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Triathlons make me poor.

Does anyone else feel really poor when they go to a race, everyone else seems to have a 3K road bike and shoes to match.

I know I'm just jealous but are all other triathletes bank robbers or just rich?

Comments

  • joolzdjoolzd Posts: 245
    Nope, I know the feeling..alas would love to upgrade but financially just ain't gonna happen, unless of course, some kind, caring forumer folk decides to kindly donate a second hand £1k plus bike to me for half price then I'm in!!

    I did comment once to my friend that you look also at the average car at a tri and...well there aren't many old ones around!! Haven't yet seen an olde Skoda...and am still looking!
  • musclesmuscles Posts: 4
    It amazes me how expensive they are over here
  • Ron99Ron99 Posts: 237
    ..that sounds suspiciously like something an aussie would say (about anything)
  • musclesmuscles Posts: 4
    Ron99 wrote:
    ..that sounds suspiciously like something an aussie would say (about anything)
    One step wrse.... a south african
  • risris Posts: 1,002
    it is depressing going to events with your pride and joy only to discover it is actually a cast iron victorian boneshaker in comparison to the other steeds in transition.

    i spoke to a chap from team kennet who admitted he'd saved for 3years for his colnago, which at least made me feel vaguely normal.

    the most satisfying thing is beating the rare moments where you pants off someone with the all the proper kit though - although the extra weight of my cast iron boneshaker must make a difference on descents.
  • nicknofingernicknofinger Posts: 284
    It does make you feel good when you overtake someone on a bike a quarter the price of yours, and as my brother has always said "you've got to have the legs".

    It's a good job I'm in this for the sport not the gear.
  • MintyMatMintyMat Posts: 98
    My Giant OCR3 with tri bars, SPD-SL pedals, bottle cage and a good service cost me less than 300 quid. I came 81st at Henley out of 260 odd in my first tri ever. The only things that passed me looked and sounded like they were out of BladeRunner and I overtook a couple of very sexy Boardman Carbon Frame jobs on an unfamiliar course. I'm delighted and reckon I'll keep her for a while yet. It's not about the bike.
  • JulesJules Posts: 987
    MintyMat wrote:
    My Giant OCR3 with tri bars, SPD-SL pedals, bottle cage and a good service cost me less than 300 quid. I came 81st at Henley out of 260 odd in my first tri ever. The only things that passed me looked and sounded like they were out of BladeRunner and I overtook a couple of very sexy Boardman Carbon Frame jobs on an unfamiliar course. I'm delighted and reckon I'll keep her for a while yet. It's not about the bike.
    Yes definately.

    My Trek 1.5's not bad (£650) but not a patch on some carbon things I saw on Sunday though. However, I overtook loads of people and hardly anyone got back at me. I was in the last ten out of the water in my swim wave out of 50 or so back off the bike about about 25th I think.
  • jacjac Posts: 452
    Isn't the phrase: 'A new bike only makes you quick once - the rest is down to fitness/experience'. Something like that anyway. I've got an Allez, put some new wheels on and now tri bars and have been four minutes off the winner in both my races this year. Give me another year on the same bike and I'll catch him/her!!
  • I'm still riding a ten year old De Rosa which I bought form garage sale in Cornwall for £150 about 7 years ago
    The funny thing is apparently the particular Colombus frame is now a bit of a rarity and worth about £300.

    Anyway, my reasoning on the £5k plus bikes is that they obviously can save a rider some extra minutes in race time .. but to anyone less able the cost when divided by the time saving might work out to something like £1k per 60secs .. and say if they then waste some of that time in T1 or T2 due to inexperience .. that might have just cost them about a grand
    That or a few weeks extra training might earn them the equivalent time in the run that a Carbon bike could give them in the cycle. When i reach the point that i don't feel I can get a reasonable extra time saving out of the swim, run and cycle by general training alone (long way off yet) .. then it's time for my equipment upgrade. That or when my bike collapses.

    For someone who has the $$$ I am all in favour of throwing money around and looking good... i want a Tiger Frog.
  • BmanBman Posts: 442
    Anyone tried a TigerFrog yet? They do look good and the review seemed ok too.
  • ZacniciZacnici Posts: 1,385
    I have this notion that if I won the Lottery I would buy the most mega bike ever but camouflage it with stickers like 'Another bicycle from the Happy Rabbit Bicycle factory Shanghai' - I'd still fall off it but faster.
  • md6md6 Posts: 969
    Triathlon hasn't made me poor yet - i just don't read my credit card statements in that much detail

    Zac I know if i won the lottery I would have the most expenseive kit to ability ratio of anyone in the world, I do like the look of the treefrog but also the Ceepo Viper looks like a stealth bomber with it's 'jaged' pointy looking edges...just a shame they seem to have the IM branding on them all now...not that it matters as i can't afford/justify getting one.
  • gdh250467gdh250467 Posts: 237
    You don't need to justify, just be able to afford it.
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