Triathlon - Ordering my gear soon!

Well with the getting of a job, means getting of the pay check :D which is very good.

And now after getting the holiday shopping already done (I'm broke till Iget paid) I want to start saving up for tri gear.

Heres my basic list

Bike: Specialized Transistion Comp
I know there are a lot better bikes out there, but I got the chance to ride on and I loved it, I haven't had a lot of chances to ride tri bikes, just specialized and trek....I tried hunting cervelo's dual 10 but couldn't find it. BesidesI already ride specialzied, love the way they handle so why change?

Helmet: Is a tear drop (aero) helmet worth it?

Bike Shoes/Pedals
I'm looking at a look pedal with either a shimano or specialized tri shoe...any opinions on others to look at?

Clothing: Tri suit and shirt/shorts
I figure I get both I decide what I like right? Whats a good maker? PI?

Wetsuit: I was thinking a diving wet suit, but I relized that may not be so good...so a tri wet suit?

Running shoes: Something like the adidas Climate Cool, the vents in them help with air flow...good for no socks



Anyone see anything I forgot? Anything you would change?

I've never actually seen anyone use an aero helmet in a race...but if you want to look like a badass, be my guest...

also...you'll definitely want a tri wetsuit instead of a diving suit...

Aero helmet will save a little time, Sheldon Browne's data suggests 45 seconds in a 40k TT. I'd spend the money on wheels first though. (or perhaps something non cycling relating, just depends on how important 45 seconds is to you vs. $200)

Also just on a pure appearence basis, I personally am a little reluctant to ride a full TT bike with a disc, skin suit, booty covers, aero helmet, unless I have the legs to really make it go.
In other words, if you're at the edge of winning your age group, or finishing top 10 and are looking to squeeze that last few seconds, then it might be worth it. If you're finishing mid pack, then some might say the TT helmet is a little silly.

Helmet: Is a tear drop (aero) helmet worth it?

Bike Shoes/Pedals
I'm looking at a look pedal with either a shimano or specialized tri shoe...any opinions on others to look at?

Clothing: Tri suit and shirt/shorts
I figure I get both I decide what I like right? Whats a good maker? PI?



I've heard aero helmets can take minutes off your time over longer distances (IM for example). I'm just wondering what kind of distances you are planning on riding while using one? If it is something like an ironman or half ironman keep in mind your going to have to keep your head looking forward for 3-6 hours to get the full advantage of its design...

Also the specialized trivent triathlon shoes are suppose to be some of the best shoes you can get (even for plain old road cycling)

And just a final note on clothes, www.craft-usa.com -- awesome triathlon clothes

I agree - you don't want to be a "Poser". Skip the helmet. Also - I would use road shoes over tri specific shoes. Unless your budget is bulging, of course. I get in & out of T1 very fast with road shoes on my pedals. (Look as well)


You NEED a TRI wetsuit. I bought mine from H20 Velocity. I bought a full suit ths year for $150. As for under it, a PI TRI singlet & TRI shorts.

I also bought my New Cervelo Dual 10 at the end of this year. Good deals around if you can find them due to the model upgrade for 06. It is a sweet ride with an unmatched component package.


Have fun shopping.

I have the specialized trivent triathlon shoe and love it is light and pleanty of vents to keep feet cool. Is not a good cold weather training shoe A bit to airy but I where them anyway just add some booties for warmth.

I have the Shimano Tri-carbon shoes. They seem really nice and Shimano had the lowest price that I could find for carbon soled shoes. Considering they were the same price as the carbon soled road shoes, it didn't make sense to pass up the tri shoes.

skip the helmet.
even if you're doing long distance, they have zero vents and look silly.

yes, get a tri wetsuit, QRs are nice.

Personally, I don't wear a tri suit, I go for seperate pieces, but again it depends on your comfort level and distances you're going to race.

skip the helmet.
even if you're doing long distance, they have zero vents and look silly.



sometimes speed wins over looks.

i'd wear hot pink speedo's if it would shave a minute off my overall times.

Thanks for the replies, I talked to the LBS tri 'geek' and he said that he wouldn't change much about my set list, save for the wet suit. I planned the renn disc because its cheaper by a long shot than zipps...and it'll do the same thing. And I'm looking into a set of tri spokes for windy days (and a front wheel)

Definatly go for the helmet. One thing to consider about it though is that the benifit that it offers is only apparent when you are looking up(helmet contours to back), otherwise when you look down you have the tail sticking up.

Bike, I would go for the Cervelo, but I am just loyal to them, the specialized will be good.

I love the shimanoe tri carbons, but the specialized seem nicetoo, my buddie loves his.

Shoes- Go to a running store and get properly fit for running shoes. I, for example, cant run in adiadas, something weird in how they make the arch hurts my feet.

Clothes- I love my top and botton combo. Allows you to mix and match stuff, but that is a huge person preferance thing.

Wheels- Renn disk, for the money, best disk going. Tri spokes, I assume you mean the HED ones, great set of wheels, depending on if I get transfered in work this spring, I may buy myself a pair.

Wetsuit- With out hesitation I will say no to a diving wetsuit. They are ment to be more robust, though they are thicker were you dont want it, and they have alot more drag. A tri wetsuit will be thin were you need to move(shoulders) and thick were you want extra flotaion(legs) Plus they are usualy covered is a low drag coating(dont know what it is) to make you "slippery"in the water.

[QUOTE=dogpound]skip the helmet.
even if you're doing long distance, they have zero vents and look silly.
[QUOTE]

Like was said look means nothing compared to gaining speed. You should also do a little bit of research before making a comment like this. Most aero helmets like this now have vents, are UCI legal, and i think the new ones that will be comming out(are out) look pretty sweet.

It is something like 1 minute or something bennifit over a 40km TT(which a tri is alot like on the bike sometimes), so you figure if you are doing an IM, that would be a gain of 4.5 minutes, for free, or you can look at it and say that you had to work a little bit less for the same bike split.

Like I said though, to be effective, you have to be looking up most of the time, so all you people who look at the road 3 inches in front of your bike, you need to look up a bit....

Definatly go for the helmet. One thing to consider about it though is that the benifit that it offers is only apparent when you are looking up(helmet contours to back), otherwise when you look down you have the tail sticking up.

Bike, I would go for the Cervelo, but I am just loyal to them, the specialized will be good.

I love the shimanoe tri carbons, but the specialized seem nicetoo, my buddie loves his.

Shoes- Go to a running store and get properly fit for running shoes. I, for example, cant run in adiadas, something weird in how they make the arch hurts my feet.

Clothes- I love my top and botton combo. Allows you to mix and match stuff, but that is a huge person preferance thing.

Wheels- Renn disk, for the money, best disk going. Tri spokes, I assume you mean the HED ones, great set of wheels, depending on if I get transfered in work this spring, I may buy myself a pair.

Wetsuit- With out hesitation I will say no to a diving wetsuit. They are ment to be more robust, though they are thicker were you dont want it, and they have alot more drag. A tri wetsuit will be thin were you need to move(shoulders) and thick were you want extra flotaion(legs) Plus they are usualy covered is a low drag coating(dont know what it is) to make you "slippery"in the water.


The reason I'm going specialized is the same reason you prefer cervelo, loyalty :p I mean the cervelos sure look nice, but I've never seen one in person, so I'd like to test ride one and see how it feels under me, I mean in theory I could just go to richardson bike mart and test ride one, but I'm still not 100% sure it'd be worth traveling the 31 miles (I'd have to use someones car cause if I wanted to buy it I couldn't very well ride two bikes :eek: but if it makes you feel better I did give it some though and still am

And yes I'm thinking HED tri spoke, and either nike or adidas running shoes, I've ran in both long distances

Any running flat will be good for use without socks, although running flats aren't for everyone. Some people can train in them, some can't race in them due to improper form and what we will call a less than runner's physique.

Nike makes hands down best racing shoes(I've owned 7 including spikes and racing flats) around but some of the worst trainers.

Asics trainers get great reviews but I have never used there racers(flats or spikes) for more than a couple training sessions and races.

Some people swear by and some people curse Adidas. There racers never impressed me much, but there trainers have been great.

As for wheels check out my post in the road section, I say skip the Hed3s if you're worried about cross winds, go for some Stingers.

I recently read some data suggesting that an aero helmet can save as mch as a disk. I'll look around for the link but considering the LG chrono is $70 and has 3 vents it seems like a good cross between fashion and function.

I've tried on Shimano tri shoes and once I have the money, I'm going with those.

don't knock the helmet. who cares what it looks like? everybody laughed at lemond's sunglasses until he won his first stage, and the next day half the peleton had 'em. if you have a goal, and are close to achieving it, spring for the helmet. even the poorest equipment nowadays is so good that there are only small advantages to buying much more high-end equipment. the point being, a 45 second gain in time for less than $200 is a ton of time for a relatively small amount of money. upgrading just about anything else you have to gain another 45 seconds is gonna cost a bundle. having said that, if you are only doing the tri's for fun, or to test your fitness, then the helmet probably isn't worth the cost

don't knock the helmet. who cares what it looks like? everybody laughed at lemond's sunglasses until he won his first stage, and the next day half the peleton had 'em. if you have a goal, and are close to achieving it, spring for the helmet. even the poorest equipment nowadays is so good that there are only small advantages to buying much more high-end equipment. the point being, a 45 second gain in time for less than $200 is a ton of time for a relatively small amount of money. upgrading just about anything else you have to gain another 45 seconds is gonna cost a bundle. having said that, if you are only doing the tri's for fun, or to test your fitness, then the helmet probably isn't worth the cost


I'm doing them to get serious into the sport, I want to actully compete at Kona one day, which is why I'm going to throw the extra cash at a disc and a tri spoke front...so that I can not only look serious, but feel serious

I'm doing them to get serious into the sport, I want to actully compete at Kona one day, which is why I'm going to throw the extra cash at a disc and a tri spoke front...so that I can not only look serious, but feel serious


have you done a tri yet? (i'm not trying to sound like an a$$)
if not, maybe you should see what it's like before you go nuts.

Kona's a great goal, and no distance can hold a candle to what an Ironman is like.

have you done a tri yet? (i'm not trying to sound like an a$$)
if not, maybe you should see what it's like before you go nuts.

Kona's a great goal, and no distance can hold a candle to what an Ironman is like.


Yeah I've done a tri and a du, loved em both, road cycling was far to easy compared to the struggle that a tri brought, thats what I'm willing to throw down the money to buy a good setup, so thatI can feel a lot more comfortable after the bike (my legs ached after the bike so the run was miserable)

Hey Elvish, I gave a response about the disk in the road forum. Basically said that the 575 is the best. It has the same core and great bearings, I believe it is still under 1275 grams for the clincher which is really good.

aero helmets seem a little crazy to shave off 45 seconds.

I guess if you are just buying it cause it looks cool, that's a different issue.

I don't really think Nike makes good running shoes. I think you are mostly paying for their marketing machine

You should just buy shoes that fit you well and address your needs (stability, motion control, etc.).

I personally like Mizuno , but again they just fit me well. They don't wear that well, but they feel good.

, road cycling was far to easy compared to the struggle that a tri brought,


I'm not sure what road races you've done, but road racing a bike is far from easy. While I'm not going to denigrate triathlon because I know it has it's own challenges and value, but there is no way road racing is easy. In fact I would definitely contend that hanging in a road race is much more difficult than completing a triathlon. The reason being that you have to be strong enough to stay with the pack in a road race. In a triathlon, you can go at your own pace.
There are also the elements of having to deal with attacks, sprints etc. that require a level of power out put that the steady state effort of a triathlon does not.

Triathlon and bike racing are different sports, with different demands, and you can't make a direct apples to apples comparison, but I don't think you've had much experience bike racing if you think it's easy.

Are you looking to get flat type running shoes or trainers?

Merlin, I was also taken aback by his comment of bike racing being easy, but I think you are visualizing all triathletes as MOPs the way you describe the sport. In the top end of triathlon you do deal with all the things you mentioned (attacks, surges, strategy), they just happen more often on the run and swim. Just ask anyone who I pushed at last seasons first duathlon out in under a five minute first mile. It was a quick unexpected attack on the top to hopefully wear them out for the end.

Are you looking to get flat type running shoes or trainers?

Merlin, I was also taken aback by his comment of bike racing being easy, but I think you are visualizing all triathletes as MOPs the way you describe the sport. In the top end of triathlon you do deal with all the things you mentioned (attacks, surges, strategy), they just happen more often on the run and swim. Just ask anyone who I pushed at last seasons first duathlon out in under a five minute first mile. It was a quick unexpected attack on the top to hopefully wear them out for the end.

I didn't mean to diminish the difficulties of triathlon, or the abilities of those that compete at a high level in triathlon. My point was more that at an entry level, road racing is arguably harder. i've done the total of one sprint triathlon (I did finish 3rd in my age group), so I can't claim a great deal of first hand knowledge. I can appreciate the challenge that doing triathlons at a truly competitive level would present, and the challenge posed by iron man type distances. I just don't think the original poster even begins to appreciate the difficulty of bieng a competitive bike racer.

Re: Helmet
This is from a kid at MIT who runs all the cycling wind tunnel stuff plus works for Cervelo over the summer:
2. Equipment
A common misconception about equipment is that of the order of aerodynamic importance for aero-gear. Most think that the frame matters the most, wheels next, and helmet last. Some even think that the components come before the helmet. In reality, a well designed aero-helmet will save you more time (power) than anything else. The drag difference between a vented road helmet and an aero-helmet is 2-4 times larger than the difference between a good aero-wheelset and a 32-spoked wheelset.
http://pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fullstory&id=3574

Re: Helmet
This is from a kid at MIT who runs all the cycling wind tunnel stuff plus works for Cervelo over the summer:
2. Equipment
A common misconception about equipment is that of the order of aerodynamic importance for aero-gear. Most think that the frame matters the most, wheels next, and helmet last. Some even think that the components come before the helmet. In reality, a well designed aero-helmet will save you more time (power) than anything else. The drag difference between a vented road helmet and an aero-helmet is 2-4 times larger than the difference between a good aero-wheelset and a 32-spoked wheelset.
http://pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fullstory&id=3574


That is REALLY awesome. He was in the Toronto area all summer and competed in a few tris. He is an awesome guy and a ridiculously fast cyclist. I raced with him a few times, and he really helped me on my bike fit. He has custom made handle bars that look extreemly close to the oval ones in that article.....jerk gets to play in the wind tunnel and get his bike fit perfect, plus meet all these pro riders and stuff.

INteresting stats by Mark Cote;
• 80% of all the power a cyclist outputs goes into overcoming air resistance (the other 20% goes into rolling resistance, accelerating the rider and bike, etc.).
• An athlete putting out 400W in a time trial will use approximately 320W to break down air resistance.
• Roughly 75-80% of aerodynamic drag is due to the rider and only 20-25% is due to the equipment (bike, wheels, helmet, etc.). Thus, rider position is very important.
• A small 5% improvement in aerodynamic positioning relates to a huge power ‘savings’ – 5% of the 80% of all power will be saved; so at 400W, 16W will be saved.

He designed those custom bars with a teamate of mine, apparently they're lighter than anything else out there (or at least they were). The whole MIT team are such incredible bike geeks, but if you put up with them they teach you more than you'd every expect

He designed those custom bars with a teamate of mine, apparently they're lighter than anything else out there (or at least they were). The whole MIT team are such incredible bike geeks, but if you put up with them they teach you more than you'd every expect

I know, I met him at a race this summer, and I was racked beside him. After the race we went for a cool down ride, and he just rode beside me and told me what was wrong with my position and how to fix it. It actually made a mesurable difference. I cut almost a minute off my TT time over 30km. Was nice to see, was tough on teh back for a while, beacuse I made a drastic change, but I got used to it.

I'm doing them to get serious into the sport, I want to actully compete at Kona one day, which is why I'm going to throw the extra cash at a disc and a tri spoke front...so that I can not only look serious, but feel serious

if kona is the goal, skip the disc. they are not legal due to crosswinds

the helmets are a big aerodynamic advantage (45sec/40K TT is about right), but the little ventilation can be a problem in hot weather because much of the lost heat is from your head. i know quite a few of the more competitive people do wear them though. when combined with the face/ear sheild their aerodynamics improve

I'm not sure what road races you've done, but road racing a bike is far from easy. While I'm not going to denigrate triathlon because I know it has it's own challenges and value, but there is no way road racing is easy. In fact I would definitely contend that hanging in a road race is much more difficult than completing a triathlon. The reason being that you have to be strong enough to stay with the pack in a road race. In a triathlon, you can go at your own pace.
There are also the elements of having to deal with attacks, sprints etc. that require a level of power out put that the steady state effort of a triathlon does not.

Triathlon and bike racing are different sports, with different demands, and you can't make a direct apples to apples comparison, but I don't think you've had much experience bike racing if you think it's easy.

i definitely had my first major EI asthma attack in a road race. they can be far MEANER than a tri, especially since you have to recover from anaerobic sprints while still hanging onto the pack (desperately hoping that someone isn't going to crash you out). however, i recover from bike races much faster than tris. that run at the end..

thumbs up for the mizuno fan out there. i wore them for years

I am a complete newb when it comes to tri but I know my fair share about running. It scares me (in a running sense) to think you would base you running shoe decision off of the cooling factor of a shoe. You seriously need to find a serious running store (not dicks, footlocker, etc) and talk to someone who knows a lot about running. If they are not bringing out lots of different shoes for you to try on and run around in, then walk away. I drive 50minutes to go to my running store and its well worth it (not to mention you are supporting the small business). I find that Nike makes horrible training shoes although I will agree that their flats and spikes are great. I run in bowerman (sp?) flats and love them for racing. I am sensative to injury so I try to make the most of every running workout and spend as little time on hard surfaces as possible. I never train in my flats. If money is there either buy one pair of good training road shoes and a pair of trail shoes and alternate and try to hit some trails (really helps build strength in your tendons and such). If there are no good non-paved trails in your area, I would seriously invest in two pair of trainers. If you are sure you found a pair you like then just get two pairs. If you aren't try getting two different pairs that are similar and going from there. It is good to rotate every other day to insure that the cushioning does not get worn out...otherwise your soles will feel it! Hope that helps and happy running...afterall it is the best portion of a tri! :p
~Nick