Heads up! Here’s your massive list of sports tech deals! This includes the Garmin Forerunner 965 for just $499, Garmin Epix for $449, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 Black Titanium for $735, the GoPro Hero 12 Black for $299, 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.
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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 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.
Start of spring in North-East Scotland, so 70km biking + 10km running split over the four days of a holiday long weekend
Herts Easter Hunt sportive
built a 16x24ft deck. I’m more sore after doing that than an Oly Tri.
A run in driving rain with tempatures around 35 degrees…. Good times…
last long run before my 50 miler
Start of the road bike season in Finland.
Well since you asked, this weekend I decided to do a trail run into a mildly abandoned mtb pump track. A lot of challenging terrain and mud, very good vertical gains in short loops but the layout was so confusing that I got lost twice, I need to record all tracks on the gps and fabricobble some reasonable courses out of it.
Four hours on the KICKR
First cycling century if the year with a slow 15 mike run the next day.
10k race
Intervals. Lots of intervals.
Did some hill repeats. Trying to get prepared for Etape Loch Ness in two weeks time.
A couple of friends and I went to the lovely village of Eynsford to try and run the Darent Valkey 10k route (race is in a month). Really enjoyable running in such a beautiful area….then followed it up with a full English breakfast at a local tea room.
Rode up and down Mt Lemmon here in Tucson and then hit the MTB trails on the west side of town Sunday.
Traditional bike ride to a microbrewery!
Yesterday did a brick trainer ride followed by half-marathon race in 40deg (F) and pouring rain…. Now searching clever training for blister kits and recovery socks :)
Ride with the family, waiting for the snow to melt!
First outdoor bike ride of 2018, finally! 46 mike bike ride followed by 22 minute run. Spring time here so 10ish bees collided with me during the bike ride, no stings :-)
With an ice storm in Toronto this past weekend, it left me suffering on my trainer with The Sufferfest’s “The Wretched” and “Cadence Builds”.
Did some trail running and watched the AGR afterwards
Did 20-miler on trails on Saturday and then 18k recovery on Sunday. Thanks!
Hiked with the kids in Atlanta, in very different terrain than CO offers.
On Saturday 30 km bike ride and table tennis playing for hour and half, on Sunday four volleyball sets
50 mile ride on Saturday. 13 mile run Sunday.
Friday started with a run-venture cross commute. Saturday I cruised around the neighbourhood before crushing some Hills on Sunday.
First two runs this weekend in running-shorts.. bye bye winter!!
My last day of mini grief-induced layoff included a marathon of the Netflix variety.
Back today running in the freezing rain, felt good.
Running in cold / rainy weather near Boston. Glad I’m not running the marathon.
Nothing too crazy as both my kids were sick but I did go for a very fun MTB ride on Sunday that was very awesome.
Zwift KISS 100km race but I dropped out after one ( or two) laps of the London Pretzel. 56K was enough indoors, even during an ice storm.
My first 10 mike tune. Was supposed to be a 10 k but a church with bells in the alps was only 2.5 km up a hill and I wanted to see it.
Completed l1 tri coaching course
Went on a short hike which turned into a bit of a slip and slide due to recent rains and muddy trails.
I did my first ride in the sun after a two-week Influenza break and promptly crashed for the first time ever.
Just a couple of short 5ish mile runs and trying to keep up with my 21 month old on her strider bike.
Testing my new Tri-Bike on a short ride and preparing for a 200k race next weekend.
10 Mile ruck with 80#s of sandbags as extra weight, feet and shoulders are smoked.
A tight calf prevented running. It did not prevent a nice walk in the park (and tacos) on a warm evening.
Saturday : longest run in 3 years
Sunday : watched Ironman
Overall, fairly athletic…
Still training inside in Canada. When is it going to be spring.
I am training for a 10K at the end of the month. I did my cross training Friday morning, Saturday was the rest day, and Sunday was supposed to be a 5 mile run. Mother Nature had other ideas, a blizzard hit Minnesota in April. So instead of running on Sunday, I was shoveling snow. At my house, around the fire hydrant across the street, at my neighbors house since her husband was out of town on business. After all that was done, the plow went by and I got to get back out and shovel the end of the driveways out. Shoveling wet, heavy snow is miserable work. It’s a great work out, but miserable…..
The first run of the year with my yoga-crazed wife :)
Picking blueberries with the kids….
I run 6km in Purmerend, Netherland… Highest point was 6 meters under sea level…
1.5 hour Zift ride with a short run off the bike in the cold rain.
41 mile road race with 3000+ ft of climbing
A nice 70km group ride in the sunshine. Spring is slowly coming to Sweden
a swim, a run qnd some resting!
Saturday was rest day, and Sunday morning I had an intense workout in London… on Zwift.
This weekend was harder, but short … because I watch my children;)
Did my first ride on the time trial bike on saturday and a recovery ride on sunday with standard road bike.
An easy 4 yesterday, building back up off an injury (a process which some new tech would make more fun :-) )
Got soaked riding my bike & absolutely loved it..
# Cycling #OutsideIsFree
I was grinding out a couple of bike and run sessions, trying to encourage my legs to work again after the Paris Marathon!
Me and my fiance went for a run along Cami de Arxiduc at Mallorca.
I did like 600km. On a plane. But it felt athletic! (not really, but I want to win)
Planned couch to 5k re-start to running.
strong lifts 5×5 in the basement
I hit the Fenix 5 goal for steps on to successive days – I’m exhausted
5k Run followed by a 5k Hike.
Small run – recovering from some knee issues but I think we’re almost out of the woods!
Finally got the bike out for a short ride, trying to get back into the swing of training
Long ride on Saturday, easy recovery spin on Sunday.
I’ve been hiking with the family and then went playing tagball.
10 min walk with crutches. Broke ankle last week.
A fast 25k after a few days rest from the Rotterdam marathon.
A 25mi TT but due to bike mechanic incompetence I had to resort to using my road bike and literally made it to the start 3 mins before my time because I couldn’t find an ATM….
Still smashed a pb. Easy Game
Cycled 8.7km on a city bike with hubby for a picnic under sakura trees at Kersenbloesempark.
This weekend was the Rutgers Unite Half Marathon in NJ. Posted a PR, so I’m pretty happy with my self. Now a week to relax… or at least a few days.
Sweaty afternoon Zwift session on the trainer, because my road bike is in getting frame replaced ?
First run in a few months due to injury, 40k bike ride, and 1500 meter swim.
Intervals on the trainer then a nice walk
Not exactly a recovery weekend, but auditions and weather (mostly auditions) conspired to keep me on the trainer. I guess that’s why the good lord gave us trainers.
I cycled to kijkduin along the beach!
Saturday I did the first edition of dirty jutland. A 210km gravel fondo along the western coast of Denmark.
First road race of the year…dropped out of lead pack on lap 4 of 5…finished 15th out of 50
This past weekend I participated in the tour of watopia stage 5 and went xc skiing twice!
I was in LA for work so naturally I took my bike. I rode 170km, taking in Glendora Ridge Rd and up to the ski lifts at Mt Baldy. Stunningly beautiful ride! Nothing like than Sydney.
All indoor stuff this past weekend with large snow falling in MN.
6 Mile Treadmill Saturday
30 minute TrainerRoad workout with 1 mile Treadmill Run following on Sunday (short, but keeps my run streak alive).
Only got in a 5k run, but I’ll make up for it this week :)
Chucking lumber and pounding out miles on the treadmill in the midst of this atypical April ice storm
Hey, on Saturday I got to try out a Merida cyclocross bike. I did a 73 km route around the Lodz (Poland) Hills Landscape Park. The bike’s uncomfortable as hell but the way it handles in rough terrain, the way it lets you get around any stone, puddle or hole is simply amazing!
Does Child Birth count?
First time running this year after long unwanted break. Felt horrible and awesome at the same time!
Biked to the office to work all weekend! :(
This weekend I rode 58 km half with strong head winds and half with tail winds!
I did my last long run before Flying Pig Marathon – 22 miles of hills in windy rain in the books. Whew.
Spent two days entertaining a friend’s 3 kids all under the age of 5 years. I need a nap ?
This weekend I went for my first mountain bike ride of the year only to be challenged by way too much snow.
Shoveling heavy, wet snow from our driveway and breaking up the nasty ice underneath – if spring ever comes to the midwest US I may run outside
Hiked lion rock and took in the amazing views!
A Krispy Kreme powered PR nearby. A coworker and I both independently ate 3 Krispy Kremes before heading up a popular local climb hahaha
I ran my first 10 KM in less than an hour this weekend. New target is to run a half marathon.
Nice weather last weekend dus a lot of training.
Long bike ride on Saturday and finally after 9 months of rest for my foot a long run on Sunday
Hoping to continue like this for some time.
Training for my first half this weekend in 30mph winds and rain for my long run- thought I had some rotten luck until I saw the Boston Marathon weather.
Peak training weekend after finishing IM Oceanside 70.3 last weekend – 3 hour Zwift Run, 5 hour outdoor ride, 1 hour open water swim. Next up is IM Santa Rosa in 3 weeks!
Hard sweet-spot 90 minute ride on the KICKR Saturday, then easy 90 minute run on the treadmill. It was cold & rainy all weekend in Chicago! Yuck!
Interval runs for the WIN!
Waiting for the snow to melt!
100 k solo ride on Saturday
A short ride on Sunday and then watched the Amstel Gold race on TV :-)