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:
With TPC (The Pro's Closet), you'll save $40 on purchases over $200 with coupon code DCRAIN40 for tech and non-tech purchases!
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 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!
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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 2023 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.
Power2Max drops power meter prices nearly 20%, adds Praxis Works for chain rings
Power2Max announced here at Interbike that they are lowing their prices further – almost 20%, following price reductions and new product announcements at Eurobike just three weeks ago. Here’s the skinny: – The $899US FSA Gossamer will be a permanent … Read More Here
Now kicking off Interbike 2013!
Just as a quick heads up to regular readers that starting today Interbike 2013 begins. While the Outdoor Demo occurred earlier in the week, today the main indoor portion begins. Like Eurobike, you’ll see a slew of cycling-related posts from … Read More Here
Running hill repeats with the Velib bike share
The last few weeks in preparation for the upcoming Paris-Versailles running race I’ve been doing a variety of hill-related workouts on the main hill of the course itself (a nearly 2-mile long and 600ft climb). However, while that works out … Read More Here
Initial hands-on with Polar Loop activity tracker
Hello! My Polar Loop In-Depth Review is now published, and can be found here. Thanks! Today Polar announced their latest product – the Polar Loop. This marks a new area for Polar where they’re branching into the heath “activity monitor” … Read More Here
Week in Review–September 17th, 2013
OK…the odd Tuesday morning edition. This was slated for Sunday, but the FR220/FR620 post process took a wee bit more time than I expected. One of these days I’ll learn to take less photos… The Week in Review is a … Read More Here
First look at Garmin’s new FR620 & FR220 GPS running watches
I go hands-on with the latest Garmin running watches to see what’s changed this time around, looking at everything from VO2Max to WiFi. Read More Here
Garmin Vector In-Depth Review
I suspect in the sports technology world there was no product quite as long awaited as Vector. It’s taken years of attempted delivery dates to get to this past August, when they started shipping production units. Since being equipped with … Read More Here
The Girl’s 2013 Swim/Bike/Run Gear I Use List
(Update: You can find The Girl’s 2015 version of the ‘Gear I use’ list here) Yesterday I posted my updated 2013 “Gear I use List” regularly in my training or racing. As noted, it’s just stuff I personally use, not things … Read More Here
The 2013 Swim/Bike/Run Gear I use List
(Update: You can find my 2015 version of the ‘Gear I use’ list here) It’s that time of year again – the “Swim/Bike/Run Gear I use List!”. Like previous years, most of the items haven’t changed or shifted a ton. … Read More Here
Running my way to Château de Versailles
When it comes to races, it’s always highly advantageous to be able to pre-run or pre-ride the course ahead of time, especially if you don’t live in Florida where everything is pancake flat. In this case, I’d be running the … Read More Here
Week in Review–September 8th, 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: An evening market cooking class
With the summer over, it’s time to get some more Paris Blog posts up and (no pun intended) – cookin’ again. In fact, cooking would be the name of the game tonight. We had kept on toying with the idea … Read More Here
SRAM Quarq Riken Power Meter In-Depth Review
Back in the spring Quarq announced their latest additions to the power meter lineup by unveiling the Riken and Elsa power meters. The Riken unit replaced the previous Cinqo units, while the Elsa units acted as a non-SRAM RED option … Read More Here
Running Hill Repeats Into The Night
I’ve decided that anytime my coach sends over a map it always ends poorly for my legs. In kind of a mad scientist sort of way he sent over an e-mail a few days ago proposing a workout based on … Read More Here
The Power Meter Buyer’s Guide – 2013 Edition
[Please see my 2016 Edition of the Power Meter Buyers Guide Located here.] With all the new power meter products on the market recently, I figured it’s time to do a bit of a re-group and explain the options and … Read More Here
Riding off French cheese and meat platters
This would be the first full weekend we’ve had at home since the first week of August. It’s been a busy summer, or rather, was a busy summer. Sad that it’s now September. Friday night we continued our usual “Friday … Read More Here
Week in Review–August 31st, 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
Eurobike Day 2: The Fun Stuff
I’ll be honest and straight forward, there’s nothing fun about waking up at 7AM after falling asleep at 4AM. And honestly, ‘waking up’ is probably a strong term. It implies a state of alertness. I assure you, for example, that … Read More Here
Recon Jet: Hands on with the endurance sports heads up display
While the Recon Jet was introduced this past spring, it’s a project I’ve been following for quite a long time. I first sat down with the company over a year ago to talk about what athletes would want in a … Read More Here
O-Synce introduces new Bluetooth Smart accessories/displays, other cool functionality in software for power meter users
Here’s a look at O-Synce new products, and changes that better support power meter users. Read More Here
Eurobike Power Meter Update Post: Quarq, ROTOR, Pioneer, Brim Brothers & Ciclosport
As part of my Eurobike coverage I’ve published posts for all of the power meter companies that have released new products at Eurobike this year. Each of those companies had a separate post published on their new products. That included … Read More Here
Power2Max releases new Type S line, expands compatibility
This week at Eurobike, Power2Max has introduced their new Type S lineup of power meters, which expands compatibility across a wide number of crank sets, as well as reduces weight in the unit. As a refresher, I reviewed the 2nd … Read More Here
PowerTap’s new hubs, Bluetooth Smart Trainers, iPad apps, and more
Over the past five days PowerTap has released a slew of new products – some big ones, and some smaller updates. But, all definitely worth talking about. Before getting into it, as I’ve noted on a lot of recent posts … Read More Here
Kurt Kinetic shows off updated trainers
This week here at Eurobike Kurt Kinetic has debuted their latest updates to their existing trainer lineup. While none of these changes are massive, nor are they new products, I figured I’d take a second to give you the rundown … Read More Here
Hands on with the new Garmin Edge Touring GPS bike computer
Today (well, technically last night, just barely) Garmin announced the latest addition to their bike computer lineup – the Garmin Touring. I had a chance to spend time with the product team last April and give them a bunch of … Read More Here