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 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.While I don't partner with many companies, there's a few that I love, and support the site. Full details!
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!
Wanna create comparison chart graphs just like I do for GPS, heart rate, power meters and more? No problem, here's the platform I use - you can too!
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!
Get all your awesome DC Rainmaker gear here!
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?
- Why haven’t you yet released a review for XYZ product you mentioned months ago?
- Will you test our product before release?
- Are you willing to review or test beta products?
- Which trainer should I buy?
- Which GPS watch should I buy?
- I’m headed to Paris – what do you recommend for training or sightseeing?
- I’m headed to Washington DC – what do you recommend for training?
- I’m from out of the country and will be visiting the US, what’s the best triathlon shop in city XYZ?
- What kind of camera do you use?
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5 Easy Steps To The Site
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 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.
DIY: How I made a trainer bike computer/iPad/phone stand for $30
I’m often testing a multitude of devices on the bike at once, usually just due to the limited time I have to try and gather data across the 4-5 products I might have in the queue for the bike alone. … Read More Here
Bontrager ANT+ Bike Speed/Cadence Sensor that requires no zipties or tools!
(Update/Note: If you’re looking at this unit, it’s marketed under both Bontrager and Motorola brands. Same identical unit, just different shell.) It’s funny when you think about it, as much innovation that goes on in cycling computers – there’s been … Read More Here
George Washington Birthday 10K 2012 Race Report
Every year ahead of Presidents Day weekend I get a little notice on my front door saying that there’s going to be a race that upcoming weekend and to be aware of the impact it might have to residents attempting … Read More Here
Lions, Tigers and (more) Gadgets…oh my!
This weekend was (and still is, three-day weekend after all!) packed! Been busy doing lots of stuff. First up on Saturday morning was a 10K race, one that was actually held on my very own street. Crazy! But I’m gonna … Read More Here
Week in Review: February 19th, 2012
The Week in Review is a collection of both all the goodness I’ve written during the past week around the internet, as well as a small pile of links I found interesting – generally endurance sports related. I’ve often wondered … Read More Here
Friday Tidbits: Velodromes, 10K’s, Polar Power Meters, and a bike dishwasher
Good morning! We’re gonna keep this post quick and to the point. Mostly because I’m running out of steam, worked 13 hours today plus a hard (but fun) interval run, and it’s getting late. Further, I’m still contemplating ice cream. … Read More Here
Tip of the Day: How to clean your trainer tire block…the easy way.
Recently I was taking some shots for a product review and somehow the trainer block that holds up my front tire ended up being part of the shot. As I reviewed the shot in question on the camera, I realized … Read More Here
Garmin Vector power meter delayed until Summer
Garmin is proactively messaging this afternoon to various media outlets that there has been a delay to the Vector pedal-based power meter, which was previously planned to ship in March 2012 (next month). The official release is as follows: “As … Read More Here
The Top 7 iPhone Swim, Bike, and Run apps I use regularly and why
While I certainly get offers to test out physical hardware and gadgets quite often – the number of requests to test out apps far outnumbers that by a fair margin. The challenge though with apps is that many apps are … Read More Here
RacerMate (CompuTrainer) resolves RacerMate One contract issues, might release this summer
Just a brief post to relay some information that is definitely of interest to some of you out there. This afternoon an e-mail went out from the company notifying folks that they have resolved the contractual issues that have kept … Read More Here
Weekend Wrap-up: TrainerRoad, Cold DC Runs, and more
This past weekend was nice and relaxing. Just a few big ticket items – but largely just a lot of lounging around, enjoying the couch. Silly I know, but everything is always go-go-go, so it’s nice to simply just enjoy … Read More Here
Week in Review–February 11th, 2012
The Week in Review is a collection of both all the goodness I’ve written during the past week around the internet, as well as a small pile of links I found interesting – generally endurance sports related. I’ve often wondered … Read More Here
Friday Tidbits of Note
Rather than have a specific theme for today, I figured I’d share a slew of interesting little tidbits that have floated across my week thus far. Some of them sports technology, some of them me-stuff. #1: Dinner with the Speaker … Read More Here
Hanging out in a Greek Olympic Stadium (a really old one)
The other night I was moving a bunch of photos from our Honeymoon around to a different computer when I stumbled on some photos from Athens. Once I got past all of the pictures of Gyros, Ice Cream and Souvlaki, … Read More Here
A much better USB ANT+ stick for your Garmin Forerunner…by Suunto
If you’re like me and are constantly on a laptop – there are really two minor issues that I have with the Garmin USB stick that I use to download workouts from my Forerunner to my computer. First up is … Read More Here
A weekend of new gadgets: Polar Power Pedals, heart rate strap integrated clothing, and more!
This weekend was a bit of a catch-up weekend on items to get unboxing photos on, and ensure I have all the photos I need of a product before I start using it. I’ve long since learned that if I … Read More Here
Week in Review–February 5th, 2012
The Week in Review is a collection of both all the goodness I’ve written during the past week around the internet, as well as a small pile of links I found interesting – generally endurance sports related. I’ve often wondered … Read More Here
An Auckland Runaround
(I wrote this up last month during our trip to the South Pacific, but the posting got busy with CES immediately following – so it never quite made it to the light of day. I figured it’d be a fun … Read More Here
My 2012 CES Session at the Digital Health Summit
You may remember from a handful of weeks ago that while I was busy at CES in Las Vegas running around talking with all the latest sports technology folks, I also had the privilege of being the moderator for a … Read More Here
What I wear: Cold weather running
Back a bit ago I got a question as to what my cold weather running gear looks like – after all, I do pretty much run outside no matter how cold it is. “Searched your blog but couldn’t see much … Read More Here
A bit more than a weekend in Seattle
For roughly the past week I’ve been hanging out in Seattle for work. Of course, since Seattle is where I grew up – that also means I get to spend time with the rest of my family, and enjoy some … Read More Here
Week in Review–January 29th, 2012
The Week in Review is a collection of both all the goodness I’ve written during the past week around the internet, as well as a small pile of links I found interesting – generally endurance sports related. I’ve often wondered … Read More Here
Behind the scenes: The DCRainmaker Gadget Cave
Back a while ago I had shown a photo of the heart rate strap collection I have, where I stash the massive number of heart rate straps that I seem to have obtained (usually just because they came with various … Read More Here
Fitting it all in: Work, Run, Fly, Blog
On Sunday evening I realized that Monday was going to be a bit of a whirlwind day – starting on one coast, and ending on the other, so I figured it might be a bit fun to simply put together … Read More Here
A review of the SportyPal Sony Ericsson Xperia Active Bike Mount
It’s not that often that I write reviews for items that actually include no electronics whatsoever. Nor is it that often that I write a review for a single piece of plastic not much bigger than a deck of cards. … Read More Here