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 the 2020-2021 indoor training season. 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!
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FAQ’s
I have built an extensive list of my most frequently asked questions. Below are the most popular.
- 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?
- What are your least favorite countries/places?
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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 gadget recommendations guide and trainers here – covering 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 2019 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 2018 Gear Guide too.
Tag Archives: Christmas
Getting the Christmas Tree Home via Velib: 2017 Edition
Each year since moving to Paris, we’ve ended up buying our Christmas tree not terribly far away at the flower markets. While these markets are on the long list of tourism things to see in Paris, for us it’s more … Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend
Ahh yes, Christmas weekend! We ended up packing in quite the pile of stuff over the last few days, far more than normal. Albeit, mostly non-fitness related stuff. Instead, it was more about enjoying the holiday period. Here’s what went … Read More Here
The Santa Corrida de Noël 10K Race Report (2016)
It’s that time of year again! Yup, time to run with a few thousand other Santa’s as part of the 10K race, Corrida de Noël d’Issy les Moulineaux! We’ve been doing this race every year we’ve lived in Paris. Albeit, … Read More Here
Cycling home with the Christmas Tree
Since moving to Paris, it’s become a little bit of an annual Christmas tradition of ours to pickup our tree at the flower markets and then subsequently bike home with it. This would mark the 5th year of doing so, … Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend
There happens to be a few weekends each year that we know will be crazy busy…and this is one of them. It’s just a bit of a stars aligning sorta of things, where every possible event is on one weekend … Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend
Just a quick FYI/Reminder: I’ve added some new Cyber Monday deals including $110+ off on Garmin Epix, and my favorite Scosche Rhythm+ for 25% off, plus others like the Fenix3 deal end tonight. Full listing here! 1) Chateau Cake Deliveries … Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend
Woah, this was a crazy busy weekend for us. Pretty close to about as jam-packed as I think we can make things fit. Here’s the low-down (and this is skipping all sorts of stuff like a company that came and … Read More Here
The Santa Corrida de Noël 10K Race Report (2014)
This is our third year racing the annual Santa 10K event just on the edge of Paris. It has half a dozen different start waves over the course of the morning, from kids races to drop-dead serious racing of elites. … Read More Here
Photos of the Day: Our Christmas Tree by Parisian Velib Bikeshare
Earlier this week The Girl and I made our sorta-annual trek to pickup a Christmas tree at the nearby market. The first year we returned home via Velib (the bike share system). Last year, we ended up walking it home. … Read More Here
So you just got a GPS fitness device for Christmas? Start here: 2013 Edition
Congrats! So you’ve just unboxed a new GPS watch/device? Good deal, here’s how you can get started in understanding how best to take advantage of your newfound toy. Of course, unlike that dessert you’ll eat later on tonight (or, perhaps, … Read More Here
The last flight of the year, and other antics of the weekend
Finally, home. After over 250,000 miles of travelling this year – almost all for work – I took my last flight this year and go onto enjoying some time back at home. I was (back) in Mexico for a few … Read More Here
The Santa Corrida de Noël 10K Race Report (2013)
I eagerly signed up to once again race the Corrida de Noel 10K, just like we did the last year. As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, we knocked out packet pickup the night before – one of the last to … Read More Here
A weekend preparing for Christmas…and Santa Runs
Before we get to the Santa costume 10K race (where I actually ran hard despite the costume), we’ve gotta get through the weekend. Some folks have commented that I’ve been lacking some food and Parisian posts lately, thus, we’ll cover … Read More Here
Paris Blog: Getting our Christmas tree home by bicycle
Like the US, Christmas trees are readily available in France. Be it at just about every corner convenience store or small grocery, or even at gas stations. Here the trees are a wee bit shorter in general, and a little … Read More Here
The Santa Corrida de Noël 10K Race Report (2012)
This would be our very first race here in France. Now that things have sorta settled down between moving, opening a storefront, and just life in general, we figured a race might be in order. Of course, neither of us … Read More Here
A Newfoundland Christmas
As I’ve come to realize over the past few months, that when going to Newfoundland (home of The Girl), the journey is half the battle. I’ve yet to experience a trip there free of flights being dorked up, and this … Read More Here
Have a Merry Christmas!
To all those that celebrate Christmas, have a Merry Christmas tomorrow! And remember, it’s not all about training. One or two days a year you can enjoy it and just relax. (Photo from when the Christmas Tree fell over into … Read More Here