equipment choices

IMO if you don't have a bike to train on the bike would have the biggest impact. Especially if you found one and set it up with a reasonable good fit. If you are doing a lot of cold water swims wetsuit will help vs what you wore in first race. If you know your budget and don't mind posting what you think you could afford to spend ? You will probably get some replies with opinions on what to get

Congrats on your race. It's always fun to get the first one under your belt.

Your equipment choices, in my opinion, should focus around the distances you are looking at racing. Although a wetsuit is a great investment, if you are just focused on Sprint distance, the one you have should suffice.

A bike is a necessity at any distance triathlon, but you are correct in saying they can range from a few hundred up to $15-$20,000. A TRI bike is very beneficial at longer distance races (half-iron & full-iron) but I don't think is a necessity for Sprint or Olympic. The biggest cost difference amongst bikes will be between aluminum or carbon fiber. Carbon fiber bikes are lighter and the less weight you have to carry, the faster you should be. However, you probably will not get on a used carbon fiber bike (either road or TRI) for much under $750. You may find a deal at $500, but just have it looked at before you buy.

Some will say that you should drop $250 on a professional bike fitting, and while that is important when fitting for a TRI bike, there are not as many adjustments to be made on a road bike.

Depending on what a "limited budget" means, I would keep your eyes open for a used road bike. If you are in an area where the roads are safe to ride, you can utilize a road bike almost anywhere. They are quite versatile whereas a TRI bike, in my opinion, is best used for races or if you are hooked up to a bike trainer.

Good luck.

thanks Pizzano
I do have a bike and for the moment this is sufficient for training.
It's a basic Giant city bike which I use regularly for my training runs, while usually I train on the borrowed bike the 2 weeks prior to the race.

My budget is extremely limited for the moment.
I was hoping to spend approx 200 euro on the swimming suit, and maybe an extra 300 Euro on a basic second hand road bike.
I'm 45 years old and a late starter... but I'm not equipment obsessive, so was hoping to get a basic set up that would let me compete comfortably, without making the experience unpleasant. Not in it for the win, but rather for personal challenge, fitness and stress releif from work!

C

thanks Jeff!
Indeed, you have understood my point!
at the moment I am planning to participate in sprint and olympic distance races only.
If, as it seems for lot of you, I get so much into it that I feel the need to do a HIM or IM, I'll increase my investment!
Second Sprint will be in 4 weeks, and then I'll have to wait for the new season to start.
Plenty of time to get some good value equipment!

C

Unless your local sprint triathlons are in cold water (20* C or less), I wouldn't bother with a wetsuit yet. The time gains at the short swim distances are quite minimal for the expense....and then there's the hassle of getting in and out of the damn thing that is hard to justify for such a short swim, IMHO.

I agree with the suggestion that you get yourself your own road bike. The cheapest bikes (those that you are seeing for ~200E) are built with low quality components that won't last long under the stress of regular triathlon training. Enthusiast quality bikes are generally going to start at ~500E suggested retail and go up from there. After discount, you may be able to get a quality entry level bike in the 300-350E range. From 500E-E1000 MSRP, you tend to get more gears, greater shifting/braking performance, and lower weight in proportion to money spent. Beyond the 1000E mark, there are continued improvements in weight, although the gains per E get smaller and smaller. There may also be aerodynamic improvements in the frame and wheels, as well as comfort improvements through advanced frames that are stiff longitudinally and laterally, but compliant vertically.

Weight matters, but mostly in acceleration and climbing. For constant speed riding on flat or nearly flat terrain, you won't be much faster on a lighter bike. You'll have to consider what type of terrain you're going to regularly ride on when deciding how much priority to put on low weight.

As the vast majority of road bikes are equipped with Shimano derailleurs, I'd suggest you learn the Shimano group set hierarchy. You can generally make corse distinctions in quality by what derailleurs are on the bike.

The second hand market is always an option for a bike. If you buy new, however, your bike shop can help make sure you get the right size frame for your body. Also, there tends to be feature trickle down over time. For example, Tiagra is the 3rd step up Shimano's ladder of quality road bike components, and 105 is the 4th step up. The current Tiagra components, however, are pretty much the same as the 105 components were 3-4 years ago.

FWIW, I scored an age-group podium finish (2nd out of 12) in my first triathlon earlier this month riding a road bike that I bought new for $400. It was a ~$850 MSRP bike that I found at an online bike store that specializes in closing out overstock and old-model-year bikes and components. Other than a different gear cluster and pedals, it was equipped as delivered to me.

Oh, you definitely need to get a new helmet. A good road bike helmet will probably be lighter, and certainly have better ventilation, than a skateboard helmet.

Bike size is pretty important when it comes to buying a bike. If you have some time to read up on bike sizing you can generally find out what size bike you will need. This will help you quite a bit when it comes to looking for a used bike. Armed with that information you can look at used bikes in your area. Unless all of the triathlon swims in your area require a wetsuit then you should take the 500e and spend it on a bike. That would probably be the best bang for your buck in terms of training and performance. Triathlon can get expensive pretty quickly.

thanks guys. I'm based in Ireland and all races are wetsuit compulsory (water temperature in well below comfortable, even during summer months!)

Oh, that sucks. Around here, a lot of the summer races don't even allow wet suits because the water is too warm. Even in the ones that do allow it, the water's often warm enough to do without.

Do they do many events over there with a pool swim? It's rather common here in the states for a local-level sprint triathlons.

Yikes, I bet the water's cold!  New wetsuits can be expensive. I found a used wetsuit online that I knew would fit me.  It was cheap ($50 USD shipped) because it had several tears with a few stressed seams.  I then bought a seam and tear repair kit and fixed everything up myself, easy to do.  No leaks and works great for when I need a full wetsuit.