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.
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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!
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.
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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.
I remember seeing a launch when I was a little kid… Rates up on the list of cool things I’ve seen. Back then, you could get a bit closer.. Also had a tour of the space center through someone who knew someone.
Saw the pictures about whats up next – Let me know if you want to go round 2 sometime. One of my FAVORITE things in life.
OMG! I grew up in Titusville and live just a few miles south, so I know exactly where you were. I work at Kennedy Space Center and was just across the river from you watching the launch as well.
I love that you flew down for one of our last launches. I’ve seen nearly every launch and they’re always amazing. So sad that they’re nearly over. Great images!
Nice trip and great photos, Ray!
I’m hoping to catch a launch before they retire the shuttle – still haven’t seen one – time to go pull the schedule off Nasa’s site… :)
Cheers, Jeff
Wow… what a neat experience! My mom would be jelous of you!
Rainmaker – maybe in your next mailbag you’ll fill us in on how you find time to sleep and maintain full time employment along with all your adventures.
Ray,
Those pictures were AWESOME. I like how you use your blog to delve into interesting topics that aren’t always related to triathlon. Keep up the good work!
AMAZING pictures. And already disappointed at FR110.
Very cool! Have plane will travel!
Great trip and great pictures!
FYI: My collegue (from the Netherlands!) went there as well…
Off-topic:
As a runner and biker (and working in aviation at KLM Royal Dutch Airlines) I do visit your blog on a regular basis.
Compliments! Roberto
You are very fortunate to have been able to witness a part of history. Not many people can say that they have seen a shuttle launch.
P.S. I would eat gator jerky. It sounds yummy.
Hey, we switched places this weekend! While you were in Titusville, I flew into IAD to go to Delaware.
Glad you had a chance to see the shuttle launch. I think I actually saw more from your blog post than the time I saw it in person (had no binocs or camera).
Glad you could see it before they finished.
We got to watch from NASA Parkway on Canaveral AS back in the late ’90s. At four miles away, the ground was shaking like you wouldn’t believe. Great experience.
Glad to know that lensrentals is working out for you. I’ve been curious about them, but doubt they’d mail to Germany.
Hi,
Wanted to make an observation about one of your comments. Actually, that is steam and not smoke coming from the engines on lift-off.
At 7 seconds before ignition, 300,000 gallons of water begin pouring out a 290-foot-high tank from 16 nozzles mounted on the MLP. In 41-seconds the tank is emptied. This is part of their Sound Suppression System. Sounds of this magnitude create acoustical shock waves, which create energy. Once the sound waves reach resonance, the damage to the shuttle, payload and mobile launch pad would be enormous. (Think of it this way: ever been walking across a swinging foot bridge, and noticed that the more steps you take, the higher it bounces, but walking slower makes it bounce even higher? Your steps create waves in the bridge that go up and down–this is a frequency. The amount of displacement between the highest peak and the lowest peak in that frequency is the amplitude. Once that amplitude is at its maximum, resonance is reached and maximum damage occurs. Skyscrapers that get destroyed in earthquakes end up that way because the shaking ground created a frequency which eventually reached and matched the natural resonance of the building. This happened all the time before engineers finally got the idea to install a mass dampening system, which serves to absorb the majority of this energy and deflect potential damage. All matter has a natural frequency and particular resonance, even the human body. This idea of resonance is also how radios work.)
Sound Suppression Systems are used to absorb this acoustical energy and keep damage to a minimum. The water is used to absorb the acoustical energy that’s reflected from the mobile launch pad. NASA states that it installed this system because reflected energy from the top of the MLP was creating sound pressure that eventually damaged the thermal curtains on the solid rocket boosters, which created wing damage.
Upon installation, the sound pressure has been reduced by half.