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.
Ray,
appreciate the great posts. When you first mentioned the P1 pedals you said price ~1200 USD. This post mentions price of 1,999 USD. Did the price go up? Was looking forward to them, but this might take them off the table for me.
Keep up the great work!!
Oops! Sorry, fixed! Just a typo.
Did you log that run as training?
Not necessarily related to the post, but I’ve been wanting to ask…any thoughts of making an app for mobile devices? It’d let us know when you’ve created a new blog, gear comparison list, etc… Anyway, not sure how practical it is :)
Thanks for all you do!
There already is an app, it’s called Twitter, RSS, Facebook and others. Links are on the right at the top of every page so you can subscribe to the feeds. Most blogs and news sites have these in case you were wondering why nobody else has their own app either :)
Indeed. I’ve thought of an app – but haven’t really seen anything that would be truly unique or offer anything more than the mobile site does already.
Great to see you liked the place where I do most of my riding in the summer. Sa Femenia and Sa Batalla are great and it would have been nice if you had had time to go to the Formentor lighthouse, too.
FYI, the Palma airport handles over 100,000 passengers (over 630 flights) per day in the summer, making it the busiest Spanish airport at that period of the year.
I ordered my PowerTap pedals some time ago; cannot wait to read your review!
You must have visited the gas station at a quiet time, that only looks about third full by the standards I’ve seen over 3 years of visits during late April.
North Mallorca in spring is just perfect for triathletes, we just had 2 weeks of dry & mostly sunny weather about 20 degrees every day and not too much wind. The sea is just about the right temp, being cool enough for a wetsuit but not cold.
I love the first sweet crepe listed, “Melmac” – which is a nice reference to ALF’s home planet….
Wow, your bike is loaded down with technology…just wondering, have you ever knocked one of your computers off of your top tube with your knee while climbing? As always, love reading your weekend reports.
Somewhat amazingly never. I’ve had a few cases where I’ll bonk it like 45* offset, or even more, but never all the way off.
Is that an iWatch I see? Oh wait, Apple Watch. I can’t keep that straight. Anyhoo, I can’t wait to see what you have to say about it, but I’m not likely to give up my Garmin 305.
Yup, a bit more detail here: link to dcrainmaker.com
Was the other Paris rider named Guillaume ? I have gone out on a lot of group rides where we he has taken the lead… Never a very enjoyable experience.
Indeed…G’s a bit fast!
How is traveling with your bike? I’ve never flown with mine before and I’m wondering how much of a hassle it is. Thanks for sharing, I really enjoy your posts.
This is Ray… He’s got a post about it:
link to dcrainmaker.com
On a bit of a tangent note, how many passports do you go through a year? With around a dozen pages and only two visa stamps per page (in and out) you must fill up quickly. Do they staple in extra pages or do you need to get a new one every time it fills?
I have two sets of extra pages in mine, so I think that’s 48 pages total. Each page officially holds 4 stamps, but realistically most places (especially CDG) just stamp the crap out of the pages (which I love). And then I’ve got two concurrent passports.
Finally, many times if I’m within the EU stamps aren’t given. So if I go from Paris to Barcelona, or Palma or wherever else…no stamps.
So it’s actually been a few years. Of course, if customs officers limited stampable space to the official rules, then I’d go through them pretty quickly.
Why 4 head units? I can only see 2-3 powermeters. Is there a fourth somewhere else…?
Actually 5 head units. ;)
2x Joule GPS: One paired to the pedals and another the chainring. I wanted to test some stuff there.
3x Edge units: One each paired to Pedals, Chainring, and Hub.
My workflow is mostly based around the Garmin Edge units, hence having them. I pretty much show up prepared to collect all my own data and don’t want to rely upon other devices (though happy to use them as a backup).
Just wondering… do these multiple devices drain the energy from small batteries in the sensors faster in comparison to only one device per sensor? Or is it a non-issue?
No additional drainage issues. It’s basically sending out a stream and any devices can pick it up, sorta like listening to a radio station.
Hey Ray!
What kinda usb adapter you’re using there for all the units?
cheers Chris
Yup, I just picked up that one. It’s a 5-port USB charging unit, but most importantly, it charges everything at up to 2.4A each (8A total available), so it can pump out serious power. Also, it’s 100-240v, so I can use it anywhere globally with a simple adapter. Loving it so far, bought two and will probably buy more. Exact unit here: link to amazon.com
Can you share the name or link that will work outside of the US? Currently looking for a decent USB multi-port. Thanks
It’s the: Anker 40W 5-Port High Speed Desktop USB Charger with PowerIQ Technology for iPhone, iPad Air 2, Samsung Galaxy, Nexus, HTC, Nokia and More (White)
There’s now a 6-port 60W version available. link to amazon.de
I can recommendt the uk PortaPow
link to portablepowersupplies.co.uk
I also have their powerstar link to portablepowersupplies.co.uk but like that their is less cables on quad.
I also have a few cheap noname from ebay, but they are npt as reliable at 4x peak power.
Btw there is also the newer link to portablepowersupplies.co.uk
Love the Anker units. I have the 6 port and the 4 port “travel” (which has the power built right in no cable), as well as one of their massive battery units. Great chargers!
When you are taking photos on the bike with the point and shoot, do you keep it on your wrist at all times? Or do you keep it in your jersey and take it out when you want to shoot? Do you drop it at all?
I tried using mine on a ride yesterday. If I kept it on my wrist, it bugged me because it was swinging around. If I left it in my jersey, I was afraid of dropping it when trying to pull it out.
Thanks!
Bruce
No, I toss it in my back jersey pocket. Generally speaking if I’m just out for a ride (with no intent to shoot product photos), I use my little red point and shoot.
If I’m shooting products as part of a ride, I mostly use the GoPro Hero4 Silver with the 3-way pole. All of the shots on this journey were shot with that (save for ones standing still at the gas station on my phone).
With the pole, I set it on photo-timelapse mode for .5s. Then I just stick it out there and slowly get a bunch of different angles, basically at 2-photos per second. The nice part is the GoPro screen allows me to just super-quick check them after the fact just to ensure I didn’t totally miss the shot.
Thus far I’ve never dropped a camera (or really anything to my memory)!
How was the climb on the 70.3 route? I’m doing the bike leg as part of a relay team. I’ve done steeper but never something that long!
It was reasonably painful. Not horrible by itself, but would have delivered a solid ladle of suck had I also swam a mile and then had to run a half-marathon. :)
It’s amazing that in 2015 there still isn’t a single universal app that pings you on flight info board changes for a given flight. Most carrier apps seem only to concern themselves with actual schedule changes (“Flight ZZ999 delayed to 03:45”), but don’t update you on boarding status (“ZZ999 gate change to F88”; “pre-boarding”; “boarding”; “final call.”)
Are you wearing an optical HRM in the photos? I’m looking to buy one and would like to know what you are using and if you recommend it. Thanks.
Yup, the Scosche Rythm+: link to dcrainmaker.com
It’s what I wear when I’m not stuck wearing something else for a review.
I never thought of wearing above the elbow. Much better position
Max cadence of 254?!?!
nice beard ray!
The water level in Seine seems to be pretty high.
Yeah, it’s been non-stop raining for a long while now (and still raining).
Good timing on the flight, I’ve never understood the desire people have to board a plane first. Do you have a seat preference, window or aisle?
Definitely window.
The only advantage to boarding first is where you have luggage and there isn’t much luggage space. Also, sometimes if I have work to do that I’m trying to squeeze out before the flight takes off I’ll get on quickly so I can get back to work (with WiFi via portable hotspot), versus burning time stuck on a jetway waiting for people to board.
I do window on the larger planes (that you usually are on), but for the small local stuff (RJ’s, etc) I go Aisle because the window seats lose space the the bulkhead curve ;)
DC I love Mallorca….did my first ride there last year and it’s great….enjoy your posts and refer to your website when I look for new tech…great work buddy…
You must be reaching the point where the GPS and camera equipment weighs as much as the bike :-)
Mallorca is my happy place. Your routes brought back great memories…thanks!