Heads up! The massive Sports Tech Deals list is here! Including huge discounts on Apple, DJI, Fitbit, Garmin, Google, GoPro, Peloton, Samsung, Tacx, Wahoo, and tons more! From the Garmin Epix at $449 (insane!) and Forerunner 965 deals, to the slightly newer Garmin Epix Pro & Fenix 7 Pro at $200 off, to the Apple Watch Ultra 2 deal, and the Tacx NEO 2T for $899. There’s huge savings, and constantly updated!
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? 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:With TPC (The Pro's Closet), you'll save $40 on purchases over $200 with coupon code DCRAIN40 for tech and non-tech purchases!
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?
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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 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.
Yep, we have a lot of runners and cyclists in London, despite the weather!
BTW, you can swim in Serpentine Lake (Hyde Park), there is a place near Lido cafe where it’s allowed, about 500 meters from the place you’ve turned left ;). Go there next time if you can, it’s open every day during summer.
“and those buggers are really rather big!”
Very good.. Picked up a bit of the lingo on your stay in The Smoke did you?
Toodle pip!
There’s more to the UK than London! Try fell running in the Lake District or maybe even link to theblenheimtriathlon.com
OBLIGATORY LONDONER PEDANTRY: That’s not Big Ben. Big Ben is the bell. That’s the Elizabeth Tower (formerly the Clock Tower.)
I’ve seen all those sights over the years I lived in UK. However I’ve never seen all of them in the space of one day. Running is such a good way to get an overview of an area. I wonder do garmin etc do downloadable maps of such tourist hotspots that you can put on your gps watch, if so tourism sites should promote the notion of a run as a way of getting to know an area after you arrive in town.
Although not quite that neat, Gamin’s website does have the “Explore, Courses” option. It lists routes/events that people have created on a map. For US locations it also has a color-coded “hotspot” map so you can see the most common workout routes. I used it on a recent trip to Phoenix and found a nice canal route close to my hotel. Strava and Mapmyrun/ride have the routes options, but not the funky ‘hot-spot’ maps.
Yup, you’ll see it come to some top international cities soon as well. The heatmaps are cool. I wish we could customize them more though (i.e. see my own heat maps), or be more widely available (like Nike+ has).
Nice run, and even dry. Even better I see sun.
After seeing this vid: link to youtube.com
I never ever get near Pelicans anymore (second thought is to know why a Pelican is the logo for many blood donation centers).
Oh my. That’s incredible. The Girl and I just sat here and probably watched that 5 times over.
What you may not have realised on your buses photo is that you actually caught the new hop on hop off bus in there. A modern day version of the old school buses on trial by Boris! It has the curved back.
(I work 2 mins from that picture and run around those parks at lunch / after work. If you fancy a running partner next time shout. I’m a 6:30 min/ mile runner…. with the wind behind me!!)
Tuesday and Thursday night seem to be the biggest nights for running clubs in London. There are are pretty decent number of summer races series as well.
If you are ever in London on a Tuesday nighy and fancy a track session with Kent AC let me know.
So pelicans are the new sheep, I gather?
Nice writeup 🙂
Usually the gate under the arch is open, It’s a made dash on a bike because you can just make the light on the other side of the roundabout
‘Traffic circle’… awwww.
Natively I’m a Londoner but I’m away at college on the other side of the country so I’m having to get my fix of the big smoke from blogs – I love that your impression of it was how many cyclists you saw – it certainly hasn’t always been like that xD
Hey Ray,
Great site. Inspired by this run, I’ve done similar on recent run of mine; figured I would share 😉
An Orlando Runaround
Thanks for great site; cheers from Orlando!
A bit of local trivia for you: the “old-school red buggy” is one of Imperial College London’s mascots, and goes by the name of Boanerges. It’s maintained by the students, based in a garage on the South Kensington campus. (Other mascots include a very large spanner, and an even larger thermometer – this is what you get when you have a university that only offers science programs!)
link to wwwf.imperial.ac.uk