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.
ankle GPS tracker – a silent dream of every father
There’s no need. My daughter is where her phone is, and that I can easily track. (Of course, she’s long since figured out how to turn that off…) Anyway, she’s over 18 now, so I don’t stress as much. By the time Ray’s turn teenagers, maybe they’ll have implants or connected contacts or something like that.
Only if mandated by Dad & not a judge! ::eek::
Lovely post, glad to read all went well. P3 looks very aero in the first photo – clearly a chip off the old block. And I love Lucy’s expression in the second photo: “WTF?!? Another one?”
Just an aside, our Dutch language teacher one day heaped scorn on all the “yuppies” (I’m pretty sure that was the word she used) who buy fancy “bakfiets” to ride their children around. She didn’t consider it at all “Dutch,” and thought the time-honored trick using a classic omafiets and adding a saddle to the top tube (with foot rests on the down tube), a small seat to the rear rack, and a baby seat to the handlebars, was the only proper way to transport children. She compared it to the contemptible overconsumption of buying a huge SUV to haul around a few kids! I do have to say, it really looks charming seeing someone riding an omafiets with 2-3 small children arrayed around Mom or Dad, and the kids seem to dig it. That said, if I had small children here, I’d buy the same rig you did.
Yeah, we have plenty of other seats on our other bikes as well (and they actually do really enjoy riding them). Though, I’m not aware of any infant option until they can reasonably hold their head up.
I have transported our peanut in this contraption and will use it for our upcoming addition also: link to fiets-stoeltje.nl
It looks flimsy but is pretty solid & shock absorbing. Lots of snores were made by the little one.
Oh, yeah, there’s one in my neighborhood, and I see them at the nursery school by my place. The seat is much like what you have for P3 in the bakfiets, but maybe a bit smaller/less padded, so the tyke is essentially on their back. I believe the seat mounts to the stem, with the handlebars just to the sides. The seat/baby are oriented so the head is forward and the baby is looking up at the rider (just as in your setup now). It’s a setup that I don’t think would ever be approved in the US, but then neither would the crazy steep and narrow apartment stairs, or all the tripping harzards when you’re on the sidewalks in Centrum, or . . .
That’s right – i have seen those around. Though, it does also say min age 4 months…less so the 4 days we went with. :)
I believe Ray is making quite enough use of his cargo bike to justify it. Answers on a post card for alternative pedal based transport options for an exercise bike!
link to instagram.com
P.s. congrats to all at DCR HQ! :)
I really liked the kids trailer when they were very young. We had some kind of hammock, so we could use that one from the first month. 2 kids and everything for shopping went in without a problem. I’ve cycled a lot with 1 or 2 sleeping kids behind me, when they were young it was more comfortable than a ‘bakfiets’ for them.
We choose a Winther Cargoo when they didn’t have much room left in the trailer.
Today they mostly cycle, up to 50km a day is no problem for our youngest who is 4 now. For larger distances the Winther is still used, but I removed the seats to make use as a shopping bike much easier.
Congratulations to the peanut team.
En ook gefeliciteerd.
Congratulations on P3! Don’t worry, when they are teenagers, I’m sure there will be something implantable by then. ;)
BTW, I’m super jelly of the Urban Arrow and really wish that had been around in the US 17-18 years ago when my girls were babies. I probably would have done way more biking with them back then!
Congrats! Beschuit met muisjes ;-)
Congrats Ray!!!
I’m waiting myself for a new kid delivery pretty soon too.
I’m glad everything went well.
And congrats too the girl as well!!
Congratulations again, and as a father of dual-nationality kids (I’m English / my wife’s Spanish) I’d definitely suggest you do your best to get dual citizenship for your kids, you never know what the future might throw up.
Thanks! Yup, both P1/P2 are already dual US/Canadian, and P3 will be once all the paperwork goes through. The US process is very quick, the Canadian process tends to take about 6-9 months all-in.
Congrats but you are soooo outnumbered!
Congrats to you all
Congratulations
A while ago you mentioned that Cervelo P3 fit you the best. Or maybe ….. :-)
What an awesome post – welcome to P3 and congratulations to the rest of her family. I suspect life will never be boring in the Maker home.
Congrats! I have Peanut versions 1-4 myself. You have a full life for sure! Enjoy every minute!
Congrats Ray and family!
Ray, you are so totally outnumbered! Congratulations on P3’s arrival and commiserations on your diminishing sleep quota.
Congratulations! Very happy for the whole Maker family!! But 3.5 hours- eeeeegads!
Congrats, Ray and family! P3 is very cute in the photo with Lucy.
Re the 3.5 hours, it is even allowed and pretty common to give birth at home in The Netherlands :).
Ray, I just realized I’m not sure I’ve ever seen you mention any of the peanuts names…is that on purpose?! Curious what you named your wonderful baby girl!
Congrats!!
Congrats to You & Bobby. Enjoy every minute.
Beautiful pictures.
Congrats. Best of luck.
Congrats!
We had our second child in July. Curious to read more about tricks to tracking stroller runs.
Gefeliciteerd!!
Congrats to the Maker Family.
as terms of citizenship.
I hesitated to comment on the citizenship, but for tax reasons, it may not be a bad move, just going for the mom’s.
I hope you and THE Mom will get some sleep coming periods.
Ken
A big congratulations to you both. My sons are 9 and 11 and I was immediately taken back 9 years in time looking at your pictures..
Congrats!!! P3 looks so aero in that first pic. More importantly you are now in zone defense instead of man-on-man defense. Good luck!!!
Congratulations. Very happy for you. And I’m glad you kept the same naming convention and didn’t change it to something like P3s. Very soon you’ll have lots of testers to test the durability of the products you review.
Congratulations Ray and The Girl!
Congrats, and enjoy each others company!
Everybody always asks how the mother and child are doing, so I will ask how the father is doing.
Congratulations! As any good techie knows, redundant DNA backups are a must. You’ll want to store one offsite sometime in the next 20 years….
I assume like all manufacturers that P3 offers significant upgrades over either P1 or P2 ;)
Congrat to both you and the Girl on your new addition.
Félicitations et bon courage !
Congratulations guys, how time flies, I recall stumbling onto your site, and began to hear about your girlfriend, “The Girl”. Now up to a P3. Lol.
Mazal tov
As someone who also has multiple daughters, they are a gift. Congrats.
Congratulations Ray, the best for your family!
congrats to the family!
Congrats!
We had children in 3 countries, Netherlands is the best experience :)
Congratulations!
Congrats Ray & Family…
Congrats Ray & The Girl on your new addition. It’s an old joke but you have to switch from a ‘man defense’ to ‘zone defense’. Life is good! Best wishes!
Jeff
3 daughters! rijkdom!
Welcome to the club DC
Lucy looks so sweet and calm with the peanuts. What a lucky dog you have.
Congratulations to this new beautiful addition to the DCR team.
Lucy faces when looking at the new baby are priceless :)
Congratulations Ray and Bobby. Lovely stuff.
Make it truly crazy and push for 4.
Congratulations :)
My former OB nurse wife is astounded by the short hospital stay and wondered if you guys bike home from hospital? Congrats!
Nice one…or three! Congrats!
Congratulations.
I see you went the P3 and not the P3X…
Congratulations: you begin a soccer team ;)
Congrats! P1, P2, and P3. Next is Qualifying, then the Race (Little F1 joke…) Seriously, congrats to all!
Congratulations…daughters…I have two sons…always wanted a daughter! I really enjoy seeing your family grow, beautiful tots.
Congratulations Ray and “The Girl” and big sisters.
what’s her actual birthday Ray…we had a new addition arrive on Oct. 10…
congrats!
Congrats Ray! Now you’re totally outnumbered!
Congrats to the entire family! Lucy is sooo cute (P3 too). The girl is just amazing, cycling around. That’s a double thumbs up. I can’t remember seeing the day light before a week post birth
Congrats! And yes, you’re definitely outnumbered :D . Like a friend of mine once said, at least you have also a pet (dog in your case), so that you’re able to “boss” someone ;)
Firstly Mazel Tov as we say.
Secondly wouldn’t you be concerned, or I’m curious to hear your point of view about head vibrations and newborns brain development until their one-year-old putting them in some sort of car seat in a bike or trailer. When we had a newborn read many articles is that it can cause permanent brain damage all the vibrations at that small age.
No concerns here. The bike paths here are great, and actually the car seat adapter for the bike has a shock/spring thingy built into it. Kinda neat. She just sorta floats.