I’m DC RAINMAKER…
I swim, bike and run. Then, I come here and write about my adventures. It’s as simple as that. Most of the time. If you’re new around these parts, here’s the long version of my story.
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You can use the above link for any Amazon country and it (should) automatically redirect to your local Amazon site.Want to compare the features of each product, down to the nitty-gritty? No problem, the product comparison data is constantly updated with new products and new features added to old products!
Wanna create comparison chart graphs just like I do for GPS, heart rate, power meters and more? No problem, here's the platform I use - you can too!
Think my written reviews are deep? You should check out my videos. I take things to a whole new level of interactive depth!
Smart Trainers Buyers Guide: Looking at a smart trainer this winter? I cover all the units to buy (and avoid) for indoor training. The good, the bad, and the ugly.
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Check out my weekly podcast - with GPLAMA, which is packed with both gadget and non-gadget goodness!
Get all your awesome DC Rainmaker gear here!
FAQ’s
I have built an extensive list of my most frequently asked questions. Below are the most popular.
- Do you have a privacy policy posted?
- Why haven’t you yet released a review for XYZ product you mentioned months ago?
- Will you test our product before release?
- Are you willing to review or test beta products?
- Which trainer should I buy?
- Which GPS watch should I buy?
- I’m headed to Paris – what do you recommend for training or sightseeing?
- I’m headed to Washington DC – what do you recommend for training?
- I’m from out of the country and will be visiting the US, what’s the best triathlon shop in city XYZ?
- What kind of camera do you use?
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5 Easy Steps To The Site
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.
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!
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.
My Photography Gear: The Cameras and Equipment 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! It’s a nice break from the day to day sports-tech talk, and I hope you get something out of it!
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 2021 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.
Search results for: ''skyline drive''
Skyline, Pork and Penguins
Today was (and still is) a busy day. We were on the road shortly after 6AM for the first Skyline Ride of the season. For those not familiar, Skyline Drive is a long 100 mile road that rides along the … Read More Here
An awesome training weekend here in DC
This past weekend has been both crazy busy – but also amazingly productive! While it’s not over here in the US (we get three days!), I’m going to recap two thirds of it, and save you from hearing about my … Read More Here
Blue Angels, Blue Suits*, Blue Ridge Mountains
This weekend was both busy and relaxing at the same time. Just depended on which day you were looking at. As we left off on Friday, I had finished up the Bike to Work with the bagel, and then biked … Read More Here
My favorite workouts in each sport
Yesterday while reviewing my schedule for the week ahead, I realized I’ve been on a run of workouts I really enjoy (or plan to enjoy). Saturday I’ve got my first trail long-run, and Sunday I’m back in the mountains for … Read More Here
Shenandoah Squirrel Showdown
Alternate titles: “My new girl is bi”*, “Sorry Mr. Squirrel”, “Rainmaker: 1, Squirrel: 0”….So my Sunday ride started more or less like any other. I got up at the asscrack of dawn (literally, before dawn) and jetted out to Skyline … Read More Here
A return to Skyline!
(Quick Administrative Note: If you don’t normally read the Weekly Mailbag – I’m looking for some feedback on whether or not you’re interested in having integrated ANT+ sensor technology in Smart Phones, particularly Android ones. This would allow you to … Read More Here
It’s cheaper than a night out…century rides.
After attending a wedding Saturday evening, the girl and I were mixing up our nutrition for our long ride the next day when I realized that I had just gone through an ENTIRE CONTAINER of my sports drink (EFS) for … Read More Here
Hammerhead Updated CLIMBER Functionality No Longer Requires Route
There’s nothing more consistent than the biweekly drop of new features coming from Hammerhead to their Karoo series bike computers. And this update brings a huge one: The ability to automatically get climb information as you ride, without needing to … Read More Here
Yogi, more Yogi, and Boo-boo
It’s been quite busy over the last week, with being just on the edge of full taper for Ironman, you think you have more spare time to do other random things than you really do. I think mentally I’m expecting … Read More Here
A Weekend of Trail Running and Mountain Riding
While I spent quite a bit of time myself working out, I started the weekend watching others work out. Or, more accurately, watching them race. The Carpenters Shelter 10K race was held on the street in front of our place, … Read More Here
Bikes Abound: I’ve Moved to Amsterdam!
This past weekend when we touched down back in Europe after three months away in Australia, we arrived home to a slightly different land. Rather than say Bonjour to immigration officers, we were instead saying Goedemorgen. That’s because we now … Read More Here
First hands-on look & rides with the Garmin Vector power meter
Over the past two days, a small number of publications have gotten a hands-on look at the Garmin Vector system – which starts shipping today (Wednesday, August 7th). In doing so we’ve collectively been able to ride with it, ask … Read More Here
Wahoo KICKR BIKE SHIFT: Hands-On and Initial Thoughts
Today Wahoo announced a more affordable version of their high-end KICKR BIKE, the new KICKR BIKE SHIFT. This slices $1,000 off the price in exchange for a few trade-offs, notably removing the built-in CLIMB-like up and down incline simulation, as … Read More Here
Cows and Corn? Welcome to Lincoln, Nebraska!
It becomes more rare with every trip I take that I actually get to go somewhere that I haven’t been to before. However, every once in a while comes along some trip that takes me to a place i haven’t … Read More Here
Goin’ compact on Skyline
One of the biggest benefits of having a coach is when he or she can look back at months of data and finds a way to assist you in getting better. In my case, it was almost a year’s worth … Read More Here
A look at a week of rides (and a run) in Boulder, Washington DC
It’s been a busy week thus far (and seemingly only getting busier, despite being Sunday). So I figured I’d catch folks up on where I am, and in doing so I have a post that isn’t about power meters (since … Read More Here
One way ticket
Typically my weekly long ride involves a long out segment…and a long back segment – all on Skyline Drive up in da mountains. However, this week…I’d be purchasing a one-way ticket. Instead of normally turning around at the 50ish mile … Read More Here
It’s getting hot in here
The good news is that I didn’t have to run. The bad news is I still had to bike…on the trainer…without a fan…indoors. And thus was the start to my birthday, a nice 65 minute trainer ride on little red … Read More Here
Riding along in a fog
Before we get to my foggy ride, we’ll start with my trail run. Coach and I made a last second change of venue to Prince William Forest National Park, instead of Fountainhead. The reason was that he came up with … Read More Here
A week of training in Seattle
After a pretty darn successful Sunday race in the Rainman Triathlon, I got back to work – and training on Monday. That included a relatively straightforward swim of a tad over 3,000 yards. One interesting thing is there are far … Read More Here
A relaxing weekend
This weekend I decided to lie low a bit. The last few weekends (ok..more than a few) have been so jam packed that I barely had time to breath. With the next few weekends returning to the same (race, family … Read More Here
Yogi!
In many ways, my weekends are somewhat predictable. Run, Swim, Laze Around, Sleep, Bike, Run. Repeat. But, I try and mix things up as much as possible to keep the routine from becoming stagnant. Saturday: I met up with the … Read More Here
Elite & Wahoo Reduce List Prices on Trainers
Over the past 7 days, both Elite and Wahoo have reduced prices on a few models of their trainers that directly or indirectly compete with the direct drive based Zwift Hub smart trainer. That trainer was announced one year ago … Read More Here
Zwift Increases Zwift Hub Price to $599
Today Zwift announced a slate of new software features for the upcoming season, including new roads in Watopia, Climb Portal updates, an entirely new methodology for racing categorization called Race Score, along with new features to take advantage of the … Read More Here