I'm a college runner looking to get into triathlons. Never done any road biking before. I'm just wondering what I'll need to have an entry-level setup. I have a budget of approximately $1000 for all the equipment. Below is my list with questions, feedback will be greatly appreciated!

Road Bike - because of my price range and lack of experience, I'm planning on getting a road bike and putting aero bars and maybe a tri seat post. Any other suggestions?
Pedals/Shoes - I have a pair of old mountain bike shoes...will these work, or do you recommend road-specific?
Clothing - Do I need tri-specific shorts, or would regular bike shorts work? I assume you wear them the entire race...right? As far as shirts, I'm planning on sticking with some of the underarmour stuff I have from running for now.
Helmet
Wetsuit - I'm living in Pensacola right now...will I need one? Was fishing offshore the other day and the water felt really warm, but how much of a factor is buoyancy?
Runnning Shoes - Due to 10 years running competitively, I have this one down to a science

Anything I'm missing?

Thanks for all the help!

Honestly, if you're getting in to biking purely for triathlons, I'd just get a tri bike. The position you'll be in on a proper tri bike is MUCH different from the position you'll be in on a road bike with aero bars clamped on. Your legs will thank you for the first few miles of the run, and you'll be able to get a little more comfortable (as far as positioning and handling) on the bike itself.

Really good used tri bikes are on eBay all the time at stupidly low prices, especially considering that they often have lower miles than a comparably aged road bike, since lots of people buy them but only ride them for a few events each year. You should be able to get a mid-level bike a few years old, maybe with Ultrgra 9 speed components, for $800 or so.

Use the shoes and pedals you have. You can pick a good used bike for your price range. Forget the wetsuit. A swimming clinic would be a great investment.

Though I agree a used bike can be a great deal, this could be an interesting alternative:

http://triathlonlab.com/Triathlon_Starter_Kit_102-p-16310.html

Road Bike - because of my price range and lack of experience, I'm planning on getting a road bike and putting aero bars and maybe a tri seat post. Any other suggestions?

I would recommend this route. Tri-bikes are great for their specific purpose, but if you're only going to have one bike, the aerobar/forward seatpost thing works pretty well.

Pedals/Shoes - I have a pair of old mountain bike shoes...will these work, or do you recommend road-specific?

Not only do MTB shoes work, I prefer them for triathlons. Some races have ridiculously long transitions and MTB shoes are much easier to run in.

Not saying that this is the only or best way, but this worked for me: REI Novara road bike, modified into tri-bike on the cheap with bullhorn/aerobars and a forward seatpost.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y18/CalOso/Triathlon%20at%20Pacific%20Grove%202006/September06027.jpg

Clothing - Do I need tri-specific shorts, or would regular bike shorts work? I assume you wear them the entire race...right? As far as shirts, I'm planning on sticking with some of the underarmour stuff I have from running for now.

Get some tri-specific shorts. I've tried a bunch; my favorite pair is the Pearl Izumi. The pad in regular bike shorts is too thick and will absorb half the ocean.

Helmet

Wetsuit - I'm living in Pensacola right now...will I need one? Was fishing offshore the other day and the water felt really warm, but how much of a factor is buoyancy?

You'll need a helmet. I doubt you'll need a wetsuit in Florida. I feel like the buoyancy is offset by the restrictiveness and having to take the damn thing off at T1.


Runnning Shoes - Due to 10 years running competitively, I have this one down to a science

Anything I'm missing?

Thanks for all the help!

Sunglasses and a heartrate monitor.

Though I agree a used bike can be a great deal, this could be an interesting alternative:

http://triathlonlab.com/Triathlon_Starter_Kit_102-p-16310.html


I agree with that does the chick in the upper left come with that deal.:)

Honestly, if you're getting in to biking purely for triathlons, I'd just get a tri bike. The position you'll be in on a proper tri bike is MUCH different from the position you'll be in on a road bike with aero bars clamped on. Your legs will thank you for the first few miles of the run, and you'll be able to get a little more comfortable (as far as positioning and handling) on the bike itself.

Really good used tri bikes are on eBay all the time at stupidly low prices, especially considering that they often have lower miles than a comparably aged road bike, since lots of people buy them but only ride them for a few events each year. You should be able to get a mid-level bike a few years old, maybe with Ultrgra 9 speed components, for $800 or so.

I road about a dozen bikes today, including one tri bike and one road bike with a forward seat post and aero bars. To be honest, I found the road bike position to be much more comfortable than the tri bike. I found my shoulders hurting after a bit on the tri bike.

I've seemed to settle into the $900-1200 range. The less expensive frames seemed very rough and uncomfortable, so essentially I favored the mid-range bikes with less expensive components but an upgraded frame. My favorites from today were the Trek 1500, Schwinn Fastback Comp, and the Specialized Allez Elite.

I'll nix the wetsuit for now. Funny thing, I actually had a heart-rate monitor left over from college, and I tossed it a few months ago after not having used it for several years.

I'm going to get the bike now, and wait on most of the tri-specific stuff. After riding around a dozen bikes today, it'll be a while before my legs are in any sort of shape for racing. I think I'll give it at least 4 months after I get my bike before I start racing. Maybe I'll do a road race first. Who knows, maybe I'll kick the habit a week after I get the bike.

Though I agree a used bike can be a great deal, this could be an interesting alternative:

http://triathlonlab.com/Triathlon_Starter_Kit_102-p-16310.html

Mutt,
That is a great starter kit...I just don't know about the bike.

I was going to recommend a good bike, helmet, and tri-shorts. For a newbie, the other stuff can wait. I would put the money into the bike. If you buy a crappy bike, you'll end up upgrading and spending more money in the long run.

I road about a dozen bikes today, including one tri bike and one road bike with a forward seat post and aero bars. To be honest, I found the road bike position to be much more comfortable than the tri bike. I found my shoulders hurting after a bit on the tri bike.

I've seemed to settle into the $900-1200 range. The less expensive frames seemed very rough and uncomfortable, so essentially I favored the mid-range bikes with less expensive components but an upgraded frame. My favorites from today were the Trek 1500, Schwinn Fastback Comp, and the Specialized Allez Elite.

I'll nix the wetsuit for now. Funny thing, I actually had a heart-rate monitor left over from college, and I tossed it a few months ago after not having used it for several years.

I'm going to get the bike now, and wait on most of the tri-specific stuff. After riding around a dozen bikes today, it'll be a while before my legs are in any sort of shape for racing. I think I'll give it at least 4 months after I get my bike before I start racing. Maybe I'll do a road race first. Who knows, maybe I'll kick the habit a week after I get the bike.


If your shoulders hurt after a ride on that particular tri bike, it's probably more an indicator that that specific bike wasn't suited for you. If you're getting in to biking purely for tri's, I'd still strongly reccomend getting a tri bike. Go to a shop that moves a LOT of them if you can, it seems like the "average" road bike LBS that doesn't move a lot of tri bikes doesn't really understand them at all.

Of course, if you like one of the road bikes you were on, and/or you think you do want to get in to road racing, get one of those.

If your shoulders hurt after a ride on that particular tri bike, it's probably more an indicator that that specific bike wasn't suited for you. If you're getting in to biking purely for tri's, I'd still strongly reccomend getting a tri bike. Go to a shop that moves a LOT of them if you can, it seems like the "average" road bike LBS that doesn't move a lot of tri bikes doesn't really understand them at all.

Of course, if you like one of the road bikes you were on, and/or you think you do want to get in to road racing, get one of those.

I've wanted to get a road bike for the last several years to try something different than running. I'm swimming, but it's just too borring to completely replace running. I just can't get excited about staring at the bottom of a pool for an hour. So while triathlons have my attention, I'm open to pretty much anything at this point.