Heads up!!! Here’s your massive holiday sports tech deals list! This includes the Garmin Epix for just $419, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 for just $699, 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 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.
Outdoor cycling is still allowed in the Netherlands right now… So did a solo bike ride keeping enough distance in mind when overtaking etc.
I did a 1hr 50min Sufferfest training session on my gen 1 Kickr. My wife doesn’t have a smart trainer, yet, so I’d love to get one for her.
35km ride at 6am in the morning in Victorian regional country area
Zwift ride with my friends ;)
3×20′ @ threshold in a broom closet without vents. It sucked.
Last “workout”: On the old offline trainer in my parents’ house, pretty sweaty!
A solo 50k ride against the wind.
Xert session of 1hr45min. Getting more time at home to re-aquaint myself with indoor riding
Some indoor strength exercices !
I went for a short run with my dog Rex. Normally today is my resting day.
Indoor cycling with a wahoo kickr and climb on Zwift !
A lonely x-country 21k run, as a replacement of the postponed Danube-bend half.
I’m spending a lot of time on my trainer these days
Resurrected the old indoor spin bike.
All trainer rides. No sun. No fresh air. So dark. So gloomy. Living like a hermit.
Rode outside with my GF while telling her that she cannot draft ?
I was trying to run round my driveway but its slippery from the moss that’s growing on it so more like speed skating
I managed to make a small hike to hill nex to our house yesterday.
Airbike !
that’s the bomb !
wish I could SUP though…
80 mile solo ride outdoors. No more group riding!
Xert – Iron Man 120
I took my 2 yr old for a wet walk. Including standing in peoples front gardens to avoid others as they walk past. Cant be too careful
A cross training day, so I completed a total body TRX workout in my pain cave.
A nice 20 mile bike ride through Watopia.
A walk around the bush trails of Baulkham Hills.
45 minute session on the original Hammer, using TrainerRoad.
Haven’t run for over a month since I injured my hip :(
I went for a 26 mile bike ride around my local area (Cheshire). I kept my distance to everyone but also made sure I said hi/gave a wave!
I ran 14 miles outside yesterday with no one on the roads. And then jumped on my bike for an hour TrainerRoad ride
2 hours of MTB on our local trail, all by myself! Loved it!
60Km gravel ride in the country side.
101 mile ride, 236 watt avg, totally solo, brought all food, H2O and gear with me.
Training on Zwift
I went for a 5 km run in the rain.
I ran 5k in by backyard after that 30 min indoor ride
12oz curls nightly have been keeping me in top form.
Indoor Cycling
Warm up:
25 min Z1 easy, with a quick cadence of 85-95
Main Set:
3 x 20 min Z2 with a cadence of 80-85 with 10:00 RI between efforts.
Cool down:
15 min Z1
Last ride outside was on March 14th, for the time being I’m only doing core exercises (not fan of indoor training, I must confess). Keep up the good work. Be safe ;)
Treadmill run in my house!
Tour of Watopia. I had to do Day 1 so that I had all 5 days.
Went around the block for a run. Sort of dizzy at the end from all the laps :)
Last workout was in my “home gym” which basicly is a barbell with some weights. Good to stay fit thought!
Made a (now) rare trip to the park because I’m getting bored of my neighborhood streets even though there’s less people & we can be more spread out in the neighborhood.
Zwift, Muir and the Mountain route.
2.5 hours on Zwift when it was sunny and 20C outside.
Indoor ride full frontal on sufferfest
I stay at home and do workout here. I did power yoga yesterday.
I did the week 3 workout 4 of the 10-12 week FTP builder from Zwift. Long 20 minute warmup followed by sets of 250/230 ended by some level 4 sprints at 285 with recovery at 200.
Because I was on zwift no real people were close but had more virtual friends than I have ever seen before
undusted my old bike, plugged in the drivo, launched the cheetah, and voilà
The wife, kids and I did a 2 hour cardio workout that was streamed over the web, the Fun Fit Fest. Intense. Fun. And great to have the kids around
A swim in the lake.
Last workout, over-unders with trainerroad yesterday. Today 2hrs of sweet spot
an trainer would be great
a few outdoor rides . but mainly on Zwift these days
Zwift for me!
5 mile run in hilly SF
Hi
Managed to slalom-run between the few people out just before the lock down…
When was that… can’t remember, seems aeons ago…
Pulled the unused KICKR snap out of storage, pumped the tires and went for my first indoor ride ever. Could use a cadence meter…
Looks like I’ll be doing this for a while, so glad to get the blood flowing again after a couple weeks of lethargy.
Rainy 5am run in the middle of a downpour. Social distancing is easy when nobody wants to be out.
25mile bike ride with a couple of friends. Peloton was nice 6ft separation b/w us ;) #notrealpeloton
Zwift Tour of Watopia. Good Stuff, Ray.
I walked 2 miles on a treadmill in the basement, both dogs staring at me all the while.
Today I had my first run outside after quarantine. Could not stop until 17 km. Of course with some slalom elements to avoid other people. :-)
We’re on complete lockdown in Madrid so everyone is on their trainer. I spent an hour yesterday by my very tired Elite Elastogel. I can’t wait to be back out again. Everybody in our group are on the turbo thinking and planning an epic bikepacking week together.
Cycle an hour Saturday morning and a 90 minute walk / jog (recovering from ankle injury) Saturday afternoon. Only allowed an hour a day here in Belgium but did nothing all week so I am using up my ‘credits’. It’s a bit scary running past heavily breathing runners.
I took a run. 8km. Kids came along on their bike.
Rode 60 miles solo
i’ll probably be stuck doing yoga since I don’t have a trainer
Bike ride with my brother in law
I’m socially distancing with solo outdoor rides and lots of time on Zwift
An outdoor ride on remote country roads….. not many miles, but 1K climbing over out and back 30 mile ride…..
A ride through the German countryside, via my spare room, thanks to your mentioning of the Tour of Europe on Fulgaz!
FulGaz tour of Europe iron curtain climb. Really enjoying this, and it’s free! Thank you for your top tip ?
I went for a pedal about 15 miles up the Santa Fe Trail and then turned around.Hoping for a smart-ish trainer to replace my 17 year old Saris Fluid2… I hear Zwift can be fun.
A run in the forrest while the kids had hockey practice! :-)
2 mile run on my own yesterday, 88 degrees!
Solo rides for me, it’s a good time to improve the legs with structured training for when club rides are back on.
Brutally windy but thankfully short Derbyshire ride.
We’ve been zwifting like mad (but happy mad)
RAMP test on TrainerRoad
5km walk with my dog! ☺
Hiking in the Franklin Mountains while confined to a 100 mile radius around Fort Bliss.
An 18km hilly run yesterday to finally complete my first ever Strava Run Climbing Challenge at 2194m total in the month!
I rode solo for 3 hours on Saturday. I’m pretty sure that counts for social distancing.
I went on a short solo run outdoors and saw exactly 0 people.
a nice cross country bike ride
I’ve been able to get a road run in most days, but using some more obscure routes to minimize the traffic. Even then, my trail running skills have helped out with a few evasive maneuvers!
The last workout I did was an outdoor run at 11pm. I was all alone!
Went out for a 60miler solo just through the hills out in Southern California.
I suppose Ring Fit counts, the rhythm portion can be a fair workout for my noodle arms.
It has been Zwift for the last 3 weeks…
Intervals on the trainer in the basement.
2 hour over under ride on Zwift. Got 80 minutes of sweet spot today.
Climbed my seven levels stairs 5 times in a row
Skate skiing on empty trails
Using my trainer, with Perfpro studio and watching Titans in my basement.
I am running on my treadmill with zwift running
Nice ride around town
Reverse brick: a 15-minute recovery run followed by a 45-minute trainer ride.
Hello,
I really wish to change my old training bike (using it daily since 13 confined days !) with a connected one.