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
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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!
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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.
A list of cool tri/running/cycling wallpapers
Back a bit ago I was stumbling around Garmin’s site trying to find something or other and I bumped into their nifty collection of wallpapers that you can download. From there I got curious and started poking around other companies … Read More Here
Troubleshooting your heart rate monitor/strap HR spikes
For those who train with heart rate monitors often, you probably know all too well know the tell-tale sign that your little device is lying to you about your heart rate. It starts off fairly innocently with a gentle rise … Read More Here
Someone left a floater
Due to a flip-flop in the weekly schedule of runs, both the Girl and I were in position to be able to enjoy a nice 10 mile run with our friends on Saturday morning. Normally the 10m run run occurs … Read More Here
A whole lotta updates
It’s finally the end of the week, and I’ve got a bunch of little tidbits from races schedule updates to technology stuff to toss out into the wind, so without too much more babbling, let’s get on with it. Schedules: … Read More Here
Applying Toilet Water
As I mentioned on Sunday, I had a small collection of boxes arrive last week while I was out. I generally buy everything online, so me and the FedEx man and the UPS women have a special relationship. Though, from … Read More Here
Garmin Forerunner 110 – First Look Review
You may have noticed earlier today that Garmin announced via press release their latest GPS watch – the Forerunner 110. Given I get a lot of questions about their new watches when they come out, I figured I’d get ahead … Read More Here
Little Washington
The weekend started Friday after a nice flight back from the West Coast. Upon arriving home I found all sorts of packages had arrived. While some weren’t terribly exciting (new seat post for an older bike), I did get one … Read More Here
A week of training in Seattle
After a pretty darn successful Sunday race in the Rainman Triathlon, I got back to work – and training on Monday. That included a relatively straightforward swim of a tad over 3,000 yards. One interesting thing is there are far … Read More Here
A night with the Cervelo Technical Folk
Last Friday I got an invited to hang out with some folks from Cervelo for a night at the local tri shop (Bonzai) going through a fairly detailed technical presentation, primarily focused on aerodynamics of bikes. I happily accepted the … Read More Here
Seattle Rainman Triathlon 2010 Race Report
If there were ever a triathlon to do, having one virtually named after oneself seems like the kinda event I’d want to start with. I heard about the Rainman Indoor Triathlon back a few months ago, and a bit later … Read More Here
Coned
Earlier in the week I had finished up my bike and run and was delegated to go to the grocery store to search out options for dinner. Meanwhile, the Girl was just leaving for a short run. Given I had … Read More Here
How to create maps/courses for your Garmin Forerunner
One of the most common questions I get is how you can create routes and maps that you can follow on your Garmin device. Many of the most popular devices support this feature – including the 305/310XT/500/705 – however most … Read More Here
St. Patrick’s 8K Race Report
Alternative Title I: Finally! Alternative Title II: Adventures of blurry cam! But more on the alternative titles in a bit. Let’s get to the start first. And getting to the start required the Metro. It’s just so much easier for … Read More Here
Corned Beef, Pools, and Cupcakes (though, not all together)
The weekend started like any good weekend should – with cupcakes being made. The Girl was back at it after her adventures to the NYC’s Magnolia bakery, making loads of cupcakes. Though, the Girl’s were far better – plus, they … Read More Here
Garmin Connect Development Team Tossed Overboard
In a bit of a strange twist, the team behind Garmin Connect (the site where you upload all your activities to) has been tossed out on the streets of San Fran. Garmin has decided to close their San Francisco office, … Read More Here
Pool and Parking lot bricks
With my first race of the year this weekend and my first triathlon of the year next week, things have kicked into short and fast mode for the next two weeks. As races approach my workouts tend to drift more … Read More Here
Time Trialing with the subway
Sunday night after I got home from New York City around 5PM I still had one minor item left to knock out…a 2hr and 45 minute ride. Now, I could do this indoor on the trainer – but I’m sick … Read More Here
A New York Minute
The Girl and I decided to make a little trip up to New York City for the weekend to visit some of her friends. From DC it’s a short 4-5 hour jaunt by land-based transportation. We ended up using the … Read More Here
The Nebraskan
(Note: What you see in the above picture is precisely half-of the entire airport terminal) I arrived in into little Lincoln, Nebraska late Sunday night, and was up fairly early Monday morning in for work. Many of my work trips … Read More Here
The 25 Most Informative Posts I’ve Written
It turns our I’ve written a fair bit of stuff over the past few years – some 476 posts (477 if you count this!). And after it disappears from my front page, a lot of it never really sees the … Read More Here
Two cages down
One of the items that makes a cycling power meter so useful as a training tool is it allows you to make objective statements about how your training is going – regardless of how things like weather or terrain may … Read More Here
Friday Tidbits
Food Tidbits: It’s time for some food around here – so let’s start off Friday Morning with Thursday Morning’s breakfast: I stumbled on the super-simple recipe the night before on SLB’s blog, and was on the way to the grocery … Read More Here
Vancouver 2010 Olympics Trip – Day 5 (The final day)
Our last day started much like the previous day – on the slopes of Whistler at Creekside checking out the Super-G, this time though it would be the women we’d be watching. The crowds came out in full force for … Read More Here
Vancouver 2010 Olympics Trip – Day 4
Day 4 started early, way early. That’s because we had to make the 2-3 hour trek north up to Whistler, from Vancouver. The trick is that in order to get to Whistler you have to have a valid permit to … Read More Here
Vancouver 2010 Olympics Trip – Day 3
We heard the news late the day before, and worked for about a day and a half to see what our alternative options were. What news you ask? Well, due to the lack of snow at the Winter Olympics, the … Read More Here