mathematics wrote:
VegasJen wrote:
mathematics wrote:
100% agreed. I can think of few places worse to cut corners than the tri suit. A cheap suit is going to be slower aerodynically, hotter on the run, more restrictive on the swim, itchy and chafy all day, and leave you with saddle sores and rubs from the sandpaper chamois. All in all it's a quick way to take a tri from fun/hard to miserable. Trust me I've used crappy suits.
Not to gatekeep, but triathlon is not a cheap sport. If moving from a $100 suit to a $400 suit "nukes your budget from space" then it's time to review your tri budget. A suit will realistically last ~3 seasons, call it $100/season. Other season coasts include "half a dozen tris" which I'll assume is maybe 4x 70.3's ($400*4=$1600) + 1 local race ($150) + IMAZ ($1000) = $2750 just in race entry. Driving to every single race + 1 night hotel minimum = 6*~$250=$1500. Consumables like tires, run shoes, tubes, gatorade, extra pop tarts, pool fees, al easily add up to $1000/yr. Total minimum budget = $5,250/yr. Even the most expensive $400 suit is setting you back a mere 7% of your budget if you replace it every year.
Given the choice I'd do one less race and use those funds to buy a good suit. Quality ones (as said above) can be found for ~$200. You can either buy it now or use an Amazon suit for your first race. Then buy a real suit later after losing a miserable race day and $40 for a junk suit.
You make a good point about total expenses... for normal people. But I'm one of those people who drive to most events and sleep in my car before the race. Not that it makes your point any less valid, but maybe does alter the value/expense ratio a bit. Plus, I pack a cooler with a bunch of stuff from home, I will often run tires on training rides until the contact surface is thinner than the sidewall. But IMAZ is the one big expense this year. No 70.3s. Only one other race not local to me (Santa Barbara) and that's the only one that's over $200. Everything else is low $100 or less. Several put on by my local tri club are included in the membership cost. For my six or seven events, my annual expense is probably less than half of your estimate.
Again, not that it makes your point any less valid. It's just how I trim expenses in a hobby that is both very expensive and difficult to justify to myself. When I say that, I've already admitted I'm not winning any awards or cash prizes here. So anything that makes me faster is really kind of a lost cause in the scheme of things. Really, what's the difference between finishing in 7th or 8th place in my age group? Is it worth an extra couple hundred dollars? For me, so long as I cross that finish line before the cut off, that's really the goal. Cutting time off in transition is all but meaningless to me. Gear that makes the ride more tolerable while not interfering with the run, that's an expense worth considering.
That's some serious cost cutting! Consider me impressed.
If time/placing is low on the list then maybe the move is just bike shorts/jersey that you can wear in training as well. A very nice pair of shorts and a crappy jersey is going to be more comfortable than a trisuit. Slower, but cheaper. Bike shorts are better than trisuits for biking, and run shorts are better than trisuits for running.
I am the queen of thrift! (lol) Not exactly by choice though.
I was thinking about it on the way home from work today and I've made good money in the past and I've been extremely broke too. A number of years ago I was so broke for almost two years that it was a treat I could only afford once every month or two just to go to Taco Bell. I mean Top Ramen broke. Making nurse money now, but finally paying off a couple small loans I had to take out to finish my degree. It will be nice to actually have money to rub together in my wallet, but being broke leaves an impression. I may have money, but I will always be frugal.
For the last couple years bike shorts and a T or jersey is all I've been doing. I haven't really understood the advantage to a tri suit. But I do want to give it a try if only to reduce my transition times. As I've said here several times in the past, I am at best a middle-of-the-pack participant. I have no delusions I'm ever going to be competing for top spots (unless I'm the only entrant in my age group), so I'm not looking for aero advantages or shaving a few grams here or there. But if I can cut a few minutes off my transition times, that will be the biggest time improvement I could make. At least at this point.