I stole this blog topic from dcrainmaker whose reviews have saved me quite a bit of money and frustration. I am not often an early adopter, but really do enjoy gadgets. Unless there is a need that is not being met, I will usually let the market stabilize before purchasing a product.
Swimming:
Swimsuit: SpeedoSquare Lag Drag suit. I just feel
comfortable in this. I don’t do any pool
events that would necessitate a fast swimsuit.
They last forever. I bought a
second pair when they were on sale just to have a new color.
Goggles: Sable RS922 recreational goggles. I love these
goggles. The clasp sucks, but I solved
this problem with gogglemates. Yes it is
a bulky package, but it works for me. I
also have a pair of the RS101 competitive goggles, but the eye sockets were popping
out on me and the anti-fog isn’t as good.
For open water, I use Aqua Sphere Kaimans with the smoke lens.
Swim Cap: Tyr
latex. I have some race caps, but this
is the one I use most. I rarely wear a
cap in the pool, so this is usually an open water only item.
Swim Watch: FinisSwimsense. I graduated from a Timex and
this meets my needs well. It was
fascinating at first. Now, I still
review the date, but have gotten completely lazy about being aware of my
splits, except on send offs. Remember,
real swimmers don’t wear watches.
Drills – Pull Buoy:
Finis. This works just fine. It is the only one I have tried and I only
bought it because the selection at the local pool was getting pretty limited.
Drills – Paddles:
Stroke Makers. I use size #1 S
Green and I don’t even use them very often.
Drills – Fins: Tyr Crossblade
Training Fins and Finis Zoomers Gold. I
originally bought the crossblades and they work great and are comfortable. My new Master’s coach is a big fan of Zoomers
and after wearing his ill fitting blues for a few workouts, I bought the
golds. They are comfortable and seem to
be strengthening my kick.
Open Water – Wetsuit:
Xterra Vortex 3 sleeveless. I
love this suit. It is roomy and
flexible. The full sleeve 2XU suit I had
constricted my shoulders and chest excessively.
Open Water – Booties:
Blue Seventy swim socks. I always
use these in May and sometimes June.
Open Water – Swim Cap:
Tyr warm wear cap. I have never tried
a neoprene cap, but this under a latex cap has always kept me comfortable.
Open Water – Anti – Chaff:
Body Glide. I would like to try
the spray on stuff, but this seems to work.
Swim bag: Speedobackpack. I got this for the pool and
the pool only. For open water swimming,
I usually use a grocery store shopping bag.
Open Water – Swim Watch:
Timex Ironman paired with Finis HydroTracker GPS. I am not sold on the HydroTracker, but it is
a fun toy that finally does what it is supposed to.
The only swimming must buy are the RS922 goggles with Gogglemates or other after market clasp support.
Bike:
The bike: GiosCompact Pro. This is my road bike that
works well for any multisport activities I do.
I had an old Pinarello fitted up with an aero cockpit, but it never felt
right.
Power Meter: CyclopsPowerTap wired. This was my first and
only entry into the power meter market.
I would have liked to get wireless, but it does the job.
Race Wheels: NA until
I get to 170 lbs. I will most likely go
with Zipp 404 wheels with an aluminum brake surface.
Regular Helmet: GiroAeon. I bought this a couple of months
ago and absolutely love it. It might get
chilly in the cold, but I will just throw a skull cap or cycling cap under my
helmet.
Aero Helment: NA, no
plans for purchase.
Bike Jerseys: Misc.
Bike shorts/bib: PerformanceBibs. These work great and fit really
well. High end bibs are usually for
riders more svelte than me.
Bike Shoes:
Specialized
Cold Weather Long Sleeve Jersey: Rive?
Cold Weather bike top:
NA, I don’t ride outside when it is that cold.
Cold weather bike tights:
Usually Sidi Knee Warmers, but when it is really cold, I pull out the Pearl
Izumi tights (with Slipstream logos).
Bike case: NA, I don’t
travel to races, yet.
Bike trainer:
Performance TravelTrac 2000. I am
considering a new trainer. It will be
either a computrainer or equivalent based on DC rainmaker review.
Bike computer/GPS: I
have a Cateye Strada wireless, but also have the PowerTap head unit and Garmin
305 on my wrist. It is a little busy,
but I really don’t care. I might move
the Cateye Strada to my second bike, which is currently lacking any
electronics.
In my experience there have not been any cycling must buys. I would highly recommend a bike fit (I chose Retul) and regular professional bike maintenance.
Run:
Running Shoes:
Saucony Guide 5 are my daily shoes and I have a pair of Saucony
Fastwitch 5 for track work and racing.
Running T-shirt: Race
technical tees.
Running shorts:
GoLite
Running Socks: Misc
socks. Usually Save our Soles or
Defeet. I have tried numerous brands,
but these work for me.
Running Watch: Garmin
305. This is a workhorse. If it were to die, I would probably give the
910XT a shot.
Long Run Hydration:
Nathan. I also ordered a fuel
belt this summer, but have yet to do any long runs with it.
Cold weather running top:
Saucony Opitmal top
Cold weather running tights:
Under Armour running pants
Cold weather running gloves:
90% of the time it is a pair of jersey gloves. When it gets below 32 degrees, I will pull
out the fleece mittens.
The running must buy for me is a GPS based device. I really like being able to quantify my distance.
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