beginner triathlon gear/equipment

zornig

I've decided I'm gonna give it a go and train for a triathlon (sprint). I can already do each of the individual elements (750m swim, 10 mile bike, 5K run) so I just have to get myself into shape to do them all at once. But I'd appreciate recommendations for good, reasonably priced, entry-level gear. What are the essential pieces of equipment that every triathlete should have? I'm especially looking for thoughts/recommendations about wetsuits.

Arne_becomesxXx

I started a few month ago.
Have some ok shoes, a normal racebike and goggles. That´s all.
But I do swim training indoors

zornig

I started a few month ago.
Have some ok shoes, a normal racebike and goggles. That´s all.
But I do swim training indoors

do you live someplace where the water is always warm? LOL

SonicDeathMonkey80

There's not a whole lot that you will need for a sprint that you probably don't already have, aside from maybe a bib belt, but you can get by without it...

Swim: bathing suit, goggles, cap

Bike: bike, helmet, sunglasses, shoes (no need to upgrade to clipless if you haven't already), socks, maybe a gel

Run: running shoes, sunglasses, hat (some people prefer it)

Misc transition gear: towel, water bottle, nutrition, bib belt (you don't want to pin your bib to your top while you swim, and you don't want it flapping on the bike - you pin it to the belt, and at T2 you put the belt on and run)

Arne_becomesxXx

No, it starts getting cold here. But triathlon season is finished here and so I´ll buy a swimsuit next year

zornig

There's not a whole lot that you will need for a sprint that you probably don't already have, aside from maybe a bib belt, but you can get by without it...

Swim: bathing suit, goggles, cap

Bike: bike, helmet, sunglasses, shoes (no need to upgrade to clipless if you haven't already), socks, maybe a gel

Run: running shoes, sunglasses, hat (some people prefer it)

Misc transition gear: towel, water bottle, nutrition, bib belt (you don't want to pin your bib to your top while you swim, and you don't want it flapping on the bike - you pin it to the belt, and at T2 you put the belt on and run)

I agree about keeping it simple--I'm already a cyclist and have all of my necessary biking gear. But, I've been told that it's practically impossible to get your bike shorts on over a wet bathing suit. So do you just swim in them? Which seems terribly inefficient (not to mention you aren't going to want to ride or run in wet biking shorts, as the chafing would be terrible and the pad is too large to run in). Is putting shorts on over your suit really not a big deal? If you don't invest in tri shorts, then do you change your shorts from cycling to running in T2?

Also, I live in Florida so the tri season is longer/later here. And there's lots of opportunities to do training swims in open water. But the water starts to get cold--is it worth investing in an entry level wetsuit so I can train in open water, or should I just stick to laps in the gym's heated pool? Swimming is definitely my weakest event, so I'd probably benefit from the buoyancy as well.

SonicDeathMonkey80

You can get a decent pair of tri shorts for ~$30 and they will have a terry chamois (almost nonexistent) that actually stays very dry. I didn't want to invest heavily and my Zoot shorts have worked well (wear 'em from start to finish). I bought a wetsuit because of cold SD lakes and my confidence issues. I think I paid $200 for a TYR Hurricane suit from Amazon. Xterra also has suits on sale frequently and you could probably pick one up for sub-$200 right now. I would try going minimal before investing - and getting addicted to - gear. Swimming is my weakest area, and unfortunately I can't step foot in a lake without a wetsuit. I will swim in the pool with tri gear and hopefully get to the point where I can do open water without a suit. Open water swimming is a totally different experience from the pool.

zornig

Thanks, I will check out those items!

Im4gin3th4t

You might not even need the bike shorts for a 10 mile bike my first tri was about those same distances. For the swim I wore a sports bra and spandex volleyball shorts and in T1 (the transtition from swim to bike) I threw on a cycling jersey, socks and running shoes then was good to go for the rest of the race!

If you are worried about chafing you can always invest a little vaseline for your legs, feet and shoulders (where your sports bra might rub) or body glide. Ive never had a problem with chafing thought, I think that is a pretty individual thing.