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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 2024 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.
When I am running in winter I tend to try and run during the middle of the day when it’s warmer, I’ll also occasionally wear a light jumper. I don’t really have to change too much since my state is known as the sunshine state. :)
Instead of running in gloomy and rainy mornings I switched to treadmill running and more swimming.
I usually do more running and hiking but if the road is dry my bike is still number 1 :)
Living in Brussels winter has little or no impact on training for a runner so I don’t really change anything (possibly up the distances a bit).
Here in the North of England, I just get used to running in the dark and rain more often, and put on some more reflective clothes/lights.
Winter in New Zealand has been and summers coming up!!
But Winter just means another layer of clothes
Ill get the overshoes and winter jacket on and keep on cycling!
However once it gets icy, ill be giving Zwift a good workout.
Keep running but more cross country and off road with the inov8 shoes to keep me upright!
Winter in Germany means – for me at least – bike on the turbo. There would be the occasional hike, too.
Nothing changes, I don’t mind the cold all that much!
Running is my winter hobby here in the Netherlands. But my Pebble does suck as a running watch…
This month I’m switching from biking to running, which is going to be my winter sport. I don’t really feel like using trainer indoors this year.
In the UK you can pretty much cycle/run throughout the winter, so no changes here.
bike on the kickr and trainerroad !
Thanks Ray :)
I’ll switch to cross country skiing and spend more time in the gym.
I add some swimming – indoor :) Also there will be less official Half Marathons … But here is a guaranteed snow till April )) More layers and long runs.
I’ll be recovering from an injury to my right foot, and hopefully ready to start running again early next year.
Wear tights, hat, gloves and head torch for the runs. Swap the road bike for the mountain bike but the pool remains the same!
Wearing gazillion clothes layers and still, still biking. And during biking thinking about Garmin Varia – damn expensive but tempting bike radar/lights system.
I don’t really adapt my training, I just change a little the type of competition that I attend during winter, I’m doing more bike and run and running. I continue to ride outside except when it’s really too cold or too rainy (i’m leaving in Seine et Marne). Thius winter I will try to do more home-trainer session.
I’m from Austria and in the offseason/winter I realy like cross country skiing, ski mountaineering and freeriding. It’s a nice addition to the indoor cycling.
After the november 29th marathon, i’ll decrease the mileage.
I put on spiked tires on my mountain bike and keep riding :-) When to much snow, its time for cross country skiing. Winter is awesome period for training, extremly refreshing :-)
Changing to indoor cycling and adding some cross-country skiing.
Run! I’ll find yourself!
I put my bike in the house for winter and put on my running shoes.
Nothing particular has changed, still running: cap on head + buff:) Waiting for payments to buy new fivefingers for running in snow…:) Fortunately it is still above 0 degrees in Poland.
I currently live in Greece, so no change in training plans. Once it becomes a bit more rainy, I just put on a running jacket with a hood. I’m one of those weirdos who likes to run in the rain.
The only sport that I don’t do in winter is swimming in open water.
Here in Geneva I’ll still be commuting on the bike, but once this Indian summer ends, weekend rides will mostly be swapped for skiing (downhill or cross-country) or running.
If you don’t win at first try try again.
Porto is a cloudy town to live in however it is a great place to train all year!
In the winter I ride less time on road but I compensate those rides with indoor trainning on rollers. On weekends I do complementary trainning on indoor swimming pool available in my parish.
Best Regards
During the winter I try to swim more than 3 time a week, more home trainer with velo reality video and long slow run.
Because I’m living in Barcelona, and normally our weather is not too hard, this means that I don’t need to adapt so much my training to winter conditions… the only adaptation in winter is that during week I make trainer sessions with my bike instead of go outside due to the lack of light when I finish my job :-)
Less riding, more runnning with warm clothes and carry on.
Nothing changed, since the place I live (Hong Kong) have a very mild winter.
Winter training means dreadmill and indoor trainer. If it’s around freezing, I’ll do about an hour outdoors but any colder than that and I’ll setup inside.
I like winter, no need to change my schedule (morning runs) but a good headlamp is necessary.
I just stay indoors.
I just wear some long sleeve gear and keep running…
Living in Brisbane, Australia, no need to change routine to much – it never snows here. May run a little later.
Now how to make a GPS watch work in the gym!!!
Weather is not too bad in California– Keep the runs outside; Bike on the kickr and TrainerRoad; give up swimming for the season.
Gloves and I am ready for any sort of cold weather.
More trailrunning, less roadrunning
Living in Paris, I simply keep doing what I do all year long (run & bike), plus some gym sessions to keep the core more active.
During winter, less biking, but more technical stuff in running and swimming, to be ready for the upcoming triathlon season !
braving the wet weather on saturdays
MTB when it’s not raining + core exercises.
I tend to sorta take the winter off. Bad, I know, but I usually need the break.
less hours on the road, more hours on the trainer :/
Northern Italy here, among the Dolomites.
Less to zero running, depending on the snow, some XCskiing, and hopefully a lot of swimming, at which I suck
(I suck even at running and xc, now that I think of).
Enjoy your winter, everybody out there!
(“rosé wine inspired tech rants”. good one!)
Rainy Denmark… Biking indoors, swimming too little, not much running.
Here in Barcelona just adding an extra layer of thermal t-shirt and ocassionally long pants for running, and started swimming training plan for next thriathlon season. No plans for cycling during Winter.
Winter usually means hoping on the turbo a few times a week but getting more into running. Dark Damp UK nights are no fun a bike
Not much changes, other than dressing up warmer! The main change is a reduction in long weekend rides, replaced by the turbo. Oh, and no lake swimming!
Embrace it – get the warm kit on and get out as much as possible (maybe not so much Open Water Swimming!)
Hopefully I’ll be hitting the gym more often adding some treadmill running and spinning classes to the mix. No more outdoor running because of the low temperatures here in Bucharest.
more: concept2 rowing, swimming, core training,spinning
less: cycling, outdoor running
Just switch from road/mtb outdoor to triner with Zwift and other VR workouts. This winter would like to add some techniсal tricks with some trail bike and started to RUN this summer – it’s really fun to run along frozen lake!
Add an extra layer and keep on plodding. However, we’re heading into Summer here in New Zealand, so I’ll think about donning the beanie and gloves etc. come April ’16. Enjoy the Winter folks.
I try to run more in the morning since I’m more motivated that time of day and it helps me push myself out the door. Afterwards I’m usually very happy of actually going out since it feels great to start my day with a run.
As its getting cold and the day gets shorter, I tend to switch more to bike (indoor) from running.
i just use 2 more layers of clothing :)
One word: Dreadmill
Instead of outdoor biking I’ll do more indoor biking. For running I bought a headlight that really illuminates dark hiking trails and use GTX-shoes. Thus, I’m prepared for the winter!
Winter is cycling off-season for me, so this means hitting the gym mostly (including yoga and stretching). I increase the amount of indoor cycling towards the spring.
I live in a place where even the summer is windy and rainy. So winter is not so different, except day length.To adapt, I put an emphasis during the winter monts on speed work for running and cycling with shorter workouts but more intense. And of course, I try to go to the swimming pool more often than during the sunny days (I know, it sounds strange for most people ^^).
And HT and traineroads are of course my best friends during bad weather days.
I just keep training and try to get used to the Scottish wind and rain!
MTB (or should I say VTT) in the weekends if the weather allows, alternatively spinning.
Running during the week, temps here are never too low
Also, gloves and a cap!
I get the turbo trainer out from where it’s been hiding over the summer. Usually to find it doesn’t work and needs replacing, meaning I miss three weeks since the clock went back.
Finally started last night at my usual 10pm by the time I get everything connected…
Put the bike in my trainer, turn on Netflix and Traineroad and ride.
I change sports, from running to eating… Oops :-/
Run, run, run,…No matter the weather
I’ll be riding indoor on my trainer…and still running outdoor fighting against the weather
I dig out the winter kit and keep on commuting to work, perfect time to get the training in :)
Just man up and get on with it… and maybe wear gloves, Reynard’s disease you see.
Roller skiing, cycling on a roller… trying to keep on outdoor swimming until christmas (living Norway).
Running as usual.
I bought some neat Tchibo sportswear, so I’m good to go in any weather, aren’t I?
I just put on warmer clothes.
Barcelona is not Hawaii but winters are becoming warmer year after year… so no changes at all, just more clothing
More indoor swimming, keep running, replace road cycling with Tacx and mountainbiking.
Rainy cold YVR: all rides now on the Kickr!
I’m one of those lucky ducks – I live in Florida. And it actually hasn’t cooled down here yet much at all – we still have 80 degree mornings. So I adapt by getting off the treadmill, putting in as many dry outdoor miles as possible, and actually pinning on a race bib now that it is safe to do so (mostly).
Sit on the inside ride six days a week and have at least one training camp in Europe each winter. And, of course, any time the weather eases off get on the bike outside.
As I live in Sweden where it is polar bear cold I just dd more layers for my runs. My bike-rides are reserved for intervalls two times a week on the trainer (max 60 min) and a longer ride on weekends (2-3 hours).
So I tri all year long, the only difference is that i listen to more podcasts so that the trainer sessions don’t feel as much as torture (the 2-3 hours ones always feel like torture, no amount of podcasts can make those sets fun :) )
Run (of course) combined with squash.
As a ‘serious’ runner I try to run just as much as in summer or even more often. Because winters in the Netherlands are really wet and I don’t like cycling in rain, so that’s no alternative. I just put on a little more clothes (not too much!) and keep running non-stop to stay warm. The waterproof Fenix 3 with its navigation features should keep me on track during dutch winters!
Nothing changes, only more clothes
Winter time means even more time spent in the hotel gym during travels… Beijing last week, Houston this week.
We hardly have any snow in winter in the Netherlands so i can run without a problem. I just wear long sleeves and long tights. And i run with a ‘visability jacket’ with flashing leds because it’s still dark when i go out at 07:00.
I change over from road cycling to MTB and onto the hometrainer. I also add other sports like basketball or running and dress up much warmer.
More time in the gym working on strength and core stability, more (threadmill) running, less cycling. And a few weeks of snowboarding!
I’m lazy when it comes to the cold and wet so tend to switch to using the gym. Not a weights fan though – I’m a climber so bulking up on muscle doesn’t help – but 30 mins / ~7500m on a Concept2 keeps the podge away.
Running everywhere
I’ll run indoors on my new TM :)
No changes, never stop running. Maybe warmer clothes and a Petzl because it’s dark more often.
In Australia, our winter isn’t a real winter…so it’s basically a matter of changing up times to match the daylight!
Otherwise, not much changes. We still run in shorts/shirts most days.
I run two times in the week during lunchbreak and one longer run at the weekend.
Beside that I try to keep us with stability training, like every year ;-).