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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Here’s how to save!
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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.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 indoor training. The good, the bad, and the ugly.
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Check out my weekly podcast - with DesFit, which is packed with both gadget and non-gadget goodness!
Get all your awesome DC Rainmaker gear here!
FAQ’s
I have built an extensive list of my most frequently asked questions. Below are the most popular.
- Do you have a privacy policy posted?
- 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?
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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 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!
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/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!
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.
Tag Archives: iPhone
Apple’s Satellite Emergency SOS Feature: A Review & Deep-Dive Explainer
Starting today, users in certain countries will be able to use their iPhone 14 units to trigger an emergency SOS, even in areas without cellular coverage. It does this using a network of 24 low-earth orbit satellites that the iPhone … Read More Here
GoPro Hero 11 Black vs iPhone 14 Pro: Action Mode Tested!
Over the past week I’ve been comparing the iPhone 14 Pro to the GoPro Hero 11 Black. At first glance that might sound like a quirky proposition, but in reality, it’s very real world. Even more so with adding a … Read More Here
The Peak Design Cycling Case/Mount System: Hands-On
In less than 15 hours the Peak Design mobile mount system Kickstarter will end. I posted about this almost a month ago as part of one of my 5 Random Things, noting that the box of prototypes had arrived, and … Read More Here
Automated Bike Fit Measurement App Review: Bike Fast Fit
I want to start off by first noting just how rare it is that I write an entire post specifically about a single app. I could probably count the number of times I’ve done that in 6 years on one … Read More Here
Hitcase Pro iPhone Underwater/Bike/Sports Case Review
I’m often asked about sports camera reviews. In many ways I think that there’s already a ton of reviews out there of the various popular sports action cams like the GoPro or Contour. And I’m not sure I really have … Read More Here
A look at the new Polar Beat Bluetooth Smart app with H7 Heart Rate Strap
Late last week, Polar released their first iPhone App – Polar Beat. The app aims to bridge the gap between their dedicated devices and the phone market. Most importantly however, it’s actually the first Bluetooth Smart compatible offering from them. … Read More Here
In-Depth Review of the Quad Lock iPhone Bike Mount Case
There are numerous iPhone and cell phone bike mounting kits out there on the market today. They range in price from under $10 to nearly $1,000 (yup, really). Their capabilities, functionality an easy of use have just as extreme of … Read More Here
A look at tonight’s hard brick workout with the Garmin Fit app and new Live Tracking service
Earlier this week, Garmin introduced a new bit of functionality to their existing Garmin Fit iPhone/Android app. This is the app that uses their Garmin Fit iPhone adapter to access ANT+ data. It came out last fall, and for the … Read More Here
The Sports and Fitness History exhibit at the Patent and Trademark Museum
Washington DC is full of fascinating monuments, memorials and museums. There are of course the many famous places that those outside of the region hear about on a potentially daily basis (i.e., the White House), some that you might hear … Read More Here
DIY: How I made a trainer bike computer/iPad/phone stand for $30
I’m often testing a multitude of devices on the bike at once, usually just due to the limited time I have to try and gather data across the 4-5 products I might have in the queue for the bike alone. … Read More Here
The Top 7 iPhone Swim, Bike, and Run apps I use regularly and why
While I certainly get offers to test out physical hardware and gadgets quite often – the number of requests to test out apps far outnumbers that by a fair margin. The challenge though with apps is that many apps are … Read More Here
App Review: SwimRadar–Finding pools while travelling
(I’ve long been asked to do app reviews. And I have done a few here and there, as well as written about them for various publications. At the moment the number of developers asking for my app reviews far exceeds … Read More Here
Garmin iPhone ANT+ Adapter and Garmin Fit app Review
(Update – July 2013: I’ve taken the rather unusual step of actually prefacing the review with some really clear guidance: Don’t buy this. In short: It ONLY works with the Garmin Fit app, which won’t upload/download from your existing Garmin … Read More Here
Friday Tidbits (lots of them!)
All sorts of things moving and shaking around here, most of which will bubble up to the surface in the next few weeks. In the meantime, here’s a few random notables for the week thus far. What my iPhone history … Read More Here
One week: So many cool new things
The next few weeks are going to be rather busy in the sports technology world (remember my 2011 predictions?). There’s a ton of companies either announcing new products, major changes to existing products, or new services. While both these companies … Read More Here
Umpteen ways to measure your heart rate
For reasons unclear to me, this week has turned out to be the week of heart rate related devices plopping onto my doorstep. So let’s rundown a quick preview of stuff I’ll be posting more in depth over the next … Read More Here
Checking out the EZ-Trainer iPad ANT+ App
With the introduction of the Wahoo Fitness ANT+ Dongle last year, there’s been a flood of iPhone apps that have supported adding ANT+ data (Heart Rate, Power, Speed, Cadence, Weight Scales, etc…). Everything from small apps you’ve never heard of, … Read More Here
2010 Athlete Gadget Holiday Gift Guide
It’s that time of year when people stampede into their local mall in search of the perfect gift. But choosing gifts for an endurance athlete can be tough. Endurance athletes are picky by nature – for example, you’d never dream … Read More Here
How to learn from the Marine Corps Marathon App Fiasco Failboat
For those of you outside the DC area, you may be unaware of all the trouble that occurred over the past few days when one of the nation’s largest marathons contracted an app to be put together to allow racers … Read More Here
A look at Pedal Brain
Out of all the companies developing iPhone based cycling computers and/or applications – it’s actually Pedal Brain that’s been beating the drum the longest. I had a chance to sit down…well…stand up actually, with Matt Bauer – the founder of … Read More Here
Hands on with the iBike Dash at Interbike
I first heard about the iBike Dash a few months ago, while looking at information related to their normal iBike Aero power meters. The iBike Dash represented a bit of a departure from the companies past power meter products. In … Read More Here
Weekly Mailbag–July 31st, 2010
Here’s this week’s edition of the weekly mailbag. This is a weekly series where I feature a handful of the e-mailed questions I received from the previous week or so. I try and pick a wide variety of questions. Some … Read More Here
How I would design the ideal sports watch
I’m asked on a daily basis which device I prefer and why. Generally it’s in the context of whether oe should choose device X or device Y, or perhaps a combination of device W and device X. My answers are … Read More Here
7 New Sports Technology Companies I’m Watching
If you follow the blog, you know I tend to be pretty interested in what a whole slew of sports technology companies are doing out there. I often include links to companies I’m watching, or occasionally mention their products or … Read More Here
Wahoo Fitness ANT+ iPhone Adapter
(April 2013 note: While I reviewed this back in the spring of 2010, the product has since released and is supported by more than 150 apps on the iPhone/iPod platform. Since then I continue to use it quite a bit … Read More Here