Advice needed

im doing iron man 70.3 in exmoor and its my first one. I work in a call center and a customer advised me to check out this site so got 6 months to train, little cash for a bike but looking for advice and tips to help me out.

Any help at all nutrition ie herbalife ?? gear bikes wetsuit ....anything?

I confess to pointing JS in the direction of our merry little throng. 

Perhaps if you tell us a bit more about what you want to achieve and a bit about your current level of fitness and any particular worries/how does that bit work about Tri. Maybe also ideas on your bike budget and usually someone will come along with some suggestions.

Though most of them are probably at the pub!

And have a browse through the threads, particularly the "What bike" ones and "Can I really do it" ones.

Also keep an eye out for training rides going on, bit thin at this time of year but some go out for a couple of hours. IM 70.3 is quite a lumpy bike I believe so hills must become your friend. You will be welcome on the "beginners guide to the Surrey Hills" ride in the Spring. Button Mushroom only called me a sadistic bastard once! Note to self, make it lumpier.

Cheers Dustboy

Right this is my first tri been a runner and got the bug but looking to step it up a gear so no fear what better way than a tri. Budget for a road bike i would say is £800 been lookin at cams but been advised to go to local shops but road bikes of high performance in the shops are not cheap ie £1200 up. Gonna have a scan on planet x bike but if anyone knows of anywhere else it would help.  Got a wet suit but i think its a surfer one where do i get a tri wet suit????

Looking to start training asap but where to start is a brain scratcher running at the moment but dustboy has advised to concentrate on bike bike bike and hills hills hills so will get on that. What the best way tomprep for a tri aswell and how do you get ur head around it? Any advice greatly recived

Bike rides in local area are thin on the ground but if anyone knows of any in the kent area again will take on board.

My road bike was a Ribble off EBay at 350 quid - second hand is certainly a way of getting more bike for your money, if you do your research first on frame size etc. I think I got more benefit out of buying and learning how to use cleat shoes (another 100 quid) than I would have from a more expensive bike. I've passed guys on 2K Cervelos, and been blown off the road by people (particularly on hills) who are riding something that looks as if it was what Noah sent his kids off on to get bits for the ark!

There's stuff I will definitely buy new - wetsuit, tri suit, shoes - as I want to try them on and I want them to fit. Helmet I'd buy new because I'd rather not get one someone else has fallen off with. But for a lot of the rest, I'd look at what you can get second hand, unless you are lucky wth your budget.

Planex X are great bikes for the money but start at £1000........

good luck..you can buy second hand or buy basic .and then train....exmoor is a lovely part of the world

+1 for "Exmoor is a lovely part of the world" this is my stomping ground!

JS , I will be out there with you having done this race in 2011 as my first foray beyond sprints.

it's all about the bike and then again it's not!  It is a tough hilly course with lots opportunities to get into that bottom gear, so as above practice hills or at least practice tearing downhill to mitigate some of the following up!  Like paperman second hand would be fine, ribble is great for deals and general quality bikes, the website is very good.

Good wetsuits are out there from all the big names for 150 or so.

Check out all the suggested threads , and there is a wimbleball one out there,

Finally , get there on the Friday and any find a pirate for moral support and a low level of stress as befits the black and gold...

"low level of stress as befits the black and gold"

That's usually lager!

Colleague just bought a B'Twin at Decathlon, £299. Reckons it's alright. Cheap money to get you round Wimbleball.

my training shies away from lager for the ''massive health benefits'' of red wine , oh and the jack Daniels to ward off colds aches and pains etc.

JS, (if you are still looking at this).

I have had a browse at the IMUK 70.3 bike course. It's about 1200M climbing, nothing looks too sinister but flat it ain't. When we do the beginners guide to the Surrey hills in the Spring, it's about 700M climbing in 27 miles, so pound for pound a bit tougher but not a lot. Some people have to walk for a bit but most get round OK. A lot better the second time.

If that doesn't float your boat, have a look round for some 12% hills or similar that go on for a bit, say half a mile. They do take a bit of grit but are quite maneagable if you hunker down and winch up on the granny ring. Box Hill is good distance hill practice but it's only 6% so I would suspect that Wimbleball will chew you up if that is the only grade you have trained on.

Guys been putting ur advice into action and running my socks off still no bike as yet but on the case! had an argument with my local sprts center with wearing my tri suit in traing but i won in the end but training is going well bring it on. If anyone knows of any smaller events within the kent area could u gimmi a shout as i thin k this wiil step up training a bit but brighton marathon in a few months ooocchhh but v much enjoying it atm cheers again guys

 oh and dust boy....Larger is a plan espesially after training

Well, he's on the lager, that's a start at least.

The running is great, but that bike looms. You need to be heading there best you can. If yu really can't get on to a bike soon, get into the local spinning class and aim for both sessions back to back. 

Stay on it dude. And join a club if you can, they have free coaches and they are invaluable.

See you there James, first 70.3 for me too. Plenty running happening at the moment, working hard on swimming but struggling to do more than 5 continous lengths so far but its coming gradually. I'm pretty confident that my £300 Specialized Allez will handle the cycling although I'm about to change the cassette to a 12/28 to improve climbability. Serious bike training starting any day now (probably). Anybody else from north of the border going to Wimbleball?

I bought an 11 28 specifically for wimbleball in 2011 and made full use of it on the second lap, FB , which border are you north of?