Budget triathlon

One of the biggest cost's is going to be your bike. For a smaller distance event you can get away with a lot more in terms of what bike on that one. Do you have a particular distance in mind or just to do a tri? If you just want to have a go I would do a pool based sprint tri and see how you feel? You can do that on any sort of bike and seen people with shopping baskets doing them. For a half ironman or higher they normally restrict what sort of bike you are allowed to take onto the course.

You can do one on a budgie, much 'cheap'er than a bike!

a cheap budget will mean different things to different people.some people would consider £2000 to totally kit themselves out cheap.whilst to others £200 is out of their reach...........

Some people have said that they have done it cheaply and still spent over £800 on abike.......we are all at different points regarding finance..

I take it you have running kit so all you need is a bike and a wetsuit if doing outdoor ris.or a bike if doing indoor.......

have you got a bike got a friend who knows avbout bikes and can help with a second hand one.

without having any idea of your budget and what you already have its hard to say.

but if you are fit then you can cope on the cheapest of equipment

Cake...  you didn't see me on my borrowed bike in Market Drayton in the late eighties?

A borrowed bike...  and found out on the day that helmets were compulsory... and had to borrow a climbing helmet.  I looked absolutely ridiculous 

But you raise a good point... you can use equipment that, if you're not bothered about it costing you a little bit of time, can be very cheap.

There are some ridiculously cheap wetsuits on ebay  18 quid for a new 2.8mm neoprene wetsuit... including delivery.   I've never tried one - it might slow you down a bit compared to one costing several hundred pounds... but you can have a go.  And if you're in a pool, even that isn't needed.

Running shoes..  50 quid will get some half decent ones.  Bike  -  well you can buy second hand... and again, you can get an aluminium framed one for 200 quid that won't be as ridiculous as a butcher's bike!

I guess the ongoing costs include your swimming pool entry.

Hope you can do it.

run wales....i swam last year in the river Taff all winter.so didn't pay pool fees 

I spent about £200 on my first bike and that was the only expense I had.  The distance was short enough that I was ok wearing my swimming costume with shorts and tshirt over the top on the bike.  I wouldn't recommend that for longer distances but it was ok for a sprint.

The following year I bought tri shorts and swam in that and my sports bra (cropped top style), pulled a tshirt on when I got out of the pool.

It can be done even cheaper if you borrow a bike, or get one second hand