First Sprint DONE! and Why is Tri-ing so dang expensive?

"Some people have savings.  I do triathlons" 

I saw a t-shirt slogan that was something along those lines  

Yeah, my savings are sapped, but I love it. I consider this all to be a very worthwhile "investment".

Cheers, Chris

You don't need all the bells and whistles. My bike is over 20 years old. Yeah I know a lighter newer bike might make me a bit faster, but look at the work out I am getting.
I wear sneakers alot , so i spent just a little more to get running shoes.
Yeah the race fees are expensive, but most of it goes for charity(s)
 

X2.

My 20 year old road bike didn't cost extra, I did buy new clips and I did a tune up that replaced some broken parts.  I had a Helmet.  I did buy some tri shorts for sixty bucks or so.  My shirt came from TJMaxx and cost under 15 bucks.  Goggles?  a few dollars.  Gym membership is not cheap, but I need that anyway.  Entry fees, sure they cost, but not that bad.  I got a Heart Rate Monitor (120ish) but that was a luxury and I am in my 40's and wanted to know what was going on inside the chest while I was training.  Everyone has and need sneakers.  Just buy them from the running section.

You don't have to spend a lot if you don't want to.  Maybe next year I'll think about a new bike.  But then again, the current bike is doing just fine.

I'm a full time grad student, living on a fixed income, so I probably feel the cost more that a working professional would. I do love it tho, and it is a great investment in myself.

I made some mental notes of small changes-new shoes, and some drop bars. But starting from scratch, I've spend more money than I imagined, and I suppose that goes along with getting involved. And the bottom line is I had a FREAKING BLAST at the sprint!

I love that t-shirt saying! Brilliant!



Edited by femanual 2009-09-08 10:25 AM

Yeah it is a drain on the wallet and I guess you can spend as much as you want, but it is an investment in your health which can lead to living longer and give you more years to make some of that money back.  Also, remember you don't get to take the savings account with you when you kick the bucket.
I do think some of the entry fees are a little expensive and the events would draw more people if they were a little cheaper.

The latest entry on stuffwhitepeoplelike.com had a statement that made me immediately think of triathlons and may provide some explanation.

 

I spent years racing motorcycles at the club (read, just for fun) level.   I'd spend $250/weekend on tires alone!  let alone gas, hotels, and the dreaded crash damage.  I could race a year of triathlons on a single weekend of roadracing budget...   I'm sure there are plenty of guys here who have spent more on a bicycle than my motorcycle cost me, but it's not required.  Overall, it's a fairly inexpensive obsession, as far as obsessions go.

The first race is kind of expensive.  But I dont plan to spend much from here.  I am trying to go without a weat suit.  have a pretty good bike already.  Sneakers, yea, do need a new pair.  Clothes, ok for now.. Entry fees, I only do 2-3 a year so no huge deal..

Can you really put a proce on an addiction- I mean healthy lifestyle?

It certainly doesn't have to be expensive, unless you want it to be.

You need to decide why you are there. 

Do you need to enter multiple races in a year?  You can better gauge your progress by doing a tri on a weekend on your own.  Same course once a month.  You wouldn't have to drive a distance to the race and wait for 2 hours for it to start.  So, you don't get the food or the shirt.  The biggest thing missing would be the energy from the competition.

You can get as fit on a $20 bike as you can on a $5,000 bike.  Heck, the seat might even be more comfortable on the $20 bike.

I would rather have a wetsuit than running shoes  

This post just cracked me and my wife up when I read the subject line!  I just did my FIRST Sprint Tri this Labor Day Monday.  Blackland Triathlon in Plano, TX.  I'm online looking for replacement wheels since I got a flat with 5 miles to go and my rear wheel is thrashed.
My wife and I were just discussing how expensive this can get but being budget conscious I am looking for deals, reading about others buying online, 2nd hand, etc. so to not drain too much money.

As some said, it's an "investment" which is my health.  I look at it this way...if I'm healthier longer, the more time to work and save that retirement I am spending!

My husband had the same attitude when it came to getting a bike.  He had sticker shock when he came with me to get mine and decided to wait and look around some.  He wasn't set on getting brand new and since he was just starting on this tri journey decided to settle for used to save money.  He looked and looked, finally believe it or not he was at a local pawn shop and a guy in front of him had just pawned his Giant OCR road bike.  My husband immediately looked it over....the perfect size......and got it for $ 180 bucks, took it to the local bicycle sports store and had new tires, new rims, and a tune-up.  It rides great and he is fast as heck on it.  There is nothing wrong with getting used when starting this sport and sometimes used is better.

Congrats on your first tri, and I and totally with you on the expense thing. This is my first year and I've resorted to using credit cards way more than I should. My bike was $500 which, to me, is still a ridiculous amount of money to spend on a bike.  To some of you that's a cheap piece of junk, but it still makes my hyperventilate thinking about it. I lost touch somewhere between the time my dad bought me my Royce Union 10 speed for $80 brand new when I was 15 and the next time I needed a new bike (this year), so I definitely had that sticker shock.  Okay, yeah, so that was more than 30 years ago, but still. I was lucky that I already owned a pair of bike shoes that I bought for spin classes a few years back.  And yeah, I got a deal on my Xterra wetsuit, but that was still $120 I couldn't really afford, and my running shoes were on clearance for $50 but I don't even spend $50 on the shoes I wear to work. I'm trying to do it all a little bit at a time and hopefully by next year I won't have to spend so much. Oh, and I am not likely to do any tri's that are far enough away to incur hotel expenses anytime soon. Also, staying away from $100+ entry fees. Part of my solution has been to buy fewer groceries.   Hey, I've lost a couple of pounds. And I don't buy clothes for work, and since I lost a couple of pounds I probably really need to. I haven't rescheduled the hair appt I missed last month...you do what you have to do.

its probably cheaper than drinking and smoking most people would spend in a year.. I cannot think of anything better to spend money on than Tris to be honest :-)

Nobody is ever at a loss for what to buy me come Christmas and birthdays - I've got wish-lists for lots of on-line shops.  I got a bike trainer from my son for mother's day and compression tights from my husband for our wedding anniversary (sexy or what!!)  My birthday present next year is a weekend at the resort where my club is holding it's annual tri.  Who needs more bling?  I'm so busy training, I never have time to spend money on clothes, books, shoes etc

in a previous life, I was married to a wannabe racing driver - now that was expensive.