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
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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!
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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.
Garmin gives updated Vector power meter schedule (February 2013)
[Please Note: Garmin Vector has been released, you can see my first look at it here. In the interest of keeping things clean, I’ve disabled new comments here, and all comments should head over to that post. Thanks!] Today, on … Read More Here
Reminding myself about the nutrition wall…the hard way.
It seems to happen each year around early spring time. Usually early spring because that’s roughly when my workouts get long enough that I cross over the invisible barrier where I can get away with going low on nutrition. Typically, … Read More Here
A weekend cycling around the city multiple times
With my brother still in town after our ski trip, we continued to explore the city a bit. Of course, no better way than to get him into the kick of the Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday market near our place. He now fully … Read More Here
Week in Review–February 17th, 2013
The Week in Review is a collection of both all the goodness I’ve written during the past week around the internet, as well as a small pile of links I found interesting – generally endurance sports related. I’ve often wondered … Read More Here
An epic week skiing in the French Alps
This past week my brother and I have been down in Alpe d’Huez enjoying the fresh powder. Of course, most folks reading this will recognize Alpe d’Huez as the famous mountain stage in the Tour de France. That cultural history … Read More Here
Paris Blog: Friday night date night…at the restaurant supply store
While many couples may go out on the town on Friday night in Paris (or anywhere else for that matter), we’ve gone and created a bit of a twist on the traditional Friday night date night. In our case, we … Read More Here
Mio Alpha Optical Heart Rate Monitor In-Depth Review (Bluetooth Smart/ANT+)
This optical heart rate wrist strap measures your heart rate and transmits it to Bluetooth Smart and ANT+ devices. But how accurate is it? Read More Here
A flooded run and some brotherly love with new incoming gear
I arrived back from my US work trip into Paris on Friday evening. This would give me just about 15 hours until my brother landed here, following me across the pond. The two of us will be spending the next … Read More Here
Week in Review–February 9th, 2013
The Week in Review is a collection of both all the goodness I’ve written during the past week around the internet, as well as a small pile of links I found interesting – generally endurance sports related. I’ve often wondered … Read More Here
CycleOps Virtual Training In-Depth Review
While the CycleOps PowerBeam Pro has been around a while, their entertainment and training software – Virtual Training – just came out late last year. I’ve been using beta versions on and off since last spring, and with the final … Read More Here
A weekend building a (cardboard) boat before the Super Bowl
I’ve got meetings this week in Seattle, so Saturday mid-day I packed things up in Paris, connected to a flight in London and flew 9 hours to Seattle. I love these flights – the early-mid afternoon departures from Europe where … Read More Here
Week in Review–February 2nd, 2013
The Week in Review is a collection of both all the goodness I’ve written during the past week around the internet, as well as a small pile of links I found interesting – generally endurance sports related. I’ve often wondered … Read More Here
A Stockholm (Sweden) Runaround
I’ve been in Stockholm for work meetings since very late Sunday night (actually, technically, Monday morning). My schedule had a 2hr 20min run on the docket, with the flexibility to place that either on Monday or Tuesday, depending on what … Read More Here
Because it’s cold FR910XT Giveaway Winner!
Yes, it’s still cold. And, some 2,500 of you over the weekend shared your running/cycling/swimming/something activities in the cold. Quite a few entertaining reads in there – I definitely encourage you to scroll through some of them. Think of it … Read More Here
Stages Power Meter In-Depth Review
The Stages Power Meter is the first ANT+ and Bluetooth Smart PM on the market, all at under $700. But does it stand up to detailed analysis? Read More Here
Week in Review–January 26th, 2013
The Week in Review is a collection of both all the goodness I’ve written during the past week around the internet, as well as a small pile of links I found interesting – generally endurance sports related. I’ve often wondered … Read More Here
Because it’s cold: Garmin FR910XT Giveaway
Tonight (well, last night by time you read this), I was running. It seems like I’m always running. It was cold. Now to think of it, it seems like I’m always running in the cold too. Though not as cold … Read More Here
Wahoo Fitness KICKR now (sorta) available for pre-order
Wahoo Fitness opens up pre-orders on the KICKR Bluetooth Smart/ANT+ enabled trainer. Read More Here
The Great DC Rainmaker 2013 Survey!
It’s been nearly two years to the day since I did the last ‘Great DC Rainmaker Survey’ – and thus I think it’s time again to see what you all are thinking. When I did this last time, I was … Read More Here
Power2Max Power Meter In-Depth Review
In-Depth Review of the crank-based 2nd generation Power2Max ANT+ Power Meter, complete with detailed analysis and comparisons. Read More Here
A Snowy Parisian Run (and Sledding Into The Water)
It snowed! Well, obviously – otherwise I would have titled it “A not-at-all-snowy Parisian Run” It started snowing Friday afternoon, and stuck pretty much immediately. By mid-day Saturday it took a bit of a break. So I decided to head … Read More Here
Week in Review–January 19th, 2013
The Week in Review is a collection of both all the goodness I’ve written during the past week around the internet, as well as a small pile of links I found interesting – generally endurance sports related. I’ve often wondered … Read More Here
Paris Blog: A look at the Autolib: It’s like ZipCar for Paris
As many of you know, we don’t own a car here in Paris. When we moved over here – we sold off our two cars (to friends and family), and figured we’d figure it out as we went along. Given … Read More Here
LeMond and the LeMond Revolution Trainer are back in business
Just a quick post, as I’m heads down in a bunch of other items at the moment (including procrastinating going out running 90 minutes in some rather chilly weather). To catch those of you back up – last fall LeMond … Read More Here
A history of products destroyed in product review testing
As you already know, a lot of products come through my testing ‘lab’. After my testing is complete and my review is written up these products head back to their respective companies. Leave no tracks behind and all. But sometimes, … Read More Here
