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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Here’s how to save!
Wanna save some cash and support the site? Use Backcountry.com or Competitive Cyclist with either the coupon code DCRAINMAKER for first time users saving 15% on applicable products.
And both Backcountry & Competitive Cyclist offer free 2-day shipping!In the UK/EU/Australia/New Zealand? Then hit up Wiggle at the link 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 as an Amazon Associate. No cost to you, easy as pie!
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 GPLAMA, 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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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 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 and Equipment 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! 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 2021 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.
Sea Change
Wow…peace and quiet. Yesterday when I arrived at the Rec Center, I noticed they had replaced the front entry carpets with nice new ones. As I went downstairs to the pool, I thought to myself – wow, it’s quiet in the hallways. As I walked into the locker rooms – it was clean again. For the past few months, the tile floors were always wet, paper towels randomly tossed on the floor, and the soap dispensers in the shower in various states of disarray. It took a few weeks in early June to figure out what had caused the change from a ‘nice clean place’ to a less than clean place. Then I realized – kids were out of school. It wasn’t until I saw the summer camps that I realized where the influx of chaos was coming from.
Upon stepping out of the locker room to the pool – there were no screaming kids, nor running kids getting yelled at by lifeguards. There weren’t kids floating mid-lane across 14 lanes of lap swimmers, like a massive game of Frogger. Ahh…school had started again. Interestingly though, one new addition was the local swim team was back practicing again. Not sure where they went to for the summer.
But ya know what? Despite all of the madness associated with frogger while in the middle of a long set – I almost kinda miss all of the activity. In some ways, for long sets being able to look across the pool for that 1 second during each breath (alternating views every three strokes) and see something interesting broke up the monotony. Be it trying to time it breaking the surface just in time to see a kid do a huge cannonball off the diving board, or trying to beat the 4:30PM, 5:30PM, 6:30PM cutoff times for clearing out the pool to allow kids to go to the bathroom (mid-summer they instituted a policy that all kids 12 & under had to exit the pool at specified times, because they were having ‘issues’ with younger children – the problem is if you finished your set at exactly then, it was a bit of a madhouse in the locker room).
The other bummer with the end of summer is that the outside deck will be closing soon – it may have already closed, I didn’t check yesterday. It was kinda nice on slow evenings/weekends after you finished your swim to go lie in the sun and 90* weather on the deck chairs for a little while to relax. Not going to be doing that in December, that’s for sure!
But there is one last piece of good news in there – they are now having their semi-annual 14% off Rec Center passes – woohoo! Btw, who on earth decides on 14%? Was the extra $1 savings over a simple 15% sale too much to handle? At any rate….