39 here and I agree. I’ve explained my reasoning but part of that Ironman among other things buying up a bunch of races and destroying short course.

The time issue can be alleviated with having a good sprint race calendar that is cheap but that doesn’t really exist anymore.

That sucks. Had already blocked that weekend out for it ;-(

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Banger

For the sport to grow the cost of basic gear needs to come down.

The basic bikes here are sitting around $10k NZD. Add on race entry that has gone up above a thousand dollar, a wetsuit, etc.

It is a hard sell to get people into the sport when it is that inaccessible.

Even for those in a few years... I don't know where that money for the new bike is coming from.

Just my 5 cents.

Kent

If IM has all the results of past races online, I'm clearly looking in the wrong place.

Looking at the results page for long standing races on ironman.com, Kona results only go back to 2014, and IM Aus and IM NZ to 2012. Most of the history of these events isn't as readily available as you'd hope it would be.

Is Ironman's history only archived in moth-eaten result sheets in dusty boxes, stowed in basements of crotchety old triathletes and their equally dusty and moth-eaten memories?

I'll get out my dusty record and hit play again. Yes basic tri bikes are rediculously expensive but that's not where the focus should be.

The message needs to be loud and clear that you DONT NEED A TT BIKE! Any cheap old roady will do the job. People need to understand that a basic road bike and a top level TT bike over an IM distance for an average punter is only about 13 minutes. Even less for a 70.3 obviously. Let alone a sprint or oly where most people (should) start.

When the majority of newbs are happy just to finish does 13 mins really matter??? Plus road bikes are far more comfortable for most new comers.

We need to stop perpetuating the BS fantasy that without a blinged out piece of unobtanium you can't do a triathlon..

It is technically possible, but not the culture, and not enjoyable. And to be clear, I am not talking 'blinged out piece of unobtanium', I am talking about a base spec Cervelo P2.

I don't know why we would pretty a five fold increase in price (potentially quite region specific) wouldn't impact uptake.

Kent

Again sorry but this is just wrong. 'Technically possible'...of course its bloody technically possible, you make out as if riding over 90ks is somehow a miraculous achievement on a road bike? As for not enjoyable...how many people do you see sitting up after 50ks into an ironman! The whole TT thing is a joke, the majority people would be much better off riding road bikes. I think most people would actually find riding a road bike more enjoyable then riding a TT bike for 50ks and then having to sit up due to a sore neck, back and bum...?

I do agree re culture though, and that's why I think it's important that we change the culture and help people understand that they dont need a TT bike. Hell, the overwhelming majority of people are happy just to finish, and are only competing against themselves. A very small % ever get to the point where they are even competing for top 20. If you want pointy end then sure, you will eventually need a TT bike and all the marginal gains you can get.

Otherwise ride what you can and enjoy yourself.

Haha. If you say so, I guess we can agree to disagree.

What part do you disagree with?

I was just giving us a polite way to end the conversation. You haven’t convinced me at all. Consumers aren’t excel spreadsheets. Yes you can do an Ironman on a rust bucket and in a surfing wetsuit you borrowed from Dave. But will 9/10. No.

Triathlon has an inaccessibility problem.

You are typical of the problem, its not an accessibility problem, its a culture problem.

There is no rational reason for needing a TT bike other than peer pressure. People are dumb....is doing a 13:30 and coming 250th instead of a 13:15 on a TT bike and coming 220th that much of a deal breaker lol?

If people are really that worried about being at a disadvantage then what would be a really interesting initiative would be to have a road bike class.

l don’t think I typify the problem, but Shrug.emoji. I guess in a technical sense since I’m not racing I am!

Anyway, good luck changing pretty common human traits in wanting to take part on an equal playing field and not feel bad because they are using objectively worse gear than those about them.

Lastlap is raising a valid point and there is a way to connect what you both are saying. In fact, you could argue that if you're sitting up on a TT you'd be faster on a road bike. The objectively worse gear is the one that doesn't suit your level and skills - not the cheapest one.

Also, there's no point arguing about rusty old bikes. It turns a valid discussion into a straw man fallacy. There is a vast array of options between a 15k TT bike and a "rust bucket".

The argument that the entry level triathlon bike has disappeared is a valid one. You used to be able to buy a decent entry level at 1k and now there's nothing under 3k if bought online. If bought in a shop you're looking at 5-6k minimum.

If access to the sport is so expensive, at some point we need brands and event organisers to think about how to make entry to the sport more accessible and affordable.

I do wish there was a triathlon event that put some serious limits on gear. Something like L'Eroica applied to triathlon. Or possibly a no draft series where Triathlon bikes are not permitted.

you'd still have the big guns showing up with $12000 System Sixs', Madone's and Tarmac's

Sure, but there's way more options on road bikes and at least people wouldn't be doing themselves a disservice by buying a super expensive bike they can't benefit from. And an entry level road bike with upgraded components would be nearly as fast as a super bike like the one you mention, so you can go that route also. Triathlon bikes nowadays only have custom proprietary components, you can't even change a stem without paying a small fortune.
Besides, the cost of triathlon bikes isn't just the triathlon bike. It's that you need to own both a road bike and a triathlon bike and have storage for both - unless you live in one of those places where always riding a triathlon bike is doable/safe enough.

None of the equipment issues matter, without local events.
We’ve gone from a season with a series of local sprint and Olympic events that drew several hundred, to nothing. Our area used to produce a good number of athletes that would eventually travel to IM events. Now we produce none. Even with cheaper grass roots events, that attracted old road bikes, and first timers, and swims that followed the shore line, and aqua bike, and duathlon, etc…etc… etc… people just stopped participating. The LBS, running stores, YMCA, race companies, university, and even local Military base that held events, don’t do it anymore. The more I read these threads, the more I think triathlon has gone the way of skateboards and rollerblades. It will always be around, but the heyday is over. Folks go to the Planet Fitness and pickleball courts now. Has anyone tried sling golf? That looks kind of fun.

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Athlinks / Strava

I get the sentiment but what you are saying sounds quite extreme.. do people not ride bikes at all?
What I've seen in Europe is that parkrun runners, people commuting by bikes, etc eventually end up getting into triathlon. The bigger the base, the more people get into triathlon. It's a smaller step if you already practice one of the three sports.
Is that not the case where you live?

I think the biggest issue facing local events- permitting. The local authorities "getting their" piece of the pie or else no event. I think way back in the day there was much more of a true grassroots, pay the park fee and that was it. Now it's pay the park fee, pay the county to have access to the roads and get sometimes good cops manning intersections, and sometimes you get terrible intersections manned. And then oh yeah you are only going to get 134 people.....yeah it's just not worth anyone's time anymore to do it.

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Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

Just walked by the TV with the Today Show with Hoda and Jenna and they were doing a piece on a woman who will be competing in the WC next weekend. They said she had completed Kona in 2001 before entering AF academy, becoming a doctor, serving in Afghanistan, raising a family, and then returning to the states where she found herself tired, etc, and then diagnosed with Parkinsons. It sounded a lot like one of the back stories we used to hear on the NBC Kona broadcast. What I found interesting is for such an accomplished woman that she wanted to complete an Ironman to "prove" she was not letting Parkinsons take control of her life. I know for a lot on this forum finishing an Ironman is not a big deal but for the majority of people the perception is that it's one of life's ultimate challenges and finishing it means anything is possible.

Maybe what Ironman needs more than anything else to get back its popularity is more of the feel-good stories on the national TV broadcast and less of the pro race. Not a popular opinion on ST I'm sure :)

There are no longer any local triathlon races to get the local runners, cyclists, swimmers, cross fitters, weightlifters, Zumba, whatever folks, to have a reason to try cross training, and do a triathlon. It seems that ship has sailed. The folks who wanted to do it, did it, it was big, then it faded, now it’s over. The bike stores that have survived are into gravel. The running club is operating the Park run explosion. I don’t even know where the swim club operates from these days. I just checked the local Tri club’s website, to see if there was a member count, and the site hasn’t even been updated since 2020. The last time I entered their local club race, 12 people signed up for the Olympic. So to answer your question, no that is not the case where I live. It’s hard to get into triathlon, when there is nothing to get into.

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Athlinks / Strava

This is itself a strawman. As I made clear, I am talking the entry level triathlon bike. When I started my Cervelo P2 was $2k NZD. Now the base P2, is $10k and the cheapest TT at my local store. I take the point road bikes are a little cheaper, but it is still overall inaccessible. So too, people can go online, but that too is intimidating for new entrants. Therefore, the only other option is the deep second hand market.

I don't think this is a controversial point I am making. Our local table tennis club put a $30 cap on bats, because people were feeling priced out at $70 and want to feel like they are on an even playing field. The fact the money involved in triathlon isn't seen as a barrier by many, shows how inaccessible and privileged the sport is.

Kent

I'm not sure why your post sounds like you're making a counter point. I 100% agree that the sport has become a lot less accessible. I did mention how entry bikes used to be cheaper in that same reply.

I remember buying a carbon road bike with Sora for 500 euros not that long ago.

I certainly think cost of equipment is an issue...I just don't know how you solve it.

Do you put it at "entry" level equipment? Do you put it at "second hand" level equipment?

Like the answer to the riddle isn't as obvious as what to do with a tennis racket, because your basically telling someone who just spent $5k on a bike....yeah that's now obsolete. So yeah that likely would turn off more people currently in the sport than actually open up the sport to others imo....because... What I've generally found is that "cost prohibitive" is pretty much always going to be a moving target if that's the reason you want to use. If you say everyone has to use a road bike only (which are generally cheaper than tri bike options), you'll then get the complaints that the road bike option is too expensive when you can get a hybrid for much cheaper...etc etc. So there's always an cost issue if you want to make it one.

And I'm not saying that to say it's not an issue. It is, I just don't know how you can put the toothpaste back in the tube once it's out. Unless you make it a rule that starts in 10 years, etc.

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Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

Cost for equipment I don’t think is that bad for the sport. But it goes back to what I said earlier, we have created an environment that a good chunk of people tell everyone they need this stuff when they don’t. The majority of us know you shouldn’t get a Tri bike as your first bike. But what bike shop sells that idea.

You don’t need to get rid of Tribikes, you need to change the messaging. Interestingly you also don’t need to a power meter . But who says that now.

This is a top down issue, IMO. Ironman controls the sport and charges $1000 per race. That sets the standard for every other organized to soak their participants.