Heads up! The big Garmin spring sale has started, with $200 off the Fenix 8, $100 off the Edge 1050, Forerunner 965 at $499, Forerunner 265, the new Instinct 3, and countless other Garmin products. Plus the Apple Watch Ultra 2 Black Titanium 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.
-
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 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.
Short run on empty trails, felt great to feel the sun and breathe some fresh air
Fantastic mtb ride with my young son in a remote-ish area away from people.
Zwift tour of watopia!
Short rides on the trainer when taking breaks from the computer.
I ran four miles today. By myself. It wasn’t a strong four miles, and it wasn’t fast, but I felt better afterwards.
Easy weekday morning ride on zwift.
Running in the rain on Tuesday. Rain is a great social distance incentive.
Tour of watopia has been a great social distancing option. Here comes stage 5!
Did a cardio dance class on the Peloton app with my daughter and some yoga flow
Hey I need to get some new tech.
Did some weight training.
20 mile bike ride. Mostly Pavement with a bit of gravel
Seated & standing workout up to Alpe de Zwift! In quarantine for 14-days after a trip cut short as Canada mandates.
Zwift race.
Bowflex Max workout followed by kettlebell presses. Short and simple.
Ride alone outside.
Two hours of TrainerRoad before the family woke up. I can’t help thinking it would be a lot better on a Saris MP watchamacallit…
A nice hilly outdoor run on my personal semi-rural 5k loop on a gorgeously sunny day.
Watopia tour, spousal distancing ride
My kids are joining the fun of indoor training with me now! Socially isolating has made our family connect more…. but we could do with more equipment to make it truly work! We have been cycling everyday, today I had to cycle 3 lots of 15 miles with each of my kids!!
Good luck everyone and keep safe in these difficult times!
Working all week on my trainer to confirm there is nothing more depressing than a 1-hour trainer ride.
Tour of Watopia Stage 5 – Joined late, stayed in same group almost the whole ride.
Pushing hard on Zwift!
Stuck on Zwift because it’s still winter in Alaska…
18 mile mountain bike single track!
Rouvy Tour de Suisse Challenge
A TrainerRoad interval workout at a nearby outdoor velodrome
Rode my bike down the hill from my house and back up again. 30 minutes. Raining and cold. Felt … horrible.
Went for a walk
Ran in the trails … everyone is hunkered-down at home!
Cycled to work. Yes, still working. Yes, still riding outside.
6.5 mile run after work today.
TrainerRoad ride, Pierce. First one after a new FTP.
I woke up an hour earlier than normal to go on my run before everyone else!
28 mile outdoor tempo ride through Rock Creek Park in MD & DC. Waved to my mates who I would otherwise ride with. Took out my frustration with 120% over ftp sprints. Too tired to join GPlama on Zwift tonight
4 mile run along the highway. Not much traffic these days.
Kettlebells in the park
Just subscribed to zwift and did the Mountain Loop route in Watopia.
Solo ride on the mtb. 35min of steep uphill to the trailhead, singletrack climb, descend, bomb back home.
Went for a 5 mike run this evening. Pollen was flying in the air in Atlanta, but felt great to get the legs moving
Today I went for a 90 minute ride with some climbing and headwinds. My older Kinetic trainer smells like burnt hair and uranium when I use it, so I needs this.
I grabbed my first sprint Jersey on Zwift- London classique route. :)
Amazing 21 mile bike ride… south of Houston and traffic reasonable for a 6 o’clock ride keeping 2 m away from everyone…Even the cars that normally play pass as close to the cyclist as possible.
Stay safe and hope everyone keeps on keeping on…
I rode on Swift for an intense hour.
Managed a 60 minute ride on the trainer in the basement while the kids were playing as loudly as they possibly could…
Thanks, Ray!
Ran this morning in the dark.
Just completed a Zwift ride of 25 miles but 3700 ft of climbing that wasnt the Alpe……
I was out on a 5-10 mile haunt after being tied to the PC in WFH status all day when my spouse called and told me I’d better make it a good one because the gov just shut CO down! My jaunt turned into a great 21 miler along the Santa Fe trail south of cosprungs! Found out later that it’s NOT that restrictive – whew!
I went for a run outside and did intervals, keeping to the back streets so I didn’t see anyone.
The county in Tampa closed the Flatwoods loop which is relatively solitary, so I wound up going to Bayshore with the hordes. I stayed in the bike lane to avoid the crowds on the sidewalk.
Well, I was supposed to lead a meetup on Zwift in place of my usual Thursday Night Group Ride, but… my computer crashed with 30 seconds to go, and then when it finally rebooted my Kickr Core started acting up. So… “managed” is a really loose term here. But that was 3 hours ago ?
10k run around the neighborhood. I only had to move off the sidewalk to pass walkers twice.
A solo 4 miles tempo run in Central Park at 8:00pm to avoid the crowds.
I did a recovery ride on my Wahoo Kickr (OG version) today. The big achievement is that I’ve actually been exercising enough to need a recovery workout!
I absolutely buried myself on Stage 4 of Tour of Watopia.
Hi Ray! This morning I went out on my bike around the neighbourhood (I don’t want to go too far from home). Even though I’m riding alone, it’s still very rewarding.
My first outdoor ride of the year in quiet, empty, downtown Toronto.
Did an hour long session on the concepts ergometer in my pain cave
I just did the Canyonville ride on Rouvy. All alone in my basement…
My last workout was a self-ran Turkey Trot. Probably time to get started again.
Bench pressing my daughters.
Walked to town and back
I ran 5.5 miles around my neighborhood and finished inside with a Les Mills Body Flow video.
I’ve only could manager a set of push ups.
Some workouts I’ve got from YouTube.
Ran around the park with my dog. Six foot leash of course!
Solo MTB ride Big River, West Greenwich RI
5 mile run this morning felt fantastic.
Daydreaming of social group runs though…
I did an 8 mile run at 4 a.m. Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
Need to get some motivation to stay consistent in these weird times
I did a bunch of squats while brushing my teeth and then waiting for the shower to heat up.
Did my first FTP Test for this year on TrainerRoad…improved by 26 watts!
Did a Zwift race since everything else is cancelled.
I did a 33 mile ride yesterday, and my last workout was a FTP test on TrainerRoad
Pushups, air squats and lunges in the bathroom while everyone else slept
A family walk/jog around the park tonight
3hr solo ride at 1.2 VI
Short run on local greenbelt
I went on an early morning solo ride of 40 miles.
Zwift ride in the garage by myself.
Worked out on my rowing machine and then a run on the beautiful wooded trails in our neighborhood in Washington State. Saw about six people in five miles.
Quiet, solo trail run.
Ran an easy 7 miler with the wife still specula distance mind.
Did an outside cycling workout on an empty route near home.
Ab roller and perfect pushup inside followed by a run by the river outside. Denver is in lockdown but you still get one exercise trip outside per day.
Neo Tacx 2T on my Caad 10. Biked 18 miles on Zwift while watching Seinfeld
Working out alone in my garage.
A kind of madness overcame me and I decided to do a 115km, 4 hour effort of Zwift, my longest indoor ride ever. The time passed surprisingly quickly.
Building a chicken coop. I’d rather be cycling, but duty calls.
Today was a 1.25 hour trainer ride. A set workout, so I didn’t have to think too much beyond the pain in the legs. Shut up legs!
managed to do a 12km run before they locked us down. Only tacx rollers for me that last week and a half :(
I managed to do a run whilst maintaining appropriate distance. It did mean running down the middle of the road….. ;-)
In my basement with Zwift sweetspot workout
Attempted the FR945 threshold test, unsuccessfully.
12 miles on zwift on 3/24
Completed my first Zwift Crit City Race
I walked around my neighborhood while listening to the FIT file podcast
25 miles sitting in one place.
Have been able to walk my dog outside.
Rowing machine intervals