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 weekend enjoying a Spanish island
After zipping back from work meetings in New York City, The Girl and I caught a flight down to Palma de Mallorca (a Spanish island), via Barcelona. They are two relatively quick flights from Paris. The first about 80 minutes, … Read More Here
Week in Review: June 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
A New York City Runaround
I flew out to New York late Tuesday night, only in town for a little under 48 hours – just enough for a full slate of work meetings. I ended up swimming on Wednesday at a place just a few … Read More Here
Paris Blog: Bertie’s CupCakery- June Update!
(Written by The Girl, here’s a link to her last update!) Hi everyone! It’s that time again for an update from Bertie’s CupCakery. I meant to give another update before now, but things at the shop have been super busy … Read More Here
How to find & create awesome cycling routes in a smarter way
Despite having lived in Paris almost a year now, I’ve rarely cycled outside of my little set of known routes and locales. Partly because the weather has been so bad this winter that I spent a lot of it on … Read More Here
Stages Power Meter In-Depth Review Update
Do firmware updates by Stages help resolve some of the technical issues I saw in the earlier review? Read More Here
Week in Review: June 16th, 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
The Safer Swimmer In-Depth Review
Back last month when I posted my ‘Saint Malo Fort Swimaround’ post, a number of folks asked about the swim buoy I was using to increase my visibility. It confused me at first, because I thought I had posted a … Read More Here
Coming to Paris this summer? Here’s where to swim/bike/run!
This post is a quickie! More FYI-esque than anything else. I’ve always had a Washington DC resources page that listed all the places I swam/biked/ran within Washington DC including my favorite routes. It was sorta a one-stop-shop when people asked … Read More Here
How to download Garmin workouts to your tablet (Android, iPad, Windows Surface)
A complete step by step tutorial to downloading from your Garmin to Android, iPad, iPhone, iPod, and Windows Surface. Read More Here
Watching a high-speed bike-sharing police chase, and other weekend updates
Woot, a weekend back home! The weather up until Sunday was rather warm – about 80*F in fact. Which meant the crowds have been out in full force. Here’s what it looked like on Friday night out along the river. … Read More Here
Week in Review–June 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
Checking out the Kayak Power Meter system
A couple days ago upon returning from China I got the chance to spend a bit of time checking out a new to the market but not new to the sport ANT+ enabled power meter. The unit operates on much … Read More Here
On attempting to do a Beijing Runaround
While I did get a chance to sorta swim in the Olympic Water Cube here in Beijing, I really also wanted to enjoy a few nice runs. In fact, the day I went swimming the weather was beautiful, and weather-like … Read More Here
Swimming in the Beijing Olympic Water Cube
After hearing that Beijing was on my work trip itinerary I immediately did a bunch of research to figure out if you could actually swim in the famous Water Cube from the 2008 Beijing Olympics (officially called the National Aquatics … Read More Here
Week in Review–June 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
The Xi’an China Runaround
It’s funny to think that prior to booking my airline ticket to this city, I’d never heard of it. In fact, I can’t think of the last time I booked any travel to a place I didn’t know existed. I’ve … Read More Here
Polar Bluetooth Smart Stride Sensor (Footpod) In-Depth Review
Earlier this week Polar announced their latest product – though, it’s not a watch. Or even anything connected to a watch. Instead, it’s an accessory for smart phones that further illuminates Polar’s direction and protocol strategy going forward. The Bluetooth … Read More Here
Paris Blog: Hanging out at the French Open
Despite my sunburns – luck was definitely on our side Monday. First, we have some good friends that have been in town the last few days and gave us tickets to go check out the French Open. Then, it got … Read More Here
Tricks to getting suitcases packed and workouts done while travelling
A number of you have asked recently how it is that I pack for work trips when it comes to working (or other sports). I don’t remember the last time I took a trip and didn’t work out. It’s just … Read More Here
Week in Review–May 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
A look at aerotesting with ERO Sports and the Alphamantis System
Upon the conclusion of my Las Vegas trip last month, I took a 40 minute flight over to Long Beach, California (greater LA area) to visit the folks at ERO Sports. I’ve long followed the Alphamantis work around aerodynamics, and … Read More Here
How to download free maps to your Garmin Edge GPS
The Garmin Edge series of cycling computers is roughly split into two categories: Those that have a mapping function, and those that don’t. Mapping in this case means that the units also have routable navigation – just like your car … Read More Here
A San Francisco Swimming Flight Connection Layover
When I booked this particular flight combination a few weeks ago, I wasn’t exactly sure what to do with the 5 hour layover. Additionally, I had mentally thought the flight left at noon, rather than 10AM – meaning that I … Read More Here
Week in Review–May 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