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…
I swim, bike and run. Then, I come here and write about my adventures. It’s as simple as that. Most of the time. If you’re new around these parts, here’s the long version of my story.
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You can use the above link for any Amazon country and it (should) automatically redirect to your local Amazon site.Want to compare the features of each product, down to the nitty-gritty? No problem, the product comparison data is constantly updated with new products and new features added to old products!
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Think my written reviews are deep? You should check out my videos. I take things to a whole new level of interactive depth!
Smart Trainers Buyers Guide: Looking at a smart trainer this winter? I cover all the units to buy (and avoid) for indoor training. The good, the bad, and the ugly.
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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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FAQ’s
I have built an extensive list of my most frequently asked questions. Below are the most popular.
- Do you have a privacy policy posted?
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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.
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!
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.
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!
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.
Registered for the run and open house!
Woot!!!
Signed up.. already excited.
Always gerat to see you there Paul!
Yes! Can’t wait. I saw you once in Amstel River with the arrow like bike but didn’t want to stop you as it was raining, but this seems a better way to say hi and meet you!
Super cool!
haha…indeed, a bit nicer than a rainy day! I mean, unless it’s raining. But hey, at least we’re undercover!
Long-time reader, but I never attended one of these. I signed up for the morning run and I’m looking forward to it. See you all in December!
Awesome! Glad you’re registered. Spots are going quick!
Great, looking forward to it!
9.30am is strict “start time” for the morning run or is it more “meeting time” with start 5-10-15 min later? I am considering squeezing in the Saturday 5k Amsterdam Bos Parkrun, which starts at 9.00, three kilometers away from Vondel Park. The plan is to finish it in 20 min, hop on one of the bike-sharing bikes, and head to Vondel Park to join the DC Morning Run. If you could provide the route some hours prior to the run, then I would definitely be able to catch the running DC train along the route.
Sounds like you need to do better than 20min ;)
Or Ray and the group need to crash the park run 😂
Sorry, somehow I missed these notifications.
That might be tricky. That said, we start at the All4Running running shop, and then head from there across the street into Vondelpark. The exact path varies a bit, but usually ends up in front of the Rijksmuseum for a group photo.
Knowing the distance between the Parkrun and All4Running well (very…very well), it’d be super tough to get to the 9:30ish start (usually we wait about 5ish or so mins depending on how miserable it is outside). The route between Parkrun and the running shop is a straight shot on a dedicated bike path, so it is incredibly efficient, with only a single stop-light.
You could always try and make it, and if you don’t see us outside the running shop, just start pedaling through Vondelpark on the right side (straight through the gates and keep going straight), and towards the Rijksmuseum. You’d likely catch us there, and could tie-up the bike somewhere and make a loop back to it. A few people have done that in years past.
Thank you very much for such detailed input, really appreciated!
Ive been a long-time reader and follower and have finally decided that this was the year I will visit the Cave. I’ll have to start running a little beforehand, otherwise, we will be on pace to finish the run right before the Cave party!
Flights and hotel booked! Is there anything that I can bring anything from Indianapolis?
Great! I think we’re good for US treats. We’ve made Des fill his bike case up. :)
I havent seen an email with location and details yet, did that go out already?
Cheers,
Marco
Just got it! Thanks!
The run is going to be an audible for me depending how an ongoing hamstring injury is feeling, but Ill definitely visit the party in the evening. Staying in the Apollo, so depending on weather, Ill walk, bike, or tram over!
Cheers!
Hi Marco!
Just went out about 2 hours or so ago. So if anyone hasn’t received their details, check your spam/etc folder. Else, drop a note in the ‘Contact’ form to bubble right to the top of my inbox. There’s a single person (a David), where his e-mail is bouncing and I’ve tried to figure out the exact e-mail typo but haven’t succedded yet. Thus David, if you’re out there – drop me a note in the Contact form up above to get you all sorted!
Cheers!
Another long-time reader here and been wanting to attend one of these for a while now, so finally the year! Looking forward to the run and the open house!
Sweet! Thanks for being a supporter as well!
10/10 would definitely recommend going!
I mentioned the event to the Mrs, she’s says “I’d go to Amsterdam,” so here we come from Pennsylvania! Looking forward to a great long weekend! If any locals can provide some info on the best things for a few folks from the US should be sure to do, we’d greatly appreciate any ideas. We’re of course using the inter webs for some ideas. Anne Frank house (getting tickets now) and I hear there is a light festival, we’ll check that out. Sadly we don’t like beer/wine so the pub stuff is less important to us. Anyway looking very forward to this last min trip!
Awesome! That’s quite the trip!
The light festival is really nice, either via night boat or walking.
Hi,
I signed up a few weeks ago and have booked a hotel with free cancelation up to 29 Nov. When will I be informed if I am on the “lucky” list.
Best regards
Hello! If you signed up on the form, you’re good to go! We’ve got a short update/reminder e-mail going out tomorrow.
But I checked, and you’re good to go! Looking forward to seeing you there!
Thanks a lot