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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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
- @tarheeltiger Not athletic, just generic. Odd. #, 7 hours ago
- @wahoofitness Can past-RFLKT purchasers e-mail to get one, or is there cost? #, 9 hours ago
- I'm almost slightly concerned with the level of interest y'all have in this (non-starter) aforementioned lingerie giveaway/review. #, 9 hours ago
- @seeverist Multisport - I would assume that depends on definition of 'sport'. GPS, not unless we redefined GPS acronym. #, 10 hours ago
- RT @wahoofitness: @Charlerious @dcrainmakerblog we have Garmin compatible mounts in the next shipment, if you buy a RFLKT and it doesn’t in… #, 10 hours ago
- @mueymal Yeah. I'm in Seattle this week, but heard from The Girl that it's a zoo. #, 11 hours ago
- Offered free women's lingerie in exchange for doing a lingerie giveaway. Umm...no. A Lingerie In-Depth Review?!? #, 11 hours ago
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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.
Tag Archives: CycleOps (Saris)
CycleOps Virtual Training In-Depth Review
While the CycleOps PowerBeam Pro has been around a while, their entertainment and training software – Virtual Training – just came out late last year. I’ve been using beta versions on and off since last spring, and with the final … Read More Here
CycleOps Joule GPS In-Depth Review
A bit over a year ago CycleOps announced their latest devices – and with it, their first GPS integrated cycling computer: The Joule GPS. CycleOps has a long history of power meter head units (and power meters), an area they’ve … Read More Here
My 2012 Trainer Recommendations: Early Edition
In time for the winter season (northern hemisphere), or the bulk of the southern hemisphere training season – I’ve got my full list of trainer recommendations. Before you dig into my specific recommendations, spend a moment to understand how I … 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
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
First look at the new CycleOps Joule and Joule GPS, PowerTap hubs, PowerCal, and VR software
Yesterday was a busy day for CycleOps…and me, as I spent the day in and around lovely Golden, Colorado with the team getting some hands on time with quite a bit of their new and unannounced product line. There’s so … 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
A brief teaser of the Joule with CycleOps, plus their power meter seminar session
I had a bit of time to spend with the guys from CylceOps and the Joule. This would be the first time I’ve had a chance to get hands on with it, and I must say – I’m pretty impressed. … Read More Here



















