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.
-
Check out my weekly podcast - with DesFit, which is packed with both gadget and non-gadget goodness!
-
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!
5
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.
Last weekend had a 2 hour run which was cold and wet and totally not fun. Sunday saw a 2 hour endurance bike with 2x20min at Zone 3. Thanks for asking :-)
Hi!
I went for a very cruisy 45km ride on Saturday – which was followed up by a lonnnnng Yoga session to keep me flexible for Sundays race. I then raced on Sunday morning (Olympic distance Tri) and came 4th in my AG. Surprise! The rest of the weekend was then filled with eating for carb loading, or eating because I’d just finished! Happy days.
To avoid the freezing new England temperatures, a 10 1/2 mile run on the treadmill and a three hour ride on TrainerRoad… oh yeah, and also tell my wife that I love her!
I did 20500 steps in 15 hours at Disney World
I had a cold weather 12-15K training run planned for Sunday, but this was totally sabotaged by a friend who called me for help buying a new car ….. so my whole day was spent at car dealers.
He ended up buying a Mazda M2, and I ended up with a gap in my training log.
Recovery week from the Surf City Marathon on super bowl Sunday. Saturday I had a easy 40 minute run and Sunday was a easy 6 miles at a 9 min pace.
Sat: 1 hour ride, upper body weights
Sun: 30 min ride with intervals, leg day, squats, etc.
It was FRIGID cold here so it was a CrossFit workout and lots of time mobilizing/stretching…
139 mile bike, 12.1 mile run, and 1.5 mile swim.
A long cold bike ride, 100km and 2000m+ on my usual training route
TrainerRoad – Beacon on Saturday. 5 mile run at the beach and 90 minutes of zone 2 on the trainer on Sunday. Having a broken wrist when it’s 70 degrees in San Diego and your friends are out riding is depressing.
Thanks to your advice I have a tacx Vortex smart and use it with Cycleops Virtual training. The weekend I climbed virtually the galibier and did an interval session. Total 6 hours on the bike turbo training.
In preparation for La Marmotte, this weekend was about a solid 2.5 hr ride as fast I can do. This means using my Vectors to get an avg NP of 224 which was my highest this year.
Cold and rain hold no fears !
On Last Saturday I did about 60 km bike ride and later swam 3.2 km.
On Sunday I ran 24 km and later did small triathlon training with my son: 100m swim, 2 km bike and 800m run.
Since Sunday is my rest day, I’ve only did a run on a steep hill on Saturday for thorough leg workout. Either it’s HIIT or a hill climb for that.
In recovering from a bit of a cold I only did a relaxed 10K with the sun in my face.
did two 2+hour training (workout) rides on zwift using my cycleops powerbeam ant+.
I would like that powertap g3 hub power meter. so… can i have that giftcard now? please. thanks.
not a great weekend: a little bike on Saturday and jogging in forest on Sunday. I’ll do better next time :-)
Ran 15K at -27 degrees last Sunday in Montreal, Canada! (Yep, I wore ski goggles).
Training this weekend was just a very muddy outdoor circuits session on Saturday
Miles and miles on the dreadmill because the temp was in the single digits and the windchill was -29°! And strength training with free weights. And cabin fever.
I did the final two stages of the Tour of Sufferlandria, as well as a 3.5hr outdoor ride. 523TSS in two days
A 17 mile run in the pouring rain with my sister #siblinglove followed by a few laps in the pool (and a substantial amount of time in the sauna)!
A mix of skiing and indoor swimming
Hard session doing the Sufferfest Downward Spiral on my trainer.
That. Hurt.
Super sweet 3 hour ride on the trainer. 11 mile run the next day.
Both Saturday and Sunday 35k, on my 18 years old Zeus, on the trainer while my children were taking their nap.
I did a 10 minute run after more months of downtime on Saturday. On Sunday, got some cardio in through shoveling.
Did two Zwift sessions on my indoor trainer, a Tacx Genius Smart. Got in a 50km and a 70km ride as part of training for my first ever cycling trip abroad to Tenerife in March. Needless to say, a $600 credit in advance of that would be most excellent and most appreciated! :)
Bike ride through a lot of mud on Saturday and rest on Sunday due to the weather
Saturday: 1.5k swim with my daughter
Sunday: short & quick 25k bike ride around my city
Did not find more time to work out ;-( but was good though ;-)
I did 6k in Saturday. On Sunday I run the Barcelona half-marathon which counts as training for the marathon next month.
Some spinning bike trials only , but unfortunately only minimal exercise.
Did some intervals on my treadmill as I am on recovery…
75 min Trainerroad Ride on the Kickr saturday then an afternoon ice skating session with the Mrs.
Sunday was a 1600 meter TT in the pool followed by a one hour run.
Recovery on Saturday and a quick hike around the local park on Sunday.
Just a 100 km group ride on Saturday morning in 1 degrees C, then it was raining for the rest of the weekend…
Just 2 days of zwifting
Going steady at present as working back from IT band injury. Just steady 3.5mile run along the river Cam. Watched rowers out for mid day training. Good luck to all in the give-away.
Weather was really bad here in Montréal, so couldn’t really run outside.
But I used my Garmin 230’s indoor running feature tk run a 6k on the treadmill.
I always prefer to run outside but when the temp outside is 35-40C (with wind chill), treadmill and a nice podcast is the next best thing.
Taper week..racing this weekend!
4K Swim Saturday and 2 hour run Sunday
Saturday – Trail run.
Sunday- bike ride. 50mi, even more vert.
Monday- got $600 worth of new goodies from Clever Training courtesy of being really lucky.
Well last weekend was my Dad’s funeral, so the log was empty. But this weekend I start Tour Aotearoa – http://www.touraotearoa.nz so at least I will be going in fresh.
The wife and I had a morning paddle on the river, then a recovery run down the beach path (4 miles)
Stay warm!
Did upper and lower body by… cleaning the garage. So sad that I was sore the next day.
I did a long run: 15km with my wife. The first one this semi-spring. Very slow with some small breaks for walking (as suggested by J.Galloway). And I was really amazed at how well I felt after the run. This revived my plans to do the first marathon this year.
Treadmill – injury recovery training for Boston Marathon.
I had a 30 min spin on monday after Geelong 70.3 but spent the rest of the week sick as a dog,
I was lazy this weekend and got no training in…
Bodypump fitness class and a valentines day bike ride with the wife :-)
Hi, thanks for this new great chance!
Last weekend I had my usual share:
– 2,25 km swimming
– 70 km mountainbiking
– 13,6 km running
Because weather doesn’t matter, nor does temperature – fresh air does!
2 hours on the turbo, avoiding the snow.
The only log was me on the couch due to injury :)
A couple of sufferfest workouts and some winter snow shoveling strength training.
14k tempo run on saturday, 2hours recovery bike and 3k swim with lots of drills on sunday.
Still slowly building base!
Fast 30 mile bike ride Friday, a romantic hike Saturday with the wife, and a lovely run Sunday morning, again with the wife!
A easy 8k on Saturday, and a 10k time trial on Sunday.
Spent the day on the trainer with TrainerRoad.
I walked around the neighborhood for 55 minutes for 5 days. The other 2 days I shoveled my driveway.
Ran a 5k on the treadmill, and worked my chest and back in the weight room!!
Saturday 6k run and Valentines Day cycle with my wife.
First run in a while. Ended up being about an 8k.
short run with the girlfriend (she was riding her horse me just trying to keep up) apparently having 4 legs makes you faster :)
Seven miles at 22 deg F. Parts were starting to go numb.
I did a 5k and a chest & back work-out
A two hour volleyball match on friday, saturday recovery and sunday 45 minutes on the trainer
Had a little short 4 mile run on Saturday and then an hour on the indoor trainer on Sunday. Thanks Ray!
Just a 60min session in the pool on saturday
I put some miles in the bank with a run, and did some drills in the pool.
Ran one 5k, one 10k, on the treadmill no less (it was really cold here, 7F) plus fitness workout at the gym.
It was a cold interval outside training. With the wind blowing on my head it was -6 celcius BRRRRrrrrr.
It actually reminded me of why i bought the tacx neo and why the hell i wasn’t training inside…….
I did a 10 mile run with my dog in the Netherlands after returning from a week in Paris with the kids over their Carnival break!
Went for an easy run on Saturday, did some couples yoga (legit, they offer it at our gym) on Sunday with many celebratory 12 oz curls as well.
Rode indoors twice (once in Z2 for an hour and once in an hour long class with different tempos), 45-60 min swim with local tri-club, and did Body Pump three separate times.
3 Peaks training!
Sat – 2 hour ride – aerobic endurance focus.
Sun – 5 HILL REPEATS – all the way to the top. SEATED IN BIG RING with targeted cadence of 55 – 60rpm
The steeper last 1km can be done open gearing and climbing as preferred.
Haha, impossible to win but I did a bit of trailrunning close to Barcelona. In the end 2h running
Just had a ski accident, 3 weeks ago. Snapped my ligaments in the knee, also cracked my meniscus, but I managed to train on my basic trainer at home under the supervision of my girlfriend (Physical therapist) I have done FTP test on Zwift on Saturday, managed 235 watts with a knee injured! Also have linked to my Strava premium account for more stats. Managed to pedal 88km in a week and going! A smart Trainer would be a great gift for my rehab, before a possible ARTHROSCOPY, since I can’t work for the moment (no money for a new trainer). I really want and need a Smart trainer, DC Rainmaker, please choose me! You’re the best!!!
Thanks for your great reviews.
I was recovering from the flue which is surging through the Netherlands. I did a short hike through the area and found a new trail through the forrest!
P.S. Is there now dcrainmaker mergendice coming?
Started of friday with a 22k extensive interval (Z1-Z2), Saturday began with a 80k easy bike ride followed by 1h swimming wich was more demanding then planned :) Sunday i spend at the fysiotherapist for some dry neelding due to a small calf irritation.
hill training on saturday, and a long run on sunday, only ended up doing the hills due to time and work.
Saturday 10km run @ 55min. Sunday 3km swim @ 50 min. 40 y.o. Just plodding along doing my best. loving getting out there.
I went to triathlon church (4 hours of indoor group cycling to raise money to a local triathlete with cancer). Super cool. Not church but super communal
It was a cold and snowy weekend here in Connecticut. On Saturday, I rode inside for 1:40 on the TT bike with 2×20 min threshold intervals. On Sunday (-5 deg in the AM), I did a 1 hr recovery ride inside and then ran 6.5 miles on packed snow trails through the woods.
Lemond revolution 2×20 times 2
40 mile roundtrip ride to cafe ventoux
Very Lazy weekend in NY with it feeling between -10 and -20 Fahrenheit. Just 10 miles on the trainer to keep legs moving.
Hey Ray, I did the Salisbury parkrun (5K) on Saturday followed by 5 miles on Sunday. Nothing great I hear you say but its the first ‘back to back’ runs without hamstring pain for months. Take that any day, now just need to stay sensible!
A couple days of hard skiing in Korea. And possibly a couple 12 oz curls…
As training effort I contested in a speed skating race (on the local ice ring). First time in 20 years. Only about 3 seconds slower on 1500 meter than my 20 year old personal best.
BKOOL trainer ride on the balcony (snow outside, sunny Spain on the screen). Concept2 rowing intervals.
Saturday: a bike+run brick
Sunday: regenerative bike
I spent the weekend riding on the trainer as I had family in town for my wife’s grandmothers funeral. Would have rather been outside as its 70deg here in texas.
The past week has been an absolute bust for getting on the bike. Last week I was sick with chest congestion, so I didn’t ride at all. Then the past 4 days, I’ve stuck at work clearing snow.
I’m hoping to feel better this weekend and get some miles in. The forecast is for mid-60s and sunny.
Thanks for the contest!
Saturday: 12k intervals
Sunday: 12k recovery
I ran for 6.5 miles through a mix of forest trails and country lanes. Lovely!
About 350k of wonderful road riding on Mallorca. A much needed break from winter in Sweden.
6 mile fun run on Saturday
Only 3 miles on Sunday due to -30 wind chill factor!!
The weekend workout included my long run, lots of yoga, and some swimming.
45min street orienteering – first “race” since pneumonia flare up and feeling good (and sore).