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: Polar
A weekend with dueling power meters, activity monitors and more!
After a rather busy travel week last week, I was looking forward to relaxing a bit this weekend. I landed safely back in DC around 1AM Saturday morning. I mention ‘safely’ since our plane had a minor gear issue which … Read More Here
Polar RCX3 In-Depth Review
The Polar RCX3 was announced a little over a month ago, though, the unit won’t be available until this summer. The RCX3 is designed to be the RCX5’s younger sibling. A bit cheaper, though with fewer features. It’s a clean … Read More Here
Garmin, Suunto and Polar want your feedback (directly)
This might be the quickest post I’ve ever written – but it’s one that I feel probably deserves some brief mention – if only to divert mail flow from my own inbox, directly to theirs (at the office this is … Read More Here
The Girl: “I’ll actually wear this watch” (The New Polar RCX3)
Over the past few years The Girl has put up with all manner of sports gadgets floating through the house. Some of them, she pays attention to. Others, not so much. Those that she pays attention to usually get ‘alternative … Read More Here
Friday Tidbits: Velodromes, 10K’s, Polar Power Meters, and a bike dishwasher
Good morning! We’re gonna keep this post quick and to the point. Mostly because I’m running out of steam, worked 13 hours today plus a hard (but fun) interval run, and it’s getting late. Further, I’m still contemplating ice cream. … Read More Here
A weekend of new gadgets: Polar Power Pedals, heart rate strap integrated clothing, and more!
This weekend was a bit of a catch-up weekend on items to get unboxing photos on, and ensure I have all the photos I need of a product before I start using it. I’ve long since learned that if I … Read More Here
CES 2012 Health and Fitness Gadget Roundup: Part I
I spent a crazy busy 24 hours in Las Vegas on Wednesday, as part of speaking at a session/panel on Wednesday there (which I’ll be posting on here shortly). During that time I talked to just about everyone that I … Read More Here
Everything you ever wanted to know about the Polar/Look Keo Power pedal-based power meter
(Above: The shipping/retail box for Keo Power) By most accounts, the Polar/Look Keo Power pedal based power meter system is the closest pedal based power meter to public availability. In fact, some units are now available at a few shops … Read More Here
Polar RCX5 In Depth Review
While the Polar RCX5 was officially released yesterday, I’ve actually been playing with it now for over a month – getting the change to put it through its paces in hundreds upon hundreds of miles of real world running, cycling … Read More Here
A weekend at home and in the pool with the Polar RCX5
This weekend was a bit of a whirlwind – despite being one that in theory shouldn’t have been. With getting stuck working rather late downtown on Friday night, before I knew it, it was Saturday morning and time to head … Read More Here
A weekend on and around the Rev3 Quassy Course
This past weekend I was up in Connecticut for my cousins wedding, but of course, the training for Boise 70.3 would not halt merely because we were a few hundred miles away. Instead, we loaded up our little bikes into … Read More Here
Tip of the day: Remembering to retire your running shoes
The other day I had a minor epiphany. I realized that somehow along the way I had forgotten to retire my current pair of running shoes. I normally try and aim for about 500 miles per pair before recycling them … Read More Here
Nike+ Sportwatch GPS In Depth Review
Here’s a uber-detailed look at Nike’s first GPS product into the marketplace. How does it stack up against the major running units? 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
A brief update pictorial on Polar’s upcoming Keo power meter
For a quick Friday post I want to focus your attention towards a group of photos released by Polar on their FaceBook page on Thursday. These are the first photos showing their new pedal-based power meter that they previously announced … Read More Here
The 2011 Polar Bear Plunge…with a duck.
Sometimes it’s easy to get friends to join in my adventures. Yet other times, the crowd seems to disperse a bit. Take for example, the Polar Bear Plunge. I heard all assortment of reasons as to why a few in … Read More Here
Polar/Look Power Meter Session
While I’ve previously outlined the new Polar/Look power meter, I wanted to touch on it again now that I’ve had a chance to poke at it first hand. Also, in order to make this post really awesome for those of … Read More Here
A solution to heart rate dropouts/spikes with Garmin HR Soft Straps
You may remember back a few months ago when I published my Top Tips to reduce HR strap issues. That’s since become a pretty popular posts, especially amongst Garmin Premium Soft Strap HR users. And for the vast majority of … Read More Here
Troubleshooting your heart rate monitor/strap HR spikes
For those who train with heart rate monitors often, you probably know all too well know the tell-tale sign that your little device is lying to you about your heart rate. It starts off fairly innocently with a gentle rise … Read More Here
Thursday Tidbits
In no particular order, here’s a couple of things related to me…and not related to me. 1) Swim interrupted…again: Wednesday night’s swim was dinked again when the lifeguards called a 5-minute ‘safety break’. Something about being short-staffed and needing a … Read More Here