - compared to a variety of other watches at various purposes and price points. During this timeframe, … Read More Here → | Continue reading


@dcrainmaker.com | 5 months ago

Race Ranger Hands-On: To Be Used At Ironman Florida This Weekend

It’s been a few years since I last talked about Race Ranger, the triathlon-focused tech company that puts sensors on bikes to help athletes and refs more precisely determine and avoid the draft zone (which isn’t legal in most long-course … Read More Here → | Continue reading


@dcrainmaker.com | 5 months ago

FORM Adds HeadCoach Real-Time Analysis Feature: Hands-On

There are few sports tech companies that have really been as laser-focused on their niche as much as FORM has (makers of their heads-up display swim coach/goggle), doubters be damned. About the only other comparison in the sports tech landscape … Read More Here → | Continue reading


@dcrainmaker.com | 5 months ago

Wahoo Begins User Interface Revamp on ELEMNT Bike Computers

Wahoo has issued what it sees as the first step in updating various aspects of the user interface on the ELEMNT bike computer series, dubbed ‘Ready to Ride'. This first update essentially adds a home dashboard, which includes some quick-action … Read More Here → | Continue reading


@dcrainmaker.com | 5 months ago

Technogym MyRun Treadmill In-Depth Review

The Technogym MyRun treadmill has been around for over 5 years now, yet despite its age, it continues to be a popular option people are considering for usage with Zwift and other indoor running platforms. As such, the MyRun has … Read More Here → | Continue reading


@dcrainmaker.com | 5 months ago

Garmin Adds More Features to Fenix 7/Epix Series, Including Nap Tracking

Garmin has just pushed out the first public beta iteration for their 4th quarter update, which will likely hit production in 4-6 weeks (assuming typical timelines hold true). This update appears to be including a blend of both recently introduced … Read More Here → | Continue reading


@dcrainmaker.com | 5 months ago

Zwift Coastal Expansion Begins Rollout: First Ride Thoughts

 (Above: You can simply tap to view my quick ride-through of the new roads, via Canopies and Coastlines, the turn-off from existing pavement to new pavement is at 2m40s) Zwift has just started rolling out their Watopia coastal expansion, … Read More Here → | Continue reading


@dcrainmaker.com | 5 months ago

Fitbit Charge 6 In-Depth Review

The Fitbit Charge 6 is an incremental update to the existing Charge 5, focusing on a blend of physical usability enhancements (bringing back the side button), while also increasing day-to-day usability (letting you access all the sport/exercise modes on device, … Read More Here → | Continue reading


@dcrainmaker.com | 6 months ago

Garmin Removes Course Point Limitation in Instinct 2 Series

This will likely seem like a niche post, and I’m OK with that. But, buried in a side-load only, no-new-feature, beta release 14.05 for the Instinct 2 series yesterday was a notable line item: “Removed the limitation on the number … Read More Here → | Continue reading


@dcrainmaker.com | 6 months ago

DCR Cave Winter Open House Registration Is Now Open! December 2nd, 2023

Yup, you read the title right! It’s the annual winter DCR Cave Open House! With the event right around the corner, we have lots to do, but first, we need to know how many beers to buy! So don't wait … Read More Here → | Continue reading


@dcrainmaker.com | 6 months ago

Garmin Vivoactive 5: The Complete Beginners Guide

I just realized today I found this post in my drafts folder from a week ago, after I had published a complete Garmin Vivoactive 5 Beginners Guide over on YouTube. So, if you were subscribed to YouTube, you likely already … Read More Here → | Continue reading


@dcrainmaker.com | 6 months ago

Garmin Expands ECG Feature to More Watches: How to Use It

 Garmin has just announced the availability of ECG (Electrocardiogram) functionality for the Garmin Fenix 7 Pro, Garmin Epix Pro, Garmin Tactix 7 AMOLED, and Garmin Venu 3/3S units/series. These four different sets of watches all share the same new … Read More Here → | Continue reading


@dcrainmaker.com | 6 months ago

Suunto Race Hands-on: Everything You Need to Know!

Suunto has just announced their newest watch, the Suunto Race. This watch essentially takes the existing Suunto Vertical endurance-sports focused watch that was released this past spring, and gives it an AMOLED display. Alongside that, it gets an updated user … Read More Here → | Continue reading


@dcrainmaker.com | 6 months ago

Zwift Hub One In-Depth Review (with Zwift Cog & Clicks!)

Zwift has just announced two new products today, and arguably changed the way trainers might be sold in the future. The first is the new Zwift Hub One smart trainer, which takes the existing Zwift Hub smart trainer from last … Read More Here → | Continue reading


@dcrainmaker.com | 6 months ago

Polar Vantage V3 Hands-On: Everything You Need to Know

<span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"></span> Polar has just announced their newest watch - the Polar Vantage V3. With this 3rd generation watch, Polar is focusing heavily … | Continue reading


@dcrainmaker.com | 6 months ago

Elite Aria Smart Trainer Fan In-Depth Review

 The Elite Aria fan is seemingly the smartest of smart trainer fans out there today, linking to a wide assortment of indoor cycling tech - be it power meters, smart trainers, heart rate sensors, and even body temperature sensors. … Read More Here → | Continue reading


@dcrainmaker.com | 6 months ago

Pixel Watch 2 Hands-On: Here’s everything that’s new!

Google has just announced the Pixel Watch 2, and as expected by the rumors, it’s largely incremental upgrades this year. However, some of these updates could be quite notable for athletes, given the focus on higher accuracy sensors and new … Read More Here → | Continue reading


@dcrainmaker.com | 6 months ago

Wahoo Fitness to Shut Down RGT Virtual Cycling App

Wahoo Fitness has announced to members that in less than 30 days – on October 31, 2023, the company will shut down the virtually cycling app RGT in an effort to focus “exclusively [on their] structured training content”. Wahoo had … Read More Here → | Continue reading


@dcrainmaker.com | 6 months ago

DJI Mini 4 Pro: The Complete Beginners Guide

Just a quick heads up that I’ve posted a full DJI Mini 4 Pro Beginners Guide, that takes you from start to finish with the drone, including virtually all the features and how they work in real-life. The previous edition … Read More Here → | Continue reading


@dcrainmaker.com | 6 months ago