We're in a pretty similar situation and I've been replacing my dated equipment and building a race schedule. Some things that seem quite a bit different to me . . .
- I signed up for Ironman Lake Placid three months after registration opened. It used to sell out in minutes.
- I bought a Dimond beam bike with Enve wheels. Neither of these brands existed when I was racing, or at least I didn't know about them.
- That bike came with 25c tires, which apparently are a thing people actually race on now
- There's about 1500 different powermeter options, some of which I probably still don't know about. One of the best ones seems to be made by Pioneer, the massive electronics company. I've settled on PowerTap P1, which is amazingly handy compared to the PowerTap hubs and SRM I used to rock.
- Got some bike shoes with laces (Giro Empire) cause apparently straps and buckles aren't aero or cool anymore
- All the trainers now seem 'smart'/internet connected. Everyone seems into this, but I can't figure out why its better to be hooked into some internet application than watch season 3 of the Wire, so I haven't explored these things yet.
I'm still taking in my wetsuit and aero helmet options. I've surmised that those bada$$ giant pointy helmets are out now, replaced with short tailed versions.
Dimond Bikes Superfan