Does a particular gadget, equipment, clothes, makes you more of triathlete?
204
Member
1045 days
sldotter posted 2 years ago.
aerobars, disc wheels, make me seem faster at least.
Trevor Douglas YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!
2765
Member
1165 days
bluebirdbiker posted 2 years ago.
Aerobars help
BBB
There are no excuses - so don't look for them. As a product of your own choices, you directly determine your life outcomes.
Don't think, just do.
My Blog
3975
Member
1578 days
beads1985 posted 2 years ago.
If you don't look cool and have all the gadgets and equipment you really can't be a triathlete. :D
Just Kidding!!
I think if you cross the finish line you are more of a triathlete.
Form kind of follows function here.
You show up to your first race with no wetsuit, an old bike with maybe toe baskets, and your running shoes.
You make mental notes of all the other participants, and the transition area. You keep your notes during the race as well.
After you suffer thru your first tri, you pack up and review those mental notes.
For me it started with a wetsuit, goggles and a newer road bike. Then I got tri shorts and a top.
I felt better prepared and did better at my 2nd tri.
I observed more and made more mental notes.
The little gadgets accumulated. I did more races.
Then I got my tri bike. So it feels like I have the equipment I need.
But,
Nothing makes me feel more like a triathlete than when I cross the finish line.
889
Member
1055 days
PJT posted 2 years ago.
No equipment will make you "more" of a triathlete. Some equipment might make your race experience easier/faster/more enjoyable. For me, tri shorts (added for my 2nd race, 1st season), a wetsuit and aerobars (added in my 2nd season) made a big difference in terms of both comfort and times. But they didn't make me more of a triathlete.
More training, smarter training, a healthier lifestyle, and experience will make you more of a triathlete. There are no substitutes.
And beads, you did your first race without goggles? Man that's hardcore. :eek:
835
Member
1231 days
glbrum posted 2 years ago.
You are a triathlete whether you ride carbon, aluminum, titanium or your neighbors huffy, whether you wear a surf wtsuit or an Orca Predator, whether you have 32 spoke wheels or a disk and a tri spoke, whether you wear running shorts or tri shorts. The uber expensive stuff doesn't make you "more" of a triathlete, it just makes you a faster one. If that doesn't work you better start training. ;)
3975
Member
1578 days
beads1985 posted 2 years ago.
PJT wrote:
And beads, you did your first race without goggles? Man that's hardcore. :eek:
More b@lls than brains at my first tri :D
See one of the other threads
my goofy b@stard rating is 11
my stubborn endurance is 11
It was also fresh water and I wasn't really a great swimmer at the time so my face was mostly out of the water anyway.
3283
Member
1264 days
RV posted 2 years ago.
Training is the best investment in your performance.
After that wetsuit and areobars make the biggest improvments.
RV
It takes a long time to get good. - Scott Molina
Slow is smooth; smooth is fast. - Rich Strauss
77
Member
1056 days
magicno5 posted 2 years ago.
I agree that training and guts come before anything else, but I find the Polar 625x a great tool to help with training and keeping track of workouts. I think I'm a better triathlete because of it.
______________________________________
Clydesdales have more fun!!!
122
Member
1102 days
Beldrueger posted 2 years ago.
Some equipment\gadgets\toys makes a more significant difference than others. It all serves different purposues including:
- Going faster
- Preventing injuries
- Helping with training through better monitoring, tracking, etc
- Looking good
- Comfort
The return on your investment varies significantly that why people like to talk it over here on the tri boards. I just ordered a Garmin Forerunner 305. Do I need it to get faster ... No. I'd get faster without it, but it will provide excellent tracking of my training and allow me to easily track how I am progressing and potential areas I need to work on. I will use it to "tune" my training, and it will keep me honest.
Gadgets are fun, but they won't make up for genetics or heart.
2561
Member
1220 days
Anton posted 2 years ago.
Wet suits...great. Couldn't tri without one...I get cold easy.
A bike you are comfortable on...I don't care what kind it is.
Some good shoes.
Everything else is fluff.
At your next race...look around. Better yet, go to a race and watch. You'll see all kinds off stuff. All kinds of $$$$. If you pay attention,you find that people on $7K Elites may finish near the back. People on $1,500 road bikes spanking everyone else.
Much of the gear helps you to be more comfortable and may make you faster. But it's not really necessary.
What is necessary, is desire.
"What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?" - Vincent Van Gogh
My Blog: http://anton.trifuel.net
739
Member
1020 days
dr_rios_ec posted 2 years ago.
I think...trainning, effort, dedication, will make any human being a good endurance athlete....if you ad crazyness, then can be a good triathlete...
Having some equipment...make things nicer...and can be actually a positive stimulus to get your butt off the couch and go to train.....
But again....I think is more about heart....miles and miles of heart
-Santiago
"Man!! Defeat is worse than dying, cause´you have to live with it" -My Dad
"It ain´t about how hard you can hit...it is how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward"-Rocky Balboa
2309
Member
1182 days
Triguy98 posted 2 years ago.
The gadgets, clothes, bikes, etc dont make you more of a triathlete, they make you more of a trigeek, tho.
I love the gadgets, but dont buy em expecting to get faster.
Life is short. Play hard and get dirty doing it.
45
Member
1311 days
214
Member
874 days
Iron Man posted 2 years ago.
has any one ever herd the expression "all the gear and no idea" if your in an orca preditor and have a disk and a tri spoke and your not up the front on race day then thats you.
sure all the expensive stuff helps but it comes down to the motor(you), besides all this gear saves minutes not hours.
Speed Kills. Strength Punishes
255
Member
1158 days
Noel posted 2 years ago.
In all honesty, I love the tri gadgets, the gear, all the fancy stuff..
No denying it, it's something I like about the sport.
You can take it as far as you want, and eventhough I (only) did 2 tri's ( Olympic distance) I'm sure the stuff I bought up till now are investments. Sure I can do without, but if I have cash and I can choose between certain things, then why not get something that will last a few years, feel great/works well? Ofcourse you don't need to buy a TTX that Lance rode or a Cervelo P3 Carbon.
But I DO BELIEVE that good equipment makes you want to use it..
So maybe it motivates me. Like I said; I like the gadgets.
But I also believe that hard work, commitment and discipline are the main reason I am at the ( humble) level that I am right now.
The gear just helped along the way...
Noel.
btw I LOVE my Carbon Trek bike, even if it cost more then my soul. WHY ARE YOU LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT??? GET OFF MY CASE!!!!
www.noelbrand.blogspot.com
It ain't much, if it ain't Dutch!!
Often I read discussion about new bike computers, wired or wireless, cool sunglasses, better fit wetsuits with shark skin to swim faster, compu trainers, aerodynamic helmets, nice tri shorts, heart rate monitors that measure every little detail and sometimes even more what you want to know, etc, etc.
My friend has been doing tris for the last 5 years, every time has improved his times in every distance and has done 2 iron distances improving the time as well, finished with a very decent time: 13 hours! He has essential stuff: one wetsuit, a simple polar heart rate monitor, seven bucks shades, a road bike, a tri bike, a timex watch, basic gadgets He does not spend much money on the fancy stuff because believes it will not improve his performance overall. And he has proven that to be right.
What do you think?