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
1
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.
2
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!
3
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 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: Cycling
I found some Red Rocks
So far…so good. Well, as long as you don’t ask my throat. I came into this trip with a slight head cold and a sore throat. Speaking for 75 minutes at a shot multiple times a day…did not help the … Read More Here
Ummm…it got hot.
I think this marked the beginning of the ‘busy season’, which officially goes from now until mid-November. Sorta like opening day in major league baseball – only much less relaxing. I honestly don’t remember what happened Thursday or Friday, so … Read More Here
Things are made for a reason: Bike rack locks and wheel clips
The last few weeks my bike rack locks have been rather temperamental. Not quite sure why, as I’ve been using them most of the winter for weekend rides out of the city. But while I was fidgeting with them last … Read More Here
Riding into the night…
Last night (Monday) I had a long ride scheduled. I don’t usually have long rides scheduled on weekdays, but with a short sprint race this past weekend, and the Boston Marathon this upcoming weekend (well, Monday) it was gearing up … Read More Here
Cherry Blossoms and gazillions of people
Every year about this time about 2,000 Cherry Trees around DC explode with little flowers. Not only does it seem to usher in the start of spring, but also the start of the main tourist season. I generally try to … Read More Here
Jumping into the deep end
The last few days have been a nice change of pace as I’ve got a recovery week which started this past Saturday through Friday. (The Pacers Running group getting ready to head out pre-run) This change of pace gave me … Read More Here
Tuesday Tidbits – February Edition
In no particular order – observations of the last week: No, my blog is not for sale. While I’m flattered by the offer, it would be kinda awkward to sell this blog and blog name. However, if you present me … Read More Here
Bicycle Crash Density
Who knew? Such a term. I would have called it “Place where things go wrong”. I was browsing the city’s web site and stumbled upon their ‘Pedestrian and Bicycle Mobility Plan’ from June. This plan essentially outlines how they are … Read More Here
Spinning around after a long run
There are few times in my little athletic life where working out after I’ve already worked out sound appealing. I’ve just finished another 20+ miler and my legs are already unhappy with me, but what’s on the schedule? A bike … Read More Here
Loops, Flips and More Loops
Loops Saturday marked the beginning of the taper for the Philly Marathon in two weeks. It included an interesting run workout that I hadn’t done before. It started off with a 10 minute warm up, and then stepped down temporarily … Read More Here
The miracles of degreaser
If you’re a triathlete or cyclist – then you likely find bike grease on just about every object you own. And if you’re a runner, then you’ll still find this stuff pretty darn cool. Back last winter the bike shop … Read More Here
A few less than ideal ways to lose weight
I set off at just after 6:30AM on Saturday morning. My plan was to run about 21 or so miles in the 2 hours 30 minutes I had allotted for Saturday’s long run. The plan consisted of a run from … Read More Here
Run towards the buns
Saturday is all about the run. Run far, run sorta fast…but run long. So I did. Just shy of 21 miles worth of bank deposits in 2.5 hours. I was a bit unhappy though as I couldn’t get the speed … Read More Here
The effects of a cold on athletic performance
Indoor trainers provide a really great way to analyze the effects of a given environmental parameter without all of the fuss of the environment itself changing. Last Saturday I had an indoor trainer workout. The exact same workout I did … Read More Here
Swim, Bike, Run, Rinse, Repeat
Monday marked a return to the norm. The ever constant and cyclic training regime: Swim, Bike, Run, Rinse, Repeat (actually, there are many rinses, fear not). Except, the cool thing is that since I’ve got a race on Sunday (Nation’s … Read More Here
The rear rack
I’ve received a number of e-mails and questions about my rear hydration/rack system on my tri bike. So this is just a quick post to explain the various components. The reason some have asked is that the Cervelo’s P2C’s are … Read More Here
Enjoying the Taper
I continue to have more time that I know what to do with. So, I’ve been filling up the rest of the days will all sorts of fun things to keep me busy. Friday: After knocking out a mini-IT2 trainer … Read More Here
How to make bad BBQ
Another weekend, another busy boatload of stuff. In my continued attempts to keep things short, here’s the quick version.Friday:After having fun with the usual Friday IT2 trainer ride, it was time to watch the opening ceremonies. Without a doubt the … Read More Here
How to use CO2 for cycling – a beginners guide
So perhaps you were like me – afraid of the little cylinder. Perhaps you thought it would just simply explode on you, or that when you went to use it you’d end up putting more CO2 into the the sky … Read More Here
The Last Century (condensed version)
In an attempt to appease the blogosphere, I will try and make this weekend workout recap short. Really…I promise Sarah and Peter. So let’s jump right in. Saturday: Continuing the week over week increase in swim time, I swam 1hr … Read More Here
Back to the track…and Seattle.
The last few days in Seattle have been great. I’ve been out here for work, but I’m able to get a ton of non-work things in as well.After arriving Monday afternoon I swung downtown to pickup my relevant conference speaker … Read More Here
Kayaking, Long Swims and Rifles
I’ve been a wee bit busy over the last few days – especially since Thursday afternoon. I’m SOOO far behind in e-mail, catching up with reading folks blogs, and really just about everything. So here’s the rundown. I tried to … Read More Here
Going Long
This weekend was all about the long game. Long swim, long bike. The usual long run comes Tuesday. I actually spent Saturday morning baking, making a nice breakfast and making ice cream (which is a post for later this week). … Read More Here
Le Tour de Drugs
I started off and really enjoyed the Tour de France for the first few days. They had it rebroadcast from 8:30PM to 11:30PM – so at a time I could actually watch it. But I got pretty busy the last … Read More Here
Boo-Boo and Bambi
Today…well today was a long day. I knocked out my first century ride. Technically 101 miles. Except, this wasn’t no flat-ground century. Nope, this was back up on Skyline again (in case you haven’t noticed by now – every one … Read More Here