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MyFitnessPal Community

Goals for equipment

engineman312

so since triathlon equipment and gear can get pretty expensive, i've developed a reward system for the equipment i want to buy.

currently i only have a mountain bike, and regular swimming jammers. for my first triathlon in June, i'm going to buy a trisuit, open water swimming goggles, and rent a wetsuit.

when i finish my first sprint triathlon, i'm going to by myself a road bicycle.

after i finish my second sprint tri, i'll probably buy myself a trisuit.

when i finish my first olympic triathlon, i'm going to buy myself a wet suit.

when i finish my first half ironman, i'll probably buy myself a full competetive triathlon bicycle.

Replies

IronmanPanda

Unless you plan on doing lots of group rides, I would just go with 1 bike. That will help you keep the cost down.
Just make sure you fit a pro fit from a FIST certified fitter into the cost of your bike.

engineman312

there is a tri store three blocks from my house. the guy is great and very helpful, and decent prices.

what do you mean, group rides? i plan on having a road bike for centuries and other work outs. the tri bike would be for the races.

jacksonpt

I also agree... a dedicated tri bike is overkill for most people. So unless you are doing lots of racing, are REALLY set on times, or simply have the money to spend, I would go with a single bike, especially considering the gains aero road bikes are making right now.

I would also at least think about buying the wetsuit for your olympic. If the swim is going to be in rough water, the wetsuit will make a HUGE difference. I understand the reward mentality, but I think the wetsuit is worth buying before the tri (unless you are an EXCEPTIONALLY strong swimmer).

engineman312

I also agree... a dedicated tri bike is overkill for most people. So unless you are doing lots of racing, are REALLY set on times, or simply have the money to spend, I would go with a single bike, especially considering the gains aero road bikes are making right now.

I would also at least think about buying the wetsuit for your olympic. If the swim is going to be in rough water, the wetsuit will make a HUGE difference. I understand the reward mentality, but I think the wetsuit is worth buying before the tri (unless you are an EXCEPTIONALLY strong swimmer).

good thoughts. i just figured that a dedicated tribike would be a great thing to have if i'm really doing a lot of triathlons (which i hope i will!)

and i am a pretty strong swimmer, and not afraid of the water or drowning or anything. do you have any idea how much sea water my brother and i made each other drink? but we'll see after i do my first tri.

IronmanPanda

Having 1 bike as opposed to 2 will save you money. Also you should get as much saddle time in your race bike as possible.
The 2 geometry of a road vs. tri bike are different and will take time to adjust your body to.

jacksonpt

i just figured that a dedicated tribike would be a great thing to have if i'm really doing a lot of triathlons (which i hope i will!)

It is... but it's probably the least necessary of the equipment on your list, at least for most triathletes. Since you don't have a road bike yet, I'd get 1 bike to do everything, rather than 2 purpose-specific bikes (again, unless you are really going to do THAT much riding on both bikes). I'm a bike *kitten*, so I'm always looking to buy something new... but even so, my tri bike was overkill.

engineman312

i don't think i specified that this was going to be over the course of something like 5 years.

crux

I've been advised to hire my tri wetsuit, then buy it later if I really get on with it.

nanegan

Getting an aero tri bike fit is totally different from a road bike. Also, most large group rides of cyclists do not "like" aerobars in the pack.

There are also many different "types" of bike fitters. Just get one that listens to what you want.

I have a road bike, tri bike, mountain bike and a cruiser - and I ride all of them. Get what you can afford but I am a fan of dedicated bikes for dedicated riding!

Have fun!

Icewolf_The

I have two one piece scuba wetsuits. One is just lycra one is an actual 1mm 'winter' swimmer. I shopped both of mine in the 'off season' which would be now for most of you in your local scuba shops. Got them on discount for around 45 for the lycra and I think the 1mil was $60. Regular price is like 129 if you go super hi-tech. But really just a unibody suit will do wonders for you when you train and swim.

I have noticed quite a difference between when I wear them and when I don't. I can actually feel the 'drag' from my swimsuit and open body when I don't have the uni suit on. Also it's 46F in the air temp right now, pool is heated sure. But you have to get out at some point. And that 1mil suit is like heaven as you run for the locker room and a hot shower.

I'd pick a uni suit over a specialized bike anyday. Extra strength workouts power up your quads and hams to get you through the lesser bike. At least till you can afford the single road bike. That's essentially what I'm doing. I only have a mountain bike as well. Sure it's painful, but that just makes me want it more.

bstamps12

I also only have a mtb now but am buying a bike in December. I don't do group rides and I have no plans to do a century ride or any cycle-only races. It will only be used for tri-training and tri-races. In that case, would a tri specific bike be better in your opinion? What are the big differences?

Kilter

I have a tri bike that I bought myself as a reward after my first Olympic. A 2007 Cervelo Dual that has since carried me through a bunch of races and which will carry me through this coming year of training and races.

Now I want a road bike and I wish I'd gone that route to start with.

The reality is that I'm a middle of the pack (well, a bit above the middle, but not by much

) age grouper. The benefits to having a tri geometry bike are real, but are overwhelmed by the negatives. I can't do the Fondo rides (no aerobars need apply), I can't go on some of the larger group rides (tri bikes are frowned upon in pack rides).

Don't get me wrong, I love my tri bike and would love to pick up a new one for the coming season, but I think i'm going to get a LOT more value out of a road bike that has aero characteristics. I can clip on aero bars, use my sperm helmet (race helmet), put on my Zipp 404s and not lose a lot. And i can take the aero toys off and go do some of the other rides as well.

As for geometry, yeah, I'm going to have to deal with legs that have been in road position rather than tri position which will increase fatigue slightly, but I'll also have a faster bike split.

S

3dogsrunning

I was pondering this question on my last ride. I have a road bike. I plan on doing a lot of races, including HIM, but I am never going to be topping my age group. I guess I just kinda assumed I would need a tri bike for HIM. I also wondered about things like upgrading wheels and stuff. I figured at this point, since increasing my fitness alone is shaving minutes off my time, that there isn't any point in looking at those yet.
As for the tri suit, my triathlon club has one I will order when they get enough people interested to put in the next order, since I missed the first one. It works out better for me since I dropped a bunch of weight since the first order anyway.
I haven't decided when I will upgrade my wetsuit. Again, I don't think the benefits of a better suit will be seen yet. I needed one to do any of the races here and there is no where to rent one. I bought the $99 sleeveless one through Xterra and am really pleased with it. For anyone considering buying one, you can find 50% off discount codes online all the time. It doesn't apply to the $99 one but to all others.

trijoe

Everybody does things differently, has different stories, etc etc. What works for me may be way off for you. And, sadly, it's a long learning process to figure out exactly what you need, with TONS of questions that only you can answer.

I have a truly bad trail bike (first bike I got, it's so low-end it's almost a beach cruiser), a fairly good road bike (bought used, and it's a good reliable bike, but just doesn't fit right) and a sweet amazing life changing tri bike (looked for a year and found exactly the right bike for me). Once I got my amazing spectacular life changing tri bike, my road bike got put in the closet, and only comes out for very special occasions. It's a basic guarantee - get two bikes that can do roughly the same jobs, and one will be used while the other becomes obsolete. Every friend I have complains of the same thing - a road bike that gathers dust. Now, I want to sell off the crappy trail bike and fairly good road bike and replace with a good, properly fit, cross bike. My thinking is, if I can't do it with a tri bike or a cross bike, why would I be bothering?

It's taken me 5 years of figuring out what I need, how I ride, who I am, and what I'm after. Hopefully it won't take you this long, but the hard truth is, it may. Whatever you do - and truly, WHATEVER YOU DO - make sure your bike purchase(s) are fit to you. If you're not comfortable on your bike, it doesn't matter how great a machine it is, it's simply a bad bike for you.

A few questions you'll probably be encountering as you journey along:
1) What are all the purposes I need out of this bike?
2) Who will I be riding with? Alone? Saturday LBS group? Tri club group?
3) What distances and/or terrains will I be biking?
4) How much am I willing to spend?
5) How long will I be keeping this bike?
6) How expendable will this first purchase be, or become over time?
7) What is/are my riding style(s)? Always aggressive? Always laid back? A mix of both?

There are a lot of other questions, but you'll figure them all out as your journey continues. I wish you luck.

engineman312

thanks guys. i'm actually considering joing a local triclub here in brooklyn. i'll be the weird guy doing training runs on a mountain bike for a while, but i bet i'll learn a lot from everyone there.