Way too much stuff.

I'm not gonna lie, you really don't need all that stuff.

Anyways, check to make sure that 4iii doesn't have built in cadence. Most powermeters have a built in cadence sensor. (accelerator) If the 4iiii doesn't, I recommend picking upa stages since it's barley more expensive, is a better PM, and has built in cadence.

You want a swimming specific wetsuit, not a surfing one. They're built differently. Get something cheap. If you're a beginner. They wear out quick anyways so it's not like you'll have it for a while.

If you're getting a PM you're most likely going to want to have a bike specific computer and not your watch. I recommend the edge 500. It's like the Nokia 3310 of cycling. Its durable and does everything you need it to. (HR, PWR, Distance, Speed, Time, etc. but no maps)

Once again, you don't need any of this especially if you're a beginner. You should wait until you start to plateau. (Your power is going to increase too quickly to make training by it effective) I'm just making you aware of the money hole you may be digging.

Welcome to the world that will put you in the best shape of your life and take away all and any free time you currently have!

So much gear to choose from to! I am exited for you! Buy any gear that will fuel the love!

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2024: Bevoman, Galveston, Alcatraz, Marble Falls, Santa Cruz

They may not match at all. Your indoor FTP may be quite different from your outdoor FTP. Same with your run pace.

This x1000. They are completely different things. Enjoy yourself; it's going to be hard, but fun. I'd invest in coaching before quite a lot of that stuff though. It was the single biggest factor in my improvement by a massive margin.

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understand. if i didnt use dataloggers in autoracing id go with just the kickr snap trainer. i like the idea of datalogs to see improvements vs just end times.

the 4iiii does cadence. i didnt think to look for that on the power meter.

the 935 vs bike specific ill have to check that more. i was looking at the 935 as a do everything device for training but not ideal for everything. might be bike specific computer and phone for gps track maps. would need hr strap and something for running cadence. ive been using a metronome and looking at after the fact cadence numbers on phone.

thanks for the input.


yeah its a new hobby. sold off old hobby toys for new hobby toys.

should of said correlate vs match

You don't need to know running cadence.

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Training Tweets: https://twitter.com/Jagersport_com
FM Sports: http://fluidmotionsports.com

I'd echo what others have said about this being too much to start off with.
Maybe you'll want a lot of that stuff, or all of it, once you get a little experience but on the other hand a lot of it will be rather superfluous initially and may no longer be the best available equipment for the money by the time you're ready to make use of it, say next season. Being new to the sport, you don't yet know what's going to be most important to you. What you'll like and what will irritate you. Indeed, are you even sure you like triathlon?
For example, anyone with the slightest bit of experience who read your first post will have immediately noticed you intended to use a surfing wetsuit for swimming and thought - Nooooo!
It's absolutely understandable that the problem would not be obvious to a newcomer but I suspect all established triathletes would say that wetsuit choice is more important than anything else on your list. You can start off very successfully with a basic watch and/or bike computer, any road bike or tri-bike that fits and if you need a trainer, there are plenty decent non-smart trainers that are perfectly adequate. But a surfing wetsuit may destroy your race.

If I was you, I'd start by getting a proper swimming wetsuit, a decent multisport watch (the 935 should do nicely if you have the money lying around), and a speed/cadence sensor for your bike. For indoor training and power measurement, I'd get a good second hand "dumb" fluid trainer like the Kurt Kinetic Road Machine or Cyclops Fluid 2 and pair it with Zwift or TrainerRoad.
That gives you perfectly decent power figures for indoor training (many lesser magnetic or fluid trainers may not be as good for virtual power accuracy nor do they feel as good to pedal IMO). Don't worry about power outdoors. It's not essential by any means. You have HR anyway which it's well worth becoming acquainted with rather than focusing entirely on power.
A relatively cheap wetsuit will do fine for starters, but by all means go fancy if you want. Bear in mind that, as another poster mentioned, they don't last forever, and the first may have a slightly shorter life as you get used to putting it on and getting it off without damaging it.

Hopefully after your first season, you'll decide triathlon is definitely for you. At that point you may want more toys, and there's room to expand. Get a PM (when you know which one suits your needs best), get a smart trainer if you think that meets a need (and again, have a better idea which one you want).

Recommending that you start a bit leaner isn't just about cost. Maybe you have plenty to spend and you're not bothered by that. After all, I expect the costs in triathlon pale by comparison to those in motor-sports. But, you won't understand a lot of the pros and cons to different equipment choices initially. More expensive or more features doesn't necessarily mean it's the best for you. And you just might be glad you spread out your purchases so you could give each new toy individual attention.
I too love to have the data but in reality it's much less relevant than it is in motor racing and will not be the reason you thrive in the sport, or otherwise.

Whatever you do, enjoy yourself.

You are past the first barrier of triathlon, spending a bunch of money on stuff that probably isn't necessary, haha. I think most are guilty of that at some point. I'm still relatively new ~2.5 years training. I've bought, sold, and bought new stuff already (for certain things). So I echo one some have said, it may be wise to hold off on certain things until you know more about what your like. Classified section is a great place on this site as well.

You've got the bike already, and I rarely have to touch my wetsuit or treadmill, so I know nothing about that to be honest.

I bought a 910xt and a Garmin edge 500 on the classified section for like 200 bucks. about a year later, sold them for 100 and upgraded to the 920xt and edge 820. to be honest, the first set would still be more than sufficient. I just had Christmas cash to burned wanted to treat myself. If you can only afford one, the watch is fine, but a bike computer is much easier to view in the bike. And going used allows you to get both. Even my 920xt watch is a factory refurb off Amazon. for someone new, id definitely recommend that 910/500 combo.

I ended up with power tap P1 pedals. but I rode bikes for a bit before triathlon then spent more time without power before getting it. I got a new road bike and decided it was time. so I got a power meter that was easily changed between bikes. thats the kind of stuf you need to know about yourself before dropping power meter money. One type is not always the best for everyone. For nstance a powertap wheel wouldnt be good for me. yes its easily chsngeable between bikes, but I need power reading on the trainer and dont use race wheels on the trainer. As others have said, power is nice, but not necessary, its something Id wait to get, then get the best one for my personal training style.

I have a dumb cheap magnetic trainer from performance bike. it was like 99 bucks at the time. I'd like to upgrade, but it's not absolutely critical. and that trainer was supported on trainer road, so I got virtual power for a year plus. that's another reason you don't need power at first, or even a smart trainer. trainer road takes your wheel speed (speed sensor reauired) and knows the power cureforyour trainer. it logs data that way on you computer and sets up workouts based on your threshold power. Great tool for 10-12 bucks a month. can save thousands over smart trainers and power meters. It is totally worth upgrading at some point, but its not like these cheaper alternatives will become obsolete in 6 months. You can be 10 years in using this type of equipment. Only thing I'd look for is the most watts resistance a trainer can hold. Mine tops out at like 400 watts and that's a little low for intervals.

In terms of not wanting to upgrade in 6 months, well that just won't happen, haha. There are constantly new gadgets out there. but I've had good luck selling my old stuff on this site, or handing down to others.

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hey guys. got a little crazy around here. apologize for slow response. i do appreciate all input.

i went to local tri/run store and bike store. for right now holding off on any wet suit but budgeted for later. there suggestion was bike shorts for now (at events).

picked up a refurbished kickr snap direct from wahoo and a watch. started trainer road sprint tri mid volume base program. like all the data the watch logs and sharing it with couple trainers for feedback. i like being able to load the trainer with a structured training program and go. being able to load a training schedule on the watch and pull it up on treadmill and at pool keeps me on track and setting aside time to train. the combination of detailed trainer road plans and feedback from watch is motivational.

as per this forum: watch to hard to look at on wrist other than hr while on bike. my vision sucks at that distance.

ordered a wahoo cadence sensor for the bike. trying to get trainerroad to see hr from watch on ios but no go so far.

would like hr for calories burned in pool. but thats on hold.

the unforseen:
wife wants bike that can fit her on trainer $$, she also would like a watch $$
after assembling cannondale slice size 58 (bought on ebay), i found i could not reach pedals without locking knee and pointing toes slightly (im 6'1"). took it to lbs and had seatpost cut 1.5" and will do fitting soon. they suggested a road bike for sprint/olympic distances and that most local group rides will not allow tri bikes in them. for now its the slice.

time to hit pool. later.

2nd yr tri-bie here, 1st full season.
Welcome to a great hobby which as other poster said, whips you into great shape.

I do sprint/oly as well, need to up my running chops before attempting 70.3.

My input would be enjoy data-geeking if that's your thing, but at the shorter distances it's not really necessary. One of biggest improvements I've made is the swim-- lots of winter hrs at the pool. Getting good at the swim is an ego boost (exit the water with the other bosses), but gadgets don't really help in that discipline. I don't need to know my swim HR. (Tri-wetsuit is a must-buy, as mentioned).

The bike is usually a 30-70min effort. Not overly scientific. Are you comfortable riding on roads? Develop road riding skills if you don't have them. Get to know your equipment/shoes/pedals by logging actual miles. Don't disappear into your basement.

(Your local lbs doesn't know what they're talking about. Tri bike is fine for sprint and predominant in oly. Sounds like they want to sell you a road bike :) )

At 5 or 10k, a strong runner makes up a ton of ground on his competitors. IMO, data won't lace up the running shoes and force you out the door. A GPS/garmin watch is a good tool for real-time feedback on pace, though.

Have fun. Know that your spouse will soon complain about your gear/toys. That's a given!

You're looking at a lot of stuff, but contrary to the folks above, I think it sounds appropriate given your stated goal of wanting to be able to train indoors given contraints of time, wife/kids. You do need stuff to train indoors, and what you've listed sounds appropriate.

I've been very happy with my home setup, which is:

- Sole F80 treadmill. Run it at 1% incline at minimum, or 3% if you want to really boost your leg muscular endurance. 0% incline doesn't stress your legs enough and you also get more cushioning with the deck as well as less wear on the motor with the incline. Start small though - if you go 3% incline all your runs at first, you may strain your achilles.

- Wahoo Kickr (I used to use Trainerroad, then went to Perfpro, then realized that I actually push too hard on all of them since I tend to overtrain and tend to finish the workouts even if it's a better idea for me not to, so I actually found the best thing for me now is to use the phone Kickr app in real time to control wattage - I put the phone in a waterproof $8 case and just control it like a treadmill from there, works great. For tri, you don't need structured workouts all the time, and I'm sure it was actually detrimental to me in the past by sticking to the plan so tightly - I've thrown down my fastest bike times as of late and have trained HALF the amount I normally do on the bike and less than half the intensity. FWIW, I think the TR programs are too aggressive, with too much 'sweet-spot' training - I got better results with more of a runninglike program where you ride hard 1x/wk but ride easier effort with enough volume the rest of the week rather than pushing so hard.

- Vasa erg ($$$, but def my secret weapon. I started as a 'last-guy in the water' swimmer in my entire 1st yr of tri despite training my swim to its max as my arms couldn't take any more, got plateau'd as a lower 35-40% swimmer for 2-3 years largely due to limited pool access and volume, then bit the bullet and got one of these and have finished top 20% swim overall in my last 4 races, and it's still improving.)

Kids/schedule forces me to do 80%-100% of my training indoors depending on my weekend schedule. Pretty much 100% of my weekday workouts are indoors now, and crazy enough, my swim is still improving!

Also to chime in as above - the data geeking is a lot of fun, but don't interpret that as guaranteeing best results. I've def gone full-out data geek hardcore in past years, but I'm getting for sure better results by paying a lot more attention to recovering properly (weirdly this means wussing out on more workouts) than chasing the numbers of even a well-designed plan. Everyone's different, but for me, as I tend to overachieve in workouts, less is definitely more - when in doubt, I pull it back and save it for another day. I still record all the numbers on my powermeter, but I'm not chasing FTP watts anymore. (Of course, if FTP drops a lot all of a sudden, it's a good sign I'm screwing something up, so I'm not just ignoring it either.)

It isn't normal to cut the seat tube of your frame.

Did you mean to say that the seatpost was cut?

correct seat post

Have you tried rotating the watch to the inside of your wrist?

yeah. i need reading glasses at that distance. HR by itself is big enough but anything smaller gets blurry. its great for basement and ill customize it for big letters on road.