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.
Tag Archives: Giveaway
The Because It’s Cold…and January…Giveaway
This morning I landed back home in Europe after being in DC for a couple days. In doing so, I increased my environmental temperature by approximately 50°F….to approximately 50°F. Just think, if I did that again it’d be like being … Read More Here
The Giveaway Extravaganza Winners!
Now that everyone has had time to take a breather (though likely still waking up in a bit of a post-giveaway extravaganza hangover), it’s time to announce the winners! First up, I want to say a huge thanks to everyone … Read More Here
Giveaway Extravaganza: The ‘iPack’–Wahoo RFLKT, 4iiii’s Viiiiva, Blue SC, and more!
All good things must come to an end…and the end is regrettably here. And by here, I mean after explaining this last giveaway. I decided to make a bit of a basket of things for the iPhone/iPad/iPod carrying person. First … Read More Here
Giveaway Extravaganza: Garmin Edge 510 or Edge 810
Sometimes you just can’t decide. Like when eating donuts. Apple fritter or maple bar? That’s sorta how it was for this giveaway. I couldn’t decide between the 510 or the 810. Some folks want mapping, and some want a slightly … Read More Here
Giveaway Extravaganza: Wahoo Fitness KICKR Trainer
I told you I wasn’t going to stop with just watches and power meters…. While it may be a few days into summer for those of us up north, that doesn’t mean you can’t spend some quality time on the … Read More Here
Giveaway Extravaganza: Garmin FR910XT GPS Multisport watch
Sometimes you just need a friend when you’re going out and swimming, cycling and running 140.6 miles. No, not scuba fins like Finman. But something more technologically advanced, like, the FR910XT. This multisport watch will track your swims, bikes, and … Read More Here
Giveaway Extravaganza: SRAM Quarq Riken Power Meter
What? You thought I’d be just doing watches today? Oh how wrong you are…you just wait…I’m only getting warmed up. The Quarq power meter allows you to more accurately pace your race and training efforts, ultimately increasing the likelihood of … Read More Here
Giveaway Extravaganza: Timex Run Trainer 2.0 GPS Running Watch
Yes, that’s a glass of chocolate milk. When I went sifting through my library of product photos for the single shot to use for the Timex Run Trainer 2.0 giveaway, I stumbled upon the above photo. It was in a … Read More Here
Giveaway Extravaganza: Polar RC3 GPS Running Watch
There’s no question that the RC3 is my most favored Polar product to date. It’s the first Polar unit to fully integrate GPS into the watch itself. The unit is primarily aimed at the running crowd, but can easily do … Read More Here
Giveaway Extravaganza: Suunto Ambit 2 GPS Multisport Watch
First up this year, the Suunto Ambit 2! This triathlon focused watch crossed over from starting off as a hiking/ultra-runners watch and then within the Ambit 2 line, they added in all triathlon sports (swim/bike/run/multisport). Of course, even if you … Read More Here
Starting in 24 hours! The DCR Giveaway Extravaganza!
For those loyal readers who were around last year, you’ll remember the massive Giveaway Extravaganza I launched last year about this time. Normally when I do a traditional giveaway, I giveaway a single item and the entry period lasts a … Read More Here
The Easter You Choose The Gadget Giveaway Results!
It’s time to draw the winners of Sunday’s ‘Easter Edition: You win, you choose!’ giveaway. Like last month, I let you choose which device you wanted to win. It’s fully up to you whether you want a cycling or running … Read More Here
An Easter You Choose The Gadget Giveaway!
Today’s Easter. And even if you don’t celebrate Easter, you can instead celebrate the chocolate bunny…or, as is apparently also the case here in France – the chocolate chicken (and, even an odd rash of Chocolate Nemo’s I’ve seen too). … Read More Here
You Win You Choose – Giveaway Winner!
It’s time to draw the winners of last week’s ‘You win, you choose!’ giveaway. This was the first time I let you pick your own prize, whereby you got to raid the pantry for whichever device you want. The name … Read More Here
You Win–You Choose DC Rainmaker Giveaway!
Because it’s the end of February (already!), and because this month got shorted 2-3 days. And because I found two cake stands while The Girl was out today and they made pretty holders. No, I didn’t tie those bows. Or … 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
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
Garmin FR10 Quadruple Giveaway Winners!
Over 1,700 of you entered the FR10 giveaway (including the e-mail Active Duty entrants), which only was open over this past weekend. Pretty crazy numbers! I had asked each entrant to simply list their first race of the 2013 season. … Read More Here
Garmin Forerunner 10 Quadruple Giveaway
Perhaps you didn’t score big last week on Black Friday, or Cyber Monday with a deal. Perhaps you were focused on getting the big screen TV or deep fryer. Maybe you were busy running a turkey trot. Or perhaps, you … Read More Here
Garmin FR910XT Giveaway Results
Wow, another crazy packed giveaway! All in, there were over 1,900 entries! Of which, 1,891 were entered in on the site, and another 19 folks came in from the US Active Duty e-mail registrations. Thank you to everyone that entered! … Read More Here
A Triathlon Weekend Giveaway: Garmin FR910XT
For many triathletes, this weekend holds almost as much spectacle as the Olympic Triathlon races held just two short months ago in London. The Kona based Ironman World Championships is watched by not only by those in the sport, but … Read More Here
The Giveaway Extravaganza Winners!
A huge thanks to all that participated in Friday’s Giveaway Extravaganza, it was certainly pretty crazy around these parts! At some points the entries were coming in at one per second, that’s just nuts! Overall, you clocked in nearly 50,000 … Read More Here
Giveaway Extravaganza: Timex Global Trainer
The Timex Global Trainer will easily track you across any sport (or medieval battlefield). Which is exactly what Mythbusters did last summer. They combined the unit with knights in shinning armor last summer to measure distance and speed/pace. How much … Read More Here
Giveaway Extravaganza: Polar RCX5 with G5 GPS
Are you of the Polar persuasion? Then this watch is definitely your cup of tea (or cup of Gatorade). It’s their top of the line triathlon watch, complete with the the G5 GPS pod. And, unlike virtually every other watch … Read More Here
Giveaway Extravaganza: Wahoo BlueHR, Quad Lock Bike Case, iPhone Running Case/Band
Think of this as the ultimate iPhone running kit. You’ve got the fancy Bluetooth low-energy heart rate strap, then the sweet iPhone Quad Lock case (with all the stuff shown above), and then I’m throwing in a iPhone running case/band. … Read More Here
Giveaway Extravaganza: Garmin FR910XT
Here’s your chance to grab a brand new Garmin FR910XT. As you probably know, the FR910XT can be used across a number of sports. You could swim effortlessly in a giant vat of beer, compete in tandem mountain bike racing, … Read More Here
Giveaway Extravaganza: Timex Run Trainer
Sure, any device can track a run for a few hours. But can your device track a run that’s over a 100 hours long? Well, the Timex Run Trainer took the cake on the longest running recording battery of any … Read More Here
Giveaway Extravaganza Twofer: Polar RCX3’s
Yup, for this giveaway I’m giving away two separate units out to two winners. One white edition, one black edition. Twofer!!! The Polar RCX3 is Polar’s latest slimmed down triathlon and running watch that doesn’t attract much unneeded attention with … Read More Here
Giveaway Extravaganza: Motorola Motoactv
The Motoactv with its super-crisp display changed the endurance watch game last fall. Like mixing music and running? Or perhaps even golf and music (yup, it does golf, and cycling, and yoga and…). In fact, upon further reflection, about the … Read More Here
Giveaway Extravaganza: Garmin Edge 500
Here’s your chance to grab a brand new Garmin Edge 500. Being just the weight of a single egg, it won’t require you to cut back on cookies or cupcakes to keep your cycling weight weenie status when you add … Read More Here
Tomorrow: The DC Rainmaker All-Day Giveaway Extravaganza
(Some of you may have seen me post this photo on Facebook back a few weeks ago…hence, the origins of this post) It’s been building up for a while now, and now it’s time. Perhaps, way overtime. Either way – … Read More Here
Timex Marathon Trainer GPS Giveaway Results
Last week I kicked off a giveaway for a new Timex Marathon GPS unit, which is one of the new sub-$100 GPS units on the market these days. I think this watch and others fulfill a good market segment that … Read More Here
Timex Marathon GPS Giveaway!
With less than a week left in May, spring is flying by! I’ve been trying to plan out weekends for the next two months, coveting a way to spend each weekend day, usually in the great outdoors. And often based … Read More Here
Garmin FR910XT Giveaway Results!
Holy cowbells there’s a lot of you that wanted (or still want) a Garmin FR910XT! Over 3,000 entries! 3,085 to be exact. The totals were: 2,664 directly on the post 392 on Facebook 29 tied to Active Duty folks who … Read More Here
Spring has sprung Garmin FR910XT Giveaway
If there were any more sign that it’s springtime around these parts, I’m not sure what it would be. Starting yesterday we’ve got an out-of-nowhere string of 6 days of 70*F+ weather, including some days just a degree or two … Read More Here