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.
-
Check out my weekly podcast - with DesFit, which is packed with both gadget and non-gadget goodness!
-
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 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 precise interval workout in the forest
I’m often asked how I find my training routes while travelling. I’ve discussed that a bit in the past in terms of how I research places to run/bike/swim. But sometimes it’s not so much finding a place, as it is … Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend
Sadly, the summer is slowly winding down here in Paris – but, nonetheless we’re taking advantage of every moment we can! 1) A Friday Night Run With The Girl After we wrapped up a bunch of initial work, The Girl … Read More Here
Week in Review–August 17th, 2014
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 Apeldoorn (Netherlands) Runaround
Once again this week I had to actually look at a map to figure out where on earth I was being sent for work. The last time was when I went to Xi’an, China. Sometimes I’ve heard of the city … Read More Here
Behind the Scenes at Wahoo Fitness HQ
Last week on the way to Outdoor Retailer I made a slight diversion to stop by the ‘world headquarters’ of Wahoo Fitness. They’re based in Atlanta, GA – just a bit outside of the downtown area in a relatively quiet … Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend
Ok, with all my Outdoor Retailer related posts out the door, here’s what I’ve been up to otherwise. 1) Flew back home from Salt Lake City Friday I made my way back from Salt Lake City, where I had spent … Read More Here
Swimming, cycling and running my way though Salt Lake City
While I was out in Salt Lake City last week I certainly wasn’t confined to a convention center full of tents and activity trackers. Nope, I got out and saw the world. Or…at least a little snippet of it. Here’s … Read More Here
Outdoor Retailer 2014 Odds and Ends Roundup
It’s been a busy week at Outdoor Retailer (Summer edition), albeit slightly less frenzied for me than something like Eurobike or Interbike. That’s mostly because there’s just less swim/bike/run-focus at Outdoor Retailer for me to track down, and instead far … Read More Here
Hands-on with Epson’s new Pulsesense optical heart rate activity trackers
While no doubt everyone associates Epson with printers, the company was at Outdoor Retailer and there was clearly no printer in sight. Instead the team of very fit looking engineers was demonstrating the first two fitness devices they’re bringing to … Read More Here
Mio shows off new Mio Velo and Mio Fuse optical heart rate units
This week at Outdoor Retailer, Mio has quietly unveiled two new units based on their Mio Link product. The first unit, the Mio Fuse, adds in both a display as well as a 24×7 activity monitoring. While the second unit, … Read More Here
Knog releases new Qudos dual GoPro and bike light system
Well known bike light maker Knog was demonstrating their newest bike light at Outdoor Retailer this week – the Qudos. This new light is relevant around these parts as it combines onto a single mount both a bike light and … Read More Here
A chat with the CEO of Watteam and their new $499 power meter: PowerBeat
Update – Aug 18th, 2015: See my latest hands-on testing of near-final units here in my recent test post with them. Earlier this morning a relatively unknown company – Watteam – came out of the woodwork and announced an upcoming … Read More Here
First look at the new Magellan Echo Fit
Here at Outdoor Retailer this week Magellan has announced their latest incarnation of the Magellan Echo line, the Echo Fit. The Echo fit builds upon the original Magellan Echo (which was released about this time last year) and adds in … Read More Here
Hands-on with Timex’s new Move x20, Run x20 GPS, and Run x50+ fitness units
Earlier today I covered Timex’s just announced flagship running watch – the Timex One GPS+, which contains everything from music storage to 3G connectivity and live tracking. However, that wasn’t the only unit Timex announced today. They also released three … Read More Here
Hands-on with new Timex One GPS+, a 3G connected watch requiring no phone
Today at Outdoor Retailer Timex has announced a slew of new products into the fitness and outdoor market. The four new products range from $99 to $399, and cover everything from basic GPS functionality to a high-end integrated live tracking … Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend
While many of you read my Alpe d’Huez triathlon race report yesterday, here’s what the rest of the weekend entailed. And, because I was on vacation – I’m using the term ‘weekend’ with a little more flexibility…so it’s more like … Read More Here
Garmin announces automatic sync with Strava, MapMyFitness and Endomondo
Today, Strava along with MapMyFitness and Endomondo have announced automatic sync with Garmin Connect. This means that your activities will now (or soon in some cases) automatically show up on those three platforms, should you choose to enable it. Some … Read More Here
Alpe d’Huez Triathlon 2014 Race Report
Just the mere act of being in Alpe d’Huez is effectively walking around on hallowed ground in the cycling world. Aside from the cobblestone finish in Paris, there’s pretty much no more famous stage in the cycling world than that … Read More Here
Heads up: Summer Event Schedule–Outdoor Retailer, Eurobike, Interbike, and the ANT+ Symposium
It’s now August, and as a result so begins a sweep of various sports and fitness conventions and conferences. Each of these conventions serves a slightly different audience, and as a result – draws a slightly different group of exhibitors. So … Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend
Ok, it was a short weekend for me – but here’s how it went down! 1) I flew back from the US After meetings in Seattle this past week I grabbed an evening flight back to Paris (via London). This … Read More Here
Watching La Course (the women’s race by The Tour de France)
Earlier this year a significant announcement was made that there would be a women’s race at the Tour de France. It wouldn’t be the entirety of the Grand Tour, nor even a multiday event – but – it would be a … Read More Here
Hands-On with Backtracker: Radar for your bike
A few weeks ago a new product jumped onto the crowd-funded scene: Backtracker. This device is essentially a radar warning system for your bike. The idea is that it can warn you of approaching cars on a LED display on … Read More Here
Hands-On Look At Shimano’s Action Camera, the CM-1000
This is Shimano’s first entrant into the action camera category, going directly after the cycling market it knows well. Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend
Here’s a look at the last few days here in rather warm France… 1) A Sweltering Friday Night Brick Friday night was brick night. Not a hard one, just a short and intense one. Unfortunately, the temperature on Friday reached … Read More Here
Week in Review–July 19th, 2014
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
