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.
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
Running on the Cobbles
Last night while on my long run, I had a fair bit of time to think about cobblestones. Mostly because I was trying to avoid slipping, tripping or otherwise falling on them. The snow in my eyes didn’t help. Where … Read More Here
Week in Review–January 13th, 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
CES 2013: Health and Activity Monitors–Bringing it back to reality edition
How about them apples? Seriously, that was first thought about seeing the below situation from afar. The folks at the booth nearby had urged me to go over and try and ascertain what exactly was going on in there. Given … Read More Here
Hands on with the new Leikr GPS sports watch
It’s been a touch bit over a week since the Leikr watch launched on Kickstarter. The Leikr GPS sports watch has become instantly recognizable due to it’s larger full color screen – one that essentially looks like a Motoactv on … Read More Here
CES 2013: A look at what’s coming to me next week
While it’s always my goal to secures loot and gadgets to take home the week of the convention, sometimes that just doesn’t work out. The reasons usually vary, sometimes it’s because the company simply doesn’t have enough units on hand … Read More Here
CES 2013: The Loot I’m Bringing Back
I’ve got 12 minutes until my flights departs here from Vegas to Chicago (and thus onwards to Paris), so this is gonna be super quick. I’ve got lots more content than this, but I figured people might be interested in … Read More Here
