Define "significant". Post 16 of views. Post 17 of views. Serious amateur golfers with FT jobs might play a couple of rounds per weekend, maybe hit some balls midweek. Post 18 of views. Those are all rich people's hobbies. You probably hang out with rich people if you think they're normal. Post 19 of views. I'd guess that most people who start doing triathlons have either swum, biked or run before. Most will have a bike, so that cost wouldn't count again.
If you have a bike, you should have a helmet. Click pedals might be new. Otherwise if someone did decide that they want to start from zero and do a triathlon, your list would be pretty fair. It's not cheap, but I wouldn't recommend someone who doesn't do any of the three sports to buy everything to do one race then give up. I usually count bikes as my best buys. That's value! Post 20 of views. If you're willing to race in the summer, or swims where you don't need a wetsuit - certainly 68 degree water or warmer, then: Swim: you're going to do it in your bike shorts, but for training..
Getting into any hobby for under a thousand is pretty good. As far as training and race entry fees, take golf as an example - training fees are like greens fees. You have the clubs, the balls, the shoes, but you need to pay to practice and play. Post 21 of views. Thom wrote:. Post 22 of views.
JasoninHalifax wrote:. Post 23 of views. Do you think someone just starting the sport, maybe capable of a or bike split over 40k, would think the same thing? Or are they going to say "Hey, that was fun! Post 24 of views. If your point is that a sport that requires biking, running, and swimming costs more than a sport that only requires running, well, that's obvious.
But people I know who are serious runners have a lot more invested than a single pair of shoes. Most serious runners have multiple pairs of training shoes, and have to replace them on a regular basis as they fairly limited useful life. On top of that, many have an expensive pair of race shoes that will last two seasons at best.
Yes, the barrier to entry is low, but you can spend a lot on running if you want. The big capital expenditure in triathlon is obviously the bike. The difference between a bike and most running equipment is that the bike is an asset that has residual value.
Yes, it takes cash up front to get one, but, whether you later decide get out of the sport, or you decided you love the sport and want to upgrade, you can recoup some of your investment by selling the bike. Select wisely, and your actual cost of ownership can be quite low. For my first season of triathlon, I bought a new entry level Sora equipped road bike that was two model years old. By the way, I podiumed in my first race on that bike.
Would have likely won my age group, had I not stopped to give somebody my flat kit. In the last two seasons, I've purchased a nearly-new triathlon bike and nearly-new road bike. I've been equally judicious in my selection of other equipment.
I shop for deals and am patient. All new. Planned to safety pin my number on my shirt at my first tri, was pleasantly surprised to find a number belt in the SWAG bag. I'm first and foremost a competitive swimmer.
Post 25 of views. So yes, it most certainly is. Once you start looking at intermediate-level equipment, it can be easy to spend a few thousand dollars just to get started.
On a side note, do not waste your money on useless gear purchases and check out my Best Triathlon Battle-Tested Budgeting Gear. However, if you are just getting started and want to dip your toe in the water then you can do so for a lot less money. Check out this article on how you might even be able to do a triathlon for free!
Triathlon is three sports in one, so it is understandable that it is going to be more expensive than those stand-alone sports of swimming, cycling, and running. This includes the bare basics of a bike, helmet, running shoes, and goggles. Tier one sports — These are the sports that require just one or two pieces of equipment, and can be played just about anywhere. Free access to courts means that basketball comes in as the most financially accessible Olympic sport.
Similarly, soccer, skateboarding, and badminton are other sports where the equipment needed is limited and inexpensive and this may go some way to explaining their popularity over triathlon. Tier two sports — These are sports that require specialized equipment such as tennis, archery, and boxing. In addition to the equipment, these sports require a specific venue in which to be played. It is the combination of these two requirements that drive up the costs. The separation of tier two and tier three sports comes from the fact that there are cheaper options available for tier two sports equipment which makes them more accessible for beginners.
Tier three sports — Even the budget-level costs of tier three sports are at a much higher level than tier one, and even tier two. Climbing is an example where there is a lot of equipment needed shoes, rope, harness, quickdraws, chalk bag, gym membership and the quality of the equipment needs to be high.
Any failure in your equipment could be the difference between life and death. Golf is another tier three sport but for a different reason. As you already assumed, triathlon is an expensive sport. When I moved to an apartment building, my neighbor didn't take long to complain about the noise she was hearing. I stopped riding indoor for a couple of days and researched what I could As I am going into longer-distance triathlons, I often hear triathletes complaining about the high entry fee of Ironman races.
I wanted to check it for myself. I analyzed the cost of all Skip to content. A bike: you can buy it new or second-hand depending on your needs and budget.
The first question you need to ask yourself is whether you want a road bike or a triathlon bike. Click here for an in-depth comparison. A bike trainer: look only at the controllable trainers where third party apps Trainerroad, Zwift, … can control it and not only read the data.
It makes the indoor experience way more immersive. I wrote an article about this critical distinction. A triathlon watch: the more you advance on your triathlon journey, the more useful a triathlon watch is. There are a couple of features to look for, the main ones being the open water swimming mode and the triathlon mode.
For more details, check this article. A set of aerobars: it is the first upgrade made by all the triathletes I know. Unfortunately, most of them need to buy a second pair or, like me, a third one before having one which fits.
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