Heads up!!! Here’s your massive Cyber Monday sports tech deals list! This includes the Garmin Forerunner 965 for just $499, Garmin Epix for $429, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 for just $619, the GoPro Hero 12 Black for $299, (or Hero 13 bundle for $339!) and plenty more! Go check out the full list of 100+ deals here!
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:
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.
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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!
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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.
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My Photography Gear: The Cameras/Drones/Action Cams 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 (including drones & action cams!)! 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.
Thanks for the bottle review. I have the Profile bottle and I took the yellow piece that they provide and jammed it on the bottom of the bottle. Then I added a new piece of the type sold for use with body wash to fill the top hole. The yellow piece now acts like a baffle (similar to the foam baffles in water beds of old) which really cut down on sloshing and causes no loss of fluid capability.
I’ve considered using the double chamber aero drink systems (Profile Design now has one too), but one thing I always wondered was how it affects your steering. Having 50 ounces of water up front adds significant weight to front load the bike, which has got to alter your ability to steer, no? I’d be interested in your experience with that so far.
Those one with the sponges always seem like disaster waiting to happen – what if your bike tips over! Anyway, I’m always the nerd who uses a Camelbak because the straw is close to my mouth there too so I drink a lot. That and I drop bottles like no other when I try to ride and drink…
I know you’ve already switched, but for anybody else reading: there is a TRICK to the yellow sponge thingy.
I learned this after I LOST it (like everybody else does) and at a tri expo I asked the Profile Design reps “hey, can I have another one, and while you’re giving me one, could you please show me how it’s supposed to work? Because I don’t think it works.”
So they showed me (the instructions fail to do this, which is why everybody makes the mistake). You’re not supposed to just pluck it in and hope it works. You’re supposed to unravel it and then roll it back up like a sock so that all the mesh is kind of broken up and it helps prevent spash AND it keeps the thing from coming out.
The only issue I see at that point is, if it doesn’t really come out, then how are you supposed to pour stuff IN? That’s the whole purpose of the open top, right?
Don’t get me wrong – I’m frustrated by the thing and may think about this new one…
Thanks for the review!
Hey Rainmaker. This is helpful b/c I need to put a hydration system on my tri bike as well and I don’t know which one I”m going to pick.
Also, per your last post on transitions, that’s interesting b/c things like that always remind me that this is a sport with skills and not just about fitness. I always seem to forget and don’t like working on that stuff :)
Misc answers to questions:
Q: “Having 50 ounces of water up front adds significant weight to front load the bike, which has got to alter your ability to steer, no?”
A: So far, I haven’t seen any issues with it. Because I started off with it on the new bike from scratch – I kinda got used to it all at once. However, I did have it on my other bike (road bike) and it didn’t affect it any.
Q: Open top issues with sponge on other bottle.
A: If you do it right (which, is plausible with the reverse wrap thing), you’ll still be able to just dump water in, it just in theory prevents splashing. Al’s idea is much better though – as it’s more obtuse in nature.
Random comment of mine: I would say that the key feature of this bottle isn’t so much the non-splashing functionality, but really the split bottle components. The ability to split out water and non-water to more accurately balance your fluid intake on the bike.
the new bottle is really your old bottle…on steriods….
wow..thats a great system..especially the separate chambers..nice review
Nice review.
I think the term you were looking for is rubber-grommit-flange-ring-slide-widget
I’ve recently purchased the Podium Quest but have problems with the little black tops popping off when I hit bumps. Do you have the same problem? If so, how do you fix it? Rubber bands, perhaps.
Hey Rob-
Strange, nope, haven’t had any issues there. Though I think I vaguely remember The Girl having an issue and she just swapped to a spare set of the lids that I had lying around and it was fixed.
I know you can get the little replacement parts kits from a few online tri stores. Hope this helps some!
I just purchased the PQ Aero Bottle. I filled the top chamber with water and discovered that it leaks and it was just sitting on my kitchen table. The leak appears to originate from where the two chambers meet. The company I ordered it from sent me a second Bottle and it leaks similarly. Has anyone else had this issue?
Hi Leah-
That’s very strange. I haven’t seen that on either of the two podium quests. Occasionally I’ll leave mine on the trainer and just fill it with water, and haven’t seen it leak water even if left for days full.
Sorry!
Curious if this is your go-to aero bottle today? Looking at getting one for my tri bike, and wondering if you tried any others or know of any better ones.
Hi!
Doesn’t this bottle obstract you from grabbing the extensions in a comfortable way?
No issues, as your wrists pretty much wrap right around it. Works well.
Hi Ray! Is this still your water bottle of choice? I ask because I have one, and am not fond of the amount of splashing I have with it. (Our roads here in Michigan are famously bumpy, though I have a hard time imagining they are worse than your cobblestones!) I’ve learned I can reduce the splash by filling the bottles less full… And by rubber banding covers over the “quick fill” holes… Wondering if you have any other tricks up your sleeve? Thanks!
With doing less (no) Ironman’s in the last few years, I honestly haven’t had much of a need for it, so haven’t really used it much. Instead, I can usually get by with 2-3 water bottles on the frame.
I wish I had some better tricks, sorry!
No worries, Ray. Thanks for the feedback! I’m going to give the Speedfill A2 “leak proof” system a shot. We’ll see! :-)