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.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 2023 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.
Tag Archives: Bike
Biospeed Aerus Bike Case Review: How I travel with my bike
A Bit of Background: If you travel as much as I do for work (150,000+ miles last year), you’ve got no choice but to get creative with your training. There’s simply no way you can be competitive at all three … Read More Here
Baptizing the new bike
I was going to post about all sorts of things this weekend, from the way-too-hot run, to swimming to making homemade pizzas at home. But…then my new bike came in. And all that went out the window! After my other … Read More Here
How aero can you go?
Coach Alan and I were chatting via e-mail about a variety of topics yesterday and he brought up the topic of my aero position, based on one of the pictures from my IMC race report – in particular – this … Read More Here
The final stretch
With this past weekend in the books, everything ‘long’ is now over. No more long runs, nor long Skyline rides. Though, that didn’t mean things were all strawberries and peaches this past weekend in the workout world. Saturday I had … Read More Here
Bizarre Bike Barrage
Keepin’ it charged, pedal powered At the Ironman Rhode Island 70.3 Race Briefing they specifically highlighted that you aren’t allowed to text or carry a mobile phone conversation while on the bike course. The officials had noted they had given … Read More Here
Bike to work day
As a reminder for all you folks out there – May 16th (Friday) is National Bike to Work day (here’s the details for those here in the DC area). A quick Google search of your city name and “bike to … Read More Here
Two Thirds of an Oly Tri Tuesday
I had to drop a coworker at the airport (Dulles), so I took the opportunity to do tonight’s ride out on the W&OD trail. By starting out near Dulles it is much quieter and far fewer intersections. I had only … Read More Here
Long Day
Today was officially the longest day ever (well, for non-work stuff anyway’s)… Started with a 6AM wake up, and now it’s 3:30AM. To recap: 6:00AM – Wake up and consume a banana 6:25AM – Out the door to meet running … Read More Here