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.
An update on the CompuTrainer RacerMate One Suite
It was a year ago this week where we got one of the first public looks at the RacerMate One suite, during Interbike last year. Since then it’s been a long road for the Seattle based company as they’ve sought … Read More Here
Interbike 2011 Day 2 Overview (non-sports technology)
Ray’s note: The Girl put this post together, based on her wanderings around the massive show floor. Hope you enjoy! If you haven’t realized by now, Interbike is one very large conglomeration of organized chaos with a whole lot of … Read More Here
Hands-on with the Brim Brothers Zone cleat-based power meter
Last year when I was at Interbike I had the chance to sit down with Barry Redmond of Brim Brothers and talk about his work on their cleat-based power meter. At the time the meeting was conducted in a closed … Read More Here
Interbike 2011 Day 1 Overview
This first day at Interbike was (as usual) a complete blur. I had a number of demo periods scheduled (called appointments here) that left me running around back to back. Look for the results of all of those spread over … Read More Here
A hands-on look at the Sonic Walk Wearable Audio System
Ray’s note: The Girl put this post together, based on her time spent at the Outdoor Demo. Hope you enjoy! During the first few minutes of the outdoor demo on Tuesday I came upon a booth that immediately caught my … Read More Here
Everything you ever wanted to know about the Garmin Vector pedal based power meter
[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!] Without question the … Read More Here
Timex Announces Road Trainer GPS–New Cycling Computer
This morning Timex announced their latest ANT+ enabled GPS cycling device – the Road Trainer GPS/Road Trainer 3 (the exact name is being finalized). The RT3 is a full featured GPS based cycling computer that can track your ride track, … Read More Here
In Depth Review of the 4iiii Sport-iiiis ANT+ Heads Up Display System
It’s been almost a year to the day since we first heard about a small company called 4iiii, which aims to bring a heads up display system to a pair of sunglasses near you. Over the past year they’ve been … Read More Here
Interbike 2011 Outdoor Demo Highlights
For the type of reviews that I focus on, the Outdoor demo is a bit more fun than really specific testing work. Now there’s of course some testing that I was doing (which you’ll see in some later posts), but … Read More Here
And now…Live from Interbike!
Yesterday you probably noticed a flurry of reviews posted around these parts. If there’s any sign that it’s Interbike season – it’s nonstop posting about really cool stuff for five days. Well, ok, usually it spills over to more like … Read More Here
Hands on review of the Sony Ericsson Xperia Active ANT+ enabled waterproof phone
When Sony Ericsson added ANT+ capabilities to some of their Android phones last year, it was a pretty cool milestone. But with ANT+ comes the outdoors – and with the outdoors comes things that are generally considered ‘unhappy’ to electronic … Read More Here
In-Depth Review of the HeadsUp System Roof Rack Protection System
Back a few months ago I offered my views on how I avoid decapitation of my bikes when I pull into my garage after riding. Like most, my method is simplistic and functional. But it’s also tied to the reality … Read More Here
Review of 1BandID Sports & GPS watch ID bands
You’re likely very familiar with emergency contact ID tags – typically small bands that you wear on your shoe or person that identify who you are, and your emergency contacts. These are invaluable in case you get into trouble and … Read More Here
Week in Review–September 10th, 2011
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
Running from the floodwaters
Over the course of the day I watched from my home office window as the river across the street delivered all manner of items downstream. Garbage, soccer balls, tree trunks the length of school busses, entire 10’ trees standing upright … Read More Here
Bod Pod & Consumer Scale Comparison Tests: Part III (The In Depth Statistical Analysis)
(Note from Ray: Two weeks ago when I published the results of the Bod Pod and body fat scale testing, a reader who happens to be a PhD Candidate in Pharmaceutical Sciences – Nathaniel Page – made an offer to … Read More Here
A Packed Labor Day Weekend
This weekend was pretty packed with goodness. From flights to near-20 milers (running) to a full house sit-down dinner. Let the games begin! On Friday evening we flew up to Connecticut for a Saturday wedding – this would be the … Read More Here
End of summer Garmin FR610 Giveaway Results!
Thanks all for the great entries in the FR610 giveaway! If you haven’t had a chance to go check out all the entries (yes, all 1,300+ of them) – definitely go spend some time reading them. It’s so cool to … Read More Here
Week in Review–September 5th, 2011
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 look ahead to Interbike 2011
A little over a week from now the cycling world will converge on Las Vegas for the biggest show in the industry: Interbike. While EuroBike has been hammering away at it for the last few days across the pond, the … Read More Here
Tuesday nights at the track
The last few weeks I’ve been heading out just as the sun sets to hit up the track and get in my speed work. Why wait so late in the day though? Well I’ve been trying to get it as … Read More Here
Almost end of summer Garmin Forerunner 610 Giveaway!
Today’s the last day of August, which in my mind means it’s regrettably the end of summer. I know that technically summer doesn’t end until later in September – but since everyone considers September as ‘Fall’, that means that today … Read More Here
A look at Garmin Auto Lap by position for track and circuit loop use
Many of you probably use the most common version of auto lap today for your runs and rides, with it automatically marking laps based on a predefined distance such as every mile or kilometer. But if you’re doing a course/route … Read More Here
Running from Irene
The weekend started out rather calm – with a nice Friday evening swim at the outdoor pool. I had ordered a slew of different underwater MP3 players over the past few weeks, and for reasons unknown to me they all … Read More Here
Week in Review–August 28th, 2011
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