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: 2013
Wahoo Fitness KICKR Trainer In-Depth Review
Heads up! This is an older review – jump to the in-depth review of the latest/current Wahoo KICKR here! The Wahoo KICKR is probably the most anticipated trainer to hit the market in quite a while, if not one of the … Read More Here
Paris Half-Marathon 2013 Race Report
You know what I appreciate about the Paris Half-Marathon? It started at 10AM. Yes, 10AM! That means that we woke up around…ohh…8:15AM, walked a few hundred meters to the Metro, and took a short 11 minute Metro ride to the … Read More Here
Week in Review–March 2nd, 2013
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
You Win–You Choose DC Rainmaker Giveaway!
Because it’s the end of February (already!), and because this month got shorted 2-3 days. And because I found two cake stands while The Girl was out today and they made pretty holders. No, I didn’t tie those bows. Or … Read More Here
The Great DC Rainmaker 2013 Survey Results!
It’s been about a month since the sorta-annual DC Rainmaker survey opened up. And quite frankly, I was BLOWN AWAY by the response this year. 3,143 of you finished the survey. And as I promised, I’m going to give you … Read More Here
Tacx Genius Trainer In-Depth Review
The Tacx Genius Trainer is the latest trainer to work it’s way through my ‘lab’ (aka living room). The high-end trainer is designed to let you simulate just about anything you can think of while on a trainer – including … Read More Here
Week in Review–February 23rd, 2013
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
Paris Blog: A look at the one and the only Parisian Chipotle
When we were living in the US, we didn’t eat at fast food places too frequently. And when we did, it generally trended more towards ‘healthier’ fast food variants (i.e. Subway, Quiznos, etc…). And then there was Chipotle. Chipotle was … Read More Here
Garmin adds new Fenix Skiing mode (in beta)
Following in the footsteps of continuing to add features to the Fenix watch (and likewise, what Suunto has done with the Ambit), Garmin quietly posted to their forums a beta version of the Fenix firmware which adds skiing to the … Read More Here
Garmin gives updated Vector power meter schedule (February 2013)
[Please Note: Garmin Vector has been released, you can see my first look at it here. In the interest of keeping things clean, I’ve disabled new comments here, and all comments should head over to that post. Thanks!] Today, on … Read More Here
Reminding myself about the nutrition wall…the hard way.
It seems to happen each year around early spring time. Usually early spring because that’s roughly when my workouts get long enough that I cross over the invisible barrier where I can get away with going low on nutrition. Typically, … Read More Here
A weekend cycling around the city multiple times
With my brother still in town after our ski trip, we continued to explore the city a bit. Of course, no better way than to get him into the kick of the Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday market near our place. He now fully … Read More Here
Week in Review–February 17th, 2013
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
An epic week skiing in the French Alps
This past week my brother and I have been down in Alpe d’Huez enjoying the fresh powder. Of course, most folks reading this will recognize Alpe d’Huez as the famous mountain stage in the Tour de France. That cultural history … Read More Here
Paris Blog: Friday night date night…at the restaurant supply store
While many couples may go out on the town on Friday night in Paris (or anywhere else for that matter), we’ve gone and created a bit of a twist on the traditional Friday night date night. In our case, we … Read More Here
Mio Alpha Optical Heart Rate Monitor In-Depth Review (Bluetooth Smart/ANT+)
This optical heart rate wrist strap measures your heart rate and transmits it to Bluetooth Smart and ANT+ devices. But how accurate is it? Read More Here
A flooded run and some brotherly love with new incoming gear
I arrived back from my US work trip into Paris on Friday evening. This would give me just about 15 hours until my brother landed here, following me across the pond. The two of us will be spending the next … Read More Here
Week in Review–February 9th, 2013
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
CycleOps Virtual Training In-Depth Review
While the CycleOps PowerBeam Pro has been around a while, their entertainment and training software – Virtual Training – just came out late last year. I’ve been using beta versions on and off since last spring, and with the final … Read More Here
A weekend building a (cardboard) boat before the Super Bowl
I’ve got meetings this week in Seattle, so Saturday mid-day I packed things up in Paris, connected to a flight in London and flew 9 hours to Seattle. I love these flights – the early-mid afternoon departures from Europe where … Read More Here
Week in Review–February 2nd, 2013
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
A Stockholm (Sweden) Runaround
I’ve been in Stockholm for work meetings since very late Sunday night (actually, technically, Monday morning). My schedule had a 2hr 20min run on the docket, with the flexibility to place that either on Monday or Tuesday, depending on what … Read More Here
Because it’s cold FR910XT Giveaway Winner!
Yes, it’s still cold. And, some 2,500 of you over the weekend shared your running/cycling/swimming/something activities in the cold. Quite a few entertaining reads in there – I definitely encourage you to scroll through some of them. Think of it … Read More Here
Stages Power Meter In-Depth Review
The Stages Power Meter is the first ANT+ and Bluetooth Smart PM on the market, all at under $700. But does it stand up to detailed analysis? Read More Here
Week in Review–January 26th, 2013
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