Heads up! Here’s your massive list of sports tech deals! This includes the Garmin Forerunner 965 for just $499, Garmin Epix for $429, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 Black Titanium for $735, the GoPro Hero 12 Black for $299, (or Hero 13 bundle for $339!) and plenty more! Go check out the full list 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.
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/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.
Funniest moment failing to unclip at a service station and falling over on the side walk in front of everyone.
realising i’d forgotten my bike shoes during a swim/bike block.
20km into a ride, realising I’d forgotten my helmet! Then spending the 20km back imagining cops at every corner.
“Hi” :-)
I dont know if ive had a funny moment in training, but 5 miles into a ride realizing i forgot my helmet led to 5 miles back deathly afraid i was going to fall. it was pretty funny when i got home.
Shortly after moving to Singapore I started running to explore the neighborhoods, unfortunately during one run I got so curious about what was ahead of me that I completely forgot to turn back and just kept on running until I was exhausted and lost, and had to walk all the way back for the better part of 2 hours
Thought I would try out this theory about cadence training on a track bike riding through a scenice, and hilly for any bike, terrain. I geared this bad boy low and took off…the first big hill I got to I cranked right on up and felt strong as my thighs were getting their burn on, and I’m pumped for the descent…oh ohhh I’m spinning at the top of the hill and this thing is long steep and on a turn…well unfortunately I couldn’t keep up and my back wheel hopped at the bottom and I almost tacoed my wheel….it wanted to go but held on so the next 15 miles back home were pretty embarrassing as my wheel hourglassed on every revolution…the guys I was riding with laughed for weeks about it.
Training with the team with our brand new jammers which are way way tight! It’s funny hearing how everyone squeeze into theirs. :)
Coming up to roadworks while riding and all traffic had slowed down. I thought I’d be clever and “go around” all the traffic. Came up to a man with a lollipop sign saying “Stop”. So I stopped suddenly, forgot to take my shoes out of the pedals and fell over in front of all the traffic. Lollipop man came over to ask if I was OK. “Yeah, yeah I’m fine”! Though pride was dented.
hi
Not spotting a speed bump and launching the bike into the air. Made worst but the fact i was drinking water and changing gears are the same time. Managed to save the bike but soaked the guy behind me when the water bottle hit the ground.
Taking a wrong turn on a training ride, turning a 50 mile bike ride into 90, pretty classic really.
Wardrobe malfunction with the Speedo
how do you know that i posted on facebook and here?
it didnot happen with me but with a friend, who while running a crow crashed into him and hit him on the chest, makes me crack up everytime!
Dressed as a witch for a Halloween drive and falling over my broom.
being Mooned by a car full of high schoolers while I was out on my bike.
Putting on a pair of bike shorts ordered from China only to find that what I thought in the online picture were white stripes down the side of the shorts were actually see-through and showed my hips and half my hairy white ass in all its glory. I picture the peleton in China riding around in these…
Hiya!:)
Racing my second sprint tri to find out (only through pictures) that I wore my helmet backwards the entire time!
early morning runs for me are other peoples late night finishes… some pretty interesting stuff seen then….
Hi there!
Just about every workout for me is pretty hilarious!
Having to call my girlfriend to pick me up after bonking on a ride.
Cycling with a group I didn’t know, on a route I didn’t know and them suddenly stopping at a light I didn’t expect them to and me losing my balance not being able to unclip fast enough and falling straight over with many many witnesses.
My training is always deadly serious and nothing amusing is permitted.
Funniest moment had to be when I rode the bike portion of my first tri with the front brake engaged.
Hi.
Hi. Love the blog, Ray. Thanks for doing these giveaways.
310xt FTW!
While getting ready for a race at camp pendleton, I needed to pee, so I waited in line, my turn came up, I went in and started to dry heave from the stench, but still needed to pee. so i’m dry heaving trying not to pee on myself, and of course I had a LONG pee at least it felt that way. I open the door and a beautiful girl was standing there as it was her turn, I didn’t have the heart to say anything and just bolted. I’m sure she thought it was me that destroyed the bathroom.
At mile 11 of IM Kona, I really needed to use a porta potty. I opened the door to one and clearly the wind had blown it over at some point of the race because there was poo everywhere, there was not a wall that was clean, I ended up shuffling to mile 12 after refusing to enter, that was probably the longest mile of the entire race.
Hi! :P Not really a funny moment, but my running group have this motto in our singlets: “Hindi masyadong mabibilis, pero cute” (We’re not very fast, but we’re cute) and every time we run together, people will say “Hi, cute!” or “I’d like to join your group too!”
Hi Ray.
Hi..
No matter how you dice it: training is not funny… well, except seeing DC rainmaker jump into frozen rivers; that’s is fun-ny.
I was running indoors on a treadmill and the power cut out. Needless to say, the treadmill was at full speed and I flew over the front of the treadmill.
I was cycling up a mountain 2 weekends ago. I met up with a guy who is training for Ironman Canada, and I mentioned how I was trying to convince my wife that she should bike the mountain with me while I pulled our 9-month-old daughter in a trailer. After going for a while, I mentioned I probably overestimating my current fitness to my wife. Ten minutes later we passed a girl on a mountain bike with a fully loaded trailor. I turned around at 2,000 feet; on my way down, she was still headed up.
Hi!
I’d have to say bringing a tri-bike into our Y’s outdoor pool.. preceding to swim a workout in a tri suit, then run out and get back on the bike, navigating a bunch of high school girls laying around the pool. Did i mention the part about falling back into the pool, with my bike?…oops
*heres to being lucky
Hi! Whats happening?
Fell off while saying hi!
Grundla
Hi!
Hi. Wish I had something funny to say.
Hi :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) and thanks for your great blog!!!!
Hi,
I can’t think of a funny training story. Sure I must have plenty, but you probably had to be there…
Hello
I got caught outside in an extreme hailstorm on the other side of my city with nothing but my singlet and Lycra shorts – now I carry a wallet or cellphone just in case the weather decides to change its mind again.
Well I was about 3metres from my front door and heard my back wheel rub just as I pushed off on my bike. ‘no probs’ I thought ‘I’ll just stop a sec it’ll probably just be the break I need to move about a bit’ …. I then proceeded to completely forget I had my right foot already clipped in so when I went to put it down I couldn’t…. So inevitably I ‘fell’ down, tried to commando roll out of it whilst attached to my bike…… My neighbours couldn’t quite believe what I was up to (it was a lovely day so they were out gardening)…. I didn’t ride that day,… I had some how managed to explode my seat off the seat rails in the fall and gave myself one of the biggest bruises on my arse cheek ever!!!….
funniest…well not for me but for the people behind me I guess..falling off the treadmill during speedwork…
Forgetting the treadmill in the gym took a while to slow down after a new personal best – you can guess the rest!
Hi Ray!
realizing my old swim shorts were already transparent AFTER my swim
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hi. great blog
Hy, it has been in my first tri – a sprint race in england. After finishing a good swim in the mid of the field after 10miles on the bike i realised that i was gone the wrong way. U-turn made, back on track, last in the field. Finished 2nd last at the end but had great fun.
Just this morning! My trainer and I were working out in a children’s playground in a local park. It was surfaced with that rubbery safety tile stuff, and the morning was slightly damp. Just as I was starting some shuttle runs my trainer noted the surface was a bit slippery. At that same moment my left leg went one way, my right leg the other, and suddenly I was on my back glad to have not ruptured an abductor. Needless to say there were lots of witnesses to my clumsiness.
Breaking a pedal and biking back 30K. My left leg now has a huge edge on the right one.
Hi!
Hi Hi :)
Hi from Brazil! :)
Hi from Scotland
Snow surfing down steep hills on a long winter run. In some places there were seracs that I’d jump on until I fell through and slid down the slope. And then proceed to run on very uneven frozen snow covered ground in a very remote area where noone would find me in time if I fell and broke my leg. Good fun. :-)
Two days ago… Had my brand new Garmin Edge 800 setup on the bike and ready for the first ride. Had a flat after 250 meters… Funny when look back at it now – but two days ago…? Well lets just say that I got verified that the heart rate strap and the Edge could indeed show high values :)
Sharting during the swim… Sharting on the bike… And sharting on the run… I’ve got problems, dude.
my short fall down while running!
hi :)
My personal laugh (but until this comment a secret) … I got lost on my second run ever. Took me some time to figure out the way back.
Since that is my secret I must tell my wife’s “laugh”. After my second run ever last December I was almost unable to walk up the stairs … she thought it was pretty funny :-(.
Running first time with my vibram 5fingers with higher cadence and people looking on me.
Droffen
Hi
I don’t train…fun isn’t it?
I do not remember, sorry! :)
Hi !!
Tripping over a crack in the sidewalk two weeks after the Philly Marathon last year… ended up with 14 stichtes in my right knee and on crutches for two weeks! Serious but also funny at the same time!
It happened during a descent that I knew a few years ago. Me and my buddy behind me were already on the way home when I “suddenly” (once again I knew the decent) saw a sharp left turn and already before I got into it I knew I’m going down. I had two choices: 1. try to make it and kiss the tarmac or 2. go straight ahead and into the grazing fields. Some how the soft grass (although on a steep hill) seemed more attractive choice. I went ahead and made a stunt worthy of the Cirque du Soleil: both me and my bike made a backflip or two – I don’t remember BUT neither of us were seriously hurt or damaged. And then my buddy riding behind me almost fell to, not because of the sharp left turn but because he was laughing to what happened to me when he realized I was not hurt.
And that’s my story.
Hi Ray, please count 2 (facebook).
I’d have to say each and everytime I go to do an outside run (like you said, easing from indoor to outdoor training) and my eyes water like crazy because of the wind – feel like people that see me think i am crying as i run!
Hi! :)
Funniest training moment: Moved to Australia, and obviously realized that they drove and rode and ran on the opposite side of the street. Did NOT know they also swam on the opposite side of the lane… first time I head into a pool, swimming in the normal direction… I COLLIDE head on with another swimmer so hard that I see stars. My head hurt for a week afterwards.
Getting up early for a nice jog, out of the house running and realized that I’m without shorts. Hi :-)
I think my funniest training moment was after a pretty hard 200km ride coming home to my girlfriend’s house and putting on my compression tights. I’d just moved in with her so she hadn’t seen me wearing them yet. She freaked at the time but obviously got over that her man wears tights as she’s now my wife!
Getting my bike nicked from outside the pool is not Funny. But having to walk/get the train home in full lycra triathlete uniform; I can see how that’s pretty amusing.
Going for a run in the middle of the boonies in France and getting completely lost — without a cell phone or any knowledge of French. Thank goodness for the “return to set point” on my Forerunner 405, otherwise, I’d still be out there :)
Funniest moment?
Having an early morning run in the streets of Paris ans sayin: “allo” to the street cleaners…
Two days ago I was doing interval training in preparation for my marathon on 4/9. This particular evening I was running barefoot, as I often do, and since it was 9 PM at night, I was wearing my Under Armour coldgear running tights along with a Nike running shirt, doing intervals around quad baseball diamonds (like a pie with four slices, each a baseball field). I chose to run here since I only run barefoot during the daytime or when I can see and this particular quad baseball field is one of the few well lit places this time of night. So, I’m doing my sprints and a parks and recreation officer starts “tailing me” in his vehicle around the baseball diamonds as I’m running. When I walk for my first 90 second rest interval he pulls up in his truck and calls out, “Hey! What are you doing son? It looks like you’re running barefoot in a wetsuit. That’s wild.” I’ve been pulled over before, but it’s usually for my shoddy driving. Pulled over while running? This was definitely a first for me.
Hola!
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Hi. =)
Doing an early morning run with some colleagues on “las RAmblas” in Barcelona, while on business travel. Where a local (I still think drunk) lady hit me on my butt…
Just broke the glass of my old 310XT
riding around my condo carpark till my garmin clicked over 180km whilst IM training.
sadest moment was realising I had come home from my worst race ever without my garmin….guttered!
My 305 is getting old ;)
hi :)
Hi, I’d love one of these!
Halfway through a training ride had stopped for more water, coming back to my bike two “older” and a little out of shape roadies staring and pointing at the new Speed Concept and Quarq powermeter. This is how the conversation went:
Me: Morning
Roadie: Hi, how you like that (pointing at the Quarq)
Me: Yeah it’s awesome, works really well
Roadie: So how’s your balance now?
Me: Ummm, not sure what you mean?
Roadie: You know the balance between left and right leg, are they even now?
Me: Yeah, ummm it’s great (and beat a hasty retreat before I burst out laughing…)
Seems these guys somehow thought a Quarq worth just under $2,000 was there to help me see if both legs were working the same amount… priceless!
Hi :)
Calculating my cadence in my head and not noticing that the street was going a little to the left = meet the asphalt :)
During a training run my watch suddenly said slow down. I slowed down but according to the watch my speed just kept increasing. back home it turned out that the GPS has placed me somewhere else and while I was slowing down my watch calculated the speed from moving from the wrong location to my current correct location. Quite weird standing still and still see an increase in current speed.
It wasn’t funny at the time for me but others found it most amusing, fortunatly I can see the funny side now.
Brused my heal and also gave myself achilles tendonitis from playing dance revolution on the xbox kinect…..six weaks later I can almost walk normally!!
I suppose this is training related… after a training ride I had a couple of errands to make. A bunch of people were looking at me kind of funny, but I thought it was because of my “odd clothes”. Well, when I got home I walked in and my family started laughing. After looking in the mirror I had a horrible case of “helmet head”. I had 3 very distinct spike strips caused by the vents in the helmet.
Even though my wife laughed at me, this entry is for her, so hopefully she can have a 310xt of her very own.
Thanks Ray!
Being the only one in my swim-team to do one length (50m) butterfly without taking a breath, and therefore getting the afternoon session off.
great blogs and reviews.