Heads up!!! Here’s your massive holiday sports tech deals list! This includes the Garmin Epix for just $419, the Apple AirTag 4-Pack for just $69, the GoPro Hero 12 Black for $249, (or the brand new Hero 13 or $299!) and plenty more! Go check out the full list of 100+ deals 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.
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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
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 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.
Took my new road bike out for its maiden (11.5 mile) voyage on Saturday despite cold and wind. Followed up on Sunday with a 17 mile ride despite some wind and rain. Happy to be riding outside at least, regardless of the weather.
Still a little cold in Michigan, long ride indoors at Tri-ing for Life’s cycling studio.
No cycling this weekend, mostly because it’s my wife’s birthday and it’s pretty cold outside.
This weekend I cleaned up my bike workout area and set up my new Hammer. Was too tired after that to do any actually workouts.
After all my training buddies cancelled literally last minute I did a 90km solo ride to prep for the upcoming IMSA.
Got up a few hours after going to bed for an 8am road race start on Saturday. One teammate was taken out by a flying road cone, another had a wheel knocked loose, and our closer cramped up. Not the best team result, but finally a race not in the rain.
Sunday took out the mountain bike because once again it was raining, got in a few hours with leg speed intervals.
Then I saw Logan.
What did you all do?
No cycling plans for the weekend because I spent the weekend skiing in Whistler!
Couldn’t get on the road bike so took the three kids on their bikes to the shops, hardly a workout but did my good deed by encouraging cycling in the younger generation and helping my battler mate change his chain.
gravel ride prep for Rouge Roubaix
~100 miles of windy riding.
I tried to get some workouts in, but had to some household renovations. But this weeks going to be better. I promise.
Two days of recovery-level spins… being sick sucks.
Rode the NTU Bike Rally around Singapore with cycling kakis (friends, that is!) 170km went from glorious cool morning, to scorching afternoon, to tropical downpours within a few hours. Punctured 4km from the finish cycling over an unseen grating, at the bottom of a puddle. Great fun! Cheers for the competition, DCR!
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Unexpectedly had to fly intercontinental for work which killed my plans of riding, then on my way to the airport it got cancelled and it.left me.dome time to do a workout in the rollers.
Three rides testing new routes from new home. Wife along for two of them, great rides, excellent endorphins!
It was a terriffic weekend on the bike! I made nearly 300 km from friday to sunday and made a roundtrip in the outer region visiting all my girlfriends ;-)
Worked my way towards my metric century ride. Halfway there!
No cycling, spent the weekend waiting for people who never show to look at car I’m selling.
Injured no plan for the weekend.
Cycled this morning; up Coot-tha – $450 fine for a victim-less “crime” (where they have arbitrarily low-balled the speed limit in a deserted area, and have a cop sitting at the bottom of a hill with a radar gun)…
Did a long ride on the Neo/Zwift to ramp up training for the Giro Sardegna in April. 65km on a trainer has never felt so good as with Zwift to keep me interested.
A good run – avoiding heavy rain on Saturday.
A run!!!
Did 2 great rides. One with my cycling team and one on the beach. Was great!
Weather was very wet so got on the turbo a couple of times.
Long rided over bangkok area
Zwifted my ass off.
saturday i was on race on Sljeme called Cener, sunday i was running 10k becouse bad weather all day
60k of hilly Irish backroads…..most of it into a headwind!
There will be no time to ride during this week, but I look forward to the next weekend and hope a easy but long ride in the sunshine will take place there :-)
80 km of MTB with lots of mud.
Last weekend I ride 150km.
Would have been hitting up hill repeats in RNP Sydney but my wife dragged me to the maldives for our honeymoon. C’est la vie. Focus was on swim drills instead so not the end of the world.
Cycled alongside some of the top athletes in South Africa for the rebirth of the Durban Ultra this last weekend
Only a short ride this weekend
Went out for a long ride first time this year.
Went for an 80K ride, still very bad form due to a longer, injury caused break
Rode on Sunday the first real longish tour for 2017 – 65k – the season is open for the open road here!
No cycling this weekend, but a gorgeous, long skate tour on a frozen lake in the north of Sweden!
Rode Saturday for 2 & 1/2 hours in the pouring rain. Sunday’s 4hr ride was half and half, just like a pizza! Half sunny and the other Pouring with rain and 3 degrees.
My weekend plans were doing my first 100 mile ride (164.2km) solo in preparation for Liege-Bastogne-Liege! Which went far better then expected :) It does help that i only had a tailwind though ;)
“Dwars door Vlaanderen” Cyclo on saterday – 110K of Cobbles, Steep Climbes, Wind and Rain – as we like it!
No specific training This weekend but i spent a glorious day hiking up a Munro in Scotland, tough going but worth it for the views from the top!
A long and probably wet ride.
Have two gravel ride, both up in the mountains, it’s time to start climbing again.
Two and a half hour on ZWIFT. Real fun, including a KOM Shirt :O)
Did a Zwift-ride on Friday evening and a brick session (Zwift+outdoor run) on Sunday.
He Ray,
I did some indoor cycling!!!
I intend to go on a 200K brevet (audax) on and around the island of Lefkas, in Greece
Easy ride, 80km on sunday.
Local dirt, then road climb on Saturday. Sunday spent cleaning the bike due to Saturday’s dirt and rain!
I am following. Long soft ride
Still winter outside, so it’s going to be the trainer. Spent an hour on Sunday evening
Skiing and sauna this weekend.
It was a resting weekend! Only running on Saturday
A day on the ski slopes with my kids!
I broke my rear derailleur this weekend. So I train less tHan I expected.
100k to Neusiedler see with Elemnt
I was recovering from a sickness, but I’m OK now and looking forward to ride soon!
My daughter did her first triathlon this weekend! So no ride for me but exciting to see her have an awesome time!
just took part in my first sportive (108km) this past weekend as a 6-month-old cyclist. At the 58km mark, we’re halfway into making a left turn (we’re left-hand drive here in Singapore) at a junction and a car passing through the junction, on the road we’re turning into, decides that yellow-turning-to-red-light means go faster.. prompting the first cyclist to brake hard so that he doesn’t get splattered. I’m second in line and i brake really hard as well, but still end up with my front wheel kissing first guy’s rear wheel. First guy is okay but i end up getting extremely intimate with the road surface.
3 hours, 4 x-rays and $115 later, i discover that i’ve broken not just my right shifter, but my right arm as well. will be in a cast for the next 2 or 3 months.
cycling plans for upcoming weekend: since right shifter and right arm are inoperable, i’ll have to cycle with my left arm and left shifter, which means front brake and 2 speeds (big and small chainrings). grinding the big ring will hopefully improve my power output. just kidding. seriously i’ll probably be off the bike for the next 3 months.. which means that i’ll probably spend my weekends at home annoying the cat.
Long ride on the trainer
Brisk 20min to the pool. And less brisk back.
This weekend was all about resting. Musical, museum and restaurants. :)
I did some pushbike training with my daughter :)
Didn’t go cycling on the weekend, don’t really need a powermeter but hey, winning things is always nice as are new gadgets.
It rained, so trainer it is.
bonding ride with my daugther
Easy indoor training this weekend, because I’am travelling with my family.
Just a ride in nearest forest
30 or 40 km …
I was on trainer the whole weekend due the poor weather conditions. :'(
5k race on Sunday and a short ride on Saturday enjoying the sunny day
This was a ski trip week-end so… I didn’t cycle at all!
It was a ‘recovery’ weekend unfortunately…
Unfortunately I didn’t get a ride in as my new shoes didn’t arrive in time, after ripping the sole of my cycling shoe away from the upper as I powered out of a corner in a tri the week before. Would love to know how much power it took to break my old 12 year old shoes…
Not bike this weekend, but a lot of run…
Short ride this weekend, due to laziness.
Lots of resting and eating this weekend ☺
After a lot of Zwift cycling I need a rest in the weekend, so I did some skiing. Downhill and cross-country :)
MTB preparation for the spring season, 50 km, 1500 m elevation on tough terrains. Needed powermeter for better efficiency :-)
Managed my first halfway decent outdoor ride of the year on Saturday after interminable winter turbo hours. Roll on spring!
I didn’t :)
I ran! I’m still in winter mode, cycling will start when spring arrives :)
60 kms of MTB with a climb
I planned to do a nice turbo trainer ride around Watopia on Zwift, but ended up having to do coursework for university instead *sadpanda*
Did Zwift and tried out the new part.
had a MTB trip saturday of 85 km in Diest(belgium) and on sunday a “zoorun” – a 15km run at the local zoo to support a local red cross section.
Now i’m heading for a 45km trip with my MTB on the streets, to gif my legs some rest :-)
just in time to participate :-)
Still cycling inside on the trainer this weekend, but hope make a lot of km outside the next weeks and wouldn’t it be great if I could do this more structured with a powermeter
I went to tutoring.
Hello
This weekend we had BAD weather so it was turbo trainer time for me.
Did a one hour session using GCN training video.
High to low cadence intervals lasting 4mins each
Was tough!
Did a nice 60k loop. First time on my road bike again as the sun was shining and spring is arriving. Great to feel the fresh air again after all the indoor sessions.
I went climbing with some friends I usually ride bikes with. Needless to say, some not-so-frequently-utilized-muscles were a bit sore on Sunday. There was much laughing, a few calories were burned and we have some stories to tell.
Normal Road workout 50 km !
Beach race of Knokke (Belgium), 48km of wind and rain.
1 easy ride of 4+h, truly opening the outdoor cycling season
Only 2 short rides because of less freetime. The weather said take the chance, but there was too much to do. ;)
Thx for the giveaways!
Wind, Rain, Sun, Cold, Wet – about sums it up. One of my training buddies called it Potholes 4, Cyclists 0 after all the punctures!
Lots of thinking of whether to Zwift or not to Zwift.
Had planned to go for a nice long kickbike ride, but changed to running due to the high winds and rain.