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
A Mexico to Israel via London Layover Airport Interval Runaround
To start, let’s just recap the last two days. Or at least, I think it’s been two days: Sunday 10AM France Time: Departed, connected in London, flew to Mexico City. Sunday 6:45PM Mexico Time: Landed in Mexico City after 11hrs … Read More Here
A short weekend at home testing action cams…in the rain.
Ahh yes, with October behind us the last tattered threads of summer weather are most definitely gone. Welcome the rain. And the cold. And the wind. All at once. Nonstop. The other problem is lack of sunlight. Not because I … Read More Here
Week in Review–November 10th, 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
Running a lot so I can justify going to the Parisian Chocolate Fair
Somehow in the crazy-busy last few days in getting a slew of product reviews published I didn’t quite get to talk about my weekend at the chocolate fair. Obviously, that’s a problem. Anytime I skip out on talking about chocolate … Read More Here
Magellan Echo In-Depth Review
This past summer Magellan became the first company to announce a running-focused smart watch. And 10 days ago, they became the first company to actually ship said type of watch. While there have been many smart watches (especially as of late), … Read More Here
Garmin Forerunner 220 In-Depth Review
The Garmin FR220 is the company’s latest mid-range (price-wise) running watch, which succeeds the older FR210 unit. The FR210 carved out the mid-range niche, ahead of a slew of competitors that have followed in its footsteps. But can Garmin jump … Read More Here
Garmin Forerunner 620 In-Depth Review
The Garmin FR620 is Garmin’s newest and most advanced running GPS watch. The unit packs in everything from WiFi to ANT+ to Bluetooth Smart, and adds a slew of new metrics and functionality. But are these new metrics a fair … Read More Here
A look at the ScribeLabs Running Kinematics Footpod
Last month while at the ANT+ Symposium I had the chance to poke at and go for a run with a new running mechanics sensor that’s looking to hit the market next year. The sensor, called Motion Scribe, is the … Read More Here
A Dortmund (Germany) Runaround
While last week I was in beautiful sunny Greece, today…I am not. Instead, I’m in Dortmund, Germany. Which – may very well be a very nice sunny place too on some days. Regrettably, today was not one of those days. … Read More Here
FitBit Zip In-Depth Review
Here’s a fun fact to start out with: The FitBit Zip is actually probably the only product where I’ve written the review after over a year of use with the device. Well, two devices actually. But, more on what happened … Read More Here
A relaxing weekend at the beach (in Greece)
After finishing up work meetings on Friday evening, The Girl and I kicked back and enjoyed the weekend (+ this upcoming Monday) here just outside of Athens, Greece. For the most part we had nothing planned. That’s sorta the goal. … Read More Here
Week in Review–October 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
Photo of the day (of the run): Old man fishing naked
Time for a photo of the day. It’s been a while, and Friday seems like the perfect time for it! Tonight I went out for a 10-mile run. It was a simple affair: 5 miles at a Z2 heart rate, … Read More Here
A lunchtime Greek getaway openwater swimaround
The last few days, and for the next number of days, I’m attending a slew of meetings in Greece. My schedule is pretty packed from morning till night, but today I had a brief break around lunchtime for precisely one … Read More Here
Garmin Tactix In-Depth Review
Today Garmin announced their latest GPS watch to their ever-growing cabinet of such devices – the Garmin Tactix, which is aimed at the military crowd. The Tactix builds on the Garmin Fenix which became available a touch bit over a … Read More Here
Initial thoughts on the new Adidas Smart Run GPS watch
Update note: My In-Depth Review of the Smart Run GPS has now been published, check it out here! Last week Adidas announced their first foray into the GPS device world with their Adidas Smart Run GPS watch. While this may … Read More Here
Week in Review–October 19th, 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
My 2013 Trainer Recommendations
It’s that time of year again – trainer season. At least for us poor saps up in the Northern Hemisphere (no, you don’t count if you live in the Caribbean). I started doing the Trainer Recommendations post last year, and … Read More Here
Automated Bike Fit Measurement App Review: Bike Fast Fit
I want to start off by first noting just how rare it is that I write an entire post specifically about a single app. I could probably count the number of times I’ve done that in 6 years on one … Read More Here
The Paine Field Runaround
I’ve been heads down the last few days concurrently writing a bunch of upcoming reviews for the next few weeks – so we’ll keep today’s post somewhat short so I can go back into the abyss of processing photos and … Read More Here
Week in Review–October 12th, 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
Samsung to add ANT+ to full range of mobile devices, plus a look at the S Health app
ANT+ being added to all recent and new Samsung mobile devices: Probably the single biggest bit of news that came out of the ANT+ Symposium last week was Samsung’s announcement that they’ll be releasing ANT+ to all S4 devices in … Read More Here
An In-Depth Visit Behind the Scenes at Saris/CycleOps/PowerTap Headquarters
The night before arriving at the home of CycleOps I looked up the address on Google using Streetview, simply to know what I’d be looking for the next morning as I made my way over. But after the resultant imagery … Read More Here
A brief weekend at home celebrating
After speaking at the ANT+ Symposium on Thursday, I caught a flight back home to Paris on Friday morning, which ultimately would plop me at the Charles de Gaulle airport at 9:25AM Saturday morning. In general, when coming from west … Read More Here
My 2013 ANT+ Symposium Keynote Presentation
Last Thursday, for the fourth year in a row I presented to the ANT+ Symposium in Kananaskis, Alberta. The ANT+ Symposium is the yearly gathering of all the major companies in the sector that make up the ANT+ Alliance, which … Read More Here