WETSUITS

I first started with my first sprint triathlon in 2008 and I rented wetsuts through the fleet feet store on North Avenue. http://www.fleetfeetsports.com/locations/chicago-piper-s-alley
They have a program where you can rent a suit for $50 I believe ( I think they still do this, I did this a few years ago) and you get it for a week. You can then use it as credit to buy a new suit with the the store. I think they also have nights (Tue nights?)  where you can rent one for $5 for the hour... . not sure if they still do that.
I bought a long sleeved Blue Seventy suit. http://blueseventy.com/

Sam wearing my Blue Seventy

When I first started I was convinced that it was the wetsuit constricting my movements and breathing (not my swimming or the cold water)- so I sold that one to a friend.

I then bought a sleeveless XTerra through their promotions- they also have sales. That was good to me for a few years. http://www.xterraplanet.com/

Coming out of the water Racine 70.3 in 2010- sleeveless suit

This year for Triple T I had heard horror stories of how cold the water was going to be so last minute decided I needed a long sleeved one again (and it was cold, first day 55degree water, it was only a 250m swim and some went without wetsuits- I did not- I went for my new long sleeved). I went with the Orca 3.8 I decided based on what was on clearance on TriSports http://www.trisports.com/ and basically what was available in my size (ok fine, I also love whales, so the name Orca kinda convinced me a bit too) The size seems to be right, but really really tough to put on. Super tight around the legs, and hard to yank up all the way in the crotch area. It really turns into a tug of war (I ripped it once already- but repaired it with suit repair). Not to mention the battle with a broken finger to put the damn thing on. The buoyancy is nice, and I don't feel super constricted and can move my arms pretty well through the water. Hopefully it was worth the purchase! http://www.orca.com/category/3-8/

Coming out of the water Day #1 of American Triple T- yeah, pretty sure I was the last one out of the water (but not the last one on the course!)

Cervelo S2

So I always get buyer's remose. Always. I'm also horrible with decisions. It can be anything from a new dress to a new car, I'll always question my choice. Actually, I spent WAY more time researching a bike purchase than I did a car purchase. When I bought my brand new car at 21, I thought, "I like it, I want it, I'm buying it." I did. (and paid it off in three years thank you very much!) But purchasing things has always been tricky. Growing up where money was always tight, having worked since 14 years old, and working two jobs in college- I know the value of a hard earned dollar. To drop a pretty penny on a bicycle, most would think is pretty silly.

I was at a dinner with some friends when I brought up the question, if you could spend $3000+ on a material item (not to pay off a bill or go on a trip) what would you buy? Several suggested, a nice computer, entertainment set, new furniture, etc- most thought I was crazy to even consider that much for a bike (I ended up spending more than that but I'll get to that in my $$$ post)

I'm justifying out loud here, I don't have a mortgage, only need to work 2.5 more years to have all my student loans paid for, don't have kids and am not planning a wedding anytime soon (More to come in a relationships post) I would not want a fancy diamond engagement ring (if I find somebody who would buy me one :)-again, I'll leave that one for a relationships post) nor would I really need a fancy wedding dress. Most my furniture is second hand, and I made the commitment to not go crazy on new cute clothes this year. (But I do like cute dresses) So basically, I can afford this.

I think of it as an investment. I made the choice on a bike that will be versatile and that can be upgraded if I want to later. So back to bike shopping. I've enjoyed the process way more than I thought. I finally went with purchasing with Get a Grip Cycles. http://www.getagripcycles.com/

Ken, Christian, and Adam were all awesome. They spent a TON of time with fittings, and adjustments and more adjustments, and emails to help me make a good choice.

I did look at other vendors and models, and ended up test riding four different bikes (not just the bikes sold at Get a Grip) and think I made a decent choice. Yes, I probably overpaid, but not going to think about that. I'm happy with the purchase. I ended up going with the Cervelo S2- with clip on aerobars. I decided that based on the races I'll be doing, I wanted a bike that could both be a road bike, and give me the aero position if wanted for strong headwinds. I don't intend on winning anything when I do triathlons- and my number one priority was efficiency and comfort. I hope I found it. (I did go back between TT/Tri bike vs Road bike- and I'm sure I'll have moments of "should have gotten the Tri bike"- but I think I'll be pretty happy with my choice)

So the Cervelo S2 purchased at Get a Grip- with the ISM Road Saddle and Profile T2 aerobars is what I went with. I also bought the stainless steel speedplay zero pedals and new Sidi Shoes (the speedplay allows to adjust for a more efficient stance I guess?)- I purchased those through performance bike- and through my membership points ended up saving a good amount of $$ (like $130 :) ) Oh and the red tape was an extra $18 but couldn't resist :) Gotta admit it's a damn good looking bike :)

All in all, I can't wait to take it out for a spin. I've been working on improving my bike, still a lot of work to do, but I'm really hoping that I can feel improvement once I start to get on the road / on the courses :)