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.
5 Random Things I Did This Past Weekend
Last weekend on Monday I did a ‘5 Random Things I Did This Past Weekend’, and it turned out that lots of you found that a fairly useful format. So given I don’t have any single big ticket item from … Read More Here
Week in Review–February 1st, 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
The Because It’s Cold…and January…Giveaway
This morning I landed back home in Europe after being in DC for a couple days. In doing so, I increased my environmental temperature by approximately 50°F….to approximately 50°F. Just think, if I did that again it’d be like being … Read More Here
TomTom releases phone app, allows for mobile uploading with TomTom Runner & Multisport units
Today, TomTom released their phone app for uploading workouts wirelessly from the TomTom Runner and Multisport units to your phone. The intention to release such functionality had been announced back in December, though without a specific timeframe attached to it. … Read More Here
A look at Suunto’s new Ambit2 R GPS
Please note: My Full Suunto2 R In-Depth Review is now available at this link. Enjoy! This morning Suunto officially announced their latest GPS unit – the Suunto Ambit2 R. This unit is targeted specifically at runners, and is essentially a … Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did This Past Weekend
Since I’ve got less than 45 minutes until my flight departs, we’re going to go bullet-point style to cover the randomness that was this weekend: (Edit: Ok, my attempt to publish before departure was thwarted by my little friend…slow internet.) … Read More Here
First look at Polar V650 GPS bike computer
Today Polar announced their first dedicated GPS bike computer – the V650. The unit combines integrated GPS with a full color touch screen, it also becomes the first bike-specific computer to be Bluetooth Smart sensor capable. This marks the second … Read More Here
Week in Review–January 25th, 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
Adidas Bluetooth Smart miCoach (Mini) Footpod In-Depth Review
It’s been about 8 months since the first Bluetooth Smart footpod popped out into the market, introduced by Polar shortly after the release of their Polar Beat app. However, while it technically worked just fine, it lacked one thing: Elegance. … Read More Here
A short behind the scenes visit to Suunto and Omegawave
Last Friday as I finished up my frozen adventures in Finland, I had a couple of hours after my work meetings wrapped up before my flight back home. So rather than spend that time hanging out in the Helsinki airport … Read More Here
Stages, Wahoo sponsor Team Sky, CycleOps sponsors Trek Pro team, and Team Lampre on ROTOR Power, Movistar on Power2Max
Today, another sports technology company joined in the roughly two week long fiesta of companies sponsoring pro cycling teams. Wahoo’s announcement this morning that they’re sponsoring Team Sky, makes Sky the epicenter of connected sports technology sponsorships: Stages power meters, … Read More Here
Running to the Château with new gadgets and muscle oxygen monitoring
I got home around 11PM Friday night, from a week split between the UK and Finland. Stepping off the plane from Finland was almost identical to stepping off the plane in the Caribbean. While the temperature was only about 50*F … Read More Here
Week in Review–January 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
How to get and record cadence information on a spin or gym bike
Tonight, I had an epiphany. Or at least, I had an improvement upon an idea that I had planned for months. One question I get a lot is how to measure cadence on an indoor spin bike, or gym stationary … Read More Here
A Frozen Sea Helsinki Finland Runaround
I left the lovely British countryside behind (and by lovely, I mean cold and raining) and boarded a nearly three hour flight from London Heathrow to Helsinki, Finland. I always forget just how far that is from the rest of … Read More Here
Week in Review–January 13th, 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
First hands-on look at Bia GPS watch designed for women
Earlier this week while in Las Vegas for CES I had the chance to meet up with the founder of Bia, the only womens focused GPS watch on the market. Cheryl Kellond and I met me at the UNLV track … Read More Here
CES Roundup Part 2: Garmin, ANT+, 4iiii, BKOOL, Withings, O-Synce, Outside Interactive, LG, Pebble, Casio, Opryx, Glucovation
We left off yesterday with Part 1 of my CES Roundup, which covered new products and notables from the following companies: Sony, Geonaute, Contour, VOXX, Jaybird, Kreyos, Aftershokz, Reebok, Magellan, and Moxy. Today, we dive into the second half of … Read More Here
CES Roundup Part 1: Sony, Geonaute, Contour, VOXX, Jaybird, Kreyos, Aftershokz, Reebok, Magellan, Moxy
The only way to describe CES is organized chaos. Over time, you get better at it. This year I optimized my schedule and shunned doing any scheduled appointments. This allowed me to to simply move from booth to booth in … Read More Here
Hands on with Wahoo Fitness TICKR, TICKR RUN, and TICKR X
** Update: These products have since been upgraded. Check out the lastest In-Depth Review of the Wahoo TICKR and TICKR X here!** Overview Today, Wahoo Fitness announced three new products for the fitness market, and in doing so, started what … Read More Here
First look at Polar’s new V800 GPS triathlon watch
(Please note that my full in-depth review is now published and available based on the final unit and functionality. Read it all here!) Today, Polar fully announced their new V800 GPS integrated triathlon watch. The watch covers all three sports … Read More Here
Hands on with the new Garmin Vivofit & Vivoki Activity Monitors
Update March 12th, 2014: I have published my full In-Depth Review of the Vivofit here. Please head over there for full details and the latest. Today, Garmin announced their latest fitness product, and first entrants into the activity monitor world: … Read More Here
First look at new Mio Link ANT+/Bluetooth Smart optical heart rate wrist band
Today, Mio announced their newest product, the dual ANT+/Bluetooth Smart optical heart rate wrist band: Mio Link. This new product is about half the size of their previous product (the Alpha), and transmits across both protocols. This is notable as … Read More Here
Washington DC Tidal Basin Intervals
Ahh yes, back in Washington DC. Though, not permanently. Just for a few days before I head off to CES on Sunday evening for a crazy-busy packed few days (with a lot of awesomeness in the pipeline). After arriving into … Read More Here
A few days skiing at Zermatt in Switzerland
One of the best parts about living in Europe is that there’s a heck of a lot of options when it comes to where to go skiing. The tricky part is choosing which place to go, and then sometimes, how … Read More Here
