Articles by Dan Empfield

John Cobb’s venture capital start-up, Blackwell Research, was a bold venture that’s run out of capital. Absent a white knight riding in (in the aero position) Blackwell is destined to cease as a carbon-based life form.

Here’s a Slice of the triathlon world you rarely get to see: everything about a top pro’s bike, including all the fit specs. Introducing Mirinda Carfrae’s Cannondale Slice

Triathletes are perfectly wired to be in the world, but not of it, as we routinely demonstrate an ability to cycle without exhibiting any outward signal that we are, in fact, cyclists. Evidence: wheels.

Are the Beijing Olympics just another totalitarian infomercial? Or do they signal something hopeful—China reaching out to free world values? Granting the Games to countries with mixed human rights records is not new.

Friction is your friend, if you’re going around a tight corner on your bicycle and staying upright is your aim. But down there in your cycling shorts, friction is your enemy. What you need is a weapon worthy of the fight. We’re here to equip you.

Hurricane Bob is a popular triathlon columnist… for another publication. We love to read him on Xtri.com, and we love it when he visits here. He recently posted to an Ironwidow thread, and we asked if we could publish his post as an OpEd.

Some aerobars, functional is about the best you can say about them. This one, there’s an urgency to (as Pretty Willie sings it) lay your body down. (Does Slowtwitch know hip-hop too?)

The sport of triathlon has lost eight of its competitors during races in the United States so far in 2008. The good news: so far our roads have been safe. The bad news: so far the water has been less so. What mitigates risk factors during the swim leg of a triathlon?

Do you know how to determine your bike’s correct chain length? Do you know why it’s important? It has to do with course topography, and choosing the right freewheel for your race. You don’t have multiple freewheels? Baby, we need to talk.

Last month we debuted a new feature, called the Preferred Build. The
idea is to gruppo-up some popular and interesting bikes the way we’d
like to see them built. July’s preferred build
subject is Kuota’s Kueen K.

“Why am I uncomfortable on my bike?” Do you have occasion to ask this? We endeavor to find the answer in our series on the subject. Our first installment focused on contact points. This is the second and final installment.

Last year I wrote a series of articles about the most underserved segment of the handlebar market. I described the state of the shorty bar, offered some opinions, and reported on the best current product. Here’s an updated version of that article.