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
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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 2024 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.
Yearly Archives: 2011
Garmin iPhone ANT+ Adapter and Garmin Fit app Review
(Update – July 2013: I’ve taken the rather unusual step of actually prefacing the review with some really clear guidance: Don’t buy this. In short: It ONLY works with the Garmin Fit app, which won’t upload/download from your existing Garmin … Read More Here
WTC now cancelling races 30-45 days out when they want to avoid “a sizeable loss”
Last Tuesday World Triathlon Corporation (WTC) cancelled the 5150 series race finale in Clearwater, Florida next month, simply because of low registration numbers. You may remember last October year when WTC announced the 5150 triathlon race series, which was designed … Read More Here
A DC weekend of Cyclocross and assorted new products
We’re going to start with Cyclocross, merely because that’s the most recent thing on my mind. This morning I went up to DCCX – which is the DC Cyclocross event held within the district at the Armed Forces Retirement Home. … Read More Here
Week in Review–October 23rd, 2011
The Week in Review is a collection of both all the goodness I’ve written during the past week around the internet, as well as a small pile of links I found interesting – generally endurance sports related. I’ve often wondered … Read More Here
Friday Photo of the Day
I had planned to post a Tip of the Day today (though I hadn’t yet decided which of the three different ones I wrote up I’d end up posting). But then I got some of the official photos back from … Read More Here
Garmin Edge 800 adds NP/IF/TSS, left/right power, tons more data fields
Garmin has released a substantial update that adds the TrainingPeaks metrics of NP/IF/TSS to the Edge 800, as part of their previously stated plan to add it to the Edge 500/800 and FR310XT/FR910XT. In line with the power meter improvements … Read More Here
Motorola MOTOACTV: Thoughts and analysis
Last week I got a bit of a sneak peak at the new Motorola MOTOACTV sports/fitness watch/MP3 player that was just announced today. It’s a pretty interesting device that actually seems to bridge across a number of different areas in … Read More Here
Brim Brothers & Edge 500 Giveaway Results
Thanks all for the great entries in the Friday giveaway! If you need a bit of motivation for cycling ideas for training, then go check out all the entries (almost 1,000 of them). I’m hoping that by merely reading about … Read More Here
A curious look at Active.com Schwaggle deals
A few months ago I started getting (more) e-mail from Active.com. Given you’re required to use their site for numerous race registrations, you eventually end up on some form of mailing list. As a result I’ve long since somewhat ignored … Read More Here
The Urbanathlon Race in Chicago, and other weekend items
This past weekend was a blur of activity. It started off with a Friday afternoon flight over to Chicago for the Urbanathlon. Once we arrived in the city and got checked into the hotel we noticed we could see the … Read More Here
Week in Review–October 16th, 2011
The Week in Review is a collection of both all the goodness I’ve written during the past week around the internet, as well as a small pile of links I found interesting – generally endurance sports related. I’ve often wondered … Read More Here
Friday Tidbits: First Garmin FR910XT Swim Workout, Timex Run Trainer & TACX Trainer arrival
Just a few interesting tidbits that haven’t grown up yet to get their own posts yet, but since I get tons of questions on them – I figured I’d share some of my Thursday arrivals and tests. First up is … Read More Here
A Friday Giveaway
Sometimes I end up with smaller things that don’t quite make it into my larger giveaways. Sometimes those are items that I’ve bought, and sometimes they are ‘unique’ items that others have offered up. This time, I’m going to combine … Read More Here
A 16-mile Wednesday night of loops in the rain
There are some nights and workouts where all you can do is just shake your head, tie up your shoes…and get on with it. Tonight was one of those nights. On the schedule was mile repeats…twelve of them. That’s in … Read More Here
A look at Simon Fraser University’s Running Speed/Pace Control System
Two weeks ago while I was up at the ANT+ Symposium outside of Calgary I had a chance to spend some time running around in circles with two guys (Dr. Max Donelan and Mark Snaterse) from Simon Fraser University who … Read More Here
A Canadian Moose of a Long Run
Quick Side Note: A US soldier deployed over in Afghanistan (and avid reader of this blog) is working on a public speaking course during his deployment over there and is doing a quick survey on running and GPS as part … Read More Here
New Kona Qualification Rules Coming in 2012, automatic entry for 12+ races in lifetime
While everyone else was busy trying to get interviews with the World Champions at Kona this weekend, the guys from the IM Talk Podcast instead grabbed the head of the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC) – Andrew Messick and talked about … Read More Here
Week in Review–October 8th, 2011
The Week in Review is a collection of both all the goodness I’ve written during the past week around the internet, as well as a small pile of links I found interesting – generally endurance sports related. I’ve often wondered … Read More Here
Shark Week…coming to my local swimming pool
Well, sorta. Back last month I got a mysterious package in the mail. That in and of itself isn’t too unusual actually. I get all sorts of packages that I’m not expecting. Sometimes companies will delay and/or forget to send … Read More Here
The slow march towards more functional triathlon specific bikes
Earlier this week we saw Specialized release their new triathlon bike in Kona as part of the lead-up to this weekend’s Ironman Championships. For those whose lives don’t revolve around the sport, this may seem like just another bike. And … Read More Here
Garmin Forerunner 910XT In Depth Review
(Updated: May 1st, 2013) The Garmin Forerunner 910XT represents the next generation triathlon/multisport watch from Garmin. The watch builds on many areas that the FR305 and then FR310XT had – including a slimmer profile then either of those watches, and … Read More Here
A weekend running (a long way) around home
Due to the a significant flight fail in my attempt to get back from the ANT+ Symposium last week, I lost all of Thursday from a workout perspective (instead spending time hopping to and from random Canadian airports). So as … Read More Here
Week in Review–October 1st, 2011
The Week in Review is a collection of both all the goodness I’ve written during the past week around the internet, as well as a small pile of links I found interesting – generally endurance sports related. I’ve often wondered … Read More Here
My 2011 ANT+ Symposium Presentation
This Wednesday I presented to over 150 ANT+ Alliance members as part of the annual ANT+ Symposium. Like last year, my speech is primarily aimed at taking all of your feedback and delivering it back to them. The folks at … Read More Here
Cool things I’ve seen so far at the ANT+ Symposium
As you may remember from last week, I’m presenting Wednesday morning at the ANT+ Symposium, which is the annual meeting for all ANT+ companies. This includes any folks that use ANT+ in their technologies. The companies you’re probably most familiar … Read More Here