Heads up! The big Garmin annual spring sale has started, with $200 off the Fenix 8 (first sale to date!), $100 off the Edge 1050, Forerunner 965 at $499, the Forerunner 265, the new Instinct 3, and countless other Garmin products including inReach Mini 2. Plus the Apple Watch Ultra 2 Black Titanium is on sale, and some Suunto & Wahoo product deals too. Full list & thoughts 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 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.
I’ll be doing a tour over all climbs on Watopia while watching the pros get wet on Strade Bianchi.
HM for me this Saturday morning, so the afternoon will probably involve a leisurely recovery ride :)
Zwift, here I come :)
We’re back to winter weather here in the Northeast, so I’ll be Zwifting all weekend.
Going to give my new wheelset a spin (if the rains stays out).
I plan to ride with the guys on Sunday to get our obligatory coffee and bagel or cookie. Saturday will be on the Wahoo kickr paired with Trainer Road unless a good deal of the snow melts by then.
I will be biking somewhere around the Twin Cities due to extremely warm weather for early March in Minnesota
As the spring classics have started, I will join organized tour, 105k with lots of classic cobbles in Flanders.
Some simple spinning on the trainer since I am recovering from knee surgery.
Trainer, trainer. I’m not hard enough for 17 degrees F.
I have a shitty little tri on Sunday – 400m swim, 10km ride and 4km run. Should be fun though.
Hopefully two great rides in 80 degree weather (and sun) after being out of town all week. Just glad to get back on the bike this weekend.
Moving old bikes into new shed and wife’s birthday dinner.
My weekend plans are for a solo workout Saturday and a team ride Sunday.
Still very cold so I will hit the trainer both Saturday and Sunday, big fan of sufferfest. Need to improve FTP.
I will be riding outside of London, probably towards Essex.
Man, what a weekend it’ll be! First, it’s a 30km round trip work commute with Schwalbe studded tires, then a 2hr TrainerRoad session in Saturday on the trainer. If the family gets its way there might well be some hot ski action too!
sadly have to take the weekend off
45 Miles on Watopia if the weather turns out as forcast
I’m hoping to get outside to ride but since I’m in Seattle that’s probably going to be rained out which means a 25 mile ride on Zwift.
A 90 min ‘date night’ with my trainer as I continue my TR training plan.
It is still cold here in Canada. So I’ll be joining a group ride on zwift and be sweating it up in the basement.
I’ll be hiding from the snow and ride Zwift instead :)
Long ride on Sunday it’s the last chance I’ll get for a couple of weeks due to travel plans
Dan
Interminable long rides, punctuated by working the parking lot at the mtbnj.com short track race.
Aiming to finish TrainerRoad’s 8DC 2015 stage race (2 left to go).
I’m taking off work early today to go on a 37 miler – the longest so far this year.
Hill repeats before, during, and after my son’s soccer tournament. What else?
Will hop on the trainer for a spin this morning, but am out of town the rest of the weekend. Only dreaming about cycling…
A couple of 1 hr FTP boosting trainer sessions and a med-long ride outside if the weather holds.
Watching my daughter swim in PIAA district meet. Hope to find a couple hours in the basement trainer dungeon.
The trails, weather permitting
Exploring the lower Pyrenees east of Barcelona this weekend!
Likely to squeeze in some time on Zwift as I will be away from home till Sunday pm
Over the weekend- fixing up my old mountain bike so that I can begin coaching our new school cycling club. Then back to some Zwift as it’s supposed to reach a high of 30 F here in New England.
Hot tub!!!!
zwift indoors cause way too cold outside
A light cross training on my Magnus.
Checking out a new route through the national parkland with the girl!
0 cycling. Catching a plane from US to France for some R&R
I’ll be biking indoors on my trainer.
When I see the weather forecast…nope, no cycling this weekend, or it must be indoors.
Still don’t have a power meter. Can use one and I want one.
greetz
Well, if the temps stay in the low 20s here as predicted, may have to settle for some skate skiing!
I will be flying out to Mallorca (Spain) on Saturday for a bike camp!! Would love to see a package from Clever Training when coming back ;)
Ride my velotron
Still fighting knee issues, so likely looking longingly at my bike. :(
This weekend is still cold here, I will try to ride about 20 miles on Sunday if the weather permits.
What a weekend coming up, 3 days with temps in the late 30’s, early 40c’s. Still, great to ride, group ride sat, hills on Sunday, and a local smash fest called ‘old papa’s on Sunday.
Recovery ride on the trainer Sunday because it’s 6 friggin’ degrees here again!
Probably not much cycling, but I am doing my first marathon on Sunday. Maybe a little spin afterwards to flush out the legs.
Sprained my MCL a couple of weeks ago, so I’ll be putting in a out 2 light hours on the trainer as part of rehab :(
Hi.
My plan for the weekend is to have a smooth bike ride with the goal of passing through at least 20 citys/villages (small or big it does not matter :) )
A quick trainer ride before driving to CT Saturday morning.
I’m loving the warming weather, I knocked out a mid week 50 miler this week, looking forward to at least the same for Saturday.
Planning weekend for my first french diagonal. Menton-Brest
Officiating a high school basketball state final this weekend…but hoping to get on the trainer for a while as well!
Friday working till 3pm (UK time) from starting at 6am. Once home the. An hour or so on Zwift followed by a date night with the Wife.
Saturday 100k ride with a ride up King Alfreds Tower in Somerset followed by a cider or two.
Sunday if the date night went well then another ride. If not then who knows.
MTB ing
It’s a gym weekend for me as it’s chilly out, then maybe some zwift.
This weekend will be a little colder than the previous here in Massachusetts so I’ll be keeping it short, probably just a few miles trying out the freezing cold trails of Weston.
We finally have snow on the ground today. Not enough to x-country ski, too much to ride my road bike. So I guess I’ll be hitting the rollers.
Well, we have another cold weekend ahead of us here in the North Eastern US with temps just above freezing. So some more indoor training for me.
I will try to find the time to get my bike ready for the road after a long winter break, maybe take it for a 40-50k spin.
Building up a new bike! So probably about 10 minutes of test riding. If I’m lucky….
My cycling plan for the weekend is to replace a tubular tyre (having only glued tubulars once before myself..) and if successful finally get on my Kinetic trainer with Trainerroad
Zwift ride because of bad weather and babies at home.
Just an easy 20 miler.
Trainer ride on Saturday, hopefully followed by a long sunny ride (~40 miles) Sunday.
A perfect weekend for two 40 mile rides!
Trip to Alabama for 5 days of riding, escaping the remain sure to be mandatory trainer days in Cincinnati. Will cover about 425 miles, 25,000 feet of climbing, with a great group of friends.
Ride on!
I will be doing ~2hr aerobic training ride on Saturday and a post-run 30min recovery ride on Sunday.
Some chilly miles out in the Potomac/poolesville,MD area….
Winter is back in New England, so some trainer time for me.
Tomorrow’s weather here is going to be amazing (high 70-ish) so I’m planning on a longer ride, maybe 40-50 miles, see if my dad wants to join me. And then on Sunday my wife and I will be doing our 2 Big Bridges route (~30 miles, crosses two major bridges over the Missouri river). She wants to make that kind of a Sunday ritual for us, and it’s a nice ride so I have no objections.
I’ll be cycling in the hills near Canal du Midi
Its gonna be a little chilly here this weekend, so if any cycling happens it’ll be on the trainer or a spin class.
Will be doing ~60 minutes inside Saturday and hoping to get out on my mtb Sunday. Thanks!
It’s raining here in the Pac NW, so I will be on my trail bike riding in the mud.
I rebuilt my 2009 Cervelo S1 and I’m taking it for a spin early saturday morning. After that, it’s all about my 2 year old boy. We have swim class and then the boys get to hang out afterwards.
Cycling around Vista Chinesa & Mesa do Imperador (part of the Rio Olympic course)
This weekend, I will be doing a 100mi ride that encompasses northwest Louisiana as well as East Texas!
Maybe an hour or two on the trainer.
Riding up Zwift Volcano.
Currently no cycling plans for the weekend. There is still some snow left. Will go skiing. ;-)
My plan for cycling this week-end will be a short ride saturday and a longer one on sunday if the weather is sufficiently nice in Paris.
FTP test probably
Going to check out the 3 new Sufferfest videos..
No biking, but this is the last weekend before the Tacoma St. Paddy’s Day Half Marathon, so it’ll be a short(er) run, probably in the wind and rain (thank you PacNorWest). And thanks to Clever Training and Ray for finally letting me win a DCR Give-a-way!
Try to get in a couple outside rides if the weather cooperates
Trainer ride Sunday ride… go me!
Indoor trainer ride with Trainer Road, and if the family is healthy enough and the weather cooperates, a trail run with friends.
Sadly, just indoor trainer time for me – but still happy to be healthy enough to do it!
Getting out on the MTB this weekend.
I’ll be riding a hilly 50-60 miles near Oceanside, CA.
rest rest rest
Catching up on the training I’ve been neglecting!
Weather will be a little on the cold side here in Virginia this weekend so I’m likely riding the indoor trainer.
No time to ride, but hopefully a long (slow) run.
Trainerroad Sustained power build Week 3 Mid Volume, both weekend rides!
A slow, long distance run. No cycling: plenty of snow on the ground and -12C…