Transition gear and apparel

Mike,

Yes, get yourself a pair of "tri shorts" (<http://www.trisports.com/desottrishor.html>).

Many people on this forum (including myself) swear by DeSoto brand, but there are others (e.g.
Zoot). They have padding to help on the bike, but the pad is small enough you won't even notice it
while swimming or running. You can wear them for the entire race (including under a wetsuit) and
they will serve you well at the International distance and under.

I also recommend bike shoes, they will help you get more power on the bike which translates into
speed. But it's also perfectly appropriate to do your first race without so you can see if you like
the sport before you invest a bunch of cash in equipment.

Let your wallet be your guide, the only things that are absolutely necessary are some kind of
swimming attire (see above), swim goggles, bike, bike helmet, and running shoes. The rest is
optional fluff.

I'm reading into your speedo comment here, but if you're worried about the "revealing" nature of tri
clothing, I wouldn't get too worked up about it. You'll be surprised how quickly your brain switches
to "when in Rome, do as the Romans do" mode (AKA peer pressure) when you show up for your first race
and virtually everyone is wearing the same black tri shorts.

Good luck at your race.

John

Michael Melaragni said:

Hi, I will be attempting my first Tri in May, an International distance one. In preparation I have
read the book Triathlon 101 in which the author suggests that if the race is shorter than a half
IM to do the whole thing in a Speedo. I don't think that I am all that comfortable with that.

My question is this, what do you guys recommend for equipment for an Olympic distance? Are bike
shoes not appropriate? I am thinking of getting one of those bike/run shorts and wearing it under
my wetsuit. Any info is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

-Mike in AZ

(Michael Melaragni) said:

Hi, I will be attempting my first Tri in May, an International distance one. In preparation I have
read the book Triathlon 101 in which the author suggests that if the race is shorter than a half IM
to do the whole thing in a Speedo. I don't think that I am all that comfortable with that.

Wear several layers of speedos and won't have to worry about that.

Quoted message said:

My question is this, what do you guys recommend for equipment for an Olympic distance? Are bike
shoes not appropriate? I am thinking of getting one of those bike/run shorts and wearing it under
my wetsuit. Any info is greatly appreciated.

Just get something with a bike pad that it is thin enough not to drive you nuts during the swim and
run. In other words, plain old bike shorts won't do the trick.

Quoted message said:

Thanks

-Mike in AZ

Good correct, Tom! Always check first! I was assuming that it was draft legal.

By the way, you bring up a good question: What is the reasoning behind some races being draft-legal
and some being draft-illegal? And, relatedly, why can't there be an "industry standard?"

Tom (not advocating anything naughty!)

"Tom Henderson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Tom said:

Good for you! May I suggest that you get yourself a pair of tri shorts.

Also, my first advice for the first time: try not to pay any attention

to

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

anybody during the race (unless you can use them for drafting!)

Is the race he's planning to do draft legal, or did you just advocate cheating?

Quoted message said:

- race for yourself and simply finish. If you compare yourself to others when it's

your

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

first time, and they are seasoned pros, you'll give yourself a) an

ulcer,

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

and b) a heart attack.

Tom

"Michael Melaragni" <[email hidden]> wrote in

message

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi, I will be attempting my first Tri in May, an International distance one. In preparation I
have read the book Triathlon 101 in which the author suggests that if the race is shorter
than a half IM to do the whole thing in a Speedo. I don't think that I am all that
comfortable with that.

My question is this, what do you guys recommend for equipment for an Olympic distance? Are bike
shoes not appropriate? I am thinking of getting one of those bike/run shorts and wearing it
under my wetsuit. Any info is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

-Mike in AZ

Hell yeah! And if it isn't then I'll continue to be a shameless outlaw in the water. They'll have to
take away my wetsuit to make me stop ('cause I sure as hell won't do a race without one...I need all
the help I can get).

"Jim Gosse" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I thought drafting was legal in the swim?

Jim

Very precise resume - just as I remember it.

Tom Henderson said:

Tom said:

Good correct, Tom! Always check first! I was assuming that it was draft legal.

By the way, you bring up a good question: What is the reasoning behind some races being
draft-legal and some being draft-illegal? And, relatedly, why can't there be an "industry
standard?"

Tom (not advocating anything naughty!)

Now there's a can of worms! You'll find that the adoption of rules which allow drafting for pro
(and now some amateur) events has been hotly debated here.

I'm one of the one who feels that drafting certainly makes for an interesting event, but veers too
far away from the intent of triathlon, which is essentially a time trial event.

That usually brings in comments about drafting being allowed in the swim and run, so why not on
the bike. Then some people will say that the draft doesn't make as big of a difference in the
other events. Then someone will say that they can swim 30% faster when they are drafting, which
someone else will call a blatant lie. Then someone will say that swimmers get more benefit from
the wet suit than they ever could from drafting. Then someone will say that wet suits should only
be allowed when the water is under 59F. Then someone will say that clydesdales shouldn't wear wet
suits, since they're buoyant enough anyway. Then the whole "why have a Clydesdale division?"
question comes up. Brian will then point out than Marx and Lenin were blatant drafters, that
capitalism and the U.S. will fail due to clydesdales, and that referees should ride the course
alone on dirt bikes, randomly firing handguns at anyone they catch drafting. Which bring us to the
value of quality engineering in sunglasses and what that's truly worth...

See what you've started?

Other than missing out on anti Team in Training rants, TriCalifornia race registration, and having
only !one! beratement by Brian, I think you nailed things quite well. Going with Marx and Lenin over
the usenet-standard [censored] reference is a nice touch as well.

Tom Henderson <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Tom said:

Good correct, Tom! Always check first! I was assuming that it was draft legal.

By the way, you bring up a good question: What is the reasoning behind some races being
draft-legal and some being draft-illegal? And, relatedly, why can't there be an "industry
standard?"

Tom (not advocating anything naughty!)

Now there's a can of worms! You'll find that the adoption of rules which allow drafting for pro
(and now some amateur) events has been hotly debated here.

I'm one of the one who feels that drafting certainly makes for an interesting event, but veers too
far away from the intent of triathlon, which is essentially a time trial event.

That usually brings in comments about drafting being allowed in the swim and run, so why not on
the bike. Then some people will say that the draft doesn't make as big of a difference in the
other events. Then someone will say that they can swim 30% faster when they are drafting, which
someone else will call a blatant lie. Then someone will say that swimmers get more benefit from
the wet suit than they ever could from drafting. Then someone will say that wet suits should only
be allowed when the water is under 59F. Then someone will say that clydesdales shouldn't wear wet
suits, since they're buoyant enough anyway. Then the whole "why have a Clydesdale division?"
question comes up. Brian will then point out than Marx and Lenin were blatant drafters, that
capitalism and the U.S. will fail due to clydesdales, and that referees should ride the course
alone on dirt bikes, randomly firing handguns at anyone they catch drafting. Which bring us to the
value of quality engineering in sunglasses and what that's truly worth...

See what you've started?