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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UK based here! Canada! Germany! France! Spain! Italy!
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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
- RT @OnevFoto: today's #potd http://t.co/uDgQnIPvV2 by @tfrank_de via @cyclingtips #, 5 hours ago
- @luisap Yeah, GC has a long and storied history with IE. Some of the right teams are actually talking as of few weeks ago. #, 6 hours ago
- RT @TriMagJene: It costs $3 to fill up a buoy https://t.co/O6ZqI2RjhD #, 8 hours ago
- @chriseidhof Not this summer, perhaps in the fall. #, 8 hours ago
- @Lokoto Read my post from last Friday for details. #, 9 hours ago
- @vettenrannalla I see nothing good coming out of that fish! #, 2013/05/23
- Now that I've run out of Swedish Fish, I make no guarantees on how remainder of trainer ride will go. http://t.co/wXXoumPygd #, 2013/05/23
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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 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.
Garmin
Garmin Edge 510 In-Depth Review
Important Note – May 23, 2013: For the next few days there’s a massive sale on the Garmin FR310XT, FR910XT, and Edge 800 – in some cases over 50% off. As a result, if you’re looking at this review, you … Read More Here
Garmin Edge 810 In-Depth Review
Important Note – May 23, 2013: For the next few days there’s a massive sale on the Garmin FR310XT, FR910XT, and Edge 800 – in some cases over 50% off. As a result, if you’re looking at this review, you … Read More Here
Garmin Fenix In-Depth Review
[Updated 11/1/2012 at 7:30PM Eastern]: Includes 11/1/12 2.90 Fenix Firmware updates that address some of major issues I’ve touched on. The Garmin Fenix was announced this summer as Garmin’s first wristband GPS inclusive foray into hiking/adventure and ultra-running products. The … Read More Here
Garmin Forerunner 10 (FR10) GPS watch In-Depth Review
Today Garmin announced the new Garmin FR10 GPS watch. This watch has one purpose, and one purpose only: To compete with the onslaught of $100 GPS watches. From features and functionality to sizing – everything is smaller than other Garmin … Read More Here
Garmin Swim watch In-Depth Review
[Updated Feb 16th, 2013] Today, Garmin announced the Garmin Swim, which is a dedicated swim tracking watch that builds upon the accelerometer based technology that was introduced within the FR910XT to track swimming data in a pool environment. I’ve been … Read More Here
A look at Garmin’s new Forerunner FR70 running watch
There are many cases where I receive a new unit and work really hard to get a full in depth review out…and there are some cases where time just doesn’t permit such an instance. And then finally, there are cases … Read More Here
Garmin iPhone ANT+ Adapter and Garmin Fit app Review
Garmin today announced a new iPhone ANT+ Adapter as well as a pair of fitness apps for both the iPhone and Android phone. The adapter provides ANT+ enablement of your iPhone, similar to how the Wahoo Fitness iPhone ANT+ adapter … Read More Here
Garmin Forerunner 910XT In Depth Review
(Updated: May 1st, 2013) Important Note – May 23, 2013: For the next few days there’s a massive sale on the Garmin FR310XT, FR910XT, and Edge 800 – in some cases over 50% off. As a result, if you’re looking … Read More Here
Garmin Edge 200 In Depth Review
Yesterday the Edge 200 was announced as Garmin’s latest cycling computer in the Edge lineup. Unlike past Edge series devices though, this one took a notable departure from the pattern of adding new features, and instead choose the route of … Read More Here
Garmin Forerunner 610 In Depth Review
The Garmin Forerunner 610 represents the next generation running watch from Garmin. The watch builds on many areas that the FR405 and FR410 carved out – including a slim profile and advanced workout features. But it also adds a number … Read More Here
Garmin Forerunner 410 In Depth Review
When the Forerunner 410 was introduced recently, the first question on everyone’s mind was: Has the touch bezel been improved? The second question was – how does this stack up against the current crop of GPS devices out there. Well, … Read More Here
Garmin Forerunner 210 In Depth Review
There was no doubt when the Forerunner 210 was announced that the goal was to offer a more feature rich version of it’s slightly older brother – the Forerunner 110. The Forerunner 210 touted new features such as foot pod … Read More Here
A look at Garmin’s new Chirp and potential use in sports
When Garmin announced their newest product – Chirp – last Friday, I’m fairly certain that a grand total of 3 people in the endurance sports world actually noticed. After all, it’s targeted at the Geocaching folks (who are all abuzz … Read More Here
Garmin Edge 800 In Depth First Look Review
What exactly is the Edge 800 you ask? Well, it’s a new bike computer that aims to provide all of the cycling features you’d expect from the Edge series (ANT+ support, power meter compatibility and configuration, GPS route recording and … Read More Here
Garmin Forerunner 110 In Depth Product Review
When the Garmin Forerunner 110 was first announced earlier this spring, many folks were excited to finally see a GPS watch that didn’t look like a cinder block attached to their wrist. As GPS chipsets and the supporting technology got … 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
Garmin Edge 500 In Depth Review
Important Note – May 23, 2013: For the next few days there’s a massive sale on the Garmin FR310XT, FR910XT, and Edge 800 – in some cases over 50% off. As a result, if you’re looking … Read More Here
Garmin Forerunner 310XT In Depth Review
Important Note – May 23, 2013: For the next few days there’s a massive sale on the Garmin FR310XT, FR910XT, and Edge 800 – in some cases over 50% off. As a result, if you’re looking at this review, … 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
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
Review of Garmin Forerunner 305
Major Update: June 25th, 2009(I’ve completely revamped and updated this review (my most popular) to add in a ton of information about accessories, updated software and additional thoughts about the device itself now that I’ve had it nearly two years. … Read More Here































