Hello all,
I am trying triathlons for a change and had a few questions regarding gear and equipment.

1. Wetsuits: do I wear my tri top and shorts underneath my wetsuit?

2. Bike: What equipment do I carry? Bike pump on frame? How many tubes/patch kits/tools do I carry?

1...sure do, saves time in transition, plus most local tri's don't have a tent to change in, those are mostly just in Ironman distance races.

2...Carry a spare tube, 1 patch kit, two tire irons (the plastic ones, they're lighter), probably 2 CO2 canisters (don't forget the pump head) and a Syntace tool (the hex wrench that comes with Syntace aero bars (or whatever hex wrench fits your stem and seatpost binder.

What distance is your race, is there neutral support (support vehicles on the bike course)? That is significant for what stuff you will need to have. As far as what you may need to carry on the bike, you need to answer these two questions, (1) what condition will the roads be in (rocky, smooth, gravel, maybe stickers (a real problem in Socal out by Camp Pendelton), and (2) if I don't take enough stuff, how far am I willing to walk?

1. definitely wear you tri top and shorts under the wetsuit. They will dry out very quickly on the bike.

2. I would say what to carry depends on the distance and how competitive you are. For a sprint tri, I would say it doesn't matter becuase the bike portion is too short unless you can do a 1min or less flat repair. Anything longer than a sprint then you carry a small patch kit and buy the xnut http://trisports.com/xnut.html. The xnut attaches to the xlab series of behind the seat bottle carriers http://trisports.com/remohysy.html. For 1/2 IM or longer I would say carrying a tire might not be a bad idea but I've never done it and never had a problem. You'll get your own preference of what to carry after doing a couple. Good luck!

The bike segment of the tri is 13 miles. "High winds and some sharp turns". Two loops.

Should I carry my pump in my jersey pocket or leave it on the frame? and probably hold the tube and tools in a saddlebag?

I'll have to ask to see if there is neutral support.

The bike segment of the tri is 13 miles. "High winds and some sharp turns". Two loops.

Should I carry my pump in my jersey pocket or leave it on the frame? and probably hold the tube and tools in a saddlebag?

I'll have to ask to see if there is neutral support.

13 miles...I would carry, well nothing. Most events have some form of support. I would make sure that my bike was in good working order, that no changes were done to it just before the ride (like changing a tube that could cause an unknown pinch etc.). And go from there...

Hello all,
I am trying triathlons for a change and had a few questions regarding gear and equipment.

1. Wetsuits: do I wear my tri top and shorts underneath my wetsuit?

2. Bike: What equipment do I carry? Bike pump on frame? How many tubes/patch kits/tools do I carry?
Clothes under wetsuit for sure. Do not use pins, they will rip your suit. Make sure to use body glide on ankles and wrists.
Get a race belt.
I would not carry anything on the bike except one water. If you flat, you are done anyway.
Get speed laces for your running shoes. Huge time savings.

Are these the "stretchy" laces?

Are these the "stretchy" laces?
Yep, like Yankz laces.

Are these the "stretchy" laces?

FYI- check how tight you keep your laces. I can slide my shoes on and off with the laces tied as tight as I want them to run in (it is tight, but doable). My GF on the other hand likes her laces real tight and the stretchy laces don't cut it for her.

In addition to the suggestion to get a bib belt, I would get the neoprene ankle band for the champion chip- the plastic crap they gave me at my first race cut the hell out of me on the biking portion.

Have fun!!