guncollector's group -- FULL! (Page 7)

Stick to any of the major brands (I just happen to be partial to 2XU, DeSoto, and Zoot) and you'll be ok.  Find the stuff that fits you best. 

Let's be honest, though.  You don't need any fancy stuff to race, but we all know the GEAR is fun to have and use!  So, that said, here's what I'd suggest:

1) tri shorts 

The thin padding is much better than moisture-absorbing cycling shorts.  I like tri-shorts with some pockets for holding gels and such. I like the longer 8" inseam versions, so they don't ride up on you as much.  Some like the 6" inseams.  Stick with black.  YMMV.

2) tri top

I like ones with pockets in the back, some folks don't.  Full-zip ones are more convenient for putting on/taking off.  But, half-zip are fine.  They fit TIGHT, and require attention when putting on--else you may rip the material.  Be forwarned.

3) wetsuit 

Now we're getting into dropping some dough (remember, you can always rent a suit before each race).   But, if you plan to stick with this sport or race often and in wetsuit-legal races, getting your own wetsuit is a good call.  Buying a wetsuit comes down to FIT, FIT, FIT.  Look for a deal on "2007" wetsuits in the $200-250 range.  Don't bother with the super-high end ones, they won't make any difference in your swim times.

4) transition bag 

Triathlon's version of "a solution in search of a problem".  Any duffel bag, or many use a 5-ga bucket, will do the trick.  But, its "cool" to have a triathlon-specific transition bag.  The ones by TYR (about $70) I found are the best bang for the buck.  You can spend more, but they won't function measurably better.

5) miscellaneous stuff 

- Body Glide (non-optional) is your friend.  Chaffing is your enemy. 

- Yankz or Lock-Lace speedlaces (non-optional) are indispensable IMO. 

- Race belt  is nice inexpensive luxury.  Much better than pinning on numbers to your jersey.

- Heart Rate Monitor  is a nice to have. 

- Visor (tech fabric)  I don't race without one.  The standard "golfing" visors absorb too much water and get heavy.  Make sure

- Sunglasses (non-optional) Don't ride without them!  I always run in them too.  I prefer the Amber/Red (sometimes referred to a "Racing" lenses) lenses.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head.  I'm the first to admit I've got WAY MORE GEAR than I need. 

Ron,
Come on dude, you have the best Transition bag in the world, LOL! Seriously that's one nice bag Ron has.

Dude!  That's my secret-squirrel, coolest Transition Bag.  LOL. 

Yes, its the perfectly "transition spot"-sized.  Footprint is smaller than your average beach towel.  Its made by SBR Multisports in NYC (58th betw 7th & 8th).

The SBR Transition Bag is actually the best triathlon bag on the market IMO.  But, I'm the only one I know who has and uses one.  I've never seen another one at a race (granted I only attended 5 races last year).  So, I'm not sure on its availability.

The TYR, otoh, is widely available from a multitude of tri and swim shops.

Don't mind if I jump in ... just my opinion:

Full, full, full, full, full, X nth power. (Spoken by a swimmer who does NOT like the feeling of full, but swims in one anyway!) There's a few dozen good reasons why full is better, but here are a few:

- the water up there being cold as it is, you'll be grateful for the sleeves--no problem to wear in summer; I do and it's a sight warmer down here!

- more flotation = less energy spent

- extra millimeters width on your arms = bigger "paddles" = more pull = faster

Some folks who are super-fast swimmers prefer the less constrictive feel of a sleeveless, but all the newer suits--and definitely Orca and DeSoto--are very well engineered to have full movement in the shoulder and arms.

Sleeveless costs less, but if those are the brands you're looking at, it's not going to save you enough to be worth it. Sleeveless are also slightly easier to put on and take off, but again, not by much for the benefits you'd be getting from a full.

faeron - 2008-01-29 11:35 PM Running I've mostly got down, right Yanti ? but I'll probably have more questions relating to running and tri's down the road a bit.

You're a helluva runner. Apparently you can even run without your hands

It is always a good idea to get help on swim form--you're definitely strong for the 400, but no need to practice a less-than-ideal stroke hundreds of times in the water before then.

x2.

The only folks I know who swim with sleeveless suits are elite swimmers (my swim coach is one such example) who's stroke are so finely tuned that the sleeves are an irritation. If you're not in this category, then you should be buying a full sleeve.

The more time in the saddle the better.  

The thing about cycling, due to the limited range of movement while clipped in, is that technique tends to be self-correcting over the long run.

That said, learn to "spin" early on--applying power through the entire pedal stroke (vs. just hammering on the downstroke like we all did as a kid on our Schwinns).  Its not an easy skill to master, and this skill is entirely cycling-specific.   

If you don't have one already, get yourself a cadence meter (built in to most bike computer these days).  The Cateye Astrale-8 is a good, inexpensive model ($38)--and I like it because the cadence sensor attaches to the rear wheel (which means you can measure your cadence while on a indoor-trainer). 

You should start learning to ride at 90-100 rpm immediately.  It won't feel terribly "efficient" at first, but trust us, that will be your most efficient cadence range. 

CAUTION: at no time in your training should you be straining with a high-resistance in the 40-50 rpm range.  This will be your surest ticket to knee damage that I can think of.

Probably a bit of both.

Your muscles take time to adjust to this new activity.  Its not uncommon for your back (and fanny) to be quite sore in the beginning.

A bike fitting--by a professional--is worth every penny.  Most shops charge between $75-100.

What's the saying...10,000 repetitions = second nature, and 50,000 repetitions to unlearn. 

Learning correct technique from the start is always the best.  And in swimming--the most technique-driven aspect of triathlon--it makes the most sense.

YMMV = Your Mileage May Vary 

Great article I just found on Cycling (and Running) Cadence, by Dan Empfield (of Slowtwitch fame).

Good stuff there, I like this;
"It is frequently the case, though, that employing a faster cadence feels slower. This tends to be more the case with novice athletes, who feel that the application of peak power during the sweet spot of the pedalling or running cycle is the way to get where you're going in a hurry."

I recall vividly the day I read about cycling cadence and the next day I rode my MTB into work and did some checking.  65-75 rpm is what I use to do and would always blow up by 10 miles!  That was 6 weeks before my 1st tri (fat-tire) and I then worked on increasing my cadence to 90+.  The most amazing thing was I increased my speed right off over 1mph for longer rides.

It wasn't but a few days later I read about the correlation of cycle cadence and brick run stride rate and booyah I was on my way!

See, this is the stuff you can't get from books. I got tendinitis again in my knees just before I was getting this cadence thing figured out on my runs. I'm still working on it, but its starting to become clear! I have always aimed at a high cadence on the bike, if it worked for Lance then why not me!

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TriAya

Hello All, Are you still open?   If so I'd like to be in! I did tri's two years ago, but I am now ready to get back to things.  My wife "em 73" is doing well and she is challenging me, which is great, but I need to get in shape and really start to train. I do have an idea of what I am going to do, but mainly need so people to bounce things off people and get some encouragement at times. 

One thing of note, I travel full time and don't have a consistent place to train during the week, so I'm kind of a hodge podge of training. I will be spinning and swimming on weekends and will do most of my biking then, also when I can get outside. I'll post and blog, so I'll need a little help. 

Thanks!