TOP 5 things I bought in 2025 for my triathlon journey

2025 was a great year for my triathlon training. I literally started triathlon in 2025 (I just ran and swam until then) and finished my first ever race (sprint distance, finish time: 1:27).

There are some gadgets and toys that did my triathlon journey better and more effective. Long story short, let’s get started.

Disclaimer: this post is not sponsored by any of the brands below

1. Garmin Forerunner 255

This is one of my best purchases ever. Garmin literally helps me with everything in sport: measures distance during running, pace and strokes in swimming, speed and elevation in cycling, RHR and HRV for recovery. Until then, I used Apple Watch and I didn’t like its battery life and mid GPS. Garmin has almost perfect GPS and it also supports triathlon mode. So you don’t have to manually switch between disciplines during the race. Garmin itself handles it. Also, you don’t have to pay anything extra like a subscription. You bought it and it all yours. It covers all your triathlon data needs. I did not regret a cent spent for this purchace.

Where did I buy: Amazon
Price: $230

2. Heart rate monitor

Even the best sports smartwatches do inaccuracies when it comes to measuring heart rate because they use optical sensors (light reflection off blood flow) to measure it. They can lag during rapid HR changes (like high-intensity training). Chest strapped HRMs (heart rate monitors) detects heart’s electrical signals from the heart via electrodes. And it provides highly accurate HR data even under intense training and rapid HR changes.

That’s why we see chest-strapped HRMs in most athletes who care about HR data. I’m one of them. HRM is a great companion because correctly measured HR itself tells lots of things about the training. Even the worst HRM measures HR better than the best smart watch.

This HRM is easily connected to a Garmin device, bike computer and even to the Strava mobile app. So, if your budget is limited to buy an expensive smart watch, then it is way more better idea to invest in HRM and connect it to Strava rather than buying Chinese smartwatches.

Model: Polar H9
Where did I buy: Ebay
Condition: Used
Price: $18
The strap is bought separately from Ozon

3. The bike

The must-have thing for every triathlete who wants to race.

This is my second bike. Carbon frameset, Shimano 105 groupset, alloy wheels. The saddle was later changed with 3D printed one. Fast, light, strong and budget-friendly bike for an amateur like me.

Price: $570
Where did I buy: A friend sent from Korea
Did I like it: Absolutely

4. Smart bike trainer

When it gets cold, it gets tougher to ride outside. That’s why I bought a smart trainer. It replaces the rear wheel of the bike and is connected to special software. They are a lot and I chose MyWhoosh because it is free. In the software, I create a custom workout with a definite watts and start the workout. The trainer gives the needed resistance so you can train your legs for the watts set. It is super useful to train your FTP and overall base. Synchronously, you can watch TV shows or some movies you love so you don’t get bored.

Model: ThinkRider X2Max
Price: 4.6M UZS
Where did I buy: Ozon

5. Running shoes

One of the most important pieces of equipment in running is shoes. They are my favourites among the ones I tried.

Adidas Adizero SL2. Lightweight, sexy, fast and budget-friendly. I wear them for my quality workouts like tempo, intervals and threshold runs. And for races, too. In Turkistan, I ran 10k in 48:57 with them. I bought them for about $65 (they were on sale). I love the color.

I love running in them. As if they give me wings to fly.