Heads up!!! Here’s your massive holiday sports tech deals list! This includes the Garmin Epix for just $419, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 for just $699, the GoPro Hero 12 Black for $249, (or the brand new Hero 13 or $299!) and plenty more! Go check out the full list of 100+ deals here!
I’m DC RAINMAKER…
Here’s how to save!
Wanna save some cash and support the site? These companies help support the site! With Backcountry.com or Competitive Cyclist with either the coupon code DCRAINMAKER for first time users saving 15% on applicable products.
You can also pick-up tons of gear at REI via these links, which is a long-time supporter as well:
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.
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Check out my weekly podcast - with DesFit, which is packed with both gadget and non-gadget goodness!
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5 Easy Steps To The Site
1
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.
2
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!
3
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.
4
My Photography Gear: The Cameras/Drones/Action Cams 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 (including drones & action cams!)! It’s a nice break from the day-to-day sports-tech talk, and I hope you get something out of it!
5
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 2023 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.
My brian just blew a fuse.
Badass. I’m going to look at your excel doc. Thanks
Oh very cool, thanks for putting it up as a download
I luurrvvee Excel
Poor Kelly’s Brian he just blew a fuse!
HOLY CRAP it’s awesome!
This is pretty much the same Excel program I got online a few years back. It looks like they just modified it.
Nice to see the cycling and swimming logs in there.
Thanks!
Pretty High Tech… huh?
Ha, I’m just the opposite. I’m very old school and like doing things sans gadgets.
However, next year I may be forced to change …
i’ve said it before, i’ll say it again…
i want to be like you when i’m 26.
I love it! I’m gonna modify it a bit for me but i love it!
Its official in my mind…
You should be Barack’s minister of records!!!
I think the phrase “information overload” was created for posts like this. My head is spinning.
I’m getting my 1st Garmin (based on your reviews!) and will need to decide where to upload my data (running, triathlon & nutrition). Any chance you’ll be updating this post? Please?
great info, got a 305 on the way as a training aid, just need to figger out the best sofware for the Mac now
Would it be possible to get the password to unprotect the sheet in excel. I ran into a problem attempting to change some of the examples, i.e. the weight. Thank you not only for this post but your whole blog. It has been a great resource for a green triathlete.
The default password that David Hayes set is: dead
Enjoy!
I’ve just realized that I can transfer .TCX files from Garmin Connect to Training Peaks on my Mac computer. Is there a way I can do a mass file transfer instead of uploading each individual workout?
Thanks a lot for all the great information on this site!
You could use the Training Peaks device agent to upload the files, by just selecting a big pile of them when you go to upload a single activity. That’s what I do when I have to upload brick workouts, etc…
The Device Agent is Mac Compatible as well.
Thank you, Ray!
Ray,
would love to see an update to this article, especially given the new garmin connect site.
how are you logging now? and what reports do you rely on most? TSS?
I primarily use Training Peaks these days, mostly because my coach uses it – and it all ties together seamlessly. I also occasionally use Sport Tracks when I need to do something around better split analysis, or with a product that TP doesn’t support. And finally, I use Garmin Connect as a backup repository for everything else (since the ANT+ Agent automatically sends a copy there).
Surely I am missing something here, but why can I not edit certain cells?
I freely admit, I am an Excel idiot.
You need to unlock the worksheet (for cells not designed to be modified). I believe the password is on the last page – ‘dead’ (without quotes) – which is what the original author set it to (not me).
This sheet looks amazing…but when I try to enter data into the log for example:
I tried to enter 5 miles or 5.0 into the distance and it changes it to Thursday. Also changes my time to ####. Any suggestions. I unlocked the pages with the password. I’m not too Excel savie but can usually get stuff done. Have any suggestions to solve this problem.
Never mind…I was on the wrong row apparently. Everything works fine once I move down one row.
Have a look for a professional logbook – Open Source.
Lot of import sources and native Forerunner-Support:
*.tcx (Garmin Training Data w. complete data set of Forerunner)
*.gpx (without heart rate)
*.slf (xml-Format from Sigma)
*.fitlog (Export from SportTracks incl. HR)
*.csv (Excel/CSV-Format)
*.logbook (SportTracks-Logbuch: without HR/GPS datas)
*.hrm + *.gpx via polar2tcx.runalyze.de
The Google+-Community: link to goo.gl
Regards, Marko
Yes runalyzer is very good but only i deuche language :(
Great spreadsheet! What is the password so that I can change the dates and make other modifications for my use? Thanks…
The default password that David Hayes set is: dead
Enjoy!
Have you or do you use Goldencheetah at all ?
I have and do from time to time. This post is fairly old and really predates the rise of GC. I mostly use it today for post-processing of power meter files for power mere comparisons.
Thanks for your answer. Though my question didn’t really belong here (GC popularity rise being more recent than this post), I wanted to post my question in the closest related article possible.
Anyway, I was just wandering if you used it for running but my understanding is that it’s more for cycling right ? I was wondering if it could replace SportTracks
I’ve only used it sparingly for running, I don’t think it’s really the best substitute for runners for ST.
Wow, thanks for sharing this. My New Years resolution is to get my running records more organised and this is perfect…in fact probably more than I need but still very. handy.
Love this web site
Hey Ray, I wondering where you are on this topic these days, noting this article is 7 years old today and the last comments from you directly on the topic was almost 4 years ago:
[January 6, 2012 at 4:45 am #20
I primarily use Training Peaks these days, mostly because my coach uses it – and it all ties together seamlessly. I also occasionally use Sport Tracks when I need to do something around better split analysis, or with a product that TP doesn’t support. And finally, I use Garmin Connect as a backup repository for everything else (since the ANT+ Agent automatically sends a copy there).]
.. Any new thoughts on the topic? I note you didn’t mention the Excel spreadsheet in the 2012 post. Any changes in your recommendations, or does this still hold?
Thanks!
Hey Ray!
Thanks for the interesting information. I wonder if you have had a look at the sporttracks.mobi platform? I’m testing it right now for free for a month and I think it is a very informative piece of work, but I am not sure if it is worth the money and I wonder if it is possible to expand the excel sheet to that depth of information and insight in the fitness and fatigue levels especially.
Thank you in advance!
Yup, I use it from time to time – good stuff – definitely worth a look!
Hi!
Don’t you want update the topic, for current year?
I have a lot of data in ride Strava that I would like to transfer to Garmin Connect and to an Excel file. Any advice?
Thanks!!
Help! I love the look of your log, but opening it in 2013 it is always looking for a library… I am not a techie, but have tried to fix it with no luck – any chance you have a current version that you can share/send over? Please!?
Hey there,
I’ve been using Sport Tracks as well, but now that it is EOL, I’m looking for an alternative Windows-based application with similar functionality. Would like to keep data on my hard drive, but import/sync to Garmin Connect. Any thoughts?
Thaanks,
Andy
Seconding Andy’s question!
Hi Ray,
Been a fan of your site for a long time now – thanks for all the detailed reviews.
When it comes to cycling training software, I’ve been using Sports Tracks up until a couple of weeks ago (yes, i know it’s no longer supported … call me a dinosaur) when it wouldn’t let me re-install on a new PC. So, finally having to migrate all my data over to a new system.
One of the features of ST that I loved, was the ease of tracking equipment, including down to the component level (i.e. It would let you have a Bike set up, and add components below that level, like chains, tyres, etc.).
I’m likely going to use TP or Cycling Analytics, as they seem to be a good enough fit for my training needs, however they don’t have much if anything when it comes to equipment tracking. Wondering what you use, given the vast amount of equipment you presumably own :)
Cheers,
Richard
Just found your training log post and I thought it very interesting so i thought I’d try it to see if it meets my needs. unfortunately both the original and the modified versions lead to a file not found page. Have they been removed? or are the links just broken
thanks
None of the links for the excel training log work, and as I do not have a mobile (old school) I and trying to obtain a copy. Can you HELP me
Hi, the links to your excel workbooks don’t work.