Buying Your Way to Good Results

It has been a while since my last post but this topic has been in the back of my mind. It is more opinion than science and was further promoted to the top of my 'blogs topic' list in follow up to a similar article by Rod Cedaro in the recent edition of Triathlon and Multisport Magazine.

Why is it that a large number of athletes spent huge amounts of money of the latest cool equipment when the impact this will have on their performance is minimal. This trend is definitely more evident in cycling and triathlon than it is in running, but there is no doubt it is a trend across all endurance sports.

A cyclists or triathlete might try and justify that their new $5000 bike frame will assist performance with improved aerodynamics; and there is no doubt that it will but........ 

Take an average recreational triathlete who is say 75kg. He could get an 80sec improvement in his 40km TT performance simply by losing 2kg of weight. Or that same athlete, could get the same 80sec improvement by improving power output by only 2%. Lets go one step further, this athlete could save more than 2 minutes by simply improving their riding position. So how much does that new expensive frame save? About 60 seconds.

So there is no doubt that equipment can be beneficial in improving performance, and it is an easy saving, but it is also a very expensive way to enhance performance compared to the other examples given. This is especially the case given that most recreational athletes still have a lot of performance to gain through simply optimising training. The expensive equipment is only really a necessity for elite athletes looking for that extra edge.

It is important to remember that most of us train for enjoyment, and race performance is a secondary priority. So this means that expensive new bike frame is actually more of a cool toy to show your friends, than it is a means to racing faster.

The bottom line, when you are next about to lash out and make that big purchase that will help with your performance, think about it. Are you buying it just so you have the latest toy, or are you buying it as you couldn't be bothered to make the hard changes that will result in even greater performance. 

Comments

[RachelKM]

I started my 'career' as an endurance athlete in triathlon, and I can assure you you've hit the nail on the head: why go to the effort of losing 2kgs when you can impress everyone with your $5,000 bike? I remember seeing guys (they are usually middle-aged men, often a few kilos on the heavy side, shall we say), racing with 2 disc wheels bought at an exhorbitant price. Funny thing is there was a cross wind that day which meant that those wheels were actually costing him time. But there was no way he wasn't going to show off his purchase! Triathlon is a wonderful sport but there is no doubt it attracts some people who are in it for the show. A friend of mine used to own a bike shop. He said they would rub their hands together when the triathletes walked in the door because whereas the cyclists would want to be convinced the latest gadget was worth the outlay, the triathletes would simply ask "which is the most expensive one, I'll take it!".

I'm generalising I know, but I'm sure we've all come across them.