dpd3672 wrote:
I think we're wildly overstating the "high barrier to entry" of this sport. Formula 1 drivers don't start out in an open wheel car, they start out in their dad's car at the drag strip, or mom's Miata at an autocross event, and if the passion, dedication, and skill are there, they move up.
At the beginner level, Sprints, Olympics, or even full distance races, you can participate with a $100 garage sale bike, a pair of running shoes from Dick's, and a few other odd items. If squeezing a bit more performance out of your gear winds up being a priority, you figure it out or do without...at the end of the day, it's still mostly about the engine that moves the gear than the gear itself, or damn sure should. I love this forum, and some damn brilliant people educate me daily about the marginal gains to be had in aerodynamics, position, materials, fit, etc, but it's still an athletic event, not a competition for who can spend more money to have the newest and sleekest.
Anyone who decides to "give it a tri" for the first time by buying everything from a $15k bike to a $400 tri suit has more money than sense, and way too many people I see at races with the best gear have the worst overall fitness and don't seem to have any real commitment to the sport or the lifestyle necessary to make it to the upper levels (not that I am, I'm a decent age-grouper, with no dreams of ever "going pro" myself).
I've seen plenty of people doing races, up to a full IM, on a road bike that wouldn't turn a head on a group ride, and holding their own, and swimming and running are just about the cheapest sports one can get into...a pair of shoes and a pair of shorts and a place to use them is all you need.
It's like saying you need to buy a Ferrari to experience driving a car, when a 6 cylinder Mustang is probably more than many of us are capable of hitting the limits of.
And if the passion, enthusiasm, and commitment for the sport winds up being there, you find a way...whether it's overtime at work, buying used, or making sacrifices in other areas of life...brown bagging lunch, ordering well drinks instead of top shelf, or buying coffee at McDonald's instead of Starbucks. 99% of the people who show up on race day wouldn't perform significantly better on a superbike than on a used steel road bike with 8 speed brifters, and an hour or two more saddle time every week.
Like I get what you're saying but from the average person's perspective, you're going to look like a dingus showing up at a tri with a mountain bike. No one in the tri community cares, they are happy to welcome new people (in general) but that isn't the impression this sport gives off.