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.
You'll support the site, and get ad-free DCR! Plus, you'll be more awesome. Click above for all the details. Oh, and you can sign-up for the newsletter here!
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.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.
-
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?
-
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.
Garmin Forerunner 10 Quadruple Giveaway
Perhaps you didn’t score big last week on Black Friday, or Cyber Monday with a deal. Perhaps you were focused on getting the big screen TV or deep fryer. Maybe you were busy running a turkey trot. Or perhaps, you … Read More Here
A detailed look at Suunto’s new big Ambit update including App Zone & ANT+
Earlier today Suunto released their 2.0 firmware for their Ambit watch, which has previously been targeted primarily at the hiking and ultra running crowd. Though this update will move it a long way towards bringing in other segments as well, … Read More Here
1st Hands-On Ride with Brim Brothers Zone Cleat Based Power Meter
Tonight I had the opportunity to go out for a ride testing out the new Brim Brothers power meter, Zone, which is mounted into the Speedplay cleat baseplate that’s attached to your cycling shoes. The Brim Brothers Zone has long … Read More Here
Cyber Monday Sports Technology Deals
[Updated Monday, 12:14PM Eastern) We’re going to keep this post quick and short, since all the real goodness from my posting today is over in my Singapore Race Report. Here’s the new deals for Cyber Monday, as well as the … Read More Here
Singapore Brooks Run Happy 9K Race Report
Back a few months ago when we first realized we’d be going to Singapore (actually, for all the cities we’d be visiting), I looked up the race calendar for this past weekend. Turns out, there were a number of races … Read More Here
Week in Review–November 24th, 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
I’ve got new digs! Check out the new DC Rainmaker site!
Finally! It’s been a long time coming, with a lot of false starts, but it’s finally here! The new site not only looks fresher, but has some legit useful new functionality in it. While many of you reading this post … Read More Here
Black Friday Sports Technology Deals!
2012 Sports Technology Black Friday Deals and Discounts list, including deals on Garmin, Magellan, CycleOps and Kurt Kinetic products. Read More Here
A Kochi, India Runaround
Welcome to India, the land of a billion people, nearly as many bikes, and countless interesting places to run. Despite having flown over India more times than I can remember in the past two years, it’s been almost exactly two … Read More Here
My 2012 Sports Gadget Recommendations
(Update! My Summer 2014 Sports Gadget Recommendations post is now available here! Go check it out for all the latest gadgets!) Each year around this time I put together my recommendations on sports gadgets. Some consider this a bit of … Read More Here
A sandy day in Muscat, Oman
After leaving Dubai, we arrived the next morning in Muscat, Oman. Muscat is about 300 miles east of Dubai, and pretty much the most easterly point in the Persian Gulf. Here’s a quick refresher map: We didn’t have either a … Read More Here
PowerTap PowerCal In-Depth Review
The CycleOps PowerCal is a unique power meter of sorts. Aside from being inexpensive, it’s also non-traditional in the way it gathers power.. Read More Here
A Dubai Runaround (Night Interval Edition). And a camel.
We landed into Dubai at around 10:30PM Saturday night, after a 7 hour flight to Doha, Qatar, and then another hour flight onwards to Dubai. Customs took a wee bit more time, due to The Girl’s Canadian Citizenship (the UAE … Read More Here
Week in Review–November 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
CycleOps Joule GPS In-Depth Review
The Joule CycleOps GPS represents the companies first GPS bike computer. I’ll dive deep on it and see how it stacks up against the competition. Read More Here
What are your favorite Mac sports tracking and log apps?
You’ve been asking for it for a long, long, long time. And while I do make reference to Mac options within most product reviews, I haven’t written up a full post on all the options out there for day to … Read More Here
Paris Blog: The process of voting from 3,847 miles away
With the US elections tomorrow, I thought some folks might find it interesting to understand how I voted from overseas. While the process is somewhat similar to absentee voting, there are a handful of differences.I had originally heard that a … Read More Here
A weekend full of power meter testing
Above. That’s what’s been setup this weekend as I prepare reviews concurrently on a load of power related products and trainers. And honestly, it’ll be setup like that all week. Our dinner table transported 10 feet to the left to … Read More Here
Week in Review–Nov 4th, 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
Garmin gives updated Vector pedal schedule & info
[Please Note: Garmin Vector has been released, you can see my first look at it here. In the interest of keeping things clean, I’ve disabled new comments here, and all comments should head over to that post. Thanks!] It seems that … Read More Here
Garmin Fenix adds footpod & indoor training support
Today Garmin (Nov 1st, 2012) announced and released a new firmware update for the Garmin Fenix watch – which has been primarily targeted at ultra runners and hikers. This comes in firmware version 2.90.The watch itself came out over the … Read More Here
A Warsaw Runaround
I arrived into a dark, cold, windy – and snow filled – Warsaw, Poland late Sunday night. But shortly after getting to my hotel room fourteen stories up I was already plotting my morning run the next morning. Luckily (well, … Read More Here
Paris Blog: Protesting in the ladies department
I was out running errands the other day and stopped in one of the big Paris department stores – BHV. Despite it only being a few blocks away, I hadn’t gone in yet. But I was in need of two … Read More Here
In the bicycle lane with a barrel of wine
I’ve been cramming in lots of workouts over the last week or so, mixing up devices like a merry-go-round, working towards the conclusions of a bunch of reviews. From the Joule GPS to Barfly mounts to BKOOL and Tacx Genius … Read More Here