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: CES2016
Peloton’s Interesting Indoor Cycling Bike Platform
By some stroke of complete and total coincidence, a friend of mine called me last Wednesday morning and asked about the Peloton bike system. You may remember the company from about 2.5 years ago when they first launched into the … Read More Here
Initial impressions of a production Bragi Dash unit
This week at CES, folks got their first look at the now final production units of the long-awaited Bragi Dash. The company began shipping development kits a bit ago, but only just now is working to get the first few … Read More Here
Garmin’s New Tactix Bravo: An Explainer
While earlier in the week I gave you a look at the new Garmin Fenix3 HR, the extent of my Tactix-Bravo photography was rather limited (I only included one photo). However, the reasoning will explain why this post will be … Read More Here
A 360° Action Cam Roundup: Nikon, 360Fly, Giroptic…and GoPro
Just as last year was the year of the drone at CES, this year there is a lot of buzz about virtual reality. Lots of news surrounding bunches of new VR headsets. And to do VR, you need 360. As … Read More Here
A Look at Sony’s New HDR-AS50 Action Cam
Sony has announced a new action camera, the HDR-AS50, coming in at a baseline $199. The real news here is that Sony actually has listened to customer complaints (or suggestions as they like to call them) and then made some useful improvements … Read More Here
A Quick Look at the Withings Go Activity Tracker
As expected the early part of CES week saw a lot of new product announcements. There are lots of new players on the field with some innovative new products (and some obvious knock-offs and re-makes of existing technologies); but also … Read More Here
First Run with Lumo Smart Running Shorts
As the week goes on here at CES, I continue to add to my collection of first-time experiences that I’ve had recently. The most unique of the week thus far would go to Lumo Body Technologies, who makes running shorts … Read More Here
Thoughts on the Skulpt Chisel
I ran across the folks from Skulpt at CES this morning. You may recall Skulpt from a previous brief mention here a couple of years ago. That first generation device was a success and now they are out promoting their … Read More Here
Wahoo Fitness Announces GymConnect: Treadmill integration & control
One tiny step at a time Wahoo is slowly increasing their fitness related turf. This week at CES, they announced the GymConnect System, which allows you to control your treadmill and get it talking over ANT+ & Bluetooth Smart to … Read More Here
A look at Mio’s Personal Activity Intelligence Index, and a little Slice
We’re at kind of an odd place right now with the rapid developmental pace of sports technology. What we see happening is a misalignment of the hardware/software technology and the scientific and practical use cases for that technology. An … Read More Here
Fitbit’s Bad Day: How it ended up with multiple optical HR lawsuits, and a 20% stock drop
For the San Francisco based firm Fitbit, yesterday was likely the mother of all bad roller-coasters. They started off the morning at 7:30AM with a packed press room in the Las Vegas Mandalay Bay Convention Center with the launch of … Read More Here
Under Armour’s HealthBox: WiFi Scale, Fitness Band, HR Strap, and more!
Today Under Armour has announced a flotilla of fitness products, likely to take the cake for the most unique fitness products announced by one company at the show this week. They’ve done so by partnering with HTC and delivering a … Read More Here
First Runs Impressions: Under Armour’s Speedform Gemini 2 Connected Running Shoes
Over the last few weeks I have charged a water bottle, charged a pair of sunglasses, and most recently – ‘turned on’ a pair of running shoes. As part of today’s HealthBox announcement, Under Armour is announcing the next generation … Read More Here
Fitbit Announces New ‘Fitbit Blaze’ Smart Fitness Watch
Update – March 2016! I’ve published my full Fitbit Blaze In-Depth Review here! Swing on over for all the details after extensive use! Today at CES Fitbit announced their latest wearable, the Fitbit Blaze. This new unit is effectively a … Read More Here
Hands-on: Garmin’s new Fenix3 HR with optical HR, new Fenix3 bands, major software update
Update! My Fenix3 HR In-Depth Review has now been published (click here)! You can swing over to that post to read all the details! Today at CES Garmin has introduced three new fitness devices, first up is the new Fenix3 … Read More Here
First Ride: Garmin Varia Vision–Heads Up Display
Today Garmin introduced their first heads up display, the Varia Vision. The $399 heads up display takes data such as speed, power, and even approaching cars from the Varia Radar – and plops it up on a small screen at … Read More Here
Welcome to CES 2016!
Yup, it’s that time of year again – when tech blogs the world around explode with news about fancy new gadgets at CES (Consumer Electronics Show). All sadly mere days after you just finished unwrapping new Christmas gadgets. Such is the … Read More Here