That Triathlon Show What’s the Next Big Innovation in Triathlon? | David Lipman
Apr 9, 2026
David Lipman, exercise physiologist and sports consultant, returns to discuss the next big triathlon innovations. They compare past hits and flops, why sensors often fail commercially, and how network effects and UX shape adoption. Topics include continuous metabolic and sweat sensors, 3D-printed bespoke shoes, ventilation and aerodynamic sensors, AI-driven personalized training, and what makes tech stick.
01:28:00
Why Most Sports Tech Fails Or Succeeds
- Successful sports tech solves a clear problem, minimizes friction, and shows noticeable benefits quickly.
- David Lipman and Mikael Eriksson highlight cost, onboarding complexity, and immediate perceived value as gatekeepers to adoption.
Science Alone Doesn't Create Mass Adoption
- Scientific validity helps initial sales but rarely guarantees long-term use without clear user-perceived benefit.
- Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) shows physiological promise yet lacks broad adoption because users didn't feel actionable gains.
Turn Raw Sensor Data Into Simple Insights
- Build software layers that translate raw physiological data into actionable insights users can act on.
- David Lipman recommends UX, contextual features and binary signals (e.g., fueling okay/not okay) to reduce user friction.
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Intro
00:00 • 2min
What makes an innovation succeed?
01:52 • 3min
Science vs. user experience for products
04:27 • 2min
Why physiological sensors struggle commercially
06:30 • 4min
Limits of physiological data for performance
10:24 • 2min
Failed innovations: speed suits & barefoot craze
12:04 • 7min
Ad break
18:39 • 2min
CGMs and data-without-insights problem
20:20 • 1min
Risks of predictive recovery tools
21:47 • 4min
Other past failures: power cranks, tDCS, altitude tents
25:52 • 7min
DNA testing and ketone hype judged
33:13 • 3min
Successful innovations: wetsuits and aero bars
36:28 • 2min
Ad break
38:35 • 54sec
Super shoes and coaching platforms' impact
39:28 • 4min
Power meters and GPS watches adopt slowly
43:16 • 6min
Predictions: 3D-printed bespoke shoes
48:58 • 1min
Sweat sodium sensors: niche or feature?
50:22 • 6min
Continuous metabolic sensors coming
56:02 • 1min
Ventilation sensors and chest-straps limits
57:06 • 5min
Hyper-specialized AI-driven training
01:02:12 • 4min
Modular analytics and trade-off dashboards
01:05:53 • 54sec
Aerodynamic sensors' path to usefulness
01:06:46 • 7min
Exogenous lactate supplements prediction
01:14:00 • 6min
Correct and incorrect past predictions
01:19:32 • 7min
Outro
01:26:46 • 3min
Innovations like the aerobar, power meter and GPS watches have shaped triathlon and endurance sports in the last decades. But what comes next? What will be the next big innovation to shape triathlon? Dr. David Lipman returns to the podcast to discuss what the next big innovations will be, and which ones might fall flat. We also take a stroll down memory lane to look at past innovations that succeeded and failed, and try to parse what it takes for an innovation to really stick.
HIGHLIGHTS AND KEY TOPICS:
- Past innovations that succeeded and failed - David and I list five each from both categories. Do you agree with our takes here?
- We predict the future of current or “coming soon” innovations. Will technologies like continuous sweat sensors, ventilation sensors, 3D-printed running shoes and many be huge hits or will they flop?
- Where were we right and wrong in the past? We each name one innovation that we called correctly (as success/failure) and one that we called incorrectly in the past
- What separates successful innovations in endurance sports from failed ones
- Why many promising physiological sensors struggle to achieve widespread adoption despite valid scientific rationales
- How network effects and ecosystem adoption influence technology success
DETAILED EPISODE SHOWNOTES:
- We have detailed shownotes for all of our episodes. The shownotes are basically the podcast episode in written form, that you can read in 5-10 minutes. They are not transcriptions, but they are also not just surface-level overviews. They provide detailed insights and timestamps for each episode, and are great especially for later review, after you've already listened to an episode.
- The shownotes for today's episode can be found at https://scientifictriathlon.com/tts692/
LINKS AND RESOURCES:
- David’s website, Substack, Podcast and Instagram
- David’s previous appearance on That Triathlon Show: David Lipman | EP#414
WHAT SHOULD I LISTEN TO NEXT?
If you enjoyed this episode, I think you'll love the following related episodes:
- Information, decision making, training and technology | EP#452 - In this episode I am the interviewee. Among the topics covered, we discuss evaluatingf new products, technology, and metrics. Highly related to today’s episode
- Q&A on gear and technology | EP#400 - Carbon shoes, barefoot shoes, lactate meters, VO2master, Moxy/NIRS, etc.
- François Modave, PhD – Artificial Intelligence in triathlon | EP#455 - Key concepts of artificial intelligence and how it could be applied (and to what level of success) in a triathlon context.
You can find our full episode archives here, where you can filter for categories such as Training, Racing, Science & Physiology, Swimming, Cycling, Running etc.
You can also find separate archives for specific series of episodes I've done, specifically Q&A episodes, TTS Thursday episodes, and Beginner Tips episodes.
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LEARN MORE ABOUT SCIENTIFIC TRIATHLON:
- The Scientific Triathlon website is the home of That Triathlon Show and everything else that we do
- Contact us through our contact form or email me directly (note - email/contact form messages get responded to much more quickly than Instagram DMs)
- Subscribe to our Newsletter
- Follow us on Instagram
- Learn more about our coaching, training plans, and training camps. We have something to offer for everybody from beginners to professionals.
HOW CAN I SUPPORT THAT TRIATHLON SHOW (FOR FREE)?
I really appreciate you reading this and considering helping the show! If you love the show and want to support it to help ensure it sticks around, there are a few very simple things you can do, at no cost other than a minute of your time.
- Subscribe to the podcast in your podcast app to automatically get all new episodes as they are released.
- Tell your friends, internet and social media friends, acquaintances and triathlon frenemies about the podcast. Word of mouth is the best way to grow the podcast by far!
- Rate and review the podcast (ideally five stars of course!) in your podcast app of choice (Spotify and Apple Podcasts are the biggest and most important ones).
- Share episodes online and on social media. Share your favourite episodes in your Instagram stories, start a discussion about interesting episodes on forums, reference them in your blog or Substack.
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