Hi all,
I’m new to this forum (but I have been lurking here for months now). My question to all is: can one get into this sport without spending a ton of money?
A little background on myself: I’m a 34yo male, former bodybuilder. I’ve got a significant running base having run several marathons. I’m not the fastest guy in the world, but I think I’m decent especially for my size (I’m 6’1" ~192lbs. Pretty muscular.)
I’m looking to get into triathlons because:
a) It’s something I’ve always wanted to do
b) It’s certainly a new challenge for me
c) It’ll ease me off the running and heavy lifting
So now for the tough part: can I get into this sport without throwing a ton of money into it (at least initially)? I’ve always been a preacher that hard work pays off much more than brightly colored shiny new clothes and equipment. I don’t need to have the best of the best (at least yet). Realistically - right now I do my cycling on a mountain bike. Any TT or road bike would be ages better than what I’m using but I doubt I could tell the difference between a $2k and a $10k bike by riding right now. I’ve stopped at a local bike shop up here (Scranton PA) and I can get entry level road bikes for ~800. Add in helmet clips shoes and I’m well over a grand. Add aero bars, clothes, swim membership (for the cold months) and I’m in pretty far. I thought about going used, but there’s not much here in the area for the sport which means less used equipment available.
Can I succeed in this sport without throwing more than 1500 - 2k at it initially? I plan to try and do a few triathlons in 2015, probably no IM or HIM now. What would you say the minimum cost is to be successful in a HIM or IM? I think I have an excellent training ethic and continually push myself every day. What I do not have, however, is $10k to throw into this sport. Any comments or words of advice for me?
I appreciate any and all the help. I was looking for a beginner/new to sport thread but was unable to find a decent one, even by searching.
There are a bunch of bikes a notch up from entry level (like the Felt B16) that are a helluva lotta bike for the money. At this time of year, last year’s models should be discounted 20-30%. Find a model, go to the brand website, locate dealers, and ask what deals they offering. As many have said on this site, it is the engine, not the bike that makes the most difference.
Road Bike and pedals / shoes - to $1000 - this is a sound investment as even if you get another bike one day this will still go on your trainer and be a bad weather bike.
Bike Trainer - $200 - don’t ride out in the bad weather. Not worth injury but you do need time on your bike.
Helmet - $80 for when you can ride outside
Tri shorts - $70 for bike and run and swimming
Running Shoes - $120 - don’t skimp here and change every 400/500 miles max.
Googles - $30 - buy good googles.
Assuming you have a gym membership for swimming and strength work and some basic workout clothes then you are all set here for $1500.
I’m certainly no pro but the previous poster had some pretty realistic items on their list. However, there are many other expenses that will be incurred that may be considered luxury looking at it from the outside but will become quite beneficial at getting better at tri’s or keeping your sanity. For example, cycling specific shorts with more padding than tri shorts, all of the bike maintenance (new tires, tubes, water bottles, co2/pump, tune-up’s), swim tools (pull buoys, masters swimming, etc.), wetsuit if you will be swimming in cold water, and the list continues. Congratulations on switching over to triathlons though, the reward will be worth the work!
You could buy any used aluminum Cervelo that fits you for less than a $1k off of Craigslist or eBay and be better off aero wise and financially than most things you’d get from your local bike shop.
I got back into the sport in late November 2009. My first bike was a road bike that I got for $800 on Craig’s list. That same week, I bought a cyclops fluid 2 trainer, bike shoes a pair of shorts. I then spent that winter riding in my basement, running and going to the local pool. There’s more things that you’ll need to buy later, but start with that and see what else you need when the weather gets nice enough to ride outside.
Not much outlay for those items which is all you need to do a couple sprints. You will get an idea if it’s really what you want to get into before you spend a bunch of money.
If you really fall in love with the sport and want to compete at a high level start saving your money for a bike and get the best tri bike you can afford, a good wet suit and save some money for entry fees.
“I plan to try and do a few triathlons in 2015, probably no IM or HIM now. What would you say the minimum cost is to be successful in a HIM or IM?”
Not sure what you mean with the above comment…do you plan to do IMs or HIMs or stay with Sprints and/or OLYs to start off? And when you say “successful”, what do you mean…podium in your age group or be a MOP/FOP in your age group? Yes, you can easily get into the sport for under $2500-3k and depending on what races you do (need a wetsuit or not, i.e.). Just remember, travel costs and entry fees, especially for a IM/HIM can be considerable. Sprints and OLYs can be reasonable (which I would recommend for your first year or two) if you pick and chose and stay somewhat local…lots of choices within a couple hours of Scranton. A good bike is a priority…should find a good road bike and maybe put on some clip on aero bars for around $1-1500k. New tires, tune up, helmet, bike and running shoes…maybe an entry level tri-suit and wetsuit and you should be set. Make sure your bike fits you…study pictures of the pros and make sure you can achieve a position relatively close. Take a picture into your bike shop (if thats what you end up doing) and tell them that is what you want to look like. Lots of good info on this forum about bike fit if you research…as well as You Tube articles on fit, transitions, etc. Good luck and welcome to the sport.
ps…with respect to comments about bike trainers, if you are a bodybuilder you probably have access to a good gym? I do pretty well on the bike and do very little riding on a trainer…spend a lot of time at gym doing spin classes. Have to deal with Philadelphia winter weather so only occasionally actually get out on the road.
Would take a mix of the advice above if I was you. Start training now on your mtb and do a couple of local sprints to see if you like it. Might even be able to find a winter off road duathlon, or pool-based triathlon or something to get you started.
If you like it and want to get serious then you’ll need a road or tri bike. If you want to get fast you’ll need a tri bike at some point so probably better to get that first. There are some great second-hand bargains out there, since a lot of triathletes have plenty of money and upgrade their bike every few years. Entry level is fine if you can’t find a used bargain. Clip in cycling shoes are essential. I assume you already have some cycling and running kit (helmet, shoes, etc) if you own a mtb and have run marathons.
Tips for keeping your costs down:
avoid big brand races like IM, small local events are normally much cheaper
-learn to maintain your bike yourself. Better to spend money on tools and learning to use them, than spending money on somebody else doing the work
don’t waste money on energy drinks, bars, supplements, etc. Just eat well and take regular foods on your long rides. You can do a sprint and probably an Olympic on just water
The problem with this question on ST is that most people that post here are ocd tri geeks who have a lot of disposable income and love to spend it on triathlon related stuff. The truth is, as another poster pointed out, you could do a tri next year with what you already have (swimsuit (might need to buy goggles?), MTB, running shoes). If you are already convinced you will love the sport and want to get faster right away I would scour the ST classifieds and keep my eyes peeled for online blowout sales. If you are diligent and frugal you can find all the gear you need to take the next step towards being competitive for $1-2k.
If you’ve got the engine you may still be competitive on your MTB and how sweet would it be to beat people who spend tons of money with the bare minimum??
I would recommend some chamois butter and a good pair of bibs or bike shorts if you are going to ride on the trainer… also, speaking of trainers… Trainer Road is great and the best $10 I spend every month. It will require a speed and cadence sensor but those are relatively inexpensive (compared to most tri purchases). If you want to spend even more money (I know, the entire point of this was to be on the cheap side) pair it with the Sufferfest videos. I find I actually look forward to my time on the trainer!
For your first sprint I wouldn’t buy anything. Rent a wetsuit and use your mountain bike(put slick tires on it). See if you like triathlon first before taking the plunge financially. This sport gets expensive fast, especially the race registration fees and hotels.
Lots of good advice here. If you decide to get a used bike, just make sure you know your size and measurement. Last thing you want is spend $800-$1000 for a bike that doesn’t fit you properly.
Get a professional bike fitting. If you can find a decent $800 bike, go for it. However, get a good fit. If you try to do the fitting yourself, you will hate riding your bike and might lead to injuries. I think most places can get you fitted for around $100-$200. I would consult with a good bike shop before spending your money on any used bike. Check with your local triathletes and roadies and get a referral for a good bike shop and professional fitter (don’t try to find a cheap one). If your bike fit you well, chances are you will keep it longer and get better use out of it.
Craigslist. I got a road bike (Trek 2.1) with clipless pedals and aftermarket add-ons for $500, a Kurt trainer for $125, and the list goes on (ppl will throw in shoes/helmets/etc on CL if you negotiate). Used bike market is awesome, go to a shop and get an idea of your fit/size and then go search online and save yourself several hundred. I agree you can use a mtn bike, but I believe enjoying the race is key to wanting to continue doing them…and I would enjoy it more on a semi-legit ride.
I think everyone should have a road bike. Check Craigslist. Even if you don’t stick with triathlon you can use it for bike tours, family rides and such. It can even get you to work in the event of an oil embargo or a DUI. If you ride it to work and for errands it will eventually pay for itself.
After that, I recommend the bike trainer, swim lessons and several pairs of decent bike shorts for training.
I started doing triathlons about 10 years ago at 40. I had, still have, a Trek 1000 I got for under $600, I had cycling shorts and cages instead of clips. I bought a cheap wetsuit and already had the swim goggles and purchased a good pair of running shoes. In my first Sprint Tri, I wore my running shorts under my wetsuit and had a shirt to slip on for the bike section and used my running shoes with cages. I was only riding for 14 miles so really the biking shorts weren’t necessary, I just used them for training.
Since this is your first year and a first tri, use your mountain bike with cages on the pedals and a good pair of running shoes. You don’t need all the fancy crap and you will get a good idea if this is what you want or not and all you would be out financially, since you have run marathons the shoes are not an extra cost, is the entry into the race.
-Try a duathlon before buying a bunch of swimming stuff.
-Rent a wetsuit if you really need it. I went my first 2 seasons without a wetsuit.
-Rent or borrow a road bike for your first race or two.
The mtb will be just fine, especially for shorter races. I borrowed a road bike from a friend for my first couple races before deciding to buy one.
Bottom line, is you can get into the sport relatively inexpensively. The costs start to add up when you get more serious and start buying all the gadgets and stuff you don’t need.
You can buy any number of 4 year old bikes, say a Cervelo P2 for a $1000 (the same bike Chrissie won Kona on), with stock wheels and you would be only a minute or so behind a superbike in a 40k. Second hand wetsuit, less than $200, running shoes and a trisuit (any closeout suit is good). And you are done. For even less you can get an old Cervelo Dual for under $700 (almost as fast not as pretty). Train on the MTB (you could even put slicks and aero Bars on)
Or
Rent.
wetsuit 3-4 days $35-45
Bike 4 days $110 (quote from Endurosport, my local Trisport shop)
Shoes & Tri suit, those you might want new.
You’re done. Do three races and you have spent $500
If you like the sport, buy gear at the end of the season.
I’d start with a use road bike. Nothing fancy. Then get a good fit.
Try the sport out.
If your hooked, then invest in better gear, do the research and consider hiring a coach if you want to get the most out of your investment in time and equipment. Or get a good book and be self coached, but have a plan for improvement. You might be very good at this. You never know. You have the discipline and dedication to training from body building. That’s the hardest part.