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: Christmas Tree by Bike
Getting the Christmas Tree Home via Bike: 2023 Edition
After crossing through the decade barrier last year, we’ve moved onto the 11th year of getting the Christmas Tree by bike. With Christmas itself nearly over, it was high time for me to finish this post. Obviously, this happened a … Read More Here
A Decade of Getting the Christmas Tree Home via Bike: 2022 Edition
This year marks a decade of getting the Christmas Tree home by Bike posts. Undoubtedly, many in parts of Europe (or elsewhere), have been doing this for much longer. In our case, we started in Paris with Velib bike share … Read More Here
Getting the Christmas Tree Home via Bike: 2021 Edition
As has been the tradition for nearly a decade of living in Europe, we’ve been bringing home the Christmas tree by bike. Seriously, all the way since 2012 in Paris using the basket of a Velib (when we apparently looked … Read More Here
Getting the Christmas Tree Home via Bike: 2020 Edition
It’s that time of year again! Or rather, it was a few weeks ago. But – the key thing is I’ve squeaked into home with this annual tradition of a post. And this year we stepped it up to video … Read More Here
Getting the Christmas Tree Home via Bike: 2019 Edition
In now it’s 7th year, we’ve been moving the Christmas tree home by bike. It started when we lived in Paris, using a bike share Velib to make the trek from our favored Christmas Tree vendor at the flower markets … Read More Here
Getting the Christmas Tree Home via Bike: 2018 Edition
Transporting home our Christmas tree has become an annual tradition of ours since moving to Europe. And this year we continued it after our move from Paris to Amsterdam. Except, you know…a bigger bike equals a bigger tree. But let’s … Read More Here
Getting the Christmas Tree Home via Velib: 2017 Edition
Each year since moving to Paris, we’ve ended up buying our Christmas tree not terribly far away at the flower markets. While these markets are on the long list of tourism things to see in Paris, for us it’s more … Read More Here
Cycling home with the Christmas Tree: 2016 Edition
Since moving to Paris, it’s become a little bit of an annual Christmas tradition of ours to pickup our tree at the flower markets and then subsequently bike home with it. This would mark the 5th year of doing so, … Read More Here
Christmas Tree by Bike: 2015 Edition
Here’s this week’s “5 Random Things I Did This Weekend” post, complete with our annual picking up of the Christmas tree via Velib. 1) Chateau Cake Deliveries First up on the docket was a wedding cake delivery out to a … Read More Here
Our Christmas Tree by Parisian Velib Bikeshare: 2014 Edition
Earlier this week The Girl and I made our sorta-annual trek to pickup a Christmas tree at the nearby market. The first year we returned home via Velib (the bike share system). Last year, we ended up walking it home. … Read More Here
Getting our Christmas tree home by bicycle: 2012 Edition
Like the US, Christmas trees are readily available in France. Be it at just about every corner convenience store or small grocery, or even at gas stations. Here the trees are a wee bit shorter in general, and a little … Read More Here