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.
-
Check out my weekly podcast - with DesFit, which is packed with both gadget and non-gadget goodness!
-
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…Congrats to you and The Girl. Your new tester is the cutest ever! Well, maybe the pic with Lucy is the cutest ever. When we had our 1st, we had two big dogs (55 kg each). Both were the sweetest things with the baby (well, they were sweet to start with…). I don’t know how animals pick up on that vibe, but they do seem to… Anyway, enjoy this period – it’s phenomenal!
Well done! To the three of you.
You’ll find the backpack carrier is an awesome way to get around town. Heck, it’s even works while on the treadmill when someone decides they’re not sleepy without out some motion.
The goofy picture hamming seem to be more of a trait inherited from mom — it’s all good.
Enjoy!
Great review of the cutest product you’ve featured! Congratulations to you all, hope the functionality to automatically enter sleep mode at night time is released soon?
Congrats,
and enjoy being with here, most of the cliches are true, they do grow up very quickly.
and btw I can asure you that your step count will plumet. activity trackers don’t count your steps while pushing the stroler. the only way is to push with one hand (but be aware that strolers do have a mind of there own and don’t always go where you want them, also known as bad surface of the road :))
h
Wonderful story and so happy for you all!
Congratulations and the best of luck to your lovely family!
Congratulations to you both!
Congratulations!
Our son is 2 years old now. We used baby wearing / baby slings and still use a buckle carrier now when he gets tired when we are out and about.
Congratulations! What a wonderfull story!
Congratulations, That got to be one of your best reviews
!
Good job! Congrats!!
Welcome to the biggest adventure of all! Glad everyone is happy and healthy!
Congratz to you 3
Congrats, Ray!
מזל טוב, אושר ובריאות
doron
(translates to: Good luck , happiness and health)
Congrats to the girl and you for the new product :-)
Congratulations to you both!
Congrats to you and The Girl.
My only advice would be to enjoy sleep while you can!
Congratulations !!
So cuuuute!
congrats to both, specially to Mum who did the hard job :-)
Ray, looks like it is not 100% natural to hold the baby.
welcome to this crazy adventure
Congratulations Ray and The Girl! As a very recent new parent myself (actually also a daughter born almost at the same time by the looks of things), I’ll be watching the blog even more closely than before for all the parent-focused sports tech that’s sure to come! First up, running stroller in-depth review :)
Congrats, Ray!!
Congratulations to you both.
She’s adorable.
Great news mate. Congrats. Welcome to the ‘ condensed’ ‘time crunched athlete’ training schedule ;) Breast feeding is your friend too ;)
Congratulations to both of you and welcome to your nice little baby!
Awesome !
she’s so cute ! congrats guys !
And she’s gonna have so much fun with Lucy
Congratulations!!! I wish you three all the happiness in the world.
Congratulations to you both
Congratulations to you and the girl! And the baby girl? What’s the code name for the baby?? I hope it’s not going to be “tester #3”! :-)
Congrats all! The Lucy story is too cute.
Congratz! Enjoy yourselves, get some rest when possible, you will need it at some point ?
Congratulations Ray! Welcome to a whole new part of life.
I wish you three the very best! Congratulations to the Girl and you!
Congratulations….
Be prepared….
Did you think of changing her name to reflect her favourite sport?
Congrats!!
Congratulations Ray!
Congrats to you, The Girl, and to the new arrival!
Congrats to you both,
The Girl first, because ladies first in any case, and then because she worked actually a lot harder than you to make such a masterpiece…
All the best !
max
Congrats on the new product. I hope it’s everything you’ve dreamed of plus more!
Congrats on the newborn
Congratulations, having e girls myself I can guarantee a great ride. And if you want boys in the house, worry not, you’ll have more than you want in no time!!
Congratulations to the two (three!) of you!
Life will never be the same again!
Congrats!!!!
Congratulations Ray!
“yesterday was passport picture day…and it was hilarious…she’s gonna hate us someday”
Ray, there’s no guarantee that when you’re ready to collect Social Security, it’s going to be there. But one thing is certain: once she has money, your daughter will pay to keep embarrasing photos and stories off, say, Instagram. Consider it an investment in your future. (I certainly have mine all lined up for when my teenaged daughter starts having an income. Right now, all she has is an outgo.)
Fear not, since we had to get enough passport photos for both Canadian and American systems, we’ve got like 98 copies of her little mug.
Congratulations to fresh mam and dad ;)
A huge thanks all – we’re amazed by all the comments (and the advice, especially the funnier advice)! :)
Congrats to you both!!!
Congrats!!
Congratulations! What a blessing!
I suggested to my friends, that they could put an activity tracker on their newborn, and maybe publish the findings every once in a while to have some public data on the human growth. they refused, but you could do it. think of the statistics!
Excellent news. Congratulations!
Congratz to you all!
Congratulations! Does she have a Strava account yet?
Warm congratulations!
All the best and a lot of health to whole extended family! ;)
Felicitations!. Looking forward to more baby/child product reviews. I’m the grandparent responsible for keeping our 3 grandchildren on 2 wheels.
Congrats to you and the Girl – now girls!
Congratulations! Enjoy every minute of her!
And fingers crossed this means more baby-related reviews! We’re thinking about getting our family started – I’d love to see your thoughts on running strollers and bike trailers :)
Congratulations to you and the Girl, Ray!
Congratulations to The Girl and to you!!
I hope the baby chair you use in the care on the pic is only a temporary solution. We have 2 kids as well and as long as the cannot sit without help, you should use something like a “MaxiCosi” or Brittax Baby-Safe to relieve pressure on the spine.
Hi Ray!
Are you actually gonna perform some test reviews of baby related stuff?? My wife is expecting for November, and I would definitely be interested in reading some baby activity tracker review :)
Congratulations! Just welcomed my first son into the world 2 weeks ago, sleep is overrated..!
Great to hear all of you three are fine :)
My only advice that was passed to me by elder friend was to let my wife and baby sleep in the room I do not sleep at. And we all lived happy lives since then.
Best wishes. Enjoy the adventure.
Congrats Ray and also congrats to the girl,
Nothing will ever be the same but I guess you guys know that already :-)
It will only get better and better in the next months and then all the sudden the little baby will be 2+ years old.
All the best and as already stated….enjoy it to the fullest.
Congratulations Ray and The Girl!
Such nice pictures and a lovely room! Lucy will the best caretaker I’m sure :D
Congrats, may you all have long and happy lives. is current location family friendly in terms of her being able to play with friends as she grows up, might seem like a long way off but time will fly and city centre living here in Ireland is definitely not family friendly and most flee to the suburbs where kids have chance to kick ball and ride their bikes etc, I’ve no idea how it works in Paris.
Congratulations!!!
A wish for decades of happiness for all of you.
Congratulation you and The Girl!
Congratulations
Nice job guys! Congratulations!!
Well Done guys! she is beautiful! my best wishes.
Congratulatulations! Enjoy every minute with her!
Congratulations !! I am very happy for the 4 of you…..
Congrats Ray!
Glad to hear you are all doing well and getting into a routine.
Nursery looks great. Excited to hear how you like the running stroller too. Expecting my first late August/early September and planning on getting the Bob revolution flex which I am excited to try when the little one is old enough.
Anyway, all the best!
Congrats Ray! Although I loved our BOB as well as the other cool baby gear, the worst had to be the diaper pail. Those things never work as intended or block the smell. Good luck with all the changing….new workout idea, run one mile for every diaper used in a day!
Congratulations!!!
Belated Congratulations Ray. Maybe you’re halfway to becoming Canadian. Or French. I became a grandfather for the first time 4 months ago. If anything the sense of wonder is more profound. Enjoy, and be blessed.
Congrats Ray, super cute!! Looking forward to her first reviews :) Really like the bottom picture with Lucy
Congratulations to you guys! Its good to see the behind the scene life of our famous triathlon and endurance sport product reviewer! keep up the amazing work. For me, No purchase without first checking your site.
A fan from Hong Kong Tritons Triathlon club (with frequent visits to Paris)
Benjamin
Congrats Ray,
Looking forward to the baby gear reviews, especially the running stroller! It has opened up a whole new market for you.
I have a Thule Cougar 2 that I couldn’t recommend highly enough and it also converts to a bike trailer. Maybe we will see a shoot out review…
Congrats to you and The Girl! Keep up the good work and get ready for the best ride of your life!!
Felicidades, Ray! Congrats to you, The Girl and the beautiful baby! I wish you all the happiness in the world! Great pic at the Luxembourg Gardens! However, I must say Lucy’s pic takes the gateau!
Congrats Ray and The Girl!
Congrats!!!
Most hearty and wonderful congratulations. You’re only a couple of years away from being able to tote her around in one of these: link to tagabikes.com
Woo Hoo!!!! Congratulations to your little fam
I don’t know why, yes I do, but I just started to get a little teary eyed looking at your beautiful baby girl. Congratulations to you both!!!
Congrats big time !
Congratulations Ray. Glad to read that everybody is well and thriving. You’ve both just entered the most amazing journey ever!!! Enjoy.
Cheers
OB
Congratulations !! All the best to your growing family. Now it’s time to start working on the next one. Your little girl will want a bother/sister to play with!
Great! I wish the family can have great moments with her and the world get amazing things she will do.
Congrats guys!
Great review as always… Now looking forward for all the good stuff she is going to test.
Many Congratulations and a good night sleep…
Congratulations – that is fantastic news. Best wishes to you all.
Enjoy, that is all that matters
Congrats!
I am so happy for you three!!
Patenting and Grand parenting are the most important jobs in the world.
You’ll make great parents and she is a sweetheart!
All the best, forever!
Steve
Well done and congrats to you! The new cycle of life begins! It’s a life changer but a great one. I’m sure these new adventures will be exciting and challenging as any tri!! All the best and God bless you all!
Way to go. Now try and get that bike ride outside while the Girl is working :) Welcome to my life now.
David
Ray, congrats to you and The Girl.
Congratulations to the new parents!
Congrats! Beautiful baby!
Congratulations, Ray! What a beautiful, wonderful baby. You guys will make great parents, and she’ll have the greatest experiences with you.
Beautiful baby! Thank you for sharing your home life just a little. Pictures made my wife and I smile, and as always clever writing. As a dad myself I teared up seeing the newborn for the first time.
How about you, Ray, did you squirt a tear of joy?
Congratulations to all three of you from north nowhere Canada!
Each child is a fragile part of you yourself that increasingly grows beyond your protection and influence. Guiding them along that road is scary, and often frustrating, and endlessly demanding (trust an old parent on that one). That said, children bring a whole new perspective to life and are the best reason to try to make the world a saner, kinder place.
All the best!!!!
P.S. If The Girl ever listens to Podcasts, check out The Longest Shortest Time! Great listening for the middle of the night.
This could open up a whole line of work….testing baby gadgets
Congrats to you and The Girl!
Congrats – When you do the front-mount bike seat test, use a weighted dummy. I had a few scary seconds before craigslisting that guy. Watch medium speed turns on the trailer test .
Congratulations, Ray! Wonderful news – very happy for you…!
That last picture of Lucy bringing Babymaker her toys is the most precious thing ever! Congratulations to your family.
Congrats Ray! Wondering if you have plans to review the Nanit baby monitor (https://www.nanit.com). We’re expecting in December, and this looks like the best baby monitor by far (assuming they deliver on time, as most crowd-sourced products don’t…). Also contemplating whether to go with the Nanit Insights unlimited or the regular plan. Thanks!
Interesting, I hadn’t heard of it before. Will have to poke around a bit at it.
Congrats! Really sweet babygirl!