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What do you need? Mostly?
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this question is the beginning of a process for me, sort of an end-of-year thing, looking for guidance for a number of reasons on how best to serve you all. 1) editorially; and 2) there's another thread, about the possibility of starting a slowtwitch club (for gravel racing but, honestly, for whatever kind of racing you do). what i'd like to know is, in the context of triathlon in general, and what we at slowtwitch here on the site, or via possibly a club team, might offer, what do you need? what is your biggest problem?

and, what i'd like this NOT to be is a gripe session about the sport. there's only so much i can change. more as in, as you think about it, what do you wish you had that you don't have? or, what do you wish was solved that you haven't solved? examples might be: my bike fits badly; my saddle hurts me; i don't have the right running shoes; i'm asea when it comes to knowing what workouts to do; i have no training partners (that i like); my pool options suck; my swimming sucks; i don't understand how zwift works and i want to. be creative. tell me what bugs you mostly that you think i or we might be in a position to help you with. and thanks in advance. i'm looking for ideas and i suspect i'll the form them into a survey monkey and ask you all to take it.

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman
Last edited by: Slowman: Dec 27, 18 15:00
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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nada? you guys all good?

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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Money.

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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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I think the site, and especially the forum, is a huge resource. Fairly often, there's a thread about folks leaving the sport of triathlon because of the demands of the lifestyle. (One's going with over 100 answers now.) That's me, too--I switched to just swimming with a bit of dabbling in running, largely because of time. Starting a business and having a daughter, together, really changed how much flexibility I had. Still, I love racing and my swim load has crept up and up and I'm pretty okay with that, particularly as I've continued to get faster.

I'd love to read more articles about elite amateurs and how they really build their lives to make it work, and how that's evolved over time for them. What it means for them to live a high-end endurance lifestyle, in depth, what that looks like for them and what motivates them. I don't care so much about their training log; I want the wisdom.
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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From slowtwitch (by far the best triathlon online presence): a bigger focus on ITU, including up and coming triathletes, info on well run triathlon programs that develop juniors,...

From the sport of triathlon in general: we do poorly providing viable avenues for kids to develop as triathletes, and move through the life stages.

Not being in the US, I don’t know what a slowtwitch team could bring me. I do have a gravel bike and would probably do a gravel (or road optional) triathlon if one existed close to where I live.
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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MORE!











(just kidding)

Actually for me Slowtwitch ...... is just fine .....

Cheers, Neal

+1 mph Faster
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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I don't want this to sound like I'm complaining, it's just a serious concern.

Maybe an editorial about bikes for small people informing manufactures there is a market for properly fitting bikes for small men and women. The bike companies are pushing to eliminate 650C wheels but are not providing an alternative. I understand why they are doing it.

The bikes they are providing are short enough front to back but not low enough for people like me, this is really aimed at road bikes. They could be making their smallest bikes with a higher bottom bracket to reduce the stack like Trek did with their Superfly (MTB). Some may argue that it raises the center of gravity but in reality, we're so small 1.5 inches won't make a difference.

Perhaps there is an alternative and I haven't seen it yet.
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [nealhe] [ In reply to ]
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I agree.


Slowtwich is just fine, I usually quickly get answers to most of my questions.


Would be nice if there was a place on the site where I could say "Hey, I'm going to spend a couple days away from home, for work, in XXX city. Anybody wants to train with me during my my trip?"
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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More about elite amateurs is a nice idea. Both how they squeeze training into their life and a rough idea of what they’re doing.

More virtual rides would be great. I’m an early morning trainer (done by 6am) so group rides aren’t an option.

I’ve enjoyed some of the series (Zwift, Saddles, etc)

Overall I truly enjoy the site and all you do so these are the nitty gritty of desires.


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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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Time and money. I have two children that are high level competitive athletes. Club sports are expensive and time consuming. I’ve raced over an estimated 250 endurance races over the past 30+ years so not complaining too much but not a lot of free weekends to race in my future. I do love watching my kids compete though.

Formerly DrD
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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Just so you 2nd rate citizens of this forum, now your place.... DAN POSTED THIS FIRST IN LR, CAUSE HE VALUES US MORE.

running back to my side of the wall.

Just Triing
Triathlete since 9:56:39 AM EST Aug 20, 2006.
Be kind English is my 2nd language. My primary language is Dave it's a unique evolution of English.
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Trexlera] [ In reply to ]
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Trexlera wrote:
I think the site, and especially the forum, is a huge resource.

This highlights what I need: a way to up and possibly downvote posts.

Someone comes on here asking for advice about anything from bike fit, to training plans, etc. and in the course of 3 days they will get every answer on the spectrum. Some answers will come from experts in that area, and yet it shares the same space as someone who doesn't know anything about it but rattles off an answer (which is really just their opinion) anyways.

I'd like to be able to upvote a post, even if you don't add the ability to downvote them. A way to agree with something without comment; to help someone see what is at the very least the most popular opinion (which may still be wrong, but there it is anyways).

I wouldn't say I "need" that, but it would be pretty valuable IMHO.
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Diabolo] [ In reply to ]
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To add to my previous post: there is no other slowtwitch, it would be awesome if it became truly global and less with a US bias. That also speaks to the quality of your product, Dan. And I understand it may not be your duty to address other countries’ market failures :-).
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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Slowman wrote:
what do you wish you had that you don't have?

There was a blog post I used to look at periodically that detailed some guys progression from starting out through 10 years of triathlon. The page is gone now, but it had his PMC, USAT scores, number of races etc... with a bunch of training notes & how things evolved over time.

What made it interesting was the combination of some general training load information with the outcome.

It was somewhat akin to the average Speed vs Watts thread, giving a rough 'looks alright' or 'time to investigate' indication.
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Durhamskier] [ In reply to ]
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Yes, a down/up vote option would be great. Otherwise I think you’re doing a great job.


Durhamskier wrote:
Trexlera wrote:
I think the site, and especially the forum, is a huge resource.

This highlights what I need: a way to up and possibly downvote posts.

Someone comes on here asking for advice about anything from bike fit, to training plans, etc. and in the course of 3 days they will get every answer on the spectrum. Some answers will come from experts in that area, and yet it shares the same space as someone who doesn't know anything about it but rattles off an answer (which is really just their opinion) anyways.

I'd like to be able to upvote a post, even if you don't add the ability to downvote them. A way to agree with something without comment; to help someone see what is at the very least the most popular opinion (which may still be wrong, but there it is anyways).

I wouldn't say I "need" that, but it would be pretty valuable IMHO.
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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A lot of good ideas, but in particular I'd like to give a thumbs up to have a space for those that travel and would like a training buddy. As for me, I think it would be awesome to do a Slowtwitch Training Camp, or several. My cycling team does one every spring, and we do it on the cheap. We split the cost of a house, some guys buy groceries together and cook, others eat out. Its a very cheap way to get a lot of good training in with like minded people. Not to mention, its a lot of fun! We typically only do a Tuesday-Saturday, so not even a full week. My biggest week of training was last springs training camp. It was all cycling, but I got in over 300 miles (24 hours of cycling).
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [dhoose] [ In reply to ]
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I think what the site needs is subforums. I’d definitely like to see one for race reports. I love reading those. The content generated by the forum members is the most valuable thing on here but in a week or two the thread disappears never to be seen again. I can’t tell you how many times I run across some great reading on here that is many years old and I wonder how much is out there that I will never see cause the search thing is not that great here.
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [jaretj] [ In reply to ]
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jaretj wrote:
I don't want this to sound like I'm complaining, it's just a serious concern.

Maybe an editorial about bikes for small people informing manufactures there is a market for properly fitting bikes for small men and women. The bike companies are pushing to eliminate 650C wheels but are not providing an alternative. I understand why they are doing it.

The bikes they are providing are short enough front to back but not low enough for people like me, this is really aimed at road bikes. They could be making their smallest bikes with a higher bottom bracket to reduce the stack like Trek did with their Superfly (MTB). Some may argue that it raises the center of gravity but in reality, we're so small 1.5 inches won't make a difference.

Perhaps there is an alternative and I haven't seen it yet.

you did read this, right? on our front page? and this and this and this? you know who brought 650c wheels into the tri market, yes? you're preaching to the choir! it is almost always wrong to blame the customer. but in this narrow case the problem lay squarely with the customer. felt, cervelo, trek, cannondale, and some other company that escapes memory (?), spent bad money after good to provide bikes for those of smaller stature and the customer just... wouldn't... buy them. it's kind of like a population killing off all of its food supply, or cutting down all of its trees. you don't realize the problem you created until the thing you want is gone.

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Durhamskier] [ In reply to ]
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Durhamskier wrote:
Trexlera wrote:
I think the site, and especially the forum, is a huge resource.


This highlights what I need: a way to up and possibly downvote posts.

Someone comes on here asking for advice about anything from bike fit, to training plans, etc. and in the course of 3 days they will get every answer on the spectrum. Some answers will come from experts in that area, and yet it shares the same space as someone who doesn't know anything about it but rattles off an answer (which is really just their opinion) anyways.

I'd like to be able to upvote a post, even if you don't add the ability to downvote them. A way to agree with something without comment; to help someone see what is at the very least the most popular opinion (which may still be wrong, but there it is anyways).

I wouldn't say I "need" that, but it would be pretty valuable IMHO.

In the absence of upvoting I am replying to second this.

One thing I think might be useful is templates for common things done in the forum. For instance - critique my bike fit - what is the best way to take the photo, personal/bike metrics/stats needed, tools to add angle, links to tools that help with this and useful advice. Basically a form to walk someone through that type of question. This could evolve over time and partly be a hub for knowledge in that area. An injury post would be another example.
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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Also I really like the focus on swim-run events you've brought. I understand slowtwitch to have been intended to be more than just tri, and I'd love to see a broader focus.
My own, tendentious interest: How about more on crazy open water swims like SCAR and the Portland Bridge Swim and whatnot?
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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Besides more vacation, time and money, I like the idea of articles for top performing AG or just more articles from young Pros in general. Slowtwitch Podcast?

http://www.sfuelsgolonger.com
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [JesseR] [ In reply to ]
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Run form 'self help' articles/videos.
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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Dan

  1. I'd lilke to see more profiles of "regular age grouper". Seriously, I don't want to read articles about almost pro guys who are basically slow pros (most of them can't swim, so they don't go pro)....lots of pros have equally demanding work and professional lives. I'd really like to read more about real world age grouper struggles. The person with 5 kids who qualifies for Kona 5 years in a row and runs in an investment bank is less interesting than the story about the 2:40 Olympic athlete who go in the sport 2 years ago and is struggling with how to fit everything in for her first Ironman and is wondering if she should keep pushing through or just ask WTC for a refund....what I am talking about is interviewing people that many readers can relate to. They can't really relate to Sam Gyde biking 4:30 (and I know Sam personally)....give us the gal from the same town as Sam who is a single nurse raising a 7 year old who is trying to figure it out.
  2. I would like to see some articles about back of pack pros who hold full time jobs and trying to make it work out and are struggling to take it to the next level (hey do you and Emilio fall into that category back in the day?) and trying to make other sources of income cover things. These athletes need more coverage then the fast age groupers.
  3. You have departed substantially from many of the lifestyle articles that guys like you, Molina, Riccitello would write. Stuff like credit card unsupported bike tours, cool rides (some of the coverage of swim run kind of touches there but not quite). It would be nice to see articles about cool training, either places, or a weird workout (for example, I have a friend, who is going to do 60 minutes of running, 60 minutes back country skiing, 60 minutes snow shoeing, 60 minute classic skiing on his 60th birthday.
  4. Another set of interesting people would be former pros. Give us one every month or two and give us the "what are they doing now and how has triathlon helped or hurt their path". If they were to rewind time, would they have gotten the alphabet soup series of letters after their names going to grad school etc and gotten a real job, or are they happy with their path.

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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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This may or may not be on the site somewhere already - to be honest I first came here for the tri forum and transitioned across to the LR as life/injury/motivation became factors - but at this stage of my life I'd love a great resource for learning about how best to deal with injuries in later life.

In years past I would be making this request as it pertains to getting me back on the track for an A race. But now for me the bigger picture is how can I make the back half of life more comfortable. I used to get depressed that I would miss a week or two because of patella tendonapathy, ITBS or a calf strain. Now, having been formally diagnosed with a medial meniscus tear, I get depressed that it hurts when my kids want me to launch them off my shoulders in the pool and that there's potentially no light at the end of the tunnel.

This sport can take a massive toll on our bodies, even when done right. I suspect many of us spend much of our limited free time on simply training hard and not necessarily understanding (or finding the time) for 'preventative maintenance'. If we get this wrong we could be setting ourselves up for a sedentary retirement that introduces a whole range of other health issues.

So although there are already quite a few forums, I'd like to see anything relating to injury and health in its own forum so that it's easier to find. Injuries also grouped (knee, calf, foot, shoulder etc), general health (high BP, heart issues), mental health (the relationship between training and depression). Perhaps invite respected physicians to contribute a piece now and then (arthritis, knee replacements). Better guidance on the 'whole of life' approach to this sport, where we might find ourselves in 10-20-30 years time if done wrong. In my case, realising that being on the other side of 40 I can't just pull on the shoes (after having taken 6 plus months off running) and collect a heap of Strava KOM's on holidays and expect there to not be consequences (evidently quite significant ones). For some it's hard to turn off the competitive streak (again, is perhaps an article for the mental side)

Sure the sport is about competing/personal achievement, race destinations, nutrition, equipment and training techniques, but if you manage to get through this journey without having dealt with an array of injuries or, rarer still, can walk away without any real lasting effects, then you're one of the lucky ones. I know many are probably very good at managing this through their racing days, but I'm sure I'm not the only one who isn't great at turning the dial down from time to time.
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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I think there's a need to placate the constant treadmill of new members on the belt of the same concerns all of us experience at some point as we progress into deeper and deeper waters in our sport. Things like...

- I just got my first TT bike, how should I feel, how do I know what to look for in a fit, etc.
- I'm an adult onset swimmer. Enough said.
- What's the butter zone sweet spot for running volume for standalone run races/tri/du/etc.
- How do I balance all of this with my job/family/life/etc
- How do I deal with setback and injury

Now, I say this AFTER I saw your response to the "shorty club" bike post (of which I am a proud member, /sidebar), in which you basically jumped down the guy's throat saying WE ALREADY HAVE FIFTEEN HOURS OF READING ON THIS. Well, most of us don't have fifteen hours available to read through everything and then another fifteen to figure out how it directly applies to *our* situation which is could be a very small question that Siri could answer, and not have the encyclopedia thrown towards us.

Maybe that means more than a "hot topic" menu, like a subforum for the "on-rampers" to the sport, where people could feel comfortable asking these questions and getting the pinpoint answers they need. Maybe that means a space for people to ask for one-on-one help in their regions, so there's a face to attach to the name. Or maybe this all means having links thrown at me saying this has already been done and in my limited time to browse the forum as a relative newcomer, I have missed all of this and still remain an outsider.

Level II USAT Coach | Level 3 USAC Coach | NASM-CPT
Team Zoot | Tailwind Trailblazer
I can tell you why you're sick, I just can't write you an Rx
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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I don’t know how to deliver what I’m going to ask for but here I go anyway...

Slowtwitch Approved Training and Nutrition resources - the best of ST advice boiled down and minus the typical thread derailment.

Running -> Barry P or Desert Dudes Full Ass Challenge (or whatever it’s called)

Biking -> Flanagan thread without all the crap from Frank Day

Swimming -> guppy thread or ???

How to combine S, B and R for typical AG

Nutrition -> ?

Maybe a poll to nominate the resources. I think what is most valuable is the organic way the content is created within the forums. Nothing is forced. The content just needs to be summarized and housed in one place on the site. The stickiest of sticky threads if you will.

Edit: also the strength training program that seemed to be popular. Maybe something on ITB or common overuse injury prevention.
Last edited by: SBRinSD: Dec 27, 18 16:42
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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The upvote idea is good.

More "Challenges" on the Training Log (which is very nice already) would be fun/nice.

Some forum threads have allowed people to participate in "fantasy league/friendly competitions" for things like the cycling Spring Classics. Some of us have put teams into the Velogames "Slowtwitch League" for events like the Spring Classics and the GT races. A "Fantasy League Page" where forum users could enter teams for races or series of races could be fun.

"Human existence is based upon two pillars: Compassion and knowledge. Compassion without knowledge is ineffective; Knowledge without compassion is inhuman." Victor Weisskopf.
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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I'm not sure if this is already done, but it would be nice to have somewhere to rate and review triathlons and possibly other races. This could also include information such as race site link, past results links, and how many people participated in the past.

A good, complete event calendar would be an additional benefit. Trifind is pretty much unusable now, and runningintheusa doesn't have all events. The USAT calendar is too slow and cumbersome, and may not have unsanctioned events. Oksportsandfitness.com is pretty good, but it's mainly for Oklahoma, and they miss a few races. There could be a notification option with the calendar, to get an email when a race is added within x miles of a point.
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [OddSlug] [ In reply to ]
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Following from the post (on the last page). This is in the topic of beginnners/getting started/getting set up. I kind of figured this out on my own as I went, but I am a mechanical engineer and competent with understanding geometry, so it was easy for me. I'd like a single article (maybe it's long enough to be a series) on how to start with you and your (possibly existing) bike, and set it up yourself for a good position.

You have made a great section in the sidebar this year about bike fit and expectations. And you have a great back catalogue of similar articles, e.g. somewhere you've got an old quadratic formula for saddle-to-bar drop estimates based on historic data. But it's a bit scattered across a number of pages and maybe needs refreshing.

As a guess, the story arc would be:
Overview of what a good fit means.
Understanding/measuring your own body and bike, and explanation of the critical metrics like Pad X/Y.
A calculator to output a good Pad X/Y starting point based on basic body measurements (is the work you did still licenced to Diamondback? I think it's disappeared off their website).
Explanation of how you might have to adjust your bike to achieve those coordinates.
Example equipment list to achieve this result (generalised so it doesn't date, but based around typical preferences e.g. saddle types and bar extension shapes/adjustability).
Guidelines for "critique my fit" requests (video setup and duration as mentioned).

Second idea:
I'd love to see more DIY tech, even if it's just small/aggregated articles. 3D printed bits or personalised mods , maintenance tips for free speed (lubes/waxes) etc. DIY nutrition. Someone's story on achieving their goals, or tweaking their bike from average to better. I guess the overarching thought is about making tri accessible, not an elitist equipment war. Nice bikes are nice to look at, but it's not going to help me.

Third idea:
more alternatives to the standard tri format. Offroad (you're making a great start). Ski/run? Kayak/bike? Offroad bike OR run (your choice)? Run/Bike/Shoot with extra lap penalties like pentathlon?

Fourth:
More sub forums. Being on the wrong side of the word, I wake up and there's two pages of new posts in the tri forum. Maybe subforums for: Events (Local/International), Equipment/Tech, Training/Health/Fitness? (You could split by swim/bike/run but that might get a bit isolated. Maybe keep all sports bundled together).

That's mostly nitpicking, love the forum and the site, keep up the great work.
Last edited by: MattyK: Dec 27, 18 16:52
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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I don't need anything. I think the site is unique and very informative. But here's something I would like. Create a Slowtwitch Triathlon Team that is kind of like the movie "The Truman Show". You (and some coaching/corporate partners, and maybe even us at large - I would pay money to be a sponsor) sponsor a group of ~10-20 people. Maybe they're high school/college kids, or maybe they are adult athletes with a large Delta potential (kind of like your buddy Sika Henry). Fit them, supply them, coach them, etc. In return, their lives are an open book for us to "watch." Sleep, diet, training, equipment, etc. Does that make me a voyeur?

Here's another idea. Do more bios on normal people.

One more. I love triathlon, but how about a forum that is more generally, in the exercise physiology context, "slowtwitch?" I would love to see more contribution from ultrarunners, marathon kayakers, true gravel junkies, those that have hiked the John Muir Trail, cycle tourists, etc.
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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Slowman wrote:
my bike fits badly; my saddle hurts me;


I have never really felt comfortable on my bike. Last IM I did, about 80 miles in to the bike portion, with my ass hurting like crazy, I made a deal with myself that when the race was over I was done with the bike for a year. That was late 2016. I have been back on a bike twice in the ensuing 26 months.

I'm starting to miss tri and have the itch to get back in to it but the thought of spending hours on the bike is a significant barrier to me.

I have paid for several fits from all of the high-end shops in my area and still, the bike ain't my friend.

Pure runner for now.

----------------------------
Jason
None of the secrets of success will work unless you do.
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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Training plans. Even if canned. Why not get dd, jonnyo, Francois, etc etc I could go on, develop a canned plan for a) triathlon b) how to increase your ftp in â€x’ weeks c) how to run sub 19 mins or similar on a 5k.
You could even have 1 coach do all of the above. Slowtwitch charges a fee with proceeds split between coach and the upkeep of this site.

As a frustrated athlete stuck on the same ftp for several years I would buy a â€12 weeks to better ftp’ written by one of the coaches here. Even a 12 week half iron plan.

I understand such plans may conflict with their own coaching business - but not all coaches do canned plans, it could be another avenue for a few bucks.

Not all of us want to buy plans from unknown coaches and trust the coaches here a lot- but don’t have coin for one on one coaching
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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2 things:


I don't know how you could do this, but I think it would be cool to profile (small or not) local races throughout the year. If nothing else it would draw attention to a race that likely deserves it, but it would also be fun to see coverage of events that aren't part of a big organization. I know you do that a bit (the Boston Tri coverage comes to mind), but I assume it's covered because a big name or two races it. While I'm not suggesting you drop that kind of coverage, I'd like to see a profile and race report for smaller profile races too. Those are the ones I'm more likely to sign up for these days, and the ones I'd arrange to do with friends on a mini vacation.

The other thing is more training/gear/event coverage articles that give some attention to sprint distances. Everyone focuses on the longer distances and their equipment and training needs, while seemingly dismissing the sprint distance as beginner and something you leave if you want to be a "real" triathlete. I love racing sprints. It's easier to train for with a busy schedule and they don't become bucket list events, so I can do more of them. If you want to keep the sport healthy I believe it lies in this more approachable distance. Give it more coverage please!
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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A comprehensive triathlon race calendar by state or better yet radius. It may exist but it's not trifind anymore
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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Yes, I've read your articles and I appreciate your efforts. Greg's latest article concerns me. I just don't understand the 650B thing, the wheels are 7mm taller...why change?

Now my Road bike is big enough to handle 650B wheels and if I come across a set I will try to fit them on there.

I've held onto my 47 Felt DA mainly because I'm afraid that if I break my 45 NP2 I won't be able to find a new bike.

I have a Felt F5 (2012 road bike), my GF rides it now. That bike is so close to being right for me, if the BB was 20mm higher I would be able to keep the drops above the top of the front wheel and keep it legal.

I was really hoping you could put a bug in some of the manufactures ears, if they aren't going to make a 650C bike then at least raise the BB so someone 5'0" could still get into an aggressive position.

Just hoping someone with your clout could influence that market.
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [ In reply to ]
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these are all great. thanks. just, i want to know what you want FROM US. but, along with that, i want to know what you WANT. in general. whether you think we can provide it or not, limited to things that are actually achievable. so, "i want all triathletes to be nicer" isn't probably something i can effect. but, other stuff, as in:

"my life as a triathlete would improve if i was offered/tutored in/shown how to/provided a pathway for..."

something you think others have mastered but you struggle with. it takes some introspection. it's hard to contemplate what would make me happier/faster/more comfortable/more time efficient unless you really give it some thought. there's nothing i'm driving at. and some of you have given me that in your answers. thanks.

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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I'll also pile on everyone's upvote request.

I think one of the appeals of reddit is that the subthreads within threads are clearly delineated. That and upvotes would be awesome here.
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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More AMA's (Ask Me Anything) from approachable, smart, articulate, FAST pros.


The nuggets that invariably come out in those threads are awesome.

"Good genes are not a requirement, just the obsession to beat ones brains out daily"...the Griz
Last edited by: stringcheese: Dec 27, 18 17:52
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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We have a guppy challenge and a run challenge. Why not 8 week ftp booster đź
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [IamSpartacus] [ In reply to ]
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That exists with one of ST partners already (Zwift).

----------------------------------
Editor-in-Chief, Slowtwitch.com | Twitter
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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Forum is fine, leave as is.

Articles:

- Trustworthy Tri equipment reviews. Bikes, bike bits and pieces etc. DC Rainmaker has electronics covered, but no one does the rest (no one I trust)
- Amateur interviews. Sometimes the race reports in the forum are great, but sometimes they’d benefit from professional editing etc.
- The pro race report articles could be better. They don’t offer opinion on analysis. They’re basically just the results.

Do you have good analytics? Do you know what â€old’ forum pages people are regularly reading time and time again? There’s value in that data for you setting the path forward.

Dan
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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Maybe a beginners sub-thread or section?

I know I actually joined beginner triathlete forum just to ask more of the noob questions as it seemed most folks here were more advanced.

I read through a few threads from other beginners and most of the responses were along the lines of use the search function or we’ve already discussed that, etc.

Don’t get me wrong, I use the search function before starting a thread and can usually find an answer, but I think a place for new folks would help them get immersed without feeling like they’re asking dumb or repetitive questions. It would also give the regulars a break from seeing a lot of the same topics pop up over and over again.

Love the forum. I’ve not been here long and have already learned a ton that helped me have a great first 70.3 experience.

Thanks for letting us play in your sandbox.
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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Maybe not in your swim lane, but I think there's a space out there for athlete-friendly cloud storage of training data. A training data vault. There's an increasing proliferation of sites that use or generate data. Strava, Zwift, TrainingPeaks, Xert, Rouvy, RideWith GPS, Sufferfest, et al. None of them are perfect in terms of data storage. Strava won't let you bulk download your data in a way that includes your power data, etc. So if you quit Strava and didn't set up alternative storage, then that data is lost forever (unless you want to download each ride one at a time when you quit - which sucks) And if you want to set things up so that one site is your central storage - say TrainingPeaks - then you're stuck with that service and it makes it a little harder to switch from that service if some new hotness comes along.

I think there's a space for a site that stores data in an athlete-friendly way. And by athlete-friendly I mean no attempt to "lock" you in by setting up barriers (Strava), very clear privacy rights and usage rights (no selling to 3rd parties without consent), and very clear to hook up to all these new digital services that either use or generate data. And of course free ability to bulk download *all* of your data.

This site would make no attempt to be a calendar, do analysis, etc. It just stores your data and provides all those other services (with athlete permission) the ability to read your data, add to your data, or both.

The business model would be something like free storage for manual upload, and maybe $2/month (or something) for each connected service. Or whatever pricing structure works to pay the Amazon Web Services storage fee, etc.

The aggregate data could also be useful (with consent). You could look at it and discover - hey - there's a lot of gravel riding going on in this city the past year, and sell that to advertisers or race producers to target that area.

Maybe all those services would like this anyway. They could get out of the data storage business and focus on making cool 3D worlds, etc. Or maybe they'd hate it becomes it does strip them of some power, and hands it back to the athlete.
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [cujo] [ In reply to ]
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I agree that profiling smaller races would be beneficial in many ways. For instance it would help with the concern about finding new races. Second, publicizing/reviewing small and medium sized races could help to grow the sport.

It is obviously impossible for Dan to travel around the country to review races. So my suggestion is that some of us on here volunteer to write up first person accounts of our participation in the races. That would address the request for more articles about non-professionals and the average MOP or even BOP.

While not many of us are sportswriters, we could have a template to follow (weather, number of participants, names of winners) and fill in with our own commentary about safety of the course, transitions set ups, water conditions, starting order, whether the races cost was justified, etc.

I may not be fast, but once I get going, it is hard to stop me...
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [BigPat] [ In reply to ]
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It is obviously impossible for Dan to travel around the country to review races. So my suggestion is that some of us on here volunteer to write up first person accounts of our participation in the races. That would address the request for more articles about non-professionals and the average MOP or even BOP. //

Great idea, we could call it Race Reports.... (-;


I like the idea of hearing about out of the mainstream races more, as good as the RR for ironman and such are, they are pretty much a cookie cutter report, with just some different times put in, and how many draft packs passed them...
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [monty] [ In reply to ]
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monty wrote:
It is obviously impossible for Dan to travel around the country to review races. So my suggestion is that some of us on here volunteer to write up first person accounts of our participation in the races. That would address the request for more articles about non-professionals and the average MOP or even BOP. //

Great idea, we could call it Race Reports.... (-;


I like the idea of hearing about out of the mainstream races more, as good as the RR for ironman and such are, they are pretty much a cookie cutter report, with just some different times put in, and how many draft packs passed them...

Don't forget to insert this part, "I was riding all alone to Hawi at 3.75W per kilo at a 4:45 bike split target when I got engulfed by a pack of 30 riders. I tried to surge to drop them but every time I surged, they repassed me ...then BAM I got a drafting penalty for repassing too quickly!!!!

and of course everyone in that pack was riding solo on a sub 5 pace until the pack caught them and they think they can drop a bunch of guys who did 9 hours at their KQ race and suddenly rather than being around 2 people in their qualifier then are beside the 30x2studs from each qualifier and now they think they can drop those guys and wondering why they are all drafing each other....

....there should be an auto ST forum feature that inserts this text, "I was too lazy to learn to swim faster to go pro so I keep swimming 65 minutes and wonder why I get engulfed by every other 65 min swimming Kona age group wannabee pro stud on the race to Hawi.

This should just entered as a standard Kona race report text field.

You can replace this text with roughly the same by the 10 hour neighbourhood hero's text at the local IM.

Neighbourhood hero meets a pack of neighbourhood heros at the regional IM and wonders why he can't drop anyone...regional hero meets other regional heros at Kona and wonders why he can't drop anyone.

Regional pro winners who race in solo arrive in Kona and wonder why Patrick Lange can do so well in the pack in Kona when he kind of sucks riding solo at Frankfurt...answer = the solo guys end up in packs at the championships.
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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Dan, I need a app/website/feature dedicated to homestays for racing. Not that there are any destination races near me but we have an extra bedroom and I would love to host people in town for racing (running/triathlon/cycling/any type).

My wife and I are also basically only able to race in places where we know we can camp or have a free place to stay. Even if it was just another section of the forum like the classifieds so I wouldn't feel bad about "begging" on the main forum. I get that most people are going to pay for a hotel well before crashing on a couch but I think with the younger crowd this would go over well. Maybe a collab with LR or other sites would create enough of a community to make it useful.

Benjamin Deal - Professional - Instagram - TriRig - Lodi Cyclery
Deals on Wheels - Results, schedule, videos, sponsors
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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- i like your articles. I found slowtwitch researching aero bikes, and was shocked by the great quality of your writing vs much of the biking drivel online. Some of the guest writers are also great. The articles always challenged me to think about things at another level.

- there are some very smart folks on this forum, part of why i stayed. Continue to tap them for expert articles. I would love to see some analysis of aero wheels, frames, and such.

- i like the style of bike articles. They go beyond fluff, specs, and marketing bullet-points. Continue that, focus on the cool/unique design aspects of each bike/product.
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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I need to have more ex-pros come on the Slowtwitch forum so we can beat them down, belittle them and effectively run them out of here never to be heard from again. Chris Boardman, Simon Lessing, and Mark Allen are some of our previous success stories.. In case you missed it we vigorously attacked these people calling them idiots who didn’t know what they were talking about. Sometimes we questioned their character. Of course thiis soon caused them to leave and any wisdom they might have shared with us was gone. Just the other day we had someone attacking an age group record setting runner who recently graced us with his presence and insights. I have often thought we should call this place Slow-witch but there was nothing slow about how we have burned these people at the stake.

So what I really need and want in the holiday spirit and perhaps as a New Year’s resolution is for members of this form to stop the harsh criticism of someone just because you don’t see things the way they do. If you disagree with someone state your facts but stop the personal attacks. And by all means next time we get someone famous on the forum let’s treat them with some special respect. (Monty must have some thick skin as we haven’t got rid of him yet! LOL)
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [jaretj] [ In reply to ]
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jaretj wrote:
I don't want this to sound like I'm complaining, it's just a serious concern.


Maybe an editorial about bikes for small people informing manufactures there is a market for properly fitting bikes for small men and women. The bike companies are pushing to eliminate 650C wheels but are not providing an alternative. I understand why they are doing it.

The bikes they are providing are short enough front to back but not low enough for people like me, this is really aimed at road bikes. They could be making their smallest bikes with a higher bottom bracket to reduce the stack like Trek did with their Superfly (MTB). Some may argue that it raises the center of gravity but in reality, we're so small 1.5 inches won't make a difference.

Perhaps there is an alternative and I haven't seen it yet.


I posted an article about this just a few days ago - it's still on the home page:
https://www.slowtwitch.com/Tech/650c_and_the_Future_of_Wheel_Sizes_7123.html
Last edited by: gregk: Dec 27, 18 20:11
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [J7] [ In reply to ]
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When was Mark Allen on here??? Approx year??? Damn, hate that I missed him here on ST.

Agree 1,000,000% that guys like Allen, Lessing, etc, deserve the utmost respect!!!


"Anyone can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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Quote:
i want to know what you WANT.

A different job so I can return to California or Arizona.
A training partner database would be nice.
I like the idea of a very robust race database and schedule, and a “where are they now” series .
The ability to like or up/down vote a post is great.

clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [MattyK] [ In reply to ]
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MattyK wrote:

I'd love to see more DIY tech, even if it's just small/aggregated articles. 3D printed bits or personalised mods , maintenance tips for free speed (lubes/waxes) etc. DIY nutrition. Someone's story on achieving their goals, or tweaking their bike from average to better. I guess the overarching thought is about making tri accessible, not an elitist equipment war. Nice bikes are nice to look at, but it's not going to help me.



This is a big part of my "lane" with the stuff I publish on the front page. A lot of them are a few years old by now (I had a several year period that I didn't do any articles), but most are still relevant. Here's my repository:
https://www.slowtwitch.com/...i?LinkOwner=gkopecky

Here are a few that I picked out:
https://www.slowtwitch.com/...brake_tips_4313.html
https://www.slowtwitch.com/...eur_How-To_3775.html
https://www.slowtwitch.com/...der_How-To_3007.html
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [DanCT] [ In reply to ]
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DanCT wrote:
Articles:

- Trustworthy Tri equipment reviews. Bikes, bike bits and pieces etc. DC Rainmaker has electronics covered, but no one does the rest (no one I trust)

Dan

I'm honestly curious: What about our current front-page reviews makes them seem untrustworthy? I'm not bought by any company/product that I've reviewed (and it's not uncommon that I'm featuring stuff that I've bought myself in the exact manner that any other consumer buys it). If anything, I think I've gotten a reputation for perhaps being too honest, as there are most certainly companies out there that don't call me back or ask for reviews any longer. You could say that we don't post them frequently enough, but thorough reviews take a lot of time. The other more recent X factor is that some brands are really trying to do all of their marketing directly via social media, who can "review" their own stuff on their own blog, or re-post photos and testimonials from their ambassadors. It's a strange world out there in (almost) 2019.
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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Content wise: You running in more shoes. Your Bondi 6 review solidified my decision to buy that shoe.

More tech stuff.

Recovery stuff.

A how to use Training Peaks thing. Can you tell them to clean up their interface so that it looks sleek and gives more metrics?

More coverage of the Age-Grade Scene? U16, U18, U20. More coverage of the College/U23 Scene. I thought that poll was interesting...but I'm not sure USAT should be investing in someone who is 30 or older when that Olympics hits, invest in young talent and keep the pipeline flowing.

Washed up footy player turned Triathlete.
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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Hi Slowman, first of all thanks for this site which is excellent both in term of information (main forum) and fun (lavender room).
Only improvement for me would be to have from time to time comprehensive article about the science fueling and nutrition.
Thanks again.
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [devashish_paul] [ In reply to ]
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devashish_paul wrote:
...what I am talking about is interviewing people that many readers can relate to. They can't really relate to Sam Gyde biking 4:30 (and I know Sam personally)....give us the gal from the same town as Sam who is a single nurse raising a 7 year old who is trying to figure it out.

Hey Dev! You want an interview with Cai I guess!
All the best for the new year!
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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50+ athlete's forum :>
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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- I love reading race reports in the forum. Think this goes somewhat in the mentioned direction to cover more the average/relatable middle-pack triathlete than the ex-fortune 100 executive with highschool track background turning to tri and smashing the KQ (not saying those are not interesting but... maybe for some a far-reach?).

Incentive for more race-reports, take advantage of the great bandwidth of people you got on ST. Maybe an extra category/blog for the reports to be posted. Simple race-report: 1 slowcoin. Got some pictures? 3 slowcoins. Full training-log included? Thats 5 slowcoins! Got 30 slowcoins? Sweet, here is a free month of trainingplattform XYZ or whatever.
=> more relatable, diverse and visible content straight from the community, might even bring some more visibilty to the ambitious AGs for sponsors?!

- What stood out to me on the frontpage this year: bike-shootouts (Speedmax CF, P2, IA, ...) + the insight into tri-bars which helped greatly and led to a buying decision within days. Mooooooaaar!

- The forum is huge in terms of knowledge/knowledge exchange and what makes me a daily visitor.
Facelift to move the forum on 2019 usability standards. I think TrainerRoad chose a nice platform, allthough it is a bit too mobile-ish for my taste.

- I'm patiently waiting for the articles/profiles on the outside-of-north-america Bikefitters ;)
Last edited by: BummTschack: Dec 28, 18 2:56
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [gregk] [ In reply to ]
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Yes, I saw that, thanks. That was the article I was concerned about in post 36.

I'm not saying I disagree with the article, I'm concerned with the trend. As long as I can get good 650C tires I'm good for about 8 years. Maybe something will happen by then.

My point is that if the bike companies want everyone to go to 700C wheels, make a bike that will work for small people like Trek did with the Superfly. Hopefully people like you and Dan can put that idea in the manufactures ears.
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [gregk] [ In reply to ]
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gregk wrote:
DanCT wrote:
Articles:

- Trustworthy Tri equipment reviews. Bikes, bike bits and pieces etc. DC Rainmaker has electronics covered, but no one does the rest (no one I trust)

Dan

I'm honestly curious: What about our current front-page reviews makes them seem untrustworthy? I'm not bought by any company/product that I've reviewed (and it's not uncommon that I'm featuring stuff that I've bought myself in the exact manner that any other consumer buys it). If anything, I think I've gotten a reputation for perhaps being too honest, as there are most certainly companies out there that don't call me back or ask for reviews any longer. You could say that we don't post them frequently enough, but thorough reviews take a lot of time. The other more recent X factor is that some brands are really trying to do all of their marketing directly via social media, who can "review" their own stuff on their own blog, or re-post photos and testimonials from their ambassadors. It's a strange world out there in (almost) 2019.

I don’t doubt the honesty of the current reviews. I’m looking for more comprehensive reviews. Reviewing a bike? Have you lived with it for 6 months and done a couple of races on it? Same for bars, etc. I appreciate that limits what could be reviewed (or review team needs expanding etc) but that would be my ask. The reviews are more like â€first looks’ than user reviews.

Dan
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [devashish_paul] [ In reply to ]
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devashish_paul wrote:
I'd lilke to see more profiles of "regular age grouper". Seriously, I don't want to read articles about almost pro guys who are basically slow pros (most of them can't swim, so they don't go pro)....lots of pros have equally demanding work and professional lives. I'd really like to read more about real world age grouper struggles. The person with 5 kids who qualifies for Kona 5 years in a row and runs in an investment bank is less interesting than the story about the 2:40 Olympic athlete who go in the sport 2 years ago and is struggling with how to fit everything in for her first Ironman and is wondering if she should keep pushing through or just ask WTC for a refund....what I am talking about is interviewing people that many readers can relate to. They can't really relate to Sam Gyde biking 4:30 (and I know Sam personally)....give us the gal from the same town as Sam who is a single nurse raising a 7 year old who is trying to figure it out.

For me the same sort of thing applies to the bike features - I remember one that was roughly along the lines of "Bob wanted a fast bike, so he went and bought a P5-6, then added an Alpha X and 808 NSWs". Those exact products might be wrong, but the gist is the same - it's not that interesting to read about a bunch of expensive off-the-shelf parts used in the obvious way. It would be much more interesting to hear about Jane going to a great fitter, buying a B16 from eBay, and then putting it together with a bar (picked to match her fit!), and old Zipps with a cover... and then riding it to smash her old PR at IMLou. Or details on one of the heavily-modified P4s around here. I'd be much more inclined to read that sort of thing than "someone wrote a bunch of large checks for the obvious products if you have those means". Taking nothing away from the people with those means, but the articles would be more interesting I'd rather read about hard decisions and careful analysis than obviously-fast top-end parts.

The point is, ladies and gentleman, that speed, for lack of a better word, is good. Speed is right, Speed works. Speed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit.
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [JesseR] [ In reply to ]
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As a general need, not ST specific, I need funds for a properly fitting bike. I need to be able to focus better at work. Pretty sure the latter would solve the former.


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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [SBRinSD] [ In reply to ]
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Running -> Barry P or Desert Dudes Full Ass Challenge (or whatever it’s called)

---
You forgot Captain Canada






Take a short break from ST and read my blog:
http://tri-banter.blogspot.com/
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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Slowman wrote:
nada? you guys all good?

The ability to post a pic or video onto Slowtwitch directly from my phone.
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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Can we get a sub dedicated to Lionel Sanders? Ya know, in addition to the one we already have.






Take a short break from ST and read my blog:
http://tri-banter.blogspot.com/
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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A few random ideas.

1. How to get kids involved in the sport in a healthy way.
2. How to teach them different biking skills etc. I think you had a descending article many years ago for adults. More of that and some dedicated to our younger generations. Ages 3 up?
3. How to race on a budget.
4. Bike set up for gravel and cyclocross. I showed up at my first cross race this year w/ 45psi in the tubeless tires. I was lucky to run into a friend that helped me out on that. By the end of the season I was running 20psi in the mud. Who knew?

Thanks for the great work covering tri for many years.

Ed Alyanak


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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [trail] [ In reply to ]
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trail wrote:
Maybe not in your swim lane, but I think there's a space out there for athlete-friendly cloud storage of training data. A training data vault. There's an increasing proliferation of sites that use or generate data. Strava, Zwift, TrainingPeaks, Xert, Rouvy, RideWith GPS, Sufferfest, et al. None of them are perfect in terms of data storage. Strava won't let you bulk download your data in a way that includes your power data, etc. So if you quit Strava and didn't set up alternative storage, then that data is lost forever (unless you want to download each ride one at a time when you quit - which sucks) And if you want to set things up so that one site is your central storage - say TrainingPeaks - then you're stuck with that service and it makes it a little harder to switch from that service if some new hotness comes along.

I think there's a space for a site that stores data in an athlete-friendly way. And by athlete-friendly I mean no attempt to "lock" you in by setting up barriers (Strava), very clear privacy rights and usage rights (no selling to 3rd parties without consent), and very clear to hook up to all these new digital services that either use or generate data. And of course free ability to bulk download *all* of your data.

This site would make no attempt to be a calendar, do analysis, etc. It just stores your data and provides all those other services (with athlete permission) the ability to read your data, add to your data, or both.

The business model would be something like free storage for manual upload, and maybe $2/month (or something) for each connected service. Or whatever pricing structure works to pay the Amazon Web Services storage fee, etc.

The aggregate data could also be useful (with consent). You could look at it and discover - hey - there's a lot of gravel riding going on in this city the past year, and sell that to advertisers or race producers to target that area.

Maybe all those services would like this anyway. They could get out of the data storage business and focus on making cool 3D worlds, etc. Or maybe they'd hate it becomes it does strip them of some power, and hands it back to the athlete.

well isn't that interesting as hell. i'll talk to eric about this. and jordan. i agree with you that one aggregator of data is needed, because data is getting generated by all your devices. but i would've thought that strava was the clearinghouse, was that place. you're saying it isn't that place? that strava is a throughway, but not the archiver. is that what you're saying?

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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I think of sports as a Culture (from a normative standpoint), in that it is a coupling of shared beliefs and practices from different areas that contribute to the whole. In saying that, I think it would be cool to see some articles written with regard to developmental programs or youth programs. I'm thinking from the perspective of the coaches on what drew them to coach, what made them want to coach kids or youth, the challenges or differences of coaching kids vs adults, how important they think it is towards the sport, does it work as like a grooming practice to develop athletes for the future and how do you positively expose the young athlete in terms of practices and competition to set them on that path. Then highlight some groups around the country that are doing a particularly good job and give some areas more exposure.

I think there are pockets where people "flock" or inadvertently draw more people into the sport (why is this, whats going on, what are the similarities/differences) and do these areas produce a higher caliber athelete because of the culture or traditions they grew up in. We can all think of examples in running, as well as other sports, so what does this look like in triathlon - from start to end?

Use this link to save $5 off your USAT membership renewal:
https://membership.usatriathlon.org/...A2-BAD7-6137B629D9B7
Last edited by: AlyraD: Dec 28, 18 6:26
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [jaretj] [ In reply to ]
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jaretj wrote:
Yes, I saw that, thanks. That was the article I was concerned about in post 36.

I'm not saying I disagree with the article, I'm concerned with the trend. As long as I can get good 650C tires I'm good for about 8 years. Maybe something will happen by then.

My point is that if the bike companies want everyone to go to 700C wheels, make a bike that will work for small people like Trek did with the Superfly. Hopefully people like you and Dan can put that idea in the manufactures ears.

I'm concerned with the trend, too. I think I can speak for Dan when I say that both he and I have beat the small-wheel-drum very loudly for years (and both of us are over 6 feet tall, so it doesn't even affect us personally).

Personally, I kind of disagree that it's worth making a big stink about 700c wheels and trying to make them work for shorter folks - at some point there is a cutoff that will necessitate small wheels. Say right now it's 5'3". They can change the geometry to make it work for someone that's 5'2"... but there are still folks who are 5'1". Smaller wheels address ALL of their needs, plus have other benefits covered in my article (i.e. toe overlap, lighter weight, less side force from crosswinds, etc).

If I was in your shoes, I'd probably just try to keep a good stock of tires on hand at all times. For wheels, there are still enough new options to get you by - Premier Tactical, Renn Multisport, and I'm pretty sure Velocity still makes the Deep V in 650c. Actually, I still have a set of Serfas Urbana tires that you can have if you pay shipping. I reviewed them a while back. They're listed as 650c x 28mm, but it's more like 26mm on an average rims. The tires are used but still have quite a bit of life left.
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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Unfortunately my back has stopped me from running, so tri's have been out for me.

I'd like a doctor data base to research who in my area would be good for athletes.

Articles on epic or "iron worthy" endurance events for those of us not currently involved in tri's. I've ridden up Mt. Evan's and Pikes Peak. What other things like that are out there for us to accomplish? Where should a average swimmer take a vacation for an epic ocean swim, or a secluded mountain lake. Where is a great overnight or multi day hike for fit individuals. Any mountain bike rides or other bucket list endurance events.

So basically, articles on events other than tri's.

This is more zwift than slowtwitch, but have a group stretch after a workout on zwift. You'd still have a leader hosting it and you'd still see your avatar doing the stretching.

We definitely need a like/dislike function.

A slowtwitch black book for training/local guides. If your willing take someone for a run, ride or get them into your local pool. The more people you help, the higher your slowtwitch rank and you get us discounts or freebies!
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [DanCT] [ In reply to ]
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DanCT wrote:
gregk wrote:
DanCT wrote:

Articles:

- Trustworthy Tri equipment reviews. Bikes, bike bits and pieces etc. DC Rainmaker has electronics covered, but no one does the rest (no one I trust)

Dan


I'm honestly curious: What about our current front-page reviews makes them seem untrustworthy? I'm not bought by any company/product that I've reviewed (and it's not uncommon that I'm featuring stuff that I've bought myself in the exact manner that any other consumer buys it). If anything, I think I've gotten a reputation for perhaps being too honest, as there are most certainly companies out there that don't call me back or ask for reviews any longer. You could say that we don't post them frequently enough, but thorough reviews take a lot of time. The other more recent X factor is that some brands are really trying to do all of their marketing directly via social media, who can "review" their own stuff on their own blog, or re-post photos and testimonials from their ambassadors. It's a strange world out there in (almost) 2019.


I don’t doubt the honesty of the current reviews. I’m looking for more comprehensive reviews. Reviewing a bike? Have you lived with it for 6 months and done a couple of races on it? Same for bars, etc. I appreciate that limits what could be reviewed (or review team needs expanding etc) but that would be my ask. The reviews are more like â€first looks’ than user reviews.

Dan

I've done quite a handful of long-term reviews, mostly of wheels, saddles, and shoes. Even those can be tough, and I've gotten comments ranging from, "Great!" to "How come this review took so long - the new model is coming out soon!". Um, it's a long-term review?

Full bikes are tough. With shipping them to/from, storing bike boxes, etc, you pretty much need an office / site for the publication. The number of publications that have the money for this is shrinking as magazines close. The ones that still do it are typically the biggest ones with the most conflict of interest. So yes - I get where you're coming from. I've had a few offers to do bike reviews, but I don't have the space to fill up my garage with bikes and boxes, and it just wouldn't be a profitable review if I really go in depth (which requires a lot of hours). Plus it's really hard to control for all factors - I'm evaluating the ride quality, but this bike has different tires than my last bike... but most manufacturers want you to evaluate their full bike as-spec'ced.

The good news is that when you're dealing with an experienced reviewer, a long-term review isn't always necessary. When you know what you're looking for and have a lot of other products to compare to, you can get the picture pretty quickly. In other words, tripling the number of miles ridden on a product doesn't provide triple the number of insights.
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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A reasonably priced online bike fit service that uses FB messenger or FaceTime to get real time advice and feedback from a known industry professional. I know it wouldn't be as perfect as an in person fit but a lot of us live in more remote places and the time to travel and being in the comfort of home (on both sides) would be big positives.
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [ealyanak] [ In reply to ]
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ealyanak wrote:

4. Bike set up for gravel and cyclocross. I showed up at my first cross race this year w/ 45psi in the tubeless tires. I was lucky to run into a friend that helped me out on that. By the end of the season I was running 20psi in the mud. Who knew?



We have covered this one quite a bit over the last few years:
https://www.slowtwitch.com/...s_Pressure_7081.html
https://www.slowtwitch.com/...ravel_Bike_6957.html
https://www.slowtwitch.com/...Road_Plus__6860.html

https://www.slowtwitch.com/...ke_Details_4241.html
https://www.slowtwitch.com/...ometry_101_7097.html


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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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Slowman wrote:

that strava is a throughway, but not the archiver. is that what you're saying?


Strava is close as an archiver. A problem, at least for some, is that when you bulk download, they don't give you your power or heartrate data back. This is the ticket where Strava says they're not going to give it back in bulk. You have to go workout-by-workout. Which would take me days with thousands of workouts. It's not clear to me if this is a business strategy (they want you to purchase their premium power analysis features rather than bulk export to TrainingPeaks, etc) or they just don't think it's that important.

So when I purchased WKO4 and wanted to look at my history as an athlete w.r.t. to my power data, I was stuck.
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [trail] [ In reply to ]
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what about garmin connect? Same goes for Polar (I'm assuming they have a similar analysis site)

Use this link to save $5 off your USAT membership renewal:
https://membership.usatriathlon.org/...A2-BAD7-6137B629D9B7
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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Editorially, content on how triathlon can be and is done on lower budget. Help move away from narrative that triathlon necessarily requires high income (ok for people who engage at that level, but other options and ways of engaging also available). I’ll close by saying that this site really is a great resource.
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [AlyraD] [ In reply to ]
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AlyraD wrote:
what about garmin connect? Same goes for Polar (I'm assuming they have a similar analysis site)

It's possible. I haven't exhaustively researched every site, since I've never used Polar and only dabbled with Garmin Connect.

I was just suggesting it because even if one of those sites works now, there's still no stated guarantee they won't change it. I thought there might be a space for a dedicated, athlete-first archiver. One with no conflict-of-interest in competing at being a power analysis service, coaching service, or selling data-generation products.
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [blaxxuede] [ In reply to ]
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blaxxuede wrote:
A reasonably priced online bike fit service that uses FB messenger or FaceTime to get real time advice and feedback from a known industry professional. I know it wouldn't be as perfect as an in person fit but a lot of us live in more remote places and the time to travel and being in the comfort of home (on both sides) would be big positives.

doesn't findinfreestyle sort of fill that void? dave luscan?

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [AlyraD] [ In reply to ]
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AlyraD wrote:
what about garmin connect? Same goes for Polar (I'm assuming they have a similar analysis site)

Agree. I use Garmin ecosystem and I consider GarminConnect my main repository. I have TrainerRoad push my workouts to GC. I have several years of training/racing data inside GC. And they do a decent job of analytics without having to pay extra.

I do use Strava but it has significant and annoying flaw - it won't consolidate multisport events into a single activity. I wouldn't consider it the main archive/repository.
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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Sorry if this is a dupe, but I haven't read all the replies. Saddle (dis)comfort seems to be a recurring theme that a bunch of us deal with. How about some sort of saddle selection/setup/adjustment flowchart/database type of tool? For instance, if I'm experiencing numbness on my Cobb 55, I could punch that into the tool and it would spit out one or more recommendations. If I just bought a PN 1.1, perhaps this tool could give me some tips in terms of fore/aft and how to angle the saddle up/down for maximal comfort...just to give me a headstart on getting it dialed in.
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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hmm.....well I guess this is the first time I've actually asked....so I'm not sure
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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Got it Dan Thanks A lot!
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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I would like a way to identify and meet other Slowtwitchers at races.

DFL > DNF > DNS
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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I'm mostly interested in the ST challenges these days. In the past year, my interest in entering races and one-day events has dropped dramatically. I'm more interested in hearing about and trying the multi-day, mind-blowing challenges that ST-ers invent.

My kids consider the ST challenges a weird cross of video games and athletics. They say we should have customizable avatars and skins. Okay. It would be great (in my mind) to use the addictive powers of video games to help motivate users to exercise. I'm not a video game player, so I'm not sure what the addictive powers actually are.
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Parkland] [ In reply to ]
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1. A better search function, a way to narrow down the search, it seams like every search has 500 returns.
2. I believe that there is a large group of "beginners" reading the posts but not posting themselves because they feel intimidated by some of the most experienced members, a beginners sub-forum would be nice, where the "more patience" members can put up with some of our annoying questions.
3. A "real" race search engine would be nice, at least for me since there is pretty much no local races where I live.
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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Like someone else has mentioned...I'd like a database of professional services in my area that are trusted/vetted by fellow slowtwitchers or the slowtwitch staff. I had a hard time recently finding a good doctor for my sports related injury. Would be nice to have a database with health professionals like doctors, PTs, dietitians. Maybe another would be coaches: tri coach, swim specific, bike specific, etc. Bike mechanic database. This would help me get off on the right foot when in need of something. People want true professionals to reach out to but don't want to do days of searching and trial and error to find the right person for the job.
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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Slowtwitch challenges, badges or achievements on zwift. I can't always make the group rides, the work outs are not always geared to what I need.
Challenges can be done on your own time but your still part of the group dynamic.
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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Slowman wrote:
trail wrote:
Maybe not in your swim lane, but I think there's a space out there for athlete-friendly cloud storage of training data. A training data vault. There's an increasing proliferation of sites that use or generate data. Strava, Zwift, TrainingPeaks, Xert, Rouvy, RideWith GPS, Sufferfest, et al. None of them are perfect in terms of data storage. Strava won't let you bulk download your data in a way that includes your power data, etc. So if you quit Strava and didn't set up alternative storage, then that data is lost forever (unless you want to download each ride one at a time when you quit - which sucks) And if you want to set things up so that one site is your central storage - say TrainingPeaks - then you're stuck with that service and it makes it a little harder to switch from that service if some new hotness comes along.

I think there's a space for a site that stores data in an athlete-friendly way. And by athlete-friendly I mean no attempt to "lock" you in by setting up barriers (Strava), very clear privacy rights and usage rights (no selling to 3rd parties without consent), and very clear to hook up to all these new digital services that either use or generate data. And of course free ability to bulk download *all* of your data.

This site would make no attempt to be a calendar, do analysis, etc. It just stores your data and provides all those other services (with athlete permission) the ability to read your data, add to your data, or both.

The business model would be something like free storage for manual upload, and maybe $2/month (or something) for each connected service. Or whatever pricing structure works to pay the Amazon Web Services storage fee, etc.

The aggregate data could also be useful (with consent). You could look at it and discover - hey - there's a lot of gravel riding going on in this city the past year, and sell that to advertisers or race producers to target that area.

Maybe all those services would like this anyway. They could get out of the data storage business and focus on making cool 3D worlds, etc. Or maybe they'd hate it becomes it does strip them of some power, and hands it back to the athlete.


well isn't that interesting as hell. i'll talk to eric about this. and jordan. i agree with you that one aggregator of data is needed, because data is getting generated by all your devices. but i would've thought that strava was the clearinghouse, was that place. you're saying it isn't that place? that strava is a throughway, but not the archiver. is that what you're saying?

This is why I use old client software from Sporttracks as my repository. None of the platforms really capture what I want in the waty I look at data.
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [damn lucky] [ In reply to ]
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You're right, Damnlucky! We need some stinkin' badges!

And we need the full panoply of emojis. For instance, I want to give a thumbs up to Diana in the 100/100 challenge because we're basically running together-- good job, Diana! Keep it up!

I'd also like some sort of icon that indicates my intention to run someone down. Yes, you, Diana!!

And a cowbell icon for cheering. More cowbell!!

Several days ago I ran three times to try boost my 100/100 standing. After each run, I logged my run and was happy and dismayed to see that everyone in the log near me was running multiples, too. I didn't move up in the rankings at all! That was really fun to see! A cowbell icon would have really come in handy.
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [SallyShortyPnts] [ In reply to ]
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SallyShortyPnts wrote:
I would like a way to identify and meet other Slowtwitchers at races.

We used to do this quite a bit.

clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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A market maker for miracle swim instructors and athletes in need.

You know, the athlete who can run a sub 3 hr marathon but can't swim faster than 2min/100.

You know, the swim instructor who doesn't just do video analysis or prescribe drills or tower26 or anything else that works for the majority. Somebody who actually works outside of the box to get results. That is worth $$$$$ for the right instructor.

Demand is there, supply is not.
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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Micro-Tipping

It would greatly improve content. You could even link it to an "upvote" button to micro tip the individual who provided the good content, which further incentivizes good content.


Ironman Lake Placid 2021| 70.3 Worlds St. George 2021
Last edited by: MatthewLigman: Dec 28, 18 12:36
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [blaxxuede] [ In reply to ]
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blaxxuede wrote:
Got it Dan Thanks A lot!

I haven't used the service but Todd at ttfit.com comes highly recommended. I've seen his post Kona video fit analysis of pros many times. Online is still $225 though but I guess that's the going rate for a top guy.
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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I really like the idea presented of an "up vote". I think this will improve content as well as being a bit of a collective monitoring device.

David
* Ironman for Life! (Blog) * IM Everyday Hero Video * Daggett Shuler Law *
Disclaimer: I have personal and professional relationships with many athletes, vendors, and organizations in the triathlon world.
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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Slowman wrote:
what do you wish was solved that you haven't solved? examples might be: my bike fits badly; my saddle hurts me.

I'd like a cheap (-ish) motorized cockpit & seatpost for trainer use only.

As it's on the trainer I don't really care how much it weighs, or if it needs to be plugged in, but it would allow me to easily experiment with things like saddle position/angle in small increments during a ride.
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Calamityjane88] [ In reply to ]
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Calamityjane88 wrote:
You're right, Damnlucky! We need some stinkin' badges!

And we need the full panoply of emojis. For instance, I want to give a thumbs up to Diana in the 100/100 challenge because we're basically running together-- good job, Diana! Keep it up!

I'd also like some sort of icon that indicates my intention to run someone down. Yes, you, Diana!!

And a cowbell icon for cheering. More cowbell!!

Several days ago I ran three times to try boost my 100/100 standing. After each run, I logged my run and was happy and dismayed to see that everyone in the log near me was running multiples, too. I didn't move up in the rankings at all! That was really fun to see! A cowbell icon would have really come in handy.

I just want to say that if that is what you did, then the 100/100 achieved exactly what we hope for!!!! Keep it up.
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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I do not want an opportunity to like a forum post. I believe this community is small enough and intelligent enough to respond in words to a post that is worthy of being judged. I think adding a like button would, in the long run, hurt more than help the discourse here.

What do I want? Simply articles and discussion that keep my multisport mojo flowing after 35 years.

Thanks for everything you've done so far and happy new year!
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Mark Lemmon] [ In reply to ]
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I see your point, Mark Lemmon. Generally,
we ARE a literate group.

But sometimes a thumbs-up really is the FULL extent of my ideas. Sad! : (

Maybe we could vote thumbs up/thumbs down on it?

I think a Lionel Fanclub badge/regimentals would be good. I identify as a Lionel Fan.
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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I need an extra 4-6 hours in my day, so I can actually fit in workouts when I want to.

Other than that I'm good.

__________________________________________________
Kotter

Getting back into the game...
Slower than you.
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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I need someone to swim with and do run workouts with.
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [SteveM] [ In reply to ]
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SteveM wrote:
Slowman wrote:
what do you wish was solved that you haven't solved? examples might be: my bike fits badly; my saddle hurts me.


I'd like a cheap (-ish) motorized cockpit & seatpost for trainer use only.

As it's on the trainer I don't really care how much it weighs, or if it needs to be plugged in, but it would allow me to easily experiment with things like saddle position/angle in small increments during a ride.

until very recently i did all my trainer rides on my fit bike. for this very reason.

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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It would be great to have a library/database of training plans for various events.
Say Iâ€d like to go for an OD or MD and do have 10h to spend per week, how would my plan look like and with what workouts.
Or how would I prepare for a 5k sub 20?

I know there are many sources on the web but Iâ€d like to have it slowtwitch approved.

Iâ€d like to come here, enter my data, goals, status quo and I get a plan that prepares me accordingly (of course following the pareto principal, the final 20 % wonâ€t be that easy).
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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Slowtwitch is a fantastic resource for everything endurance. My biggest problem is finding the information on here. I find it much easier to search for information on the other forums I frequent. One in particular, advrider.com, is so much easier to search due to the many sub forums where information is stored. If I want to find a .GPX file or a tutorial on adjusting the valves on a 2007 KTM 640 I can find that info very quickly.

If I try to find out on Slowtwitch who makes tubulars with long valve stems, I find it's easier to type my search into Google and then look for the results that pop up from Slowtwitch, rather then use the Slowtwitch search function and have to wade through tons of irrelevant results.

Love the site otherwise!
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Mark Lemmon] [ In reply to ]
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Mark Lemmon wrote:
I do not want an opportunity to like a forum post. I believe this community is small enough and intelligent enough to respond in words to a post that is worthy of being judged. I think adding a like button would, in the long run, hurt more than help the discourse here.

What do I want? Simply articles and discussion that keep my multisport mojo flowing after 35 years.

Thanks for everything you've done so far and happy new year!

I second what Mark said....make people type and have a two way discourse whether a post is appealing of not and if they want to add to the discussion. Hitting like or an equivalent emoticon removes the 2 way communication between really humans. Imagined a phone call when the other part is just responding with 5 canned emoticons.
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Cmartin] [ In reply to ]
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Cmartin wrote:
Slowtwitch is a fantastic resource for everything endurance. My biggest problem is finding the information on here. I find it much easier to search for information on the other forums I frequent. One in particular, advrider.com, is so much easier to search due to the many sub forums where information is stored. If I want to find a .GPX file or a tutorial on adjusting the valves on a 2007 KTM 640 I can find that info very quickly.

If I try to find out on Slowtwitch who makes tubulars with long valve stems, I find it's easier to type my search into Google and then look for the results that pop up from Slowtwitch, rather then use the Slowtwitch search function and have to wade through tons of irrelevant results.

Love the site otherwise!

I agree with this. The search function is broken.
And pics!! I don’t want to go to tinypics to post a pic here.
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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An injury forum.
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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Not anything you or anyone can help with, I think, but I need to be comfortable riding a tri bike. The things give me the willies. Road bikes are fine, but tri bikes feel so twitchy that I tend to get in aero and right back out quite quickly. Just got my second one after several years without. It's what would make me want to do draft-legal...

The point is, ladies and gentleman, that speed, for lack of a better word, is good. Speed is right, Speed works. Speed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit.
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [trail] [ In reply to ]
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there is https://tapiriik.com/

its not an archive but let’s you sync and you can send to dropbox as an archive.
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Post deleted by Calamityjane88 [ In reply to ]
Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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Thx Slowman for the post...here's a couple of thoughts:
-It would be great for those at Kona but not racing IMWC to do the ride up Mauna Kea you did in Oct. That would be a great Slowtwitch Club event, an adjunct to the other race on HI
-In the same vein, providing an outlet to evolve multisport endurance exercise...yes, there's xterra, but is there a series yet with gravel bikes? (maybe there is, I just don't have time to research) It seems like the endurance exercise world is exploding with options these days
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [raulsan] [ In reply to ]
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raulsan wrote:
there is https://tapiriik.com/

its not an archive but let’s you sync and you can send to dropbox as an archive.

Interesting. Thank you.
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [madmax231] [ In reply to ]
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madmax231 wrote:



Money.

+1
This sport is too expensive for my means ... :-( .

More seriously, the people on this forum are its ''richness'', so much knowledge and sincerity.
Keep it up ! While I'm trying to save for some material stuff.... :-)

Louis :-)
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Calamityjane88] [ In reply to ]
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Calamityjane88 wrote:

For me, a simple poo emoji would say all I want to say. Using words to tell him he's an ass is a little too much engagement for me.

I understand that the world is heading in that direction, but Dan can choose to slow that movement on his site.

On a more important topic, it would be great if more RDs would contribute more to this forum but I certainly understand their reluctance.
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Diabolo] [ In reply to ]
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Diabolo wrote:
From slowtwitch (by far the best triathlon online presence): a bigger focus on ITU, including up and coming triathletes, info on well run triathlon programs that develop juniors,...

From the sport of triathlon in general: we do poorly providing viable avenues for kids to develop as triathletes, and move through the life stages.

Not being in the US, I don’t know what a slowtwitch team could bring me. I do have a gravel bike and would probably do a gravel (or road optional) triathlon if one existed close to where I live.
Would agree with this though I think USA tri is doing better then USA cycling as kids can start racing earlier but the cost is prohibitive for having them do so. I read here a lot more then posting and the info for getting kids more involved would be great. My youngest, 5 at the time did 1 duathlon while my daughter did her first of three at 8yo this last summer. Only thing I could easily find for them besides that were cross races which weren't really good races so much as giving the kids a chance to ride around very tiny courses with other kids their age which they still loved. Nothing for road at those ages but the info on here was very useful.

I do find that some of the postings are a little haphazard in where they go but if things get over categorized then posts are harder to see unless a stream is added that shows the last 10/15/20 threads that were posted.
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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Few things come to mind. First I am "paracyclist' who loves riding bikes. I have been struggling with never being comfortable on the bike. Because of my disability my right side is weaker than my left. This causes all kinds of issues. Real leg length issues, my hips not being in line with each other, so that I sit crooked on any type of saddle. Would love to find a saddle solution.

Second would actually love to find a fitter that could actually help me. I understand that my situation maybe unique, but I just want to ride my bikes in comfort. I am willing to put in the work to get it done. Not easy for me to make adjustments on the bike when I only have 1 good hand. My own bike setup has been a work in progress over many years.

Third para athletes inspire me. Overcoming difficulties helps me put my own life into perspective. Would love if someone could interview one of them and see what kind of changes they had to do to make their equipment work for them. Maybe that could show others what is possible, or even give ideas for other "para athletes" could try. Not much information on the internet about those types of things. In your poll you asked about the next up and coming woman triathlete, maybe we will get to know the current or even upcoming para athletes.

Just a few thoughts.
Stephan
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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I don't know if this has been mentioned but a proper marketplace would be great. The classifieds forum is OK for its purpose but there's a lot of activity there that could be expanded and formalized. I suspect most listers there are trying to avoid eBay (fees, out of principle, etc.) if at all possible. <pink> Mint your very own cryptocurrency (the 'twitchcoin') and you'd be off and running. <pink, sort of>

tinman
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [StephanP] [ In reply to ]
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Where are you located? If you’re on the east coast of the US, I got a guy. He works with Project Hero at Walter Reed.

Level II USAT Coach | Level 3 USAC Coach | NASM-CPT
Team Zoot | Tailwind Trailblazer
I can tell you why you're sick, I just can't write you an Rx
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Mark Lemmon] [ In reply to ]
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Mark Lemmon wrote:
Calamityjane88 wrote:


For me, a simple poo emoji would say all I want to say. Using words to tell him he's an ass is a little too much engagement for me.


I understand that the world is heading in that direction, but Dan can choose to slow that movement on his site.

On a more important topic, it would be great if more RDs would contribute more to this forum but I certainly understand their reluctance.

The cool thing about the English language is we have a lot of tools to convey in text what we would like to do in real life. Now this also comes with the discourse devolving where, rather than discussing the topic, we end up taking cheap shots at one another, but that downside comes with the upside of discourse that resolves a topic on which people are on opposing sides, or building up on a topic on which we are in agreement.
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [SBRinSD] [ In reply to ]
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SBRinSD wrote:
I don’t know how to deliver what I’m going to ask for but here I go anyway...

Slowtwitch Approved Training and Nutrition resources - the best of ST advice boiled down and minus the typical thread derailment.

Running -> Barry P or Desert Dudes Full Ass Challenge (or whatever it’s called)

Biking -> Flanagan thread without all the crap from Frank Day

Swimming -> guppy thread or ???

How to combine S, B and R for typical AG

Nutrition -> ?

Maybe a poll to nominate the resources. I think what is most valuable is the organic way the content is created within the forums. Nothing is forced. The content just needs to be summarized and housed in one place on the site. The stickiest of sticky threads if you will.

Edit: also the strength training program that seemed to be popular. Maybe something on ITB or common overuse injury prevention.

X2

And add to this nutrition, time crunched training, bike fit, equipment and wisdom on rehab or even prefab from common ailments, lower body, soft tissue and other endurance related injuries.

5 or so sticky pages that would evolve get updated every 3 months or so.
Quote Reply
Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Toby] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Have you ever tried rollers? They really help your cycling form. It’s amazing when you get on them how much your hips and shoulders are moving the bike and your arms are constantly correcting.
Are you able to ride no hands on your tri bike? Can you come out of the aero bars and just have your arms hover an inch or so above the bars?
If fit isn’t the issue these exercises should start to help your confidence on the tri bike.
Quote Reply
Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
I'd like to see some more kind of 'how to articles' and training ideas articles and how to other sports would benefit triathlon traing.

The articles on nordic skiing with videos a few years back were fantastic and as I am struggling to learn how to ski, I am re-watching the videos a few times a week. So how about more cross-country skiing and how it benefits triathlon?

You could also try some others things like (1) 'how to swim properly on the vasa', with sample vasa workouts and what they are good for, (2) fat bike on snow (with events listed), (3) fat bike on sand (with events listed), (4) cyclocross how to, (5) run-swim training and gear and events, (6) snowshoe, (7) mountainbike with what the different types of mountain bikes are good for, (8) strength training.

Some other things that would be interesting - Health benefits of short course versus long course, health benefits of more sports than just swim-bike-run, training in your 20's, 30's, 40's, 50's, etc.

A few years ago, Pearl Izumi had a platform called 'unsanctioned races' that you could use to create and invite people to unsanctioned races. Maybe slowtwitch could resurrect something like that?
Quote Reply
Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Slowman wrote:
this question is the beginning of a process for me, sort of an end-of-year thing, looking for guidance for a number of reasons on how best to serve you all.
Start with the simple things: either ditch this forum software or fix some of its major shortcomings...

1) The search function is effectively inoperative. In a land where so many of our products contain numbers, a search that ignores numbers is Dilbert-worthy.

2) Increase the photo size limit to something much larger than 250MB. In a land where storage is rounding to free, this crazy-low limit is unusual in forum land.

Both of the above are outliers on the Internet.

Somehow solve the horrible signal to noise ratio in this forum. I moderate a couple BMW forums, and the signal to noise content there is orders of magnitude better, so finding good content is not nearly as difficult as here.

So, after the basics above, figure out how to better bucket and deliver the vast knowledge in the forum. This is the blue sky stuff. I come here to learn about the sport and improve. I am interested in posts about technology, aerodynamics, position, technique, nutrition, etc. I ignore most of the threads where people go viral and start bashing whatever they perceive as the hate de jour.

There has to be some kind of knowledge management plug-in that can scan and organize posts and threads better and and create dynamic categories around topics.

----

Editorially, reorganize the home page around the major topics that people come looking for, and make that whole process easier. This is the strategy part. I am pretty sure the main headings (Products, Local Listing, Articles, Photos, Indoor, Races, coaching, Training, Bike Fit) fall short and are not working. The don't work for me. Just look at the topic areas that generate activity in the forum... you have the richest voice of the customer feedback already at your fingertips.

Just looking at today's first page is a great guide. For example, we have two posts on Training software and a couple more on indoor trainers, several on bike equipment and upgrades, a couple on swim improvement, a couple on races, an interview. And there are a few more in the mix during the season, like race reports. Study the hot topics and realign the home page around those topics. Then orient articles within those topics and co-link them to the AI-mined forum content.
Quote Reply
Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Also, I want to travel to race or train on my bike, but I don't want to travel with my bike because it is a pain. And I want to travel to race, but I don't want to do an Ironman again and probably not even a 1/2 IM. There are not a lot of good options for destination races that are less long than a 1/2 IM anymore. Lavaman, Laguna Phuket, Alcatraz, Age Group Nationals are a couple that come to mind. Lavaman and Age Group Nationals were great because I was able to rent nice bikes at the race site.

So what I most "need" are more short races in cool places where I can rent a bike.
Quote Reply
Re: What do you need? Mostly? [exxxviii] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
exxxviii wrote:
1) The search function is effectively inoperative. In a land where so many of our products contain numbers, a search that ignores numbers is Dilbert-worthy.


i'm sorry. at some point i just have to call bullshit on bullshit. i routinely find what some of you consider unsearchable in 30sec using our search utility.

exxxviii wrote:
2) Increase the photo size limit to something much larger than 250MB. In a land where storage is rounding to free, this crazy-low limit is unusual in forum land.


no. in a land where photo fileweight downsizing is ubiquitous there is no reason whatsoever to try to upload a plus-250mb photo on this forum. this forum archives 6 million posts. the problem is not the storage. it's the processor load. we're constantly upgrading the server hardware, RAM, processors to keep up. you guys are a busy lot. bless your heart. the last thing in my to-do list is allowing you all to put gigabyte images on a forum post.

exxxviii wrote:
Somehow solve the horrible signal to noise ratio in this forum.


you're whining. this forum has the best user-generated content of any forum you've ever been to, including those you moderate.

exxxviii wrote:
I am pretty sure the main headings (Products, Local Listing, Articles, Photos, Indoor, Races, coaching, Training, Bike Fit) fall short and are not working. The don't work for me.


now you're talking. i've been thinking the same thing. for example, we didn't used to have "indoor" on that navbar. we do because of precisely what you just said. i'm getting rid of "photos" and replacing it with "gravel". so, yes, thanks for that. thanks for the kick in the pants on that. i'll see if i can get that done this weekend.

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman
Last edited by: Slowman: Dec 29, 18 10:20
Quote Reply
Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Dr_Cupcake] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Dr_Cupcake wrote:
Where are you located? If you’re on the east coast of the US, I got a guy. He works with Project Hero at Walter Reed.

In Canada about 1 hour west of Toronto. Thanks for the offer but that's a bit far for me.
Quote Reply
Re: What do you need? Mostly? [StephanP] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
StephanP wrote:
Few things come to mind. First I am "paracyclist' who loves riding bikes. I have been struggling with never being comfortable on the bike. Because of my disability my right side is weaker than my left. This causes all kinds of issues. Real leg length issues, my hips not being in line with each other, so that I sit crooked on any type of saddle. Would love to find a saddle solution.

Second would actually love to find a fitter that could actually help me. I understand that my situation maybe unique, but I just want to ride my bikes in comfort. I am willing to put in the work to get it done. Not easy for me to make adjustments on the bike when I only have 1 good hand. My own bike setup has been a work in progress over many years.

Third para athletes inspire me. Overcoming difficulties helps me put my own life into perspective. Would love if someone could interview one of them and see what kind of changes they had to do to make their equipment work for them. Maybe that could show others what is possible, or even give ideas for other "para athletes" could try. Not much information on the internet about those types of things. In your poll you asked about the next up and coming woman triathlete, maybe we will get to know the current or even upcoming para athletes.

Just a few thoughts.
Stephan

interesting you write this, because, in another thread i asked who wants to be in race production. one thing i've noticed: the underepresented folks in triathlon have largely followed the underrepresented folk in the business of triathlon. when women put on triathlons, launch clothing companies, start clubs, then we get an influx of women. when people of color take the lead in an effort, more people of color get involved. and two other groups came to mind: the millenial and gen Y triathlete, and the challenged athletes. i think i'd like to see if i can get you on working behind the camera. i'll bet if more challenged athletes got involved with race production, clubs, and so forth, the challenged athlete race scene would become more robust.

here's a question that comes to mind. do challenged athletes ride on zwift? run on zwift? how is that executed?

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman
Quote Reply
Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
First, thanks a ton for reading and responding. I was worried that this thread would get a lot of attention and you might not be able to see everything right away. I did not intend for it to be BS or whiney, so I hope that did not lead you to discount all I said. Here is where I was coming from...

Slowman wrote:
i'm sorry. at some point i just have to call bullshit on bullshit. i routinely find what some of you consider unsearchable in 30sec using our search utility.
30 seconds is an eternity in search land. By 15-20 seconds, I will have exhausted about every search permutation I can think of on a topic and give up. "Some of you consider unsearachable" should be evidence enough of an issue. This really is the only forum I know that ignores numbers. I will grant you that it is a little better, but if I am having trouble finding something, I go to Google and add the site:slowtwitch.com tag to search. I know to do this because I am a digital and computer expert; most folks do not know how to search a site from Google.

Slowman wrote:
The problem is not the storage. it's the processor load. we're constantly upgrading the server hardware, RAM, processors to keep up.
I agree, since you you are still hosting on your own hardware. I had assumed that you were hosting in Azure, AWS, or something similar. Trying to scale a private, physical hosting environment for this site would be a beast.[/quote]
Slowman wrote:
you're whining. this forum has the best user-generated content of any forum you've ever been to, including those you moderate.

Whining is not my intent. And, I did not mean to suggest that control or censorship is the solution, though my statement looks like that when I read it again. My intent is to figure out some way to help the seekers of information cut through the noise to find what they are looking for. This ties to better searching and that magic AI to help bucket great content.

It is the passion that derails threads. The passion is what builds the online relationships that help generate new threads with new information. The problem is that good threads get a lot of noise posts (some fine and some unhealthy) because of passion. The challenge is that in a good thread, we still have to wade through a lot of noise to find the salient points. Examples are the debates on aerodynamics and rolling resistance. Those have immensely valuable needles hidden in haystacks of arguments and healthy debate.

Slowman wrote:
now you're talking. i've been thinking the same thing. for example, we didn't used to have "indoor" on that navbar. we do because of precisely what you just said. i'm getting rid of "photos" and replacing it with "gravel". so, yes, thanks for that. thanks for the kick in the pants on that. i'll see if i can get that done this weekend.
This is why my earlier points are leading to. This site has a crapton of invaluable information. On the BMW forum I mentioned, we created an accompanying wiki that grew with the knowledge from the forum. That was manual 15 years ago, but there has to be some magic tools today that can help automate this.
Quote Reply
Re: What do you need? Mostly? [exxxviii] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
exxxviii wrote:
First, thanks a ton for reading and responding. I was worried that this thread would get a lot of attention and you might not be able to see everything right away. I did not intend for it to be BS or whiney, so I hope that did not lead you to discount all I said. Here is where I was coming from...

Slowman wrote:
i'm sorry. at some point i just have to call bullshit on bullshit. i routinely find what some of you consider unsearchable in 30sec using our search utility.

30 seconds is an eternity in search land. By 15-20 seconds, I will have exhausted about every search permutation I can think of on a topic and give up. "Some of you consider unsearachable" should be evidence enough of an issue. This really is the only forum I know that ignores numbers. I will grant you that it is a little better, but if I am having trouble finding something, I go to Google and add the site:slowtwitch.com tag to search. I know to do this because I am a digital and computer expert; most folks do not know how to search a site from Google.

Slowman wrote:
The problem is not the storage. it's the processor load. we're constantly upgrading the server hardware, RAM, processors to keep up.

I agree, since you you are still hosting on your own hardware. I had assumed that you were hosting in Azure, AWS, or something similar. Trying to scale a private, physical hosting environment for this site would be a beast.

Slowman wrote:
you're whining. this forum has the best user-generated content of any forum you've ever been to, including those you moderate.

Whining is not my intent. And, I did not mean to suggest that control or censorship is the solution, though my statement looks like that when I read it again. My intent is to figure out some way to help the seekers of information cut through the noise to find what they are looking for. This ties to better searching and that magic AI to help bucket great content.

It is the passion that derails threads. The passion is what builds the online relationships that help generate new threads with new information. The problem is that good threads get a lot of noise posts (some fine and some unhealthy) because of passion. The challenge is that in a good thread, we still have to wade through a lot of noise to find the salient points. Examples are the debates on aerodynamics and rolling resistance. Those have immensely valuable needles hidden in haystacks of arguments and healthy debate.

Slowman wrote:
now you're talking. i've been thinking the same thing. for example, we didn't used to have "indoor" on that navbar. we do because of precisely what you just said. i'm getting rid of "photos" and replacing it with "gravel". so, yes, thanks for that. thanks for the kick in the pants on that. i'll see if i can get that done this weekend.

This is why my earlier points are leading to. This site has a crapton of invaluable information. On the BMW forum I mentioned, we created an accompanying wiki that grew with the knowledge from the forum. That was manual 15 years ago, but there has to be some magic tools today that can help automate this.[/quote]
let me be clear: you and i struggle with the same thing. we have 7,500 articles and 6 million posts. and 90,000 forum users and by mid next year 100,000. right now, my biggest problem is getting people to use the navigational tools we're building to wrangle the data. we built a utility called HOT FORUM TOPICS. you'll see it here. nobody knows what it is, how to use it, it doesn't matter how many times i explain it and in how many places. the goal is for this to be a joint project between moderators and users, to corral and present not just searchable post and threads, but the best among them, in a living archive.

so, i need to find a way to rebrand it. make what it is more obvious. and that is just one of a number of changes i want to make to improve navigation. our biggest challenge, and all our work product, is invested in: how to arrange and present content; and how to manage navigation. i spent a boatload of money on that in 2016 and 2017, and it's like painting the golden gate bridge: as soon as it was finished i needed to start again.

i hear you, brother. this thread was not designed to be what do you need mostly from this site. it was designed as what do you need mostly? in your endurance life? with the goal toward figuring out what we ought to offer a slowtwitch club member, if we decide to have a club. however, as you know, as a moderator, threads take on lives of their own, and i'm taking notes. i have a bunch of notes, on how to make some changes to the site based on the input on this thread.

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman
Quote Reply
Re: What do you need? Mostly? [damn lucky] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
damn lucky wrote:
Have you ever tried rollers? They really help your cycling form. It’s amazing when you get on them how much your hips and shoulders are moving the bike and your arms are constantly correcting.
Are you able to ride no hands on your tri bike? Can you come out of the aero bars and just have your arms hover an inch or so above the bars?
If fit isn’t the issue these exercises should start to help your confidence on the tri bike.

Man, I can't even ride my road bike no hands. I was fit by Trent Nix so it shouldn't be a fit thing.

Never tried rollers, no.

The point is, ladies and gentleman, that speed, for lack of a better word, is good. Speed is right, Speed works. Speed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit.
Quote Reply
Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
For slowtwitch.com: a like button. Many times, I just want to like someone else's post. I like the up and down arrows that Reddit uses.

In general (I'm not sure there is much you can do about this): go back to 2008 pricing for triathlon. Races and bikes are too expensive. For some reason, when I got into triathlon in 2007, there was an energy that is now missing. Maybe I'm just getting old.
Quote Reply
Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Jonathan22] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Jonathan22 wrote:
For slowtwitch.com: a like button. Many times, I just want to like someone else's post. I like the up and down arrows that Reddit uses.

In general (I'm not sure there is much you can do about this): go back to 2008 pricing for triathlon. Races and bikes are too expensive. For some reason, when I got into triathlon in 2007, there was an energy that is now missing. Maybe I'm just getting old.

on the like button. investigating how best to do that. on the other: i'm 62. i'm more enthused every year. so, no. you're not getting old. you're getting bored. so... is it me (the sport)? or is it you?

did you enter the 100/100? if not why not? what interests you? what would interest you? have you got a gravel bike yet? do you want to enter a gravel bike triathlon? talk to me.

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman
Quote Reply
Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Slowman wrote:
Jonathan22 wrote:
For slowtwitch.com: a like button. Many times, I just want to like someone else's post. I like the up and down arrows that Reddit uses.

In general (I'm not sure there is much you can do about this): go back to 2008 pricing for triathlon. Races and bikes are too expensive. For some reason, when I got into triathlon in 2007, there was an energy that is now missing. Maybe I'm just getting old.


on the like button. investigating how best to do that. on the other: i'm 62. i'm more enthused every year. so, no. you're not getting old. you're getting bored. so... is it me (the sport)? or is it you?

did you enter the 100/100? if not why not? what interests you? what would interest you? have you got a gravel bike yet? do you want to enter a gravel bike triathlon? talk to me.

It's definitely me and not you Dan. haha

yes, I own a gravel bike. Love riding it when the weather is nice. 7 years ago I moved from Atlanta to the midwest. The weather was definitely better in Atlanta. And Atlanta, being a bigger market, had more triathlons, more group rides, more options. Where I live now, while there are people trying very hard to change it, we just have less options. I think that's the missing energy you mentioned.

Having said that, I'm really enjoying zwift. I've been doing indoor rides for probably 2 years now. And I have an ipad on the way (coupled with the zwift pod that I have - thank YOU for that), I'll be using it to run soon enough too.

I would love a gravel bike triathlon. And off-road, xterra triathlons too. Generally, I think we need more shorter, cheaper races. If I had the time, I would start a local https://www.parkrun.us/ and maybe a once a month sprint triathlon version.
Quote Reply
Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Jonathan22] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Jonathan22 wrote:
Slowman wrote:
Jonathan22 wrote:
For slowtwitch.com: a like button. Many times, I just want to like someone else's post. I like the up and down arrows that Reddit uses.

In general (I'm not sure there is much you can do about this): go back to 2008 pricing for triathlon. Races and bikes are too expensive. For some reason, when I got into triathlon in 2007, there was an energy that is now missing. Maybe I'm just getting old.


on the like button. investigating how best to do that. on the other: i'm 62. i'm more enthused every year. so, no. you're not getting old. you're getting bored. so... is it me (the sport)? or is it you?

did you enter the 100/100? if not why not? what interests you? what would interest you? have you got a gravel bike yet? do you want to enter a gravel bike triathlon? talk to me.


It's definitely me and not you Dan. haha

yes, I own a gravel bike. Love riding it when the weather is nice. 7 years ago I moved from Atlanta to the midwest. The weather was definitely better in Atlanta. And Atlanta, being a bigger market, had more triathlons, more group rides, more options. Where I live now, while there are people trying very hard to change it, we just have less options. I think that's the missing energy you mentioned.

Having said that, I'm really enjoying zwift. I've been doing indoor rides for probably 2 years now. And I have an ipad on the way (coupled with the zwift pod that I have - thank YOU for that), I'll be using it to run soon enough too.

I would love a gravel bike triathlon. And off-road, xterra triathlons too. Generally, I think we need more shorter, cheaper races. If I had the time, I would start a local https://www.parkrun.us/ and maybe a once a month sprint triathlon version.

i think you and i should work to put on a gravel bike race, or a gravel bike triathlon, in your area. before you say no, the market is too small, how much smaller is your market than emporia kansas?

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman
Quote Reply
Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Dr_Cupcake] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Quote:
Maybe that means more than a "hot topic" menu, like a subforum for the "on-rampers" to the sport, where people could feel comfortable asking these questions and getting the pinpoint answers they need. Maybe that means a space for people to ask for one-on-one help in their regions, so there's a face to attach to the name. Or maybe this all means having links thrown at me saying this has already been done and in my limited time to browse the forum as a relative newcomer, I have missed all of this and still remain an outsider

Maybe a section which has pinned threads which contain the best community-sourced advice. Which tires should I buy? Is my seat too high? Why does my swimming suck? How do I do tri and raise kids and keep the spouse happy? Etc. etc.

'It never gets easier, you just get crazier.'
Quote Reply
Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Slowman wrote:
i think you and i should work to put on a gravel bike race, or a gravel bike triathlon, in your area. before you say no, the market is too small, how much smaller is your market than emporia kansas?

When I was growing up in Emporia Kansas, there might have been one small bike shop. It’s amazing what Lelan and crew have done to grow Dirty Kanza and the gravel scene and really, just bike riding in general in the town. There are now three (3) bike shops - in a town of 25,000! With group rides from newbies to experienced. And every single neighborhood in town has signs out in the yards which say “Respect the Wheels”.

clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com
Quote Reply
Re: What do you need? Mostly? [georged] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
georged wrote:
Quote:
Maybe that means more than a "hot topic" menu, like a subforum for the "on-rampers" to the sport, where people could feel comfortable asking these questions and getting the pinpoint answers they need. Maybe that means a space for people to ask for one-on-one help in their regions, so there's a face to attach to the name. Or maybe this all means having links thrown at me saying this has already been done and in my limited time to browse the forum as a relative newcomer, I have missed all of this and still remain an outsider

Maybe a section which has pinned threads which contain the best community-sourced advice. Which tires should I buy? Is my seat too high? Why does my swimming suck? How do I do tri and raise kids and keep the spouse happy? Etc. etc.

You know that's exactly what we built here, yes?

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman
Quote Reply
Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
I think with the current model of "it's already here, go find it", you limit the newcomers ability and confidence to join in the conversation. There's a sense of belonging that comes along with personal responses that don't include "The answer is buried somewhere, he's a shovel". Maybe a subforum for onrampers or newcomers would be good so there's a sense of solidarity, knowing that they're not alone in their questions and frustrations.

Level II USAT Coach | Level 3 USAC Coach | NASM-CPT
Team Zoot | Tailwind Trailblazer
I can tell you why you're sick, I just can't write you an Rx
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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Dunno if it’s been mentioned, but the ability to tag threads by subject (or alternatively implementing subforums for swim, bike, run, racing, and maybe a couple of others, so long as there was still a global view) would be helpful, especially with how “bike heavy” the forum is. For the 5 people here who actually like swimming, it’s hard to keep the swim stuff visible.

Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly
Quote Reply
Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Dr_Cupcake] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Dr_Cupcake wrote:
I think with the current model of "it's already here, go find it", you limit the newcomers ability and confidence to join in the conversation. There's a sense of belonging that comes along with personal responses that don't include "The answer is buried somewhere, he's a shovel". Maybe a subforum for onrampers or newcomers would be good so there's a sense of solidarity, knowing that they're not alone in their questions and frustrations.

here's my problem. and i'm not trying to this over to you. it's MY problem, because i have to get you to understand the functionality that's here, and the last 3 of you who've posted have basically asked for the same thing, and it's built. it's done. it's here. you just don't know it's here. it's hiding in plain view. so, one mission of mine, as i aggregate your ideas, is just to get you to recognize, acknowledge, see, and use, the functionality that we have. it's my problem not yours because the great, great majority of you don't know what we've got here. it's all well and good to have 10,000 or 20,000 or you regularly perusing the forum, but, if only 500 of you are online at the particular time that i post something, and only 75 of you read what i post, then i still have 19,925 people who i haven't yet gotten to see the functionality we built. so, i post again. and again. and again. and now i only have 19,500 of you who don't know what functionality sits here. hence my conundrum that i need to solve.

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman
Quote Reply
Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Slowman wrote:
Dr_Cupcake wrote:
I think with the current model of "it's already here, go find it", you limit the newcomers ability and confidence to join in the conversation. There's a sense of belonging that comes along with personal responses that don't include "The answer is buried somewhere, he's a shovel". Maybe a subforum for onrampers or newcomers would be good so there's a sense of solidarity, knowing that they're not alone in their questions and frustrations.

here's my problem. and i'm not trying to this over to you. it's MY problem, because i have to get you to understand the functionality that's here, and the last 3 of you who've posted have basically asked for the same thing, and it's built. it's done. it's here. you just don't know it's here. it's hiding in plain view. so, one mission of mine, as i aggregate your ideas, is just to get you to recognize, acknowledge, see, and use, the functionality that we have. it's my problem not yours because the great, great majority of you don't know what we've got here. it's all well and good to have 10,000 or 20,000 or you regularly perusing the forum, but, if only 500 of you are online at the particular time that i post something, and only 75 of you read what i post, then i still have 19,925 people who i haven't yet gotten to see the functionality we built. so, i post again. and again. and again. and now i only have 19,500 of you who don't know what functionality sits here. hence my conundrum that i need to solve.

OK - you're being a bit pedantic now.

I'm not for more subforums, but..... I do think there should be a more succinct group of stickies (maybe a stickie sub area?) that really answer the big beginner questions. Because it can be a little intimidating asking what will probably be perceived as a "dumb" question (except over on the womens where we even answer questions from the mens).

And I've been here since before the beginning and the search function is a mess!

clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com
Quote Reply
Re: What do you need? Mostly? [ironclm] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
ironclm wrote:
Slowman wrote:
Dr_Cupcake wrote:
I think with the current model of "it's already here, go find it", you limit the newcomers ability and confidence to join in the conversation. There's a sense of belonging that comes along with personal responses that don't include "The answer is buried somewhere, he's a shovel". Maybe a subforum for onrampers or newcomers would be good so there's a sense of solidarity, knowing that they're not alone in their questions and frustrations.


here's my problem. and i'm not trying to this over to you. it's MY problem, because i have to get you to understand the functionality that's here, and the last 3 of you who've posted have basically asked for the same thing, and it's built. it's done. it's here. you just don't know it's here. it's hiding in plain view. so, one mission of mine, as i aggregate your ideas, is just to get you to recognize, acknowledge, see, and use, the functionality that we have. it's my problem not yours because the great, great majority of you don't know what we've got here. it's all well and good to have 10,000 or 20,000 or you regularly perusing the forum, but, if only 500 of you are online at the particular time that i post something, and only 75 of you read what i post, then i still have 19,925 people who i haven't yet gotten to see the functionality we built. so, i post again. and again. and again. and now i only have 19,500 of you who don't know what functionality sits here. hence my conundrum that i need to solve.


OK - you're being a bit pedantic now.

I'm not for more subforums, but..... I do think there should be a more succinct group of stickies (maybe a stickie sub area?) that really answer the big beginner questions. Because it can be a little intimidating asking what will probably be perceived as a "dumb" question (except over on the womens where we even answer questions from the mens).

And I've been here since before the beginning and the search function is a mess!

right. i agree. but we HAVE it. it's why we built this:



those are two views, depending on what i'm searching for. it's not automated. it's a wiki. it's designed to aggregate the highest quality current threads on given topics. those are turn-down menus.

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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I’m aware of that particular functionality, but that’s not really what I’m interested in. I want not just the highest quality curated threads, but also the low quality ones that are just general “chat” about that particular topic. 2020 is an Olympic year, so 2019 will be getting very interesting in the swimming world. I like those threads where we just sit around the water cooler and shoot the shit about who’s up and coming, who is over the hill, who is set to have a big year.
Those aren’t high quality threads with lots of appeal to a broad audience, but they serve my little niche.

At the same time, I don’t want to have swimming in it’s own little ghetto, separate from the world. But it would be really nice to have a simple to use filtering mechanism.

Slowman wrote:
ironclm wrote:
Slowman wrote:
Dr_Cupcake wrote:
I think with the current model of "it's already here, go find it", you limit the newcomers ability and confidence to join in the conversation. There's a sense of belonging that comes along with personal responses that don't include "The answer is buried somewhere, he's a shovel". Maybe a subforum for onrampers or newcomers would be good so there's a sense of solidarity, knowing that they're not alone in their questions and frustrations.


here's my problem. and i'm not trying to this over to you. it's MY problem, because i have to get you to understand the functionality that's here, and the last 3 of you who've posted have basically asked for the same thing, and it's built. it's done. it's here. you just don't know it's here. it's hiding in plain view. so, one mission of mine, as i aggregate your ideas, is just to get you to recognize, acknowledge, see, and use, the functionality that we have. it's my problem not yours because the great, great majority of you don't know what we've got here. it's all well and good to have 10,000 or 20,000 or you regularly perusing the forum, but, if only 500 of you are online at the particular time that i post something, and only 75 of you read what i post, then i still have 19,925 people who i haven't yet gotten to see the functionality we built. so, i post again. and again. and again. and now i only have 19,500 of you who don't know what functionality sits here. hence my conundrum that i need to solve.


OK - you're being a bit pedantic now.

I'm not for more subforums, but..... I do think there should be a more succinct group of stickies (maybe a stickie sub area?) that really answer the big beginner questions. Because it can be a little intimidating asking what will probably be perceived as a "dumb" question (except over on the womens where we even answer questions from the mens).

And I've been here since before the beginning and the search function is a mess!

right. i agree. but we HAVE it. it's why we built this:



those are two views, depending on what i'm searching for. it's not automated. it's a wiki. it's designed to aggregate the highest quality current threads on given topics. those are turn-down menus.

Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly
Quote Reply
Re: What do you need? Mostly? [JasoninHalifax] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
JasoninHalifax wrote:
I’m aware of that particular functionality, but that’s not really what I’m interested in. I want not just the highest quality curated threads, but also the low quality ones that are just general “chat” about that particular topic. 2020 is an Olympic year, so 2019 will be getting very interesting in the swimming world. I like those threads where we just sit around the water cooler and shoot the shit about who’s up and coming, who is over the hill, who is set to have a big year.
Those aren’t high quality threads with lots of appeal to a broad audience, but they serve my little niche.

At the same time, I don’t want to have swimming in it’s own little ghetto, separate from the world. But it would be really nice to have a simple to use filtering mechanism.

that functionality is the filtering mechanism. if it's not exactly what you want, then, is it close enough to what you want that it would work?

we could do with our reader forum what we do with the articles on the main page, which is to tag them with a swim, bike or run tag, and they all append to a page that is just swimming. or running. that's separate from other "category" pages that drill down into, say, all shoe reviews, or all shoe reviews of HOKA.

navigations is a bitch. as is proper filtering. we could do that with the forum. i have no idea what the results would be.

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman
Quote Reply
Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Slowman wrote:
JasoninHalifax wrote:
I’m aware of that particular functionality, but that’s not really what I’m interested in. I want not just the highest quality curated threads, but also the low quality ones that are just general “chat” about that particular topic. 2020 is an Olympic year, so 2019 will be getting very interesting in the swimming world. I like those threads where we just sit around the water cooler and shoot the shit about who’s up and coming, who is over the hill, who is set to have a big year.
Those aren’t high quality threads with lots of appeal to a broad audience, but they serve my little niche.

At the same time, I don’t want to have swimming in it’s own little ghetto, separate from the world. But it would be really nice to have a simple to use filtering mechanism.

that functionality is the filtering mechanism. if it's not exactly what you want, then, is it close enough to what you want that it would work?

we could do with our reader forum what we do with the articles on the main page, which is to tag them with a swim, bike or run tag, and they all append to a page that is just swimming. or running. that's separate from other "category" pages that drill down into, say, all shoe reviews, or all shoe reviews of HOKA.

navigations is a bitch. as is proper filtering. we could do that with the forum. i have no idea what the results would be.

I think that the “tagging” is essentially what I want, but then the pitfall is that the forum is dependent on people to properly tag their posts. Some would, some wouldn’t. So I don’t know if what I’ve asked for is what I “really” want. Maybe I do really want subforums, or maybe just require that the OP of any given thread select the categories it belongs to, rather than individual posts.

Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly
Quote Reply
Re: What do you need? Mostly? [JasoninHalifax] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
JasoninHalifax wrote:
Slowman wrote:
JasoninHalifax wrote:
I’m aware of that particular functionality, but that’s not really what I’m interested in. I want not just the highest quality curated threads, but also the low quality ones that are just general “chat” about that particular topic. 2020 is an Olympic year, so 2019 will be getting very interesting in the swimming world. I like those threads where we just sit around the water cooler and shoot the shit about who’s up and coming, who is over the hill, who is set to have a big year.
Those aren’t high quality threads with lots of appeal to a broad audience, but they serve my little niche.

At the same time, I don’t want to have swimming in it’s own little ghetto, separate from the world. But it would be really nice to have a simple to use filtering mechanism.


that functionality is the filtering mechanism. if it's not exactly what you want, then, is it close enough to what you want that it would work?

we could do with our reader forum what we do with the articles on the main page, which is to tag them with a swim, bike or run tag, and they all append to a page that is just swimming. or running. that's separate from other "category" pages that drill down into, say, all shoe reviews, or all shoe reviews of HOKA.

navigations is a bitch. as is proper filtering. we could do that with the forum. i have no idea what the results would be.


I think that the “tagging” is essentially what I want, but then the pitfall is that the forum is dependent on people to properly tag their posts. Some would, some wouldn’t. So I don’t know if what I’ve asked for is what I “really” want. Maybe I do really want subforums, or maybe just require that the OP of any given thread select the categories it belongs to, rather than individual posts.

i did this in about 8 minutes:



for those who go WAY back, this is basically a threaded FAQ. it's designed to be added/subtracted to, populated per the current needs. what i had in mind was the occasional, "add it to the FAQ" from you guys. then you know it's there. perhaps a sticky thread entitled that: add it to the faq. and you guys from time to time ask for an add/subtract/change.

you guys can use it. or not. i use this a LOT. just for my own searching. up to you if you find this of value. just, the idea isn't for me to decide what goes there; it's for you to decide, based on what's relevant to you. it's not automated. there's no AI. but it is pretty quick.

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman
Quote Reply
Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
here's a question that comes to mind. do challenged athletes ride on zwift? run on zwift? how is that executed?[/quote]
I don't know what others do, but I am using Trainer Road. I have been using it for at least 5 years. Easy to use through the winter months and then through the week during the other seasons as I get home too late in the evening. Weekend rides are outside as much as possible. I used Zwift for the 7 day free trial, but I find even with a smart trainer it doesn't feel like the road. With Trainer Road, I can make up workouts and let the trainer set the wattage.

I haven't entered any road races because I have seen even in group riding how somebody's lack of concentration can affect the situation in an instance. In Ontario, Canada the cycling association has started to put an effort in including paracyclists in the TT's. Easier to do because of the different classifications and most of the TT lengths are the same as the juniors, between 16-20km. Cost can be counter productive, because who wants to travel sometimes an hour plus just to do a TT that's finished in less then one half hour.

I really believe that the Canadian paracycling team has placed more emphasis on the TT and track cycling then the road race. TT's are just the rider, the clock and their own effort. You can see how they have achieved better results over the past few years.

Wish I could do more helping out or volunteering behind the scenes, but with working 55+ hours a week, and training, where does one find the time or even get time off to help out. I know first world problems.

Stephan
Quote Reply
Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
 That does not work on my phone and in fact, froze everything up trying to do a search.

clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [ironclm] [ In reply to ]
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ironclm wrote:
That does not work on my phone and in fact, froze everything up trying to do a search.

i have an iphone 6, iOS 12.1.2. works like a charm. if there's a glitch, with another OS or version, i'd love to know about it.

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman
Quote Reply
Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Slowman wrote:
ironclm wrote:
That does not work on my phone and in fact, froze everything up trying to do a search.

i have an iphone 6, iOS 12.1.2. works like a charm. if there's a glitch, with another OS or version, i'd love to know about it.

iPhone XS Max 12.1.2

clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com
Quote Reply
Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
I'd like a half decent tri club/ riding club in my area. There might be one, but I sure as heck cant find it.

I'd like to find a group of athletes who do pickup rides regularly in the summer, at various times of day. Someone to ride with who points out obstacles, so I don't break my elbow hitting a 2x4 in the dark like last time.

I'd like olympic distance races that start at midday, not at 6am, so don't necessitate a 3am alarm clock to allow travel time etc

Id like to be able to run without getting injured all the damned time (yes, I tried Barry P). So much so that I really only ride nowadays.

I'd like some good recipes for tasty food that is various degrees of healthy.

I'd like a resource that is targeted at the non-athletic professional who enjoys triathlon but isn't trying to beat The Colonel (even though he is clearly beatable), who wants to enjoy food while competing etc.

I'd like the moon on a stick.
Quote Reply
Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Slowman wrote:
ironclm wrote:
That does not work on my phone and in fact, froze everything up trying to do a search.

i have an iphone 6, iOS 12.1.2. works like a charm. if there's a glitch, with another OS or version, i'd love to know about it.
same phone as you. It works fine

Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly
Quote Reply
Re: What do you need? Mostly? [madmax231] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
A lot
More
madmax231 wrote:



Money.

NO PINK - Green stuff, please

I saw this on a white board in a window box at my daughters middle school...
List of what life owes you:
1. __________
2. __________
3. __________
Quote Reply
Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Slowman wrote:
JasoninHalifax wrote:
Slowman wrote:
JasoninHalifax wrote:
I’m aware of that particular functionality, but that’s not really what I’m interested in. I want not just the highest quality curated threads, but also the low quality ones that are just general “chat” about that particular topic. 2020 is an Olympic year, so 2019 will be getting very interesting in the swimming world. I like those threads where we just sit around the water cooler and shoot the shit about who’s up and coming, who is over the hill, who is set to have a big year.
Those aren’t high quality threads with lots of appeal to a broad audience, but they serve my little niche.

At the same time, I don’t want to have swimming in it’s own little ghetto, separate from the world. But it would be really nice to have a simple to use filtering mechanism.


that functionality is the filtering mechanism. if it's not exactly what you want, then, is it close enough to what you want that it would work?

we could do with our reader forum what we do with the articles on the main page, which is to tag them with a swim, bike or run tag, and they all append to a page that is just swimming. or running. that's separate from other "category" pages that drill down into, say, all shoe reviews, or all shoe reviews of HOKA.

navigations is a bitch. as is proper filtering. we could do that with the forum. i have no idea what the results would be.


I think that the “tagging” is essentially what I want, but then the pitfall is that the forum is dependent on people to properly tag their posts. Some would, some wouldn’t. So I don’t know if what I’ve asked for is what I “really” want. Maybe I do really want subforums, or maybe just require that the OP of any given thread select the categories it belongs to, rather than individual posts.

i did this in about 8 minutes:



for those who go WAY back, this is basically a threaded FAQ. it's designed to be added/subtracted to, populated per the current needs. what i had in mind was the occasional, "add it to the FAQ" from you guys. then you know it's there. perhaps a sticky thread entitled that: add it to the faq. and you guys from time to time ask for an add/subtract/change.

you guys can use it. or not. i use this a LOT. just for my own searching. up to you if you find this of value. just, the idea isn't for me to decide what goes there; it's for you to decide, based on what's relevant to you. it's not automated. there's no AI. but it is pretty quick.

I guess what I’m getting at is a way to filter all posts, not just draw peoples attention to the really good ones. I like the hot topics, and have used it on occasion, but really I want the ability to apply a filter and then all of a sudden the triathlon forum becomes a swim and run forum, or an xterra forum, or a gravel forum, depending on the options you apply. If a new thread has to be tagged with one or several categories (from some kind of a master list controlled be you) then that would enable that filtering, but still doesn’t create sub-forums, which I don’t like the idea of having.

Make sense?

Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
The forum is a great public service but the format could improve greatly, and that would improve the relationships between the people on this site.

Take a look at Ravelry, a free website/community for people who knit/crochet/weave. Fabric arts are inherently visual, as is much of triathlon, and they make it so much easier to post images, thread conversations, and connect with others.

Sharon McN
@IronCharo
#TeamZoot
Clif Bar Pace Team 2003-2018
Quote Reply
Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
1) How about a sub-forum/page purely for races.
Possible features:
  • Pre-race QnA's about venue, travel, conditions etc
  • Smack Talk
  • "Joining" the race such that there is a list of slowtwitchers displayed that are at a given race.
  • Impromptu slowtwitch gatherings a possibility at every race.
  • a section for race-results/reports

2) Some sort of "Workout of the week"-series maybe?
For those of us planning our own workouts, some new ideas might be nice. Maybe one for each sport?
Maybe get a "guest editor" each week. Could be a reputable coach looking to get some exposure. Combine it with a short interview on training-philosophy maybe?

3) Displaying start-times for the "Slozwift" events in the user's time-zone. (and have some at appropriate European post-work ride-times)

but anyway: Thanks for all the stuff that is ALREADY HERE!

if you can read this
YOU'RE DRAFTING!
Quote Reply
Re: What do you need? Mostly? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Whow,
Since when do we have THAT?!
Never noticed it!

if you can read this
YOU'RE DRAFTING!
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Re: What do you need? Mostly? [flogazo] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Since the redesign if I recall correctly...

...however, it does not work on my iPhone XR running the latest version of iOS. (I love to hate "upgrades" that take away features.)

----------------------------------
Editor-in-Chief, Slowtwitch.com | Twitter
Quote Reply
Re: What do you need? Mostly? [jaretj] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
jaretj wrote:
Yes, I've read your articles and I appreciate your efforts. Greg's latest article concerns me. I just don't understand the 650B thing, the wheels are 7mm taller...why change?

I'm not saying I understand it either - or that a change is in any way necessary. I wrote several times about 650c being a perfectly good wheel size. Some people get it. You get it. But I'd always get some comments - both from industry types and consumers (some of them short enough to be perfect for 650c) saying that they want 700c. Sometimes it's a husband and wife wanting to share race wheels - so they want a single size of wheel. I don't want to get all tin-foil-hat conspiracy here, but I also think there's an element of 650c wheels not being cool because they're for tri geeks and chicks - both of whom are deemed lame by some members of the elitist cycling establishment. I obviously don't agree, but I've witnessed the logic and heard comments saying as much behind closed doors.

So - to clarify - I personally don't think 650b is any better a solution than 650c. Changing to 650b will cost manufacturers in tooling, old inventory, and updating all of the collaterals to the new spec. It doesn't do retailers any favors. It adds another confusing storyline for consumers to understand. There are lots of reasons to NOT change to 650b.

I just think that 650b is the only hope for a smaller wheel size to survive in an industry intent on having something new to sell all the time. It's somehow "cool" to own 650b. I think that it'd be best if triathletes could get together and push for 650b - because I don't think that 650c is ever going back to its level from even 5 years ago (i.e. most major brands selling 650c wheels on their smallest ~2 bike sizes). I think that if the push is for 650c to come back - we'll just get stuck with 700c ONLY. Canyon already took a step with 650b women's road bikes, nudging things in what I think is the best and/or most feasible direction. I hadn't seen anyone saying this publicly, so that's why I wrote the article.

You're very logical by nature, and I know you probably disagree with all this - I just wanted to further explain why I did what I did. We have to deal with a lot of illogical ideas and trends in the business and find a decent way forward.
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