Third year of doing triathlons and am looking at what upgrades I should consider making this year. I am planning 1-2 70.3’s, 1-2 Sprints, and 1-2 Olympics this upcoming summer with my first A race being 70.3 Blue Ridge in June and likely an Olympic or Half in late august time-frame. I have a tri suit that works great for me, an entry level tri bike that I got used and in pretty good condition and these are the things I am thinking about upgrading:
wheels (from stock to some type of race wheels), helmet (from regular helmet to a race/aero one), and wetsuit(from just swimming in the tri-suit to actually having a wetsuit). I am assuming my priority should be wetsuit then helmet then wheels but wanted to confirm. If I do go wetsuit any brand recommendations. Looking to spend under $200, and am 6’1" and 155 lbs and likely will have to buy online
Main goal at the Roanoke is see if I can qualify for Worlds for 70.3. Also considering doing Nationals but TBD on if I will have time that weekend to go out to the midwest
Just based on things i’ve read saying wheels are a bad investment for $/minutes saved while a wetsuit can save something like 10 seconds/100 yard. I could very well be wrong and/or misinformed though
I dotn have a set total budget right now but ideally under 400 total and that would only be for going in on wheels or both a helmet and wetsuit.
Just based on things i’ve read saying wheels are a bad investment for $/minutes saved while a wetsuit can save something like 10 seconds/100 yard. I could very well be wrong and/or misinformed though
I dotn have a set total budget right now but ideally under 400 total and that would only be for going in on wheels or both a helmet and wetsuit.
There’s no way a wetsuit will save 10 seconds per hundred yard. That seems like a best case scenario, if even that.
Additionally, you’re 100% going to use helmet/wheels on race day. Swims aren’t always wetsuit legal.
Best ROI? Get a professional bike fit from a reputable fitter if you haven’t already. Everything else is icing on the cake.
I am not familiar with your specific races but at some point a wetsuit becomes a must rather than an upgrade. By that I mean the water is cold enough a wet suit is required for safety to prevent hypothermia on the bike. The reality is that hypothermia can be an in issue even at modest water temperatures when the air temperature is real low so you don’t want to let yourself get cold before getting on the bike.
At 6’1 and 155lbs you are certainly on the lean end of spectrum and are going to want a wetsuit that has tall sizes (and many of them do).
A helmet can be a great upgrade in terms of performance and comfort. If you are really on a budget plant Planet X has great value for money options. They are heavier and less adjustable than options from the big name brands but they are like 1/5 the price.
At $200 I would avoid wheels but a disc cover would be another great option. Nearly all the benefits of a disc at a fraction of price.
Just based on things i’ve read saying wheels are a bad investment for $/minutes saved while a wetsuit can save something like 10 seconds/100 yard. I could very well be wrong and/or misinformed though
I dotn have a set total budget right now but ideally under 400 total and that would only be for going in on wheels or both a helmet and wetsuit.
There’s no way a wetsuit will save 10 seconds per hundred yard. That seems like a best case scenario, if even that.
Additionally, you’re 100% going to use helmet/wheels on race day. Swims aren’t always wetsuit legal.
Best ROI? Get a professional bike fit from a reputable fitter if you haven’t already. Everything else is icing on the cake.
Thats a good point. I may just hold out on wetsuit until I do a race with water temps that need the warmth from it. Didn’t realize how optimistic the time savigns I read were. I am planning on doing a bike fit in the coming weeks when I have the chance to get to a reputable fitter as I am currently not in the direct vicinity of any that I know of.
As far as wet suits go, don’t forget the option of renting one like from wetsuitrental.com. That way you can know more of what you like and don’t like in a wet suit…like sleeved or sleeveless.
As the race you’re doing is supposed to be extremely hilly relative to most 70.3s, if you do get an aero helmet, I’d recommend a short tailed one or an aero road helmet. I expect a lot of people will be spending a lot of time out of aero climbing. If you’re shooting for a worlds slot, you’ll probably be doing less of that, but still probably better to err on the side of better in multiple positions rather than just tucked and turtled.
Here is my ranking
Wetsuit: need (if you do cold races) and speed-- you really will get 10 sec/100yd.Helmet: big speed improvementPower Meter: If you don’t have one, it will help improve your training quality and race pacing
Wheels: go 90/disc; you will get big speed, but those are higher cost/benefit
If you are shopping for a wetsuit on the cheap, bet on blueseventy’s outlet store distribution list. I have a blueseventy, and I love it. You can save big money on one of their returns.
If $200ish is your total budget, I would
(1) buy a Giro A2 on Ebay-~$25
(2) buy a disc cover-$100 (or less if you can find used)
(3) determine if race will be wetsuit legal-if so, rent a wetsuit ($50 max, I think). Personally, I am ~10 seconds/100 faster so, no, I don’t think those potential time savings are unrealistic (depending on many factors, of course)
(4) get a tight fitting, used trisuit-~$50
(5) Trainer Road program for 3+ months-first week free and then $60 for 3 months
that may be a bit over $200, but gets you in the ballpark of the above which will get you ~95% of the speed you can buy.
This is a pretty good list, but I’d swap some stuff around. Power meter is #1 - helps for pacing on race day, and is everything you need (kind of) for training on the bike up to it.
Power meter
Fresh goggles - no point in doing all the training if you can’t see where you’re going on race day, and anti-fog typically doesn’t work so well
Bike fit
Helmet - something specific to your fit/shape, has ventilation, and is comfortable
There were several suggestions that were awesome, DFW & damon.lebouf made some great suggestions.
The Giro A2 used to be the Gold Standard in aero helmets, still better than many of the models released in the last 4-5 years although no longer a sure fire top 3 helmet for 90% of the people. If you can find a smoking deal on an aerohead that’s The Helmet for 90+% of people it seems, at least currently.
If you want to stay within that $400 range besides/after/before the aero helmet I’d buy:
latex tubes ($50 - buy 3 or 4 though in case you flat one on install)
fast rolling tires ($100)
Vaporflys for the run. You may want to try those on first. We find they run half size small for many people. ($250)
If I have $ left over or found some in the couch cushions I’d buy a disc cover for the rear wheel or I’d buy ski tip extensions if I was running S bends.
race wheels are going to be expensive and a front wheel alone will probably blow your budget. You can probably find a wetsuit really cheap so I may add this to the list before the vaporflys.
I have a ton of wetsuits hanging around somewhere. I’ll sell you one <$100. You’re an inch taller and the same weight as I am. PM me if you’re interested.
Rent a wetsuit if needed is a good option as well.
Just based on things i’ve read saying wheels are a bad investment for $/minutes saved while a wetsuit can save something like 10 seconds/100 yard. I could very well be wrong and/or misinformed though
It’s a little complicated. The relative speed improvements available by using a wetset versus no wetsuit tend to be vastly larger than any particular upgrade that can be made to a bike (outside of the lowest-hanging fruit like fixing an extraordinarily bad fit, or switching from bombproof urban/touring tires to fast racing tires). But, this also needs to be compared with the amount of time you’ll spend on one split versus another, and whether you’ll actually be able to use the equipment. For instance, if you spend four times longer on the bike than in the swim, a bike upgrade that speeds you up by 3% will save more than a swim upgrade that speeds you up by 10%.
On the off chance you’re in the Houston/Austin area, I have a couple older Xterra wetsuits that’ll fit you, both sleeveless and sleeved. Yours for cheap.
If $200ish is your total budget, I would
(1) buy a Giro A2 on Ebay-~$25
(2) buy a disc cover-$100 (or less if you can find used)
+1.
I had a similar budget, ebay racing is the only option at that point… a used aero helmet can be had cheap, shop carefully and get someone’s race helmet they havent’ used much.
A wheel cover is cheap and gets you essentially the same performance as a disk.
A used deep front can be found cheaply but realistically will be a couple of hundred.
buy one of desertdude’s wetsuits… can’t beat that offer.
I’m in a similar boat to you, 3rd year in triathlon but a couple months ahead of you on the upgrades. I’m also looking to get the 70.3 qualifier this year. Here are my thoughts.
TrainerRoad subscription (the simplicity / organization of a structured plan like this is truly impressive. I’m only 1.5 months into using it, but it is easily the best $20 I’m spending every month.)
Wetsuit (personally it makes me way faster and more confident in the water)
Power meter (I have a single sided favero assioma. It’s cheap for a power meter and does the job)
Aero helmet (if you have money left over, but you won’t if $400 is the budget)
I wouldn’t worry about getting aero wheels or a new bike yet unless you stumble into a few thousand dollars you want to spend.
I feel like I read something on wheels(disc) that said unless you are going over 19 or 20 MPH the upgrade isn’t worth it. Can’t find the link now of course.