It’s back. The Slowtwitch Mailbag, that is. Many of you know of our previous mailbag, Ray’s Weekly Sports Electronics Mailbag, which was handled by our friend, DC Rainmaker.
While the previous column centered around all-things-electronics (GPS devices, heart rate monitors, iPhone apps, and the like), we’ve decided to open the mailbag a little bit wider. In its new iteration, we’re accepting any and all triathlon-related tech questions.
Who is going to answer these questions? This is not an “Ask so-and-so” column, so you will get information from multiple sources.
It works like this. I (Greg Kopecky – Slowtwitch Tech Editor) will wrangle the information and publish the articles. If it’s a bike tech related question, chances are I will answer it. If it’s a fit-related question, you’ll likely get a response from our publisher and resident guy-of-all-things-bike-fit, Dan Empfield. If you have a specific question about swim skins, Mark Montgomery is your guy. Essentially, whoever is the most qualified to answer your question will answer it. We will also consult with manufacturers and industry experts whenever possible, so you aren’t constantly subjected to the words of the wise (grumpy) guys here at Slowtwitch.
For example, you can ask about how anti-fog technology works in swim goggles. You can ask about bicycle tire aerodynamics. If you ask about a specific brand, we will do our best to inquire with that specific brand for help. Perhaps you want to ask about how much running shoe weight matters over varying race distances. Heck, I don’t know – you can ask why the aero tricycle hasn’t yet been mass-marketed towards triathletes.
How do you go about submitting a question? Send an email to: Mailbag (at) Slowtwitch (dot) com. Yes, type it out like a normal email address.
When will your question be answered? We will make every effort to address all questions we receive, but please understand that will not be possible. Note that answers will not be emailed back to the sender; they will be published in articles on the front page of Slowtwitch.com. Depending on how long it takes for our sources to respond, it could take days, weeks, months, or longer to answer some questions. If we receive the same question over and over, it could very well spark a larger article and/or investigation outside of the Mailbag’s scope (which takes time).
We will publish Mailbag responses every 1-2 weeks.
NOTE: We will NOT publish your full name or contact information with your question. We will default to using first names only, unless you specify otherwise (i.e. you want to remain completely anonymous).
What the mailbag is NOT for:
-Asking inappropriate and/or vulgar questions. If you can’t figure this one out, don’t submit questions. We’ll just delete them anyhow.
-An inbox for general Slowtwitch inquiry. If you have a suggestion for how the forum should look, or you want to advertise with Slowtwitch, or ANTHING other than tech questions – do not send them to the mailbag.
-Asking for free fit consultation or other services which are best executed by your local triathlon equipment dealer. We don’t know if your seat is too high.
-Asking for answers to very specific or unanswerable questions. If you’re 5’10”, 180lbs during race season, and like eating chocolate chip cookies while listening to Kenny G and wearing compression socks, we have no clue whether you should run in Mizuno or New Balance shoes.
-Asking blanket questions for which we have no way to objectively answer. Should I ride Zipp, Hed, Enve, Shimano, or Rolf? Or something else? Which are the BEST? To that we say - What does ‘best’ mean? The lightest? The cheapest? The most durable? The most aerodynamic… in what specific conditions? The more context and detail you can provide, the more effective we can be in finding an answer.
-Asking specific training, nutrition, or medical questions. We’re not coaches, nutritionists, or doctors. If you have a general training or nutrition question, please feel more than welcome to ask – but we’re not able to analyze your 10-week pre-Ironman block.
With that – let ‘em rip. Again, it’s Mailbag (at) Slowtwitch (dot) com.
