Hey There - I’m new to Tri and just picked up my first tri bike. Been a road cyclist for forever, but never racing or anything serious. Now that i’m actually training for some races, I need advice on what exactly I should be getting. Of course shoes, bike, wetsuit, etc. But what are the most important accessories, training tools, or other not so common items that most new folks overlook?
Thanks a ton for the help in advance!
Cheers,
Chris
professional bike fit
.
Sometimes the best accessory is no accesosory! Keep the bike clean, use good tires, and get in a great position. Some tips here:
http://austintriathlonstore.blogspot.com/2011/02/aerodynamics-victory-by-thousand-cuts.html
Polly a garmin with hrm for data, maybe a power meter, food, a tri suit or something like that.
I definitely second the bike fit. I found out the hard way that the fit did not transfer well at all between my roadie and tri bike. Got a tri fit and fell in love with cycling (hated it before). I also can’t live without my Garmin 910 for both the run and bike. Being able to analyze my data on a computer is both fun and helpful to see my strengths/weaknesses and where I have improved. I also can’t live without my foam roller, as it has cured a lot of nagging issues that I have had for YEARS that multiple doctors couldn’t help with. Also aids in recovery. I would wait on a wetsuit unless you are planning on mostly doing wetsuit legal races. Then I would just try to get locked in with a local community that you can train with! I improved so much more when I started training with people better than me. Good luck to you!
I just upgraded my tri-bike, put on a BTA waterbottle cage. I also have a pair of cages behind the seat for training rides / long races.
if I do any longer races, I’ll get an xlab torpedo or similar that can be refilled on the fly.
no electronics of any sort at the moment. I might get a timex watch or the cheapest waterproof garmin so that I can keep tabs on how much racing / training has been done and how much to go…
What distance will you be racing? For anything shorter than an Oly, I take all the water bottle holders off my bike and don’t carry anything (except a flat kit because, you know… Murphy’s Law). I did put clip-on aerobars on my road bike (before I got my tri bike), which was a great addition.
70.3’s are my first races.
In that case, I’d get a BTA bottle setup.
+1 on bike fit. A poorly fit bike will make you slow and uncomfortable with the latter effecting your run, especially at a 70.3 distance. Then I’d go with hydration and a HR/Garmin combo. You can find used 500’s for $75-100.
So i’ve got spare kit…Bag or just strap to frame?
Hydration I have dual rear cages a frame cage and a bottle bracket for between aero’s.
Fit - amen - need to get that done asap so my winter trainer rides are true and comfy
Computer - have a Cateye cadence/speed set up. Just need to pick up the wireless computer to run with it. Is that sufficient?
Power Meter - Am I right in assuming that’s not necessary first year or two of racing? Better to utilize that money elsewhere?
Bike is a 2011 Kestrel 4000 Pro Ultergra w/ upgraded cockpit and TR calipers.
Thanks for all the help!
So i’ve got spare kit…Bag or just strap to frame?
Hydration I have dual rear cages a frame cage and a bottle bracket for between aero’s.
Fit - amen - need to get that done asap so my winter trainer rides are true and comfy
Computer - have a Cateye cadence/speed set up. Just need to pick up the wireless computer to run with it. Is that sufficient?
Power Meter - Am I right in assuming that’s not necessary first year or two of racing? Better to utilize that money elsewhere?
Bike is a 2011 Kestrel 4000 Pro Ultergra w/ upgraded cockpit and TR calipers.
Thanks for all the help!
for racing - lose the frame cage. wrap a spare tube / levers / CO2 with electrical tape and attach it to the rear bottle cage holder thingy… that’s all you need.
Power Meter - Am I right in assuming that’s not necessary first year or two of racing? Better to utilize that money elsewhere?
No, I wouldn’t assume that but what you can assume that if you aren’t going to learn how to use the data from the power meter effectively (or pay someone to do that for you) that it’s a complete waste of money.
In my experience, I don’t really care much for using a power meter when riding outdoors but when riding on a trainer I find that it makes the time go by faster workouts are more effective and easier to structure. If you are planning to do a significant amount of indoor riding, at a minimum I suggest getting an HR monitor and figuring out your HR zones so you can apply those to some workouts.
Go and ride. Figure out what’s missing on your own. Seriously. That right there is your best answer. Everyone runs a different setup.
And yeah get a proper bike fit. It isn’t at all the same as it’d be on a road bike. I’m sure you know that.
Sign up for a sprint or Olympic to do beforehand! Consider it just another training day- you’ll learn a ton, especially with respect to transitions, and you’ll learn what you need and don’t need for the different legs. Obviously a 70.3 is a whole different ball game, but I’d rather be unhappy for an hour as opposed to several.
Thanks all. With cateye speed and cadence sensors and wireless computer, will I be able to somehow integrate a training software for on my trainer? Ive heard of spin class like instruction and software you can connect to,
to track workouts and what not, but no knowledge of how advanced your bike computer needs to be. Sorry if this is stupid to some of you, I’m new to all of this and just looking for some help on how to be successful.