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
- @kbentonphoto No pillows. I just take my luck with them having them. #, 56 mins ago
- @jayprasuhn Thanks Jay! #, 56 mins ago
- @ismolieke Indeed it would! #, 5 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 #, 14 hours ago
- New In-Depth Review...Update: Here's a second indepth look at the @StagesCycling Power Meter: http://t.co/gmfD9T7ILt #, 14 hours ago
- @rspauwen None that I'm aware of. :( #, 21 hours ago
- FYI: @Garmin releases Edge 810 firmware update. Minor tweaks/fixes: http://t.co/7JN03g2FDQ #, 2013/06/18
-
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.
Power Meters
Stages Power Meter In-Depth Review
[Please Note: As of June 18th, 2013 I have published an in-depth update for the Stages Power, based on new firmware. Please see that update post here. While vast chunks of this review around background/unboxing/etc remain unchanged, I will note … Read More Here
Power2Max Power Meter In-Depth Review
The Power2Max is one of the newest crank-based power meters on the market today. Its price point is a bit lower than most other crank-based power meters, though, in the same range as rear-hub based power meters. Since the updated … Read More Here
Kinetic inRide Bluetooth Smart Power Meter Accessory In-Depth Review
The inRide Bluetooth Smart accessory (tiny pod above) is the first Bluetooth Smart power meter to hit the market, just ahead of other Bluetooth Smart power meters. Now, some might finagle with the terminology around ‘power meter’, but since it’s … Read More Here
CycleOps PowerCal In-Depth Review
A bit over a year ago CycleOps announced their latest devices – and with it their first power meter that wasn’t in a rear wheel hub . CycleOps has a long history of power meter head units (and power meters), … Read More Here
Polar Look Keo Power System–Pedal Based Power Meter–In-Depth Review
The Polar Look Keo Power System is the first pedal based power meter to make it to market, meaning, you can actually go out and buy one. Announced nearly two years ago, the units finally started trickling out into the … Read More Here
SRAM RED 2012 Quarq Power Meter Review
Earlier this year Quarq announced their new SRAM RED Quarq 2012 power meter, alongside the SRAM RED 2012 group set. This would mark the first full new product release for Quarq since being acquired by by SRAM. It would also … Read More Here
CycleOps Joule and PowerTap Wheelset In Depth Review
Last year when Saris/CycleOps came out with their ANT+ enabled Joule, many wondered how it would stack up against the competition. Would a non-GPS enabled device still be able to compete in an increasingly GPS dominated world? And how would … Read More Here



















