23 November 2023
So, it’s been two years since I last updated this list, and it’s clear many of you would like a refresh. As I always note though, I’m not a person of change. At least when it comes to gear. My old-blue cycling jacket is still the same one from my 2012 ‘Gear I Use’ list. My running gloves are still from the Philly marathon expo some like 15 years ago, and my swimsuit is whatever I found in my dresser that doesn’t appear to be fully see-through.
Of course, the tech does change. Not necessarily because it needs to change, but largely because it’s what I do as my job. And once you upgrade to test something, it’s really hard to downgrade back to an ‘older’ product in most cases. At least for watches and bike computers; for trainers and power meters, it’s less of an issue.
Nonetheless, I know plenty of you want to know what gear I use. Thus, I present you with a boatload of links. And while there’s a lot of gear here (because I’m covering three sports via triathlon), I think you’ll find I’m actually pretty simple when it comes to most of my gear (tech goodies aside). And this gear is built up over more than 15 years.
I’ve divided it up into the three main sports (swim/bike/run), plus a random section at the end. I’m typically not one to buy the most expensive piece of fashionable stuff – and apparel brands don’t tend to mean a lot to me. I just buy what works for me.
And, as is tradition, The Girl’s 2023 ‘Gear I use’ Guide (my wife) is up as well here, so for those looking for a more women-oriented view of a similar set of training gear (and undoubtedly, a more fashionable view than mine), that’s there for the taking!
Also note: Please don’t take any of these as formal ‘gadget recommendations’, these are just the products that work for me. Also, none of these brands sponsor me, or anything here. Everything on this list I’ve bought myself and use day-to-day.
Swimming (Pool/Openwater):
I appreciate that swimming is the easiest and shortest category here. Swimsuit, goggles, and if openwater swimming – a swim buoy. Oh, and a watch. Maybe three watches. But on the whole, everything basically fits in an old crumpled-up swim cap from a past race. In my case, I tend to do more openwater swimming than pool swimming. If I travel anywhere and the water is halfway viable, I’ll be openwater swimming. And even in colder times of the year, I manage to openwater swim here in the Netherlands. It’s a weird Dutch thing.
(Also, I took the above photo with the other/older pair of goggles, but I liked it better…thus, I’m keeping it.)
ProductAmazonOtherNote
Decathlon Boxer Swim ShortDecathlonYou know why this is my swim suit? Because I always forget mine on trips, and this can be found for $5-$10, and works perfectly fine.
Openwater Swim BuoyAmazonAlways openwater swim with a swim buoy. Always. First, it makes it so boats see me. Second, it provides a place to stash my phone/keys/clothes and even sandles. No, you don’t feel it behind you. Works great!
Orca S6 Full Sleeve WetsuitAmazonThis was more a purchase of necessity than anything else. My previous 2XU wetsuit finally died after an apparent shark attack (judging by the holes), and while down in Cape Town five years ago I needed something. There was an Orca store near the waterfront, so…problem solved. I’m not thrilled with it though, given it ripped along a seam line on my third wearing. Five winters later the small rip is slightly bigger now (thankfully I avoid wetsuit swims pretty well, else it’d be worse).
Sailfish Tornado Swim GoggleAmazonI picked these up in Kona last month, and love them. So much better visibility than the other goggles I’ve been wearing for the past decade or two, especially for openwater swimming.
Some will ask why not the FORM Swim goggles. Simply put – while I think the tech side of the unit is superb, and super-well executed (especially the new coaching modes), I just can’t get past the limited side peripheral vision visibility of the goggles. In openwater swims, seeing what’s out and about keeps me just as entertained as it does watching the denizens of the pool go past.
Cycling:
This category is kinda messy. Mainly because I’m near-constantly testing new trainers, indoor bikes, etc… (especially as those release cycles have slowly transitioned from being fall-centric to being “anytime”). So it’s actually relatively rare that I stop and don’t have something to test. That said, there are a few things that are my go-to units, listed below.
Likewise, for bikes, for the past year+ there’s been a constant stream of loaner bikes equipped with new power meters, groupsets, or other smart tech on them. Thus, for the road-bike in particular, I’ve almost entirely been jumping from loaner bike to loaner bike. Kinda the way my world works.
ProductAmazonOtherNote
Canyon Exceed CF SL 5.0 (Mountain Bike)CanyonWhen I bought this bike, I kept all the components mostly as-is. However, I did make a fun power meter project for it. It’s actually a SRAM/Quarq XX1 spider/crankset, with then a 4iiii dual-sided Precision power meter built atop it. Let’s me test other pedal based power meters with it and have multiple references.
Canyon Ultimate CF SL (Road Bike)CanyonI built this 5-6 years ago after buying the frame from Canyon. It was built with testing devices in mind (hence why I skipped aero handlebars, due to complexities with mounts, and also why I skipped on disc brakes as it allows me to use a PowerTap G3 hub for power comparisons). That said, I rarely ride it these days, given the number of other random test bikes streaming through the DCR Cave.
Cervelo P3C (Triathlon Bike)CerveloWhy yes, this bike is from 2010. And yes, I rode it in an Ironman 70.3 race this past spring. And yes, I desperately need to replace it (if for no other reason than to actully have usable braking power in wet mountain conditions like on race day). But till then, long live the P3C!
EVOC Bike Travel Bag ProAmazonI picked this up about a year ago, and it’s gotten way more use than I expected this year. I’ve taken road bikes, tri bikes, gravel bikes…you name it. My previous bike case finally died after more than 12-13 years of travel. Overall I love the EVOC case, however, the only downside is that it doesn’t fit across the backseat of most European cars, meaning you need to plan a bit more ahead for which exact rental car you’ll get (or Uber/Taxi).
Favero Assioma Power Meter Pedals (Dual)AmazonI use all three of these power meters pretty much equally on different bikes at different times. I have no meaningful preference between the Favero Assioma Duo, Wahoo PWRLINK Zero, or Garmin Rally pedals. For the most part you’ll find the Rally XC’s on my gravel or mountain bikes, and then usually the Wahoo & Favero road-focused pedals on the road bikes. But again, I just use what’s free at the moment in terms of not tied up testing on some other bike/etc…
Fizik Tempo Overcurve R4 Road Cycling ShoeAmazonI started with the Fizik line a number of years ago for a MTB shoe, and then eventually outfitted my full fleet of cycling shoes with them. Also, I buy different colored ones for different cleat types, so I can keep track of which shoes I grab (since I have at least one pair of shoes for each cleat type for different pedal systems I test with).
Fizik X5 Terra (MTB/Gravel Cycling Shoe)AmazonI started my Fizik collection here with these MTB ones for MTB/Gravel usage, before expanding to the road side. They work well for me and are usually reasonably priced.
Garmin Edge 840AmazonMore than likely, I’ll grab the Edge 840 Solar out of the bucket. Sometimes the Edge 1040 or the Hammerhead Karoo 2. But usually the mid-sized 840. It just does everything I need with a touchscreen that works well.
Garmin Rally SeriesAmazonI use all three of these power meters pretty much equally on different bikes at different times. I have no meaningful preference between the Favero Assioma Duo, Wahoo PWRLINK Zero, or Garmin Rally pedals. For the most part you’ll find the Rally XC’s on my gravel or mountain bikes, and then usually the Wahoo & Favero road-focused pedals on the road bikes. But again, I just use what’s free at the moment in terms of not tied up testing on some other bike/etc…
Gore Men’s Contest SO JacketAmazonIf it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Aside from my running gloves, this is probably the oldest piece of gear I have – from perhaps 2008-2009 I think. Still works fine-ish.
Peloton Bike+AmazonI use both the Peloton Bike & Bike+, albeit primarily more in the winter than summer, and prefer the Bike+ more. And generally tend to do power zone workouts on it, with instructors like Matt Wilpers.
Rapha Core Bib ShortsRaphaI was pretty excited when these were on sale recently, and picked up a few pairs. This is basically Rapha’s budget lineup, but works for me.
Rapha Pro Team FramelessRaphaLike other non-tech things, once I find something I kinda-sorta stick to it forever. This is one of those things. I do end up buying a new pair every 18-20 months though, as I manage to break them in some horrific way.
Specialized Evade IILinkThis helmet also has crash detection/alerting with the senors built into it, though frankly, I haven’t replaced that battery in years, nor re-paired it to the phone. But I do like the red color.
Urban Arrow Family Performance (Cargo Bike)UrbanarrowThere’s almost nothing more important to our family than this cargo bike. Literally, living in Amsterdam, it makes our world go ’round. I bought this one in Dec 2020, though we also have a second one from a few years prior. We love both, and they act as complete car replacements for us.
Wahoo KICKR Bike V1REIWe purchased this last Black Friday (2022) during one of Wahoo’s refurb sales, and it’s become our main ‘trainer’ at home, for both myself and The Girl. It’s worked well as a cross-over bike, though, we bought an extra saddle/seatpost to better deal with swaps, plus added some RedShift Aero bars. It’s effectively replaced the Tacx NEO 2 that I had in the Shed.
Wahoo KICKR V6/2022 (Current Version)REIIf I’m not testing some specific trainer/bike, or doing a workout on an actual bike (versus an indoor bike), it’s likely I’ve pulled out the KICKR V6. I don’t really have a big preference between the Tacx NEO 2T and the KICKR V6, but the multi-Bluetooth channel aspect of the KICKR makes it easier for me to test other watches that don’t support ANT+.
Wahoo POWRLINK ZERO (Dual-sided)REII use all three of these power meters pretty much equally on different bikes at different times. I have no meaningful preference between the Favero Assioma Duo, Wahoo PWRLINK Zero, or Garmin Rally pedals. For the most part you’ll find the Rally XC’s on my gravel or mountain bikes, and then usually the Wahoo & Favero road-focused pedals on the road bikes. But again, I just use what’s free at the moment in terms of not tied up testing on some other bike/etc…
In terms of other odds and ends:
Cycling Kit/Jerseys: I ride the DCRAINMAKER kit a fair bit (sorry, all sold out!), or just random other jerseys floating around the DCR Cave, mostly from various events.
Speed/Cadence sensors: I don’t use these anymore, as virtually all power meters do cadence now built-in, and from a speed sensor standpoint, GPS accuracy is simply good enough that it’s just not required in any scenario I typically ride.
Trainer Apps: Zwift, TrainerRoad, and Peloton: I pay for subscriptions to all of these (and a number of other platforms for testing), but these three are what I primarily use. In general, I’ll use all three of those each week, mixing it up.
Training Logs: Strava and TrainingPeaks: I use Strava as my ‘public’ activity feed (when I remember to toggle it from private to public), and I use TrainingPeaks as my private training log.
Running:
At least running doesn’t involve new bikes or trainers. But hey, I changed shoe brands this year! So that’s big news. Equally, I know nothing about shoes. I let smart shoe people tell me what to do. In the case of the Hoka’s, I tested a boatload of shoes one morning last winter at our local running shoe shop using a fancy force-plate system, and these two Hoka’s had the best numbers combined with the best feel. Love them. Equally, the trail running shoe was a super-clearance purchase in Hawaii last month, and for the first time in years, I had zero blisters or wonk (despite wearing them for their maiden journey on the 60KM/12hr hike that I did). Super happy there.
ProductAmazonOtherNote
ASICS Men’s Thermopolis Winter Running TightsAmazonLook, like most of my clothing choices, it’s often just what I happen to find available at a running shop. That was the case here. My previous Sugoi ones were getting a bit tattered, but I was headed on a trip to the Arctic Circle that year, so I desperately needed new running tights, and this was what my local running shop had that I tried on and liked. I do very much like them, but my research is hardly extensive here. Also, I can’t figure out the exact model that it is. It just says H1 on it, but nothing else.
Balaga Comfort socksAmazonI’ve used these socks for at least 10-12 years now. I mean, not the same pair, but new pairs. Love them, won’t change ever. Probably.
CamelBak MarathonerAmazonI’ve used this for a decade as well (seems to be the general theme here). Albeit, I did have to buy some random Decathlon one recently for a trip when I forgot this one. Either way, they no longer make the Marathoner, but the linked one is near identical.
Hoka Carbon X 3AmazonThis is the latest Hoka variant I swithced to from the X 2 I had back this past spring, to the X 3 now. No noticable difference to me, minus the color change.
Peloton TreadOnepelotonThis got moved from the DCR Cave (office) to the shed (home) last winter, when the weather got properly miserable, and it’s a great option for late weeknight running workouts when it’s dark/rainy/windy/cold (in other words, every day in the Netherlands). As a rule, I avoid treadmill workouts unless absolutely necessary. And when doing them, I tend to do a mix of either Zwift or Peloton structured workouts.
Saucony Switchback 2 (Trail Running)AmazonI picked these up on clearance at a running shop last month, and absolutely love them. They aren’t for super muddy conditions, but I don’t actually tend to do much trail running around Amtserdam (prefer bigger elevation), so that’s fine.
Yaktrax Run Traction Cleats for Running on Snow and IceAmazonThere’s no better way to run on compact snow and ice, albeit not much of that in Amsterdam most of the time. Though, last year they got some serious ice usage here. Note that for deeper snow though, they aren’t as useful/necessary.
And then, a few other things that aren’t brand/model specific:
Running T-Shirt: Whatever technical t-shirt I grab out of the massive drawer of dozens of them. If you don’t have any running t-shirts, you’re not doing enough races. 😉
Running Shorts: This is a pretty random assortment of running shorts, some Nike, some Decathlon, some still in the laundry machine. I’m not particular, but I do prefer a pocket or two to stash things.
Cold Weather Running Top: I don’t have a specific top I use, rather, I tend to layer bits and pieces together. Here’s an older post on all my cold-weather running thoughts.
Cold Weather Running Gloves: $1.00 race expo gloves – That’s it. It’s easy. I almost never throw them away, I feel guilty. So I use a few rotating pairs, all from expos – some even free! I’ve got a pair of no-brand mittens that I toss on if the weather is super-cold, but like running tops in cold weather, you’d be surprised what your body is fine with once it’s up to speed. All you folks in Minnesota though shouldn’t adhere to this section. Just go to the Arctic section of REI instead.
Running headphones/music: I very rarely run (or ride) with music. I suppose if I were to, at the moment it’d probably still be my Beats Studio Buds, but I really only run with music if I need to test a specific music feature on a watch.
Got all that? Good, onto the ‘everything’ bucket.
The Crossover & Random Category:
I stashed the watch in this category, that way you didn’t have to see it three times above. Plus, this also includes things I use across more sports. Obviously, there’s more gear. Heck, I might even be on such a kick as to update my photography/camera gear post this week (stop laughing, it could happen!). However, here are a few other mostly-tech things that I use day to day. From action cameras to drones, and obviously, the pizza oven.
ProductAmazonOtherNote
Apple Watch Ultra 2AmazonI go through long periods where I’ll wear an Apple Watch Ultra on one wrist, and the Garmin Epix on the other. Usually when my wrists aren’t testing other things. I like the smart aspects of the Apple Watch Ultra, and the longer battery life compared to a regular Apple Watch.
DJI Mavic 3 ProAmazonWhile I use the DJI Mini 3/4 for action shots, I also have the Mavic 3 Pro I tend to use for shots where I want/need the zoom lens. So more for pretty vacation shots, but even just people shots from a distance. The bike shot in The Girl’s guide was actually shot with the longest zoom lens on this Mavic 3 Pro.
DJI Mini 4 Pro Fly More Combo with DJI RC2AmazonThe Mini series has been my go-to drone for years, with the DJI Mini 3 Pro the bulk of the past year, and now the Mini 4 Pro. Having the full obstacle avoidance is super helpful for all the stupid stuff I do. It’s what I take hiking/trail running/cycling/etc…
Garmin Epix Pro SeriesAmazonI go back and forth between the Epix Pro (47mm) and the Garmin Forerunner 965. I’d say I give the slight edge to the Epix Pro, singularly for the flashlight. However, I do prefer the user interface look of the FR965, as well as the lightness of it. Maybe one day we’ll get both in a single product.
Garmin Index S2 WiFi ScaleAmazonThis wifi-connected scale will track your weight and related metrics both on the scale display and in Garmin Connect (plus 3rd party apps like TrainingPeaks). It’ll also then sync your weight to your watch/bike computer, to ensure accurate calorie data.
GoPro Hero 12 BlackAmazonThis has become my main action cam, following the Hero 11 the bulk of the year. Practically speaking the differences are fairly minimal, but it’s dependable with solid quality, and I appreciate the WiFi sync to the cloud each night.
Nespresso Vertuo Next Coffee and Espresso MachineAmazonLook, this place doesn’t run itself. Without this coffee machine, you’d be getting a fraction of the reviews posted. All nighters for big product launch weeks require careful planning, which I lack. Thus, caffeine will do instead.
Ooni Fyra 12 Wood Fired Outdoor Portable Pizza OvenAmazonI know, I know, I still owe everyone a review. Nonetheless, 2+ years later, I love this thing. We use it for more than pizza too, notably steaks (to get a really crispy sear). But a lot of pizza. It’s completely portable, even easily fitting on our cargo bike. Note that I went with this model, the cheapest one they make, as I realized that buying the higher-end models that support gas didn’t make much sense for me. I have a gas grill already (and could easily just put a stone on it). Similarly, while a large 16″ is appealing, realistically I’ve found this 12″ more than enough for pretty substantial personal pizzas (and it makes it easier to handle).
Optimum Nutrition: Gold Standard 100% Whey Protein PowderAmazonI’ve gotten into doing recovery drinks this year, though mostly only for mid to longer (many hours) workouts. I know, I should do it for all workouts, but I usually forget.
Precision Hydration GelsPrecisionhydrationI use both the 30g and 90g variants of these, but primarily prefer the 90g variants, simply so I don’t have to have as many things floating around. I shoot for 90g/hour on longer adventures.
Note: Amazon links are part of the Amazon affiliate program, for which I may earn a commission at no cost to you – and of course, that helps support the site a bunch.
With that – thanks for reading, and again, these aren’t necessarily the best products in each category – it’s simply what I bought wither either zero research, or a lot of bit of research.