The sport of triathlon requires more equipment than just about any other sport on the planet. In this article I want to go through equipment you will need to buy, as well as kit which you will want to invest in a bit further down the line.
I will break this down by sport, starting with essential kit, then moving onto non essential, but recommended items. I cannot cover every single product available, but if you feel I have missed anything, leave a comment at the bottom.
Swim
Essentials
Wetsuit
This is an essential for the vast, vast majority of triathletes, the only exception being those who live in very warm climates, or who only plan on competing in a pool based event. This can be one of the most expensive items you invest in ahead of your first race, and it one of the biggest barriers to entry. Learn how to choose the right wetsuit for you here.
Goggles
You won’t be able to swim very well without a pair of goggles. You may have grown up swimming without, but trust me when I say that you really don’t want to swim in a lake without goggles for health ad safety reasons. Go for a nice pair open water goggles with a good, silicon seal. You may want to consider a pair with tinted or polarised lenses to improve visibility.
Swim hat
Not essential for race day as you will be provided with a cap by the race organiser, but it’s still worth getting used to swimming with one in training. It’s also essential for open water swimming, to ensure water safety crews can see you.
Tow float
This would not have been on the essential list five years ago, but recently it has become compulsory in most open water venues for swimmers to use a tow float, so you’ll need to look at purchasing one so you can train in open water. And trust me, you really need to train in open water.
Swimming costume
This should be something relatively skintight to reduce drag in the water. You may feel slightly self conscious, but loose clothing in the water will slow you down a huge amount.
Recommended
Swim fins
These allow you to propel yourself much more efficiently with only your kick, meaning you can focus on swim drills that target areas such as your rotation and catch without worrying about sinking. They also allow us to develop our kick mechanics, which is especially important for newer swimmers.
Hand paddles
These are large plastic discs that attach to your hand, and provide additional resistance in the water. These help build strength in the water as well as help develop technique, but should be used in moderation to reduce the chance of shoulder injuries.
Pull buoy
A foam float which sits between your legs, isolating your upper body. This is used to develop arm strength and muscular endurance, as well as being used in drills.
Cycling
This is going to be the sport with the most equipment, so let’s get stuck in.
Bike
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that you will need a bike to complete the cycle leg of a triathlon. If you are looking for help choosing a bike, there is a free course explaining the process on my app.
Helmet
Please don’t ride without a helmet. As much as anything, it is required for race day so you’d better get used to riding with one.
Bottle cage and water bottle
You can’t ride around without having water on you, so you’ll need a bottle and something to carry your water in as well.
Cleaning products
You will need to wash your bike to keep it in operation. You’ll need some bike cleaner for the frame, and some degreaser for the chain to make sure it has a long life. Failing to keep your chain clean will drastically reduce the lifespan of your bike, and require you to spend money on replacement parts. For me, this is essential triathlon kit.
Bike lube
Stop giggling at the back. This is required to prevent your chain and gears from eating themselves alive. Ever hear a bike ride past you squeaking and grinding? This is due to a lack of lubrication. If you’re just starting out, don’t be tempted by ceramic lube or anything fancy, keep it simple for now. I recommend wet lube in 99% of situations.
Tools and spares
If your bike breaks in the middle of nowhere, you need to be able to fix it. Even if you don’t have the know how, having the tools and spares so a passer by can fix it for you is pretty essential. For a clincher (non tubeless) bike, you’ll be looking at a mini pump, multi tool with chain breaker, spare inner tube and probably a spare chain link. I highly recommend you learn to use these as they can be the difference between finishing your race or not.
Floor pump
No matter how hard you try, you will not be able to get your tyres up to pressure with a mini pump, you will need a floor pump. Riding around with semi inflated tyres will slow you down massively, so unless you live near a communal pump, you will need to pick one up with your bike.
Eyewear
Some people would call this a recommended item rather than essential, but dazzled by the sun or flies in your eyes is not fun. You don’t need to spend an arm and a leg here.
Recommended
Cycling clothing
You can resist all you like, but the lycra comes for us all eventually. It is breathable, comfortable, and makes sitting on a saddle infinitely more comfortable. This can extend to include arm warmers, leg warmers, winter kit, a rain jacket, a gilet and more over time, but start with the basics, and don’t just go for the most expensive stuff.
Clip on aero bars
Most triathletes ride road bikes, but you will see the top 30-40% riding special triathlon bikes where they are leaning forward, with their arms resting on bars. This is to narrow and lower their position, allowing them to cut through the air much easier, becoming significantly faster.
However, you don’t need to buy a whole new bike to gain this benefit, you can buy some clip on aero bars to attach to your handlebars, which allow you to get into that same position. The downside is that you don’t have access to your brakes or gears from here, and you will need to adjust your position on the bike by brining your saddle slightly forward to make yourself comfortable, which makes riding on the handlebars less comfortable so it’s not a perfect solution, but definitely worth trying.
Heart rate monitor
When we’re in the pool, swimming to heart rate is impractical. We can record it in the water, but it’s not especially useful in the moment. However when cycling, tracking our heart rate is useful as not only can we review the data, it can also inform how hard we ride. A heart rate monitor is probably the most cost effective kit of triathlon kit on the market, but it does need to be paired to a compatible watch/cycle computer.
Power Meter
The issue with heart rate is that it is slow to react to changes in intensity and a poor fitting strap or dicky battery can give dodgy readings. A power meter measures the force you are applying to the pedals to give a very objective measure of cycling effort. These are a pricey bit of triathlon kit and not necessary for the beginner, but essential for the keen triathlete.
Cycle computer
If you want to see your data while you’re riding, then the best option is a cycle computer. A watch will display the data, but is tricky to read when riding. A cycle computer will also allow you to follow a route, but I believe it should be one of the last purchases a triathlete makes. There are much better places to spend money, unless you are following a training plan.
Hydration system
Bottles on the frame of your bike are easy to use, but will slow you down. Serious triathletes will have their bottles between their aero bars or behind their saddle to help them become more streamlined and ride faster. You will need to head to a specialist retailer for these.
Indoor Trainer
Also known as a turbo trainer, these are devices you can mount your bike onto, allowing you to ride it indoors. The benefit to this is that it allows you to train without worrying about traffic and in all weathers in a position which replicates the one you will be riding on race day. It’s ideal for riding intervals, with most modern trainers recording power numbers, and changing resistance to simulate hills. Essential for all but the most casual of triathletes.
Lights
A set of small, blinking lights will make you stand out when riding, and draw the attention of distracted motorists towards you. These are relatively cheap, and could just save your life.
Running
Not as much kit is needed for running, but let’s cover what you’ll need to get started
Running shoes
These don’t NEED to be proper running shoes, but I recommend they are. Your regular gym trainer won’t provide the support required to keep you running efficiently and injury free. I recommend heading to a running shop and trying shoes on, rather than simply buying blindly online, or buying the ones your mate has.
Running Kit
We will need a pair of shorts/tights and a running top as minimum, as well as some cold weather options. Gloves, long sleeve tops and snoods will help you beat the cold.
Race Day and Miscellaneous
There are a few items which are specific to triathlon or race day specifically. These are all optional, but recommended
Elastic laces
A race day special here, these will allow for lightening fast transitions as you can slip your foot straight into your shoes and start running, without having to mess around with laces while the adrenaline is pumping.
Trisuit
A one piece suit which you wear for the entirety of your event. It starts under your wetsuit, and you keep it on for the bike and run. It’s fast drying, and has a thin chamois pad to make cycling more comfortable. You can complete your race by wearing a swimsuit and throwing cycling/running kit over the top, but a trisuit will make it a much more comfortable experience, if one is in your budget.
Race Belt
When competing in a triathlon in the UK you are required to display your number on the front when running, and the rear when cycling. To prevent you messing around with safety pins in transition, nearly every athlete will wear a race belt. You attach your race number to your belt, which you attach ahead of the bike, and spin round when you start the run. These are pretty cheap, and on sale at most races, but I still recommend picking one up ahead of the race, just in case they don’t sell them, or are sold out.
Triathlon Watch
These allow you to track your training, and are used by 99% of triathletes. Make sure you get one which has cycling and swimming features. Many cheap watches only have a running functionality, which won’t be sufficient for us. If you have an Apple Watch, this will do, at least to start with.
Conclusion
To start with, I don’t want you to buy so much kit you need to remortgage your house. Stick with the essentials, and spend more as and when you can afford to. It’s impossible for me to cover each and every piece of equipment here as this article would be far too long, but if you’re struggling with something I haven’t covered, let me know in the comments.
