No Gear & No Idea.. Beginner
Emma Symonds
Posts: 1
Hi there,
I am about to begin training for my first triathlon. I have booked to do the Olympic Tri in London in July and before this hope to do a Sprint in May (to get use to the atmosphere and to give me an idea of what to expect).
As for 'gear' I truly have no idea... I've listed a few questions sorry in advance if these are very basic!
1.Wet suit - should I purchase a wet suit - hoping May/July water would be warm enough not too..
2. Tri suit or tri top and bottoms - is this just preference?
3. Would Tri suit be worn under the wetsuit for the swim?
4.Bike - I have been measured so know the size I need, as a women can I ride a mans bike - I will be buying a second hand one for budget reasons.
5.Do the bikes have to be clip ins pedals?
Many advice on any of the above would be helpful.
Thank you in advance!!
Comments
1.Wet suit - should I purchase a wet suit - hoping May/July water would be warm enough not too..
You can hire a wetsuit, even in July, an open water swim will probably be compulsory. Many sprints are in a pool, so won't need a wetsuit if it is a pool swim
2. Tri suit or tri top and bottoms - is this just preference?
Just preference. If you have a pool swim (in a sprint) you can swim in your tri suit, if you are going to ride with separate top and bottoms you may need to put them on after the pool swim, this will add a few seconds in transition, but I don't think that it would be a big deal
3. Would Tri suit be worn under the wetsuit for the swim?
Yes
4.Bike - I have been measured so know the size I need, as a women can I ride a mans bike - I will be buying a second hand one for budget reasons.
So long as it fits it doesn't matter if men's or woman's bike
5.Do the bikes have to be clip ins pedals?
No - it is faster riding with clips, but if you have not practiced with clips or are not confident, then no need to use them
My advice would be to buy a wetsuit, just an entry level one would be fine and if you look for last seasons styles you can get some good discounts! It's a good idea to practice some open water swimming in the wetsuit first as they can feel quite restrictive especially around the chest area until you get used to swimming in them, however the extra buoyancy is a bonus!
I prefer to wear a tri-suit, simply as it saves you worrying about whether your tummy is showing when on your bike or run! (Sport Pursuit website have some last season ones at a reasonable price). Yes it is worn like a swimming costume under your wetsuit.
Whilst you can ride either a man or woman's bike, I have owned both and find the female ones a more comfortable riding position but it is personal preference (look on eBay, I got mine for just over ??200.00 and it's been great).
Unless you can practice with clip in pedals and feel confident using them then I wouldn't bother, use a cage instead to hold your toe in place.
I am doing London Olympic Triathlon this year too! Good Luck and prepare to get hooked!! I did!