I've started swimming and running in hopes of completely a
tri this summer but I'm concerned about the cost of equipment. What can I
expect to spend in order to be prepared for my first tri? I do need to buy a
bike. Thanks.

Jim from Massachusetts

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Hi Jim,
Thank you for contacting TriathaNewbie.com!

With the economy the way it is, we totally hear your concern and, since we first started online, have always steered new triathletes in the way of frugality. The fact of the matter is, you might love being a triathlete or you might decide that one is enough and move on to conquer another life goal.

Surprisingly, for a sport with so many disciplines packed into one, it's amazing how easily it is to keep the price down! Here is the basic equipment you'll need to compete:

• Swim: Bathing suit, cap and goggles and maybe a wet suit if the water is super cold. We don't encourage people to buy second-hand swim suits, but borrowing or buying a second-hand wet suit is fine.
• Bike: Road bike (if the tri is on a road) or Mountain Bike (in the tri is off-road), bike shorts, helmet & sneakers. It's always nice to have a bike and training on the bike you will race with is imperative. So we suggest that you either buy a decent bike or borrow one long term. When you buy, you need not spend more than $120 for something decent. The shop owner should fit the bike to you properly and it will be money well spent. Or, as we mentioned above, borrow a bike. Be sure that you can use it long term and it fits you. By "fitting you", we mean that you should not hyper-extend your knees to reach the pedals when the pedal is at it's lowest point; your knee is at a 90 degree angle when the pedal is at its highest point; you are comfortable reaching forward and not over-extending your arms, neck and back to reach the breaks. There are other specs, but you get the general idea.
• Run: You can wear your sneakers, bathing suit and bike shorts as a bare minimum.

We certainly wish you the best of luck and as a measure of good faith in your success, we'd like to offer you a pair of Barracuda goggles that were sent to us to pass on to a lucky emailer. If you could please send us your snail-mail address, we'll get them out to you so that you have one less expense to consider.

Be well.
Megan
TriathaNewbie.com staff

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