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.
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You can use the above link for any Amazon country and it (should) automatically redirect to your local Amazon site.
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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!
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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.
Wow..those bikes look super sweet!
Wow. I bought a bike in China once, they are fond of the carrying racks, but other than that it was just a normal bike.
I wonder what the extra tube does.
Those bikes must weigh a ton. You’d have to be one bad ass cyclist to ride one of those uphill toting 20 gallons of water.
What’s the deal with the springs above the fork. They don’t really have front suspension do they? Definitely a cool bike at that price though.
A pumper up cruiser!! Definitely a unique souvenir to bring home from your travels!
Now that would be a great souvenir!
One of those would make a great cruiser. Although, on campus in Boulder, the kickstand would make it a prime target for theft.
Very interesting. I wonder why the double top tube? That doesn’t seem like much of a stability advantage.
Having read this, I can appreciate why Kenyans haven’t yet taken over cycling yet like they dominate distance running.
if anyone could find a way to get one of those bad boys…it would be you…
yeah with all the weight and then the water…that dude was chugging some big time power up the hills…
Yeah dude , and mind you this bike is really fast . Two three cycles you are talking of 15 miles per hour and can go up to 30 depending wat kind of bad ass on it !!! Yes !!
Did you see families of 5 all sitting on the same bicycle? That always amused me…
Too many nifty souvenirs like that and you’re going to need extra space!
Very funny review–I’m Kenyan, and I’ve never thought much about our Kenyan bikes…What you say about the large headlight and bell is absolutely true. If you don’t have one, you just might be run over!
Great blog.
Hey, I’m Kenyan too…and I work for this company Wheels of Africa, we have mountain bikes on sale and hire..plus we organize weekend rides. You can check us out on Facebook link to facebook.com
wow i enjoyed reading this article..they are called “black mamba” and you could get one for even cheaper upto Kshs. 3000 if you know where to look. when utilized for transport(commercial) they are called “boda boda” and these have a better back seat and music on the go!
I also found this review very funny (am kenyan too). All those things are very very practical to how people cycle in kenya. A bike in kenya has more uses than a car. Too bad you didn’t get to ride on a boda boda. They have a way of fitting the radio under the padded carrier so no wiring is visible. You get on the bike and you are halfway to your destination before you realise the catchy tune is coming from your ass!
haha, true that….reminds me of my home area!
i still have one of these.. my dad bought it when i was around ten..it weighs lyk a tonne…a serious workout no wonder kenyans run for such distances
prices!I need to compare.
Hahahaa..I am Kenyan and I started riding this kind of bike when I was like 10 years old… When you are that young you ride it under the double tubes because the seat is too high. When you get a bit taller, you sit on the tubes. I wish you saw a kid do that. By the time I was like 17, I could carry 3 people of my size on it. Two on the back and 1 on the double tubes. These bikes are badass.
It would have been awesome if you managed to bring one to the U.S.
laughing myself to death. found this article while shopping for a mountain/sports bike. that’s one bad ass crazy article.
Thanks for the write-up. I’m the Product Manager for Buffalo Bicycles (an arm of World Bicycle Relief) that is selling a similar but better quality version of these bicycles (buffalobicycle.com) in Eastern and Southern Africa. Note that while the bikes seen in the photos are bad ass in terms of features, they are real disasters in terms of quality (hence the price). If you were to take a closer look at the bicycle of the fellow carrying water, you would likely find that his frame and fork were both broken in multiple places and brazed or welded back together. The bottom bracket might likewise be welded to the frame. The cranks will be bent and the pedals may be nothing but bear spindles with no bodies. The original lights will have been dim (size does not equate to brightness) and failed in the first couple of weeks and the stand and carrier will be equally useless for loads much over 20kg. The saddle will be nothing but some bent rails with shreds of fabric clinging to it and the spokes will be breaking on a daily basis. Unfortunately this is reality of most products that “serve” the poor of our world. Since they are generally consider to be a low-margin, low-volume customer, companies don’t generally want to invest in products for them. That’s why these bikes are replicas of 1920s English roadsters (link to en.wikipedia.org) that were copied in India and China and are continuing to be sold (albeit in a cost-cut form) almost 100 years later. Our goal at Buffalo is to bring customer focus and top engineering and manufacturing to bear on a typically neglected product that has the potential to change people’s lives (access to healthcare, education, and markets).
You can buy similar ones in China (Phoenix or Forever), and yes they weigh a ton. The springs Jason mentioned on the front forks are part of the front cable brakes. You could pick one up from Taobao and have it shipped to Paris. Alternatively there’s is a bike shop in Shanghai called Factory Five (www.wearefactoryfive.com) who, apart from doing their own awesome fixies, will take one of the classic Chinese bikes and breathe on it to turn it into a really sweet ride. They also ship internationally.
I was born and brought up in Kenya and now living in Australia.
I used these bikes when I was younger and no messing around. The bikes can withstand anything and were quite fun.
I wish there was a way to buy a bike for one of the Kenyan’s that is currently walking for their water!
If I wanted to purchase one for a friend in Kenya, how would I do it.
Where can I get one nowadays?
Where can I get a black mamba bicycle at 3000 shillings?
Loved the “diary” of your experience with bikes for sale in a community market in Kenya.
Late last night (actually, really very early morning, today) on a BBC item broadcast over CBC radio in Ottawa, Ont., Canada I learned about Dave Neiswander, now CEO of the World Bicycle Relief organization, who was initially instrumental in building the foundational elements of a bicycle provision program to rural Zambians using the Buffalo Bicycle (made in that country). Initially initiated because of his rescue (approx.10 years ago) from a vehicle accident in rural Zambia by a bicyclist, which inspired him to quit his lucrative 15 year investment banking career & champion this mode of transportation for such challenging situations, it has now expanded it’s reach to South Africa & beyond
The story so intrigued me that I wanted to see photos of the bike myself & learn a bit more about it.Thank-you
for your delightful account which I plan to e-mail to my 3 school-age grandchildren in rural New Brunswick, Canada.( Wish we could purchase something like that here!) PW 4/22/2021
point of correction, “$5995 kenyan shillings” is a typo. remove the dollar sign.
to the ones amazed by carrying liters of water uphill, you might want to look up how they also ferry passengers in the same manner, daily!
your awe, it’s amusing to local citizens
How can I be a dealer of bicyle and their spare parts