Fads and Fallacies - For Triathletes and Triathlons

You don't have to spend a fortune on all the latest gear and gadgets

. Here are some useful guidelines to making wise purchases and saving money, which will bust many of the myths that have grown up around hi-tech equipment.

Need a tri bike?

You can complete triathlons without needing an expensive tri bike. A good position and an effective training regime beats an expensive bike with a poorly trained rider. However, as your races become longer and you set yourself higher aspirations, you may want to upgrade your bike. Get into the sport on a safe bike you can afford and then wait and see if you want to invest more after your first season.

Expensive is always best?

Triathlon equipment purchases, swimming session fees and event entry fees make the sport fairly costly. However, bargains can be had and a great deal of second-hand equipment trickles down to beginners from more experienced triathletes. In all cases, be sure that the equipment is fit for the task, or you will only be buying a different version soon afterwards. Goggles must fit, bike frames must be the right size, and so on. You can save money by ignoring gadgets and fads.

Kit lasts forever?

Nothing will last forever, and some items, such as tyres, run shoes, sports bottles and goggles, require regular renewal. Your equipment must be safe, reliable and assist you in training to your goals. Unfortunately, some triathletes have a 'Did Not Finish' (DNF) next to their name because they use old or badly maintained equipment. With hundreds of hours of training time and much money invested, this is false economy. Wasted sessions caused by punctures, missing kit or even injury due to poor maintenance is a no-brainer.

No need to service your bike?

The bike is your biggest potential headache, so do support your local bike/tri shop by giving them your bike to service once every six months. You will need to discuss what needs replacing and trust their judgement; if in doubt, always get a second opinion. You would not drive a car without a yearly MOT or a service, so make sure you treat your bike with the same respect.

Top Tip

The best estimates are that an athlete takes at least three to five years to be nearing his or her peak conditioning and experience - much more if you are trying to be one of the best of your age group. Like building Rome, you can't become a triathlete in a day.

Top Tip

As you get older, your capacity to recover from training will gradually be reduced compared with endurance athletes in their twenties and thirties. New distances can be conquered and personal bests achieved, but you have to train smarter as you get older.

Top Tip

With all the equipment and plenty of pool time you still need someone to point out what you're doing right and wrong. Bad habits and poor technical ability are the product of swimming alone and never seeing yourself on a video playback. Invest in some swim coaching advice early on, and then top it up at regular intervals and you will see progress.

Fads and Fallacies - For Triathletes and Triathlons

By: Paul Scott

POST COMMENT

Acoustic Shock and Vibration Testing Funny Pick Up Lines - How to Use Funny Pick Up Lines and Have the Best Chance of Success Dealing With Grief And Loss In 3 Simple Steps Dove And Pigeon: Introduction Celebrate With Gratitude And Appreciation - Give Notes Of Thanks The Details Of Ghillie Suits And Shadows Sadism and Masochism Using The I Pass And IPass Benefits Demystifying Iui, Ici, Ivi, And Ivf Maintaining And Cleaning Wooden Tables Gripping It and Ripping It Long and Accurate Perfume, Parfum and Eau De Parfum In Bible versus Quran: Kill all the Cattle, Sheep, Camels and Donkeys