First Triathlon question?

i was watching a Triathlon recently and became really interested in the sport i want to enter one in my area this seems moderate i know i can complete it Swim 400 meters, Bike 12.4 miles, Run 3.1 miles: but i the website for Illinois didn't specify equipment the thing i need to know is i need to buy a new bike mine is crappy but i don't have a ton of money whats a good cheap bike that would be adequate to race with and if you know this too any suggestions on shoes? Thank you

First Triathlon question?
Possibly depends on 2 things.


Is the Swim pool-based or open water?


Is the air temperature warm or cold?





If the Swim is pool-based, buy a trisuit (all in one event suit that will cover you for the swim, bike and run) and its cool or warm outside thats all you will need in terms of clothing.


To this you can add


Swim: goggles, swim cap, nose clip (the latter 2 optional)


Cycle: helmet, cycle shoes (if you have clipless (Look or Shimano SPD like) peddles) sunglasses (keeps the bugs out of the eyes). If you don't have/want clipless peddles, get a good set of bindings for your peddles and use your running shoes for the bike and run.


Run: Running Shoes





And thats it - you can add socks to the bike/run (I do), elastic laces, number belt, aerobars to your bike, water bottles, nutition (energy bars)cages, etc, but basically if its good weather and a pool swim, keep it down to what you actually need.





If its an open water swim, add a triathlon type wetsuit (not a diving one - see brands like Orca, Blue Seventy, Zoot, 2XU, Speedo, Foor) and SwimCap, and if it cold and/or wet weather add another layer of clothes if it makes you confortable, etc.





Look on the web (sites like www.tri247.com, www.220triathlon.com) for their basic kit list, tips and tricks etc, and just ask around - join some forums, find your local club, etc...





Start off with the super sprints and sprints, get a feel for it and then see if you want to attempt anything longer - stick with it - its the best exercise I have ever done.
Reply:I have done a few tri's and the best advice I can give you when starting out is to just have fun in your first race. If you put too much into it you may not enjoy it and your tri career can be a short lived one. That said all you really need is a bike, helmet and running shoes. I did my first tri on a mountain bike with nobby tires! Get a pair of slicks for a couple bucks at a bike store if you are riding a mountain bike. As for a wet suit, you have to check with the race rules. If it is a pool swim wetsuits may not be allowed. If you are a decent swimmer it will probably not benefit you too much because it is a short swim. As for running shoes, go to any running store and they can fit you with a good pair of shoes to run in. Don't worry about your "crappy bike" for the first race, enjoy the race and afterwords check out the other contestants bikes and ask questions. I find that triathletes are happy to talk about their bikes and answer any other questions you may have.
Reply:This is a tough question. It depends on what your budget is. There are several things I could suggest. You could go for a brand new bike. There are two kinds of primary bikes a triathlon/time-trial bike or a road bike. Typicall triathlon bikes start at around a 1000 and there are several good entry-level bikes. My first bike was a Felt S32... really good deal.





If you want a road bike you could get one for around 600, 700 and most companies out there make entry level bikes. One that has good value is the Trek 1.2 for around 700 dollars and the Felt Z100 for 679.





The other thing you could do is go to some garage sales or look and craigslist and sometimes you can find really good bikes from the 80's. But most importantly you would probably want to get a good bike fit.





If you can maybe you could borrow a good mountain bike and outfit those with road slicks to see if you like the whole triathlon thing.





As far as shoes must companies make really good shoes like DMT, or Specialized that you can find for under 100. You should try these on at a local bike shop because fit is really important just like your road bike.





Anyway hope some of that helps good luck.
Reply:Actually why do you need a new bike if you already have one? Don't waste money until you know after your first triathlon you will use it again. Many first timers in triathlon use any bike they can get. I have seen mountain bikes used in half ironmans even. Maybe you can rent a bike if you really don't want to use yours. Another thing to see is a wetsuit for the swim. Is it in open water? Is the swim very early and what is the water temp.? You can rent wetsuits so no need to get a new one. I don't mean to scare you off triathlons but there is lots of equipment. And just don't throw in lots of money till you do your first triathlon.





http://eninjatraining.blogspot.com/
Reply:If you want to buy new go with the Trek 1000 it's possible to use as an entry level bike or you could go with an old school chro-molly bike from the 80s.



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