Hello! New to the Tri World...

Hey man,

For my first three tri's, I just wore my biking shorts for the swim portion. I wasn't about to drop a lot of money on a wetsuit, just incase I didn't like it, know what I'm saying? It worked out pretty well. I would have pretty quick transitions because I didn't and still don't have biking shoes, I wear my racing flats (running shoes) for the bike and have the straps on my pedals. When I transition into the run, I keep my biking shorts on, but would just throw running shorts with my number over top of them and take off. My transition would be like 30 seconds. Bike shorts dry out pretty fast and don't really slow you down too much in the water, so it is a good way to get into the sport. Good luck with your training and welcome to the board my friend.

Cory

Welcome to Another Minnesotan. That means there must be about 5 of us on these boards now. I too am doing the Lifetime in July (say "Hi" as you speed past me )
Clothing wise I have a pair of Louis Garneau tri shorts with a sleeveless top. The shorts are great for swimming in and are made for cycling and running too. I think most people here will recommend tri shorts or some kind of all in one tri suit.
Keep asking the questions thats the only way to find out...

Ian

So... there is such a thing as tri-specific shorts. News to me. And trust me, lincsguyus, I will not be speeding past too many people. Just doing my best to finish this one.

Do you know of any good shops for tri gear in the Twin Cities?

I can recommend Startline out by the Ridgedale Mall, they are mainly a running store but carry some tri gear. I bought some running shoes there on Friday and the service is great! Another place that I have not been to but their website shows an extensive stock of stuff is Gear west out in Long Lake http://www.gearwest.com.Then If you can make it out the Albertville outlet Mall there you can find both an Adidas and Nike outlet stores. Happy Shopping!

Best
Ian

Hi Matt. Welcome! I'm another Minnesotan who'll be in the Lifetime tri, so you can say hi as you pass me too. (Trust me, you *will* pass me.) I haven't done a ton of shopping yet, but I know Penn Cycle in Woodbury has tri shorts and all-in-one tri suits. I imagine their other locations would have more of the same as well. I'm planning to wear tri shorts and a shirt under a wetsuit so that after the swim I can peel off he wetsuit, put on my shoes and go.

Kelly

That's another question I have (forgive the newbie questions, by the way). Why do people wear wetsuits in summer weather? The water temperature in Minneapolis lakes in mid-july will be quite warm. I would imagine that a wetsuit would be rather restrictive.

Thanks for the info on Mpls gear shops...

Let me see if I can help shed some light on things

1) Check out the bt article on wetsuits
http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/Gear/wetsuits.htm
In an nutshell they help with buoyancy and signicantlcy reduce drag in the water

2) Yes indeed there are tri specific shorts, basically they are similar to cycling shorts with less padding.
Sugoi (among others) make anumber of styles to suit your preferances
Check out, http://www.sugoi.ca/consumer/product.aspx?sectionStyleID=5158&color...

3) I personally prefer a tri suit (also refered to as a skin suit), you wear it for the whole race start to finish and it provides the best of all options. Again I like the Sugio and RNH but it is a matter of trying a bunch on and seing what feels best.