(Cont. from Ironman post no. 1, 2, 3 and 4)

I have news for you. Triathlon is the most expensive sport you can find. Maybe after Yachting. And Formula One. And… well… Golf. But it’s still very expensive!

We’ll start with the most important equipment:

I know. You thought more like the bike (see entry), or the running shoes (see entry as well), but trust me – you’ll be thanking every second out of the three hours on the Trainer (yup. see entry), watching movies, instead of gazing at the drops of sweat accumulating to a small swimming pool under the bike. You can always watch TV, but do go to this page and read it again….

1. Bike. The most expensive piece of equipment you’ll need, and for a reason! If you buy the best pair available, you’ll be able to cut something like and incredible 0.5 seconds off your total 180km cycling time! Now that’s money well spent! But let’s not kid ourselves. We don’t buy expensive bike in order cut time off our result. We have a much more important reason for that – SHOW OFF! And for that reason, we have models like this:

Oops. Sorry about that. Here’s the right picture:

Allow me to go into details:

Carbon.

That’s the only word you’ll need to know when talking to a fellow Triathlete. The Frame, the first and foremost important part of you bike (since it contains the largest amount of visible Carbon, Silly!), is not the same as the ones used in the Tour De France (or any other standard road race). It does not comply with the rules and regulations of the federation (any federation) for angels, lines and tubes.

This is of course only one shape (and no, Cervelo do not pay me. Yet). But more important – there are other colors as well! The second most important thing is the wheels.

Your going to need three pair at least. One – for training on the trainer. That one can be old and rusty. Second – for every day training. Should be reasonable and strong. And than – you’ll need the ultralight, super fast visibly branded competition set. Note: the above Zipp set is perfect for your needs. You can always say “We were surprised by the side-draft on the mountains causing us to minutes because of the rear disc!”. Just for general knowledge, the disk is $1,475. The front $877. But wait one second. There is more. If you really want to take time of your results, check this out:

You must be saying to yourself “That’s very nice. They’re black and have ‘Lightweight’ written on them”. Aha. And they come with a tag of $5,495. For such a small logo! The nerve some people have!

Let’s move one.

This is the Dura Ave gear, shift, brakes leavers and other Bells and Whistles. I talked to many people. They all had the same explanation to why buying it as they had to why cyclist shave their legs: “Ah…. Because it makes you faster, I guess”. $1,305, if you were wondering.

This is the bike pedal. You can attach your shoe to it. $214.

This is a Saddle (AKA Sit). You put your, ah, you know, on it. $284.95 (Note the 95). And yes. It will go numb
.

This is a Stem. It holds the Bar ($599.95) to the Fork ($399.95, but you must have got it with the frame). It’s made of Carbon. It’s $199.95.

This is a bottle cage. You put your water bottle in it, or better still, your Sports Drink (read here). Carbon. $84.95. You’ll need two.

This is an Aerobar. What it does is allow you to relax on your bar, even nap, while zooming down hills at 85km/h (Naturally, because of all the draft, you’d be doing 14km/h without it). It comes as part of the bike if you have the right design (Tribike) or, if you’re among the common, you’d be mounting it to your usual bar, you peasant. Carbon. $159.95.

These are Bar End Plugs. You wrap your bar with this type, so your hands won’t slip and for cushioning, and than you close the end with the plugs. Carbon Ones. $9.95. Naturally – a must.

It goes on and on. You can get a very (very) reasonable bike for just $3,000, all inclusive. But you’re going to be looked down at. Not because others will think less of you. It’s their bike. They’re so light, they’ll be floating above.

2. Cloths. Cycling cloths is made of training cloths and competition. The later is simple. A Trisuit.

In Training you’ll need somewhat more of a variety. Pants, Shorts, Socks, HeadSweats, Gloves. And during winter, it’s all over again, only three times more expensive, and you’re going to look somewhat like this:

3. Shoes. Simple. For running:

And for cycling:

And you guessed right. The sole is made of Carbon. By the way, the above running shoes picture is showing training shoes. You might want to buy also lighter ones for the competition. Guess how much they can get of the Marathon you’re going to run following the 180km cycling? Important, ha?

4. Swimming Gear. Very very simple. Swimsuit and Goggles. I’m sure you get the picture, so allow me to leave the pictures out. On race day, though, and if you’re training in cold water as well, you’ll be needing a full Tri Wetsuit.

Thank you for asking. $264.95 (Mid range).

5. Computer Power. There’s a variety of information crucial to measure (see the training section for uses). That includes (partial list): Time (Da!), Distance, Speed, Average Speed, Pace, Temperature, Altitude, Meters/Feet Climbed, Cadence, Watts, Heart Rate, Calories, VO2max, Humidity, Wind and Sea Currents. For all those very impotent needs, and in order for you to be able to come home and upload all this data to your home PC for further analysis, we have the following:

(Yap! Carbon!). This baby can measure almost anything you want, with the aid of this little shoe gizmo:

And a few straps.

But, if you want to be really in the happening, you’re gonna want this:

This baby only looks like a watch, but the name Garmin hints on what’s hidden under the hood. We’re talking of a real, functioning, sports oriented – GPS! Now get this – you can get everything out of it – speed, altitude, distance, climb, location (You didn’t expect this, in a GPS, did you?), and yes. It comes with a Heart Rate Monitor as well. You can even upload (using this site) your exercise data and view your run/cycle (or even swim for the real crazy dudes among us) on Google Earth! Your only worry, if you plan on competing with it, is that the battery lasts for only 10 hours between charges. Here’s a reason for buying these bike!

6. Little Things. And yes. You’re going to need all of them.

That’s the Trainer we mentioned before. You attach your bike to it and ride at home. A lot of fun. Not. But if you listened to me, and arranged for Item No. 1, you’ll be able to replace Time Out New York Movie Critic by the end of the year, but you’ll be sane. And that’s not trivial.

Guess what all the above is used for? Yup. A lot of fun. Specially when you’re 85km into your Go-and-Return bike training, and you find out you forgot the new CO2 repair kit at home.

Bin Bag. Used for carrying food (see Food section). Can comfortably carry all picnic needs, for two. Including two Champaign glasses.

Championchip ankle band. Small, but will count for a lot, when you forget it at home and are being cut to the bone by the one supplied by race organizers. The Championchip, by the way, looks like this:

And is used for timing and counter forgeries.

This beauty is called Fuel Belt. You carry water in it, yes? No Vodka! Mainly used for training, but some competitors have seen too many movies and don’t trust the aid stations to supply non-poisoned liquids.

Race Belt. You attach your number to it and so you can wear it quickly when you transit to the bike, and bring it to the front when running. Well, it’s not like you don’t get two sets of numbers the night before, with safety pins and all, but it’s much cooler using the belt. And hey, it has those little bands for gels! Cool!

That’s about it. Bringing new meaning to “Traveling Light” when competing overseas.

This post is tagged Gear, Ironman, Sports