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@Bernie
Julio is on the money. Scrutineers are the omnipotent gods of race day, and if they ban your bike, you have no where to go. I have let single speeds race on days I was in charge of transition, but Windsor is run by John Lunt of Human Race, and the London event is equally safety consious, and they will be thinking of the safely of both you and the other competitors.
You can rent a bike to start with, but I suggest you approach a tri club where members are constantly upgrading their rides, and looking to sell on the old model. £250 -400 will get you a working example, as you will need to train on it, and not just have it for race weekend.
I am a member of Crystal Palace Tri, but there are also other clubs just as friendly and helpful in and around London. With regard to the swimming, get a wet suit (buy, NOT hire) and hit Tooting Bec Lido for some 100 yard lengths that are as close to open water swimming as you will get in any city.
In short, triathlon is a great sport, with wonderful cameraderie, and a wide selection of abilities, but cheap it certainly is not. If you cannot afford to invest at least a grand on membership fees, race entries, swim pool entrance, cycling, swimming, and running kit, and either buy or hire a bike, it will frustrate the hell out of you.