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 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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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: Garmin GPS
Weekly Mailbag–May 8th, 2010
Here’s this week’s edition of the weekly mailbag. This is a weekly series where I feature a handful of the e-mailed questions I received from the previous week or so. I try and pick a wide variety of questions. Some … Read More Here
Weekly Mailbag – May 1st, 2010
Here’s this week’s edition of the weekly mailbag. This is a weekly series where I feature a handful of the e-mailed questions I received from the previous week or so. I try and pick a wide variety of questions. Some … Read More Here
Understanding the importance of Garmin firmware updates
One of the more common questions/comments that I answer on many of my review posts are technical in nature – and often times covering specific issues or problems a person is running into. As a result I end up doing … Read More Here
Weekly Mailbag – April 24th, 2010
Here’s this week’s edition of the weekly mailbag. This is a weekly series where I feature a handful of the e-mailed questions I received from the previous week or so. I try and pick a wide variety of questions. Some … Read More Here
Choosing your Garmin device data fields
When you first get your new fangled Garmin Forerunner or Edge device you’ll probably be using the default data field views that show commonly used metrics like pace and distance. After all, these are some of the key benefits of … Read More Here
Troubleshooting your heart rate monitor/strap HR spikes
For those who train with heart rate monitors often, you probably know all too well know the tell-tale sign that your little device is lying to you about your heart rate. It starts off fairly innocently with a gentle rise … Read More Here
Garmin Forerunner 110 – First Look Review
You may have noticed earlier today that Garmin announced via press release their latest GPS watch – the Forerunner 110. Given I get a lot of questions about their new watches when they come out, I figured I’d get ahead … Read More Here
How to create maps/courses for your Garmin Forerunner
One of the most common questions I get is how you can create routes and maps that you can follow on your Garmin device. Many of the most popular devices support this feature – including the 305/310XT/500/705 – however most … Read More Here
Garmin Connect Development Team Tossed Overboard
In a bit of a strange twist, the team behind Garmin Connect (the site where you upload all your activities to) has been tossed out on the streets of San Fran. Garmin has decided to close their San Francisco office, … Read More Here
Garmin FR60 Review – In Depth
When Garmin first announced the Garmin FR60 last spring, it honestly didn’t even catch my attention. After all, why would I of all people – the person with a gazillion GPS based training watches – want a training watch without … Read More Here
How to train indoors with your Garmin device
This time a year it can be hard to find motivation to go out in the cold (assuming you don’t live or train in Hawaii), so it’s understandable you may be stuck training indoors. While a lot of you out … Read More Here
Garmin Edge 500 In Depth Review
When the Garmin Edge 500 was first announced earlier this fall at Interbike, the message around its purpose in life was clear: A full featured GPS based cycling computer that’s lean and mean, aimed at keeping a low profile … Read More Here
Friday Tidbits
As part of some upcoming work travel trips I’ve been filling out a crap-ton of visa applications for different countries. I have a list of some 31 countries, of which I’ll be visiting about a third of over the next … Read More Here
Garmin Forerunner 310XT In Depth Review
When the Garmin Forerunner 310XT was announced earlier this spring, it represented the next logical evolution from the Garmin 305. It promised many of the features triathletes were looking for, while also promising to still appeal to the single-sport … Read More Here
Friday Tidbits
Without a doubt, the most important item to call out this morning, actually occurred this past Sunday morning. As some of you will remember, my Mom’s been training for her first triathlon this summer. And on Sunday, she officially became … Read More Here
The Almost Half-Iron
Just a quick training update (see, I can be quick on occasion). Yesterday I did a nice brick in the mountains, starting from Luray. Luray is a town in the shadow of Skyline drive, where I usually do my long … Read More Here
Going really really really long with your Forerunner 305
One of the most common complaints with the Forerunner 305 is that for most age group athletes is its battery life – limited to about 10 hours on a good day. This precludes many folks from being able to use … Read More Here
How to race tri’s with a Garmin Forerunner or Edge
While I have many posts on how to get the most from your Garmin Forerunner, it was pointed out to me recently that I don’t actually have any posts on how best to race with it. So this one will … Read More Here
Garmin Edge 705 In Depth Review
I picked up the Garmin Edge 705 back a few months ago in early September after going out for a 15 mile bike ride and while getting horribly lost I/we ended up cycling 50 miles. Amazingly, she still stuck with … Read More Here
Spot Tracker Review
Here’s the third post in as many weeks reviewing various devices I’ve accumulated over the past year. As always, these are more for long-term reference that people find than they are for daily readers. Although I think many of you … Read More Here
Garmin Forerunner 405 in depth review
I picked up the Forerunner 405 back when it first came out this spring, and have been using it over the summer and into early fall. I was super excited about the 405 when I first heard of it about … Read More Here
How to download workouts/race plans into your Garmin Forerunner/Edge
Just for the fun of it back a little while ago I decided to input my Nation’s Tri bike race plan into my Garmin device. It was a super-simple two step plan, so I didn’t have to worry about a … Read More Here
How to ski with your Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS
Like most Garmin users, I’ve run with my Forerunner, as well as the normal mountain or road bike journeys. But as frequent readers will know, I’ve also pushed mine a bit more. I’ve taken it on lake and ocean swims, … Read More Here
The Trifecta
Yesterday was a busy-bee day here in Seattle. I had three sports planned, plus a full day of work sandwiched in between.It started off with a hour long bike ride out to Alki point and back (from downtown along the … Read More Here
Garmin Tip: How to clean the contacts on your GPS
Have you noticed that your Garmin 305 (or similar) takes longer and longer to first initiate a data dump to the computer? My guess is it’s probably that your contacts that are dirty. No, not the ones in your eyes … Read More Here