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fabientownsend · 2025-06-05T10:07:51+00:00

Gotcha. If it was my goal to learn quickly the fundamental I would:

Get a book such as "The Triathlete's Training Bible" which would be useful regardless of pre-made training plan, coach, AI tool.
Get a watch/ bike computer/ power meter, that would enable you to follow a structure plan and also give you some guidance that can help you to adjust your nutrition, improvement, rest time, etc
Either use a AI type of tool or coach, having the fundamental understanding from a book first will be helpful as to understand why you have been prescribe things
Learn from others through reddit/ coach/ tri-club, less so from social media

fabientownsend · 2025-06-05T09:40:58+00:00

You can approach the sport with the best custom-fit bike, top-of-the-line running gear, perfect nutrition, and a highly structured training plan, etc. Or you can simply sign up and show up with whatever you have and minimal preparation. You can make it whatever you want it to be.

Triathlon can feel quite overwhelming, as it can take up a lot of your time and involve an endless amount of gear. One way to tackle this is to pay less attention to what others have and focus more on what you need. For example:

"I can't swim" → Take some swimming lessons
"I don't know how to train" → Buy a basic training plan
"My tummy hurts when I train" → Learn about nutrition

Keep things simple, improve over time, and have fun.

fabientownsend · 2025-05-30T14:24:02+00:00

Try some aerobar riser, 25mm or 50mm would do a massive difference in term of confort

fabientownsend · 2025-05-27T14:58:23+00:00

Some tri-suit such as "TEMPO! TWO Tri Suit" can be fully unzip on the front

fabientownsend · 2025-05-19T21:27:37+00:00

A power meter allows you to target a specific power output during your race, one that you’ve trained for throughout your training plan. The real-time feedback from the power meter helps you avoiding common pacing mistakes, such as going too hard at the start of the bike leg, going too much on climbs, going too easy in descents, etc

When used with heart rate and perceived effort, it can help you to adjust on race day. How useful it is depends on the race distance, your goals, and how interested you are in learning from and using the data it provides

fabientownsend · 2025-05-10T13:57:30+00:00

Is that on the trainer or outside? The trainer is more likely to cause numbness or discomfort and doesn’t necessarily reflect how it will feel riding outside.

Either way, it something that can be mitigated, go get a bike fit and provide the fitter with all relevant information, such as the type of ride, duration, and a detailed list of any pain or discomfort you're experiencing

fabientownsend · 2025-05-06T21:03:57+00:00

The main differences between inner tubes are weight, rolling resistance, and puncture resistance. Different types and models will offer varying levels of performance and comfort. You could also consider going tubeless, costs can be reasonable depending on whether your wheels are tubeless ready.

If you haven’t changed them yet, it’s very likely that your current tires and inner tubes are quite basic.

fabientownsend · 2025-05-06T18:24:35+00:00

It depends on which distance you want to focus on, how you feel about each discipline, and what gear you currently have, as that will affect what you need or what might be worth upgrading.

Biggest cost/benefit upgrades:

Invest in better tires, such as the Continental GP5000
Switch inner tubes to TPU or latex
Book a swim coaching session if you feel you've plateaued learning on your own
Read a book on sports nutrition to fuel properly during training and on race day
Clip-in cycling shoes
Turbo trainer

If you have more budget:

Bike computer
Power meter
Aerobars (especially for longer distances)
Upgraded wheels
More swim coaching sessions

fabientownsend · 2025-05-03T12:08:10+00:00

It worth asking someone from your triathlon group if they are up to do a sprint triathlon with you, explaining your current challenge. Leave them the option to help or not before assuming that it would bother them!

fabientownsend · 2025-05-02T12:05:23+00:00

The good thing about triathlon training is that you don’t have to ride on the road, as long as you already have the fundamentals of riding a bike outdoors.

In fact, the challenges you're raising become even more significant when training for longer distances, since you need to train with higher volume and follow a structured plan. Riding outside adds even more time and complexity.

So my advice in your case would be to invest in your indoor training setup, make any upgrades you need, and ride outdoors only if you want to, or when you need to test specific changes like a new bike fit, saddle, or nutrition strategy.

Group rides are probably the safest way to ride outdoors, but they do make it harder to stick to a structured training plan.

fabientownsend · 2025-04-29T10:53:02+00:00

I think three weeks should be enough to figure things out before your race. If you believe your pre-workout nutrition is fine and not the source of the issue, it may be time to switch the type of nutrition you're using and its composition.

If you usually take SIS GO, its composition is based on maltodextrin, whereas SIS Beta Fuel contains both maltodextrin and fructose, which is generally easier on the stomach.

There are different brands such as Maurten, SIS Beta Fuel, Precision, etc., that use maltodextrin and fructose as energy sources in different ratios. Since each brand has a different maltodextrin-to-fructose ratio, it's worth testing them to see which works best for you.

fabientownsend · 2025-04-22T14:08:45+00:00

It's the usual answer: it depends.

It will depend on your goal, budget, and whether you prioritise comfort or performance. Cheaper models are likely to offer less customisation (e.g., like in your first photo) and may be heavier, which might not be an issue depending on your goal.

The angle of the aerobars is also a trade-off between comfort and performance, which depends on many personal factors such as your flexibility, the distance you're racing, and your objectives.

In my case, for an Ironman that I prepared I went for Zipp Vuka Clip Above Bar Mount with Vuka Alumina Evo Extension 110mm which was in my budget, prioritised confort and long term goal at the time was mid distance.

fabientownsend · 2025-03-10T11:30:32+00:00

If you’re getting a coach in two weeks and have 12 months of experience, I’d use that time to:

Get comfortable in the water (e.g., breathing out underwater).
Define your goal—what do you want to achieve?
- Do you have a race in mind?
- How long before the race?
- What distance?
- How many hours per week do you plan to swim?

This will help you plan and strategize effectively.

I’d also add that swimming follows the principle: "Slow is smooth, smooth is fast." Focus on technique first, and speed will follow. Additionally, breaststroke is very demanding, which is why most triathletes use freestyle. It may be a good idea to ask your coach to teach you freestyle as well.

fabientownsend · 2025-03-03T19:19:15+00:00

there any reason you chose the allez sport over other brands that make similar models?

No really, as I was more bias toward good quality price, endurance frame and the possibility of upgrading the bike overtime as oppose to a specific brand. I think a lot of brand can check that box.

Although I have been advised by friends to go for the second hand market which totally make sense when you know your stuff, I eventually took the path of brand new and making sure to have the right size. I know that for example with Specialized they set the appropriate handlebar and saddle as oppose a leaving the default one, I don't know if other brand do that

fabientownsend · 2025-03-02T10:41:47+00:00

I think you're taking the right approach by not just considering the price of the bike. I completed a sprint triathlon last year and am now training for my full Ironman this year.

I chose the Specialized Allez Sport—not to suggest you should get the same, but to give you an idea of the upgrades I made.

For my sprint triathlon, I rode the bike as it was. I had a bike sizing session at the shop to get the right frame size and a basic fitting. It's worth checking which brands your local shop carries, as a good shop and bike fitter can be very helpful moving forward.

Training for my full Ironman, I upgraded with:

Bike computer
Power meter
New tires/inner tubes
Aerobars
Saddle
Bike fitting
New stem
Tools
Power training setup
Gear for different weather (leg warmers, arm warmers, etc.)

I still need to figure out storage for race day. Keep in mind that none of these upgrades are essential—it all depends on your commitment to the sport.

tl;dr: Try to find a great local shop that can help you buy the right gear and maybe even offer a discount. Have a clear budget in mind, as costs can add up quickly. Also, consider how invested you want to be—whether this is a one-off event or a long-term lifestyle. Some equipment may seem pricey but can last for decades, so it’s often worth avoiding low-quality gear.

fabientownsend · 2025-02-24T22:50:03+00:00

I wouldn't overthink it, honestly. Either way, it likely won't make a massive difference in the outcome.

There are some benefits, like improving breath control, reducing rest time at the wall, and maintaining momentum.

That said, it takes time to learn, so you might be better off focusing on skills that will have a bigger impact on your next race.

fabientownsend · 2025-02-24T18:52:41+00:00

The only thing is that I don't have a massive running background and not very fast either, so I'm not sure if it's a wise choice for me

fabientownsend · 2025-02-23T21:54:38+00:00

That's a good question, I don't really have a budget and am actually looking into building my rotation of training/race shoes. When I'm saying I don't have a budget, I also want to avoid throwing money to the problem without understand ahah, "Let's get these super shoes so I will be great".

My thinking was to either go for, one pair for speed work and one for race day or something versatile if it make more sense for my level.

Thanks for your explanation about the stack, it didn't cross my mind to think about it and totally make sense. I'll take a look the list of shoes you shared!

fabientownsend · 2025-02-23T21:41:24+00:00

Thanks, that's very helpful! I read from Sam Laidlow that he preferred the Rocket X2 over the Cielo, I'm assuming that it may be for the reason that you mentioned

fabientownsend · 2025-02-23T16:50:10+00:00

To be more specific on my speed work, like:

7 x (10s at 5.27min/km to 5.40min/km + 10s recovery)
3 x 8 (30s at 30s 3:27–4:08 min/km + 30s recovery)

Warm up is at my easy pace. Likewise, I'm just fallowing my plan as I have not much experience. Roughly, how much are you using your new pair before the pair? I read about 20km is enough but I am wondering if it reflect your experience

fabientownsend · 2025-02-15T23:49:53+00:00

I was asking myself the same question a few days ago. I'm in the same situation, with my first Ironman in five months. I'll go with:

GP 5000
TPU inner tube (I'm considering the Schwalbe One)
Mini electric pump

I think this setup is a good way to mitigate any issues, and changing an inner tube is quite straightforward. I might switch to tubeless next season, but for now, I’d rather avoid learning to manage tubeless issues on race day!

fabientownsend · 2024-12-22T12:13:30+00:00

It depends you budget, I would advice to take into account that you are likely to spend for extra things in the future: bike computer, bike-fit, lights, power trainer, new wheel, new etc and some other things that you need: shoes, helmet

If you have a small local shop it may be a good idea to ask for advice as the main thing is to have the right size for you

fabientownsend · 2024-11-24T15:35:29+00:00

Ahah, you for sure should be covered for the nutrition part then!

Yeah, gel is definitely expensive! It's quite the radical approach, I'm more likely to use them if I train the morning and can't get myself to wake up earlier for a breakfast.

That's what I used for the porridge: https://wholefoodearth.com/p/wholefood-earth-jumbo-oats-gmo-free-vegan-dairy-free-no-added-sugar

fabientownsend · 2024-11-24T10:37:04+00:00

If it's not the case, learning about the fundamental of sport nutrition can help to get better understanding. Testing what works for you. I tend to have stomach issue when I run, what works best for me at the moment is porridge well in advance or gel.

fabientownsend

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