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.

-
SUPPORT THIS SITE
Wanna help support the site? You have two options. The first is to use Clever Training with the link and 10% off everything coupon below:
Alternatively, for everything else on the planet, simply buy your goods from Amazon via the link below and I get a tiny bit back. No cost to you, easy as pie!
UK based here! Canada! Germany! France! Spain! Italy!
-
Catch me on Facebook
Ray Elsewhere
Did you know I write a weekly column over on Slowtwitch?
Check out my Product/Electronics posts in Ray’s Sports Electronics Mailbag - they are packed full of gadget goodness.
FAQ’s
I have built an extensive list of my most frequently asked questions. Below are the most popular.
- 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?
- What are your least favorite countries/places?
- What are you favorite countries/places?
Follow me on Twitter
- @ismolieke Indeed it would! #, 4 hours ago
- Another night, another flight. Next stop, 3,628 miles. At least the plane has A/C, unlike our hot house. :) http://t.co/Q1TMRB9ujz #, 13 hours ago
- New In-Depth Review...Update: Here's a second indepth look at the @StagesCycling Power Meter: http://t.co/gmfD9T7ILt #, 13 hours ago
- @rspauwen None that I'm aware of. :( #, 20 hours ago
- FYI: @Garmin releases Edge 810 firmware update. Minor tweaks/fixes: http://t.co/7JN03g2FDQ #, 2013/06/18
- @muzzkat Only when the situation calls for it. :) #, 2013/06/17
- @muzzkat Ignore eating and sleeping...but there some e-mail to some Parisian you were going to write. ;) #, 2013/06/17
-
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 GPS Recommendations.
Here’s my most recent gadget recommendations guide (2012) – covering almost every category of sports gadgets out there. Looking for the equipment I use day to day? I also just put together my complete 2012 ‘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!
Understand technology and sport in the How-To Guides.
I enjoy explaining new things to folks – especially showing people how to get the most from their gadgets. Here’s an ongoing list of “How to” guides.
Read my Top 25 most useful posts.
It turns our I’ve written a fair bit of stuff over the past few years – and after it disappears from my front page, a lot of it never really sees the light of day again without Google’ing skillz. Or a photographic memory…which I don’t have. I’ve taken a look back and found stuff that…continues to find a trickle of readers via web searches or forum links.
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.
Monthly Archives: February 2012
Garmin’s Vector Power Meter…unwrapped by the FCC
Within the US every device that wirelessly transmits in any way, shape, or form must conform to regulations set by the FCC (Federal Communications Commission). This branch of the government requires that companies send in detailed test and reporting metrics … Read More Here
CycleOps PowerBeam Pro Trainer In-Depth Review
While the CycleOps PowerBeam Pro may be two years old, it’s one of the very few trainers on the market that allows specific wattage resistance control. Meaning, you can set it for a given wattage – i.e. 200w, and it’ll … Read More Here
Windy 43MPH Weekend Runs
This weekend saw a nice little kick up in both run and bike training. As you may have surmised, most of my focus this year has actually been on the run – tentatively aiming for a 10-miler race in late … Read More Here
Week in Review–February 25th, 2012
The Week in Review is a collection of both all the goodness I’ve written during the past week around the internet, as well as a small pile of links I found interesting – generally endurance sports related. I’ve often wondered … Read More Here
Sneak peek at FINIS Hydrotracker GPS, FR910XT Firmware Updates…and just a nice evening run.
Since it’s Friday, I’ll keep it quick and pictorial. First up is yesterday’s announcement from FINIS about their new Hydrotracker GPS unit. This unit is designed to attach to your swim goggles and hang out on the back of your … Read More Here
DIY: How I made a trainer bike computer/iPad/phone stand for $30
I’m often testing a multitude of devices on the bike at once, usually just due to the limited time I have to try and gather data across the 4-5 products I might have in the queue for the bike alone. … Read More Here
Bontrager ANT+ Bike Speed/Cadence Sensor that requires no zipties or tools!
(Update/Note: If you’re looking at this unit, it’s marketed under both Bontrager and Motorola brands. Same identical unit, just different shell.) It’s funny when you think about it, as much innovation that goes on in cycling computers – there’s been … Read More Here
George Washington Birthday 10K 2012 Race Report
Every year ahead of Presidents Day weekend I get a little notice on my front door saying that there’s going to be a race that upcoming weekend and to be aware of the impact it might have to residents attempting … Read More Here
Lions, Tigers and (more) Gadgets…oh my!
This weekend was (and still is, three-day weekend after all!) packed! Been busy doing lots of stuff. First up on Saturday morning was a 10K race, one that was actually held on my very own street. Crazy! But I’m gonna … Read More Here
Week in Review: February 19th, 2012
The Week in Review is a collection of both all the goodness I’ve written during the past week around the internet, as well as a small pile of links I found interesting – generally endurance sports related. I’ve often wondered … Read More Here
Friday Tidbits: Velodromes, 10K’s, Polar Power Meters, and a bike dishwasher
Good morning! We’re gonna keep this post quick and to the point. Mostly because I’m running out of steam, worked 13 hours today plus a hard (but fun) interval run, and it’s getting late. Further, I’m still contemplating ice cream. … Read More Here
Tip of the Day: How to clean your trainer tire block…the easy way.
Recently I was taking some shots for a product review and somehow the trainer block that holds up my front tire ended up being part of the shot. As I reviewed the shot in question on the camera, I realized … Read More Here
Garmin Vector power meter delayed until Summer
Garmin is proactively messaging this afternoon to various media outlets that there has been a delay to the Vector pedal-based power meter, which was previously planned to ship in March 2012 (next month). The official release is as follows: “As … Read More Here
The Top 7 iPhone Swim, Bike, and Run apps I use regularly and why
While I certainly get offers to test out physical hardware and gadgets quite often – the number of requests to test out apps far outnumbers that by a fair margin. The challenge though with apps is that many apps are … Read More Here
RacerMate (CompuTrainer) resolves RacerMate One contract issues, might release this summer
Just a brief post to relay some information that is definitely of interest to some of you out there. This afternoon an e-mail went out from the company notifying folks that they have resolved the contractual issues that have kept … Read More Here
Weekend Wrap-up: TrainerRoad, Cold DC Runs, and more
This past weekend was nice and relaxing. Just a few big ticket items – but largely just a lot of lounging around, enjoying the couch. Silly I know, but everything is always go-go-go, so it’s nice to simply just enjoy … Read More Here
Week in Review–February 11th, 2012
The Week in Review is a collection of both all the goodness I’ve written during the past week around the internet, as well as a small pile of links I found interesting – generally endurance sports related. I’ve often wondered … Read More Here
Friday Tidbits of Note
Rather than have a specific theme for today, I figured I’d share a slew of interesting little tidbits that have floated across my week thus far. Some of them sports technology, some of them me-stuff. #1: Dinner with the Speaker … Read More Here
Hanging out in a Greek Olympic Stadium (a really old one)
The other night I was moving a bunch of photos from our Honeymoon around to a different computer when I stumbled on some photos from Athens. Once I got past all of the pictures of Gyros, Ice Cream and Souvlaki, … Read More Here
A much better USB ANT+ stick for your Garmin Forerunner…by Suunto
If you’re like me and are constantly on a laptop – there are really two minor issues that I have with the Garmin USB stick that I use to download workouts from my Forerunner to my computer. First up is … Read More Here
A weekend of new gadgets: Polar Power Pedals, heart rate strap integrated clothing, and more!
This weekend was a bit of a catch-up weekend on items to get unboxing photos on, and ensure I have all the photos I need of a product before I start using it. I’ve long since learned that if I … Read More Here
Week in Review–February 5th, 2012
The Week in Review is a collection of both all the goodness I’ve written during the past week around the internet, as well as a small pile of links I found interesting – generally endurance sports related. I’ve often wondered … Read More Here
An Auckland Runaround
(I wrote this up last month during our trip to the South Pacific, but the posting got busy with CES immediately following – so it never quite made it to the light of day. I figured it’d be a fun … Read More Here
My 2012 CES Session at the Digital Health Summit
You may remember from a handful of weeks ago that while I was busy at CES in Las Vegas running around talking with all the latest sports technology folks, I also had the privilege of being the moderator for a … Read More Here


















