What Gear Does My Child Need For a First Triathlon?

Bikes and goggles and sneakers, oh my! For most triathletes, race day invokes images of backpacks full of gear – essentials, techy-new toys, and “just in case” items. It’s true, no one loves gear more than multisport athletes.

But parents might struggle to keep up with youth triathlon gear for their budding multisporters and wonder what they really need to buy their child. After all, children grow quickly, and the thought of replacing all the gear, all the time, sounds like an expensive proposition.

The good news? It doesn’t have to be that way. The equipment list for a youth triathlon is short and made up of things you likely already have in your garage.

Basic gear list for a youth triathlon

For your child to complete their first triathlon, the gear list is short and simple:

• Swim goggles
• Bike
• Bike helmet
• Running shoes
• Clothing (a swimsuit and/or athletic shorts and shirt)

That’s it. Here’s what you need to know about getting the gear you need for a kids’ triathlon – and how to save money along the way.

Use what you have

“Whatever you already have works just fine. You don’t need fancy equipment to get into the sport,” said Dale Sanford, co-founder of BPC Performance Coaching in Germantown, Tennessee. He recommends using items a child is already familiar with, such as the bicycle they regularly ride and their favorite athletic sneakers.

Though most people associate triathlon with spandex suits and moisture-wicking technical fabric from head to toe, the reality is that most kids will probably be just fine wearing whatever athletic wear they use for gym class.

A swimsuit and shoes is all they truly need. If your child wants to wear shorts or a T-shirt over their swimsuit during the bike or run, that’s good, too. Use what the child already has and is comfortable wearing.

When preparing your child for a triathlon, be sure to practice putting on the clothing over the swimsuit in the transition from bike to run – make it a fun contest to see who can get out of the pool and onto the bike the fastest.

If you must buy, keep it simple

“Keep to the basics of the basics,” said Andy Johnson, founder of TryKidz Triathlon in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Johnson recommends talking over each of the three disciplines with your child and choosing only gear that is essential, such as goggles for the swim, bike and helmet for the bike, and the same pair of shoes for both the bike and the run.

Buy used

Another factor to consider with kids’ triathlon gear is cost. A child’s size, weight, and proportions change rapidly, and spending money on pricey gear doesn’t always make sense for triathlon’s youngest competitors. This is especially true for purchasing a bike, which is usually the biggest expenditure for triathlon. To save money, borrowing or purchasing used gear is a great option for kids beginning in the sport.

“Inexpensive is key,” advises Coach Dana Debardelaben, executive director of Omni Kids Tri in Huntsville, Alabama. “Kids are always growing, so don’t make expensive investments in gear.”

If you don’t already have a bike your child can ride, talk with your friends, neighbors, or fellow parents from your child’s school. Chances are high someone has a bike that their child has outgrown. You can also find affordable used kids’ bikes on sites like Facebook Marketplace or Offerup.

Don’t overthink it

Sanford and Johnson note that focusing on gear can cause young competitors to perseverate too much over the details of their race and add unnecessary stress. “Even talking about equipment can give kids one more thing to overthink,” Sanford said.

“If you have to carry a whole backpack of stuff down to transition, that starts to freak kids out. They already have enough going on figuring out: Where do I go? Where does the bike go? Where’s the start line? Don’t feed into the stress they already have with lots of gear,” Johnson said.

What you must have in a kids triathlon (and what you can skip)

All the experts agree there is only one truly essential piece of gear for youth triathletes: an unexpired helmet certified by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Debardelaben recommends letting young triathletes use the gear that makes them happy, even if it’s a faux-hawk or bunny ear-ed fashion helmet, as long as it’s certified and within the expiration date.

There are a few additional pieces of gear that may increase a child’s comfort level, such as a race belt for competitors who prefer not to wear a shirt or otherwise struggle with the race bib, and a water bottle or a towel in the transition area, but experts recommend keeping these add-ons to a bare minimum and only if they increase the child’s comfort level or the child specifically requests them.

A piece of gear experts recommend ditching? Socks. For many young beginners, wearing sneakers without socks might feel funny at first but experts say it isn’t worth the stress of wiggling wet feet into socks after the swim.

Fit matters

Whatever gear young competitors decide to bring to a race, the most important factor is that your kid’s triathlon gear fits well and is as comfortable as possible. “Gear at a young age doesn’t make that big of a difference,” DeBardelaben said. “It’s more important that the child is comfortable.”

Best youth triathlon gear for your up-and-coming athlete

Whether your young triathlete is just starting out in the sport or going for podiums at regional and national events, one of the hardest challenges for a triathlon parent is ensuring they have well-fitting gear as they grow quickly.

Youth triathlon coach Eric Davidson shares his top picks for a youth tri suit, youth tri goggles, and youth tri bike based on his experience.

Youth triathlon suit

If your child is just getting into the sport, a regular swimsuit paired with a race belt (Amphipod Race-Lite) and shoes with Lock Laces may suffice. Check with the race director though: Some require that midriffs be covered.

However, just as for adults, a well-fitting tri suit increases comfort, reduces hydrodynamic and aerodynamic drag, dries quickly, and helps your athlete stay cool. You may find some lightly used suits listed in online marketplaces for less than half the price of new. Picking out favorite colors or a fully custom kit will help your athlete feel pro and stand out from the crowd. To make it easier to spot your athlete and add a level of safety, consider choosing yellows and oranges.

Best triathlon suit for youth for budget/experimenting with triathlon

Garneau Jr Comp 2 TriSuit

$89, Garneau

This tri suit comes in a wide range of colors and sizes to fit even the smallest triathletes. Flatlock seams and a built-in chamois ensure comfort. Chlorine-resistant fabric ensures durability – an important feature as most youth triathlons are pool swims.

Youth tri goggles

Goggles are not required per USA Triathlon Youth competition rules, but they certainly help a child see more clearly while swimming. Youth triathlon swims can get hectic with multiple kids in a single pool lane.

Out of the water, kids can’t seem to resist pulling their goggles like a slingshot, tossing them like a ball, or leaving them behind wherever they last took them off. Good fit, robust construction, and substantial seals should take precedent over minimalist designs. Have at least two pairs on race day, ideally with a variety of tints.

Best youth tri goggles for budget/experimenting with triathlon

Speedo Jr Hyper Flyer

$25, Speedo

These are my kids’ favorite goggles and they’ve survived several race seasons (you know, when they don’t get lost). The one-piece design is comfortably soft and low-profile but also durable with a good seal. Curved and mirrored lenses provide good periphery vision and work well in a variety of lighting conditions. The one-button adjustment of the dual-strap headband is a thoughtful feature that is easy to use even with little fingers.

Best-of-the-best youth tri goggles

TheMagic5 Youth

$80-$90, Magic5

After you capture a facial scan of your athlete using your phone camera, TheMagic5 will design and produce goggles customized to the athlete’s face, ensuring a perfect fit. Admittedly, $80 is pricey for a pair of goggles, but if you’ve tried four others and still have leakage, you’ll have spent that anyway plus frustration.

As you’d expect at this price point, TheMagic5 offers a variety of colors and tints. If you order multiple pairs of goggles, you can get a discount. Note that TheMagic5 Youth is only guaranteed to fit for ages 10 and up.

Youth triathlon bike

The big-ticket in triathlon gear is always the bike. USA Triathlon rules for youth racing (defined as non-drafting events open only to ages 6-13) are lenient regarding bike types, but they do prohibit recumbent bikes and time-trial bikes.

Bikes with gears will ensure your athlete can reach terminal velocity. Handlebars can be straight, curved or drop bars. Aerobars are NOT allowed in youth racing. Tri-geek parents should also note that disc wheels or wheel covers are also not permitted. Just like for adults, no matter what your athlete is riding, good fit is key.

Growth rates of kids make professional fittings unrealistic for most families. For just $1.99 in the Apple App Store, the Northshore Raiders tri club parents have been using the Bikepose app, which employs advanced image processing and offers helpful advice to ensure optimal fit on every type of kids bike. While you’re at it, double-check the fit of your own tri bike too!

Best tri bike for youth athletes experimenting with triathlon

Guardian 24

$340, Guardian

If you’ve determined your kid needs a new bike and it will primarily serve as a neighborhood bike with occasional race duty, check out Guardian’s lineup. First use their patented RideSizer® to confirm whether the Guardian 24 is the right size and even get an estimate of how long until your kid outgrows their new bike.

If you somehow still get sizing wrong, Guardian offers free returns for 365 days. Several features that Guardian designed primarily for safety also give it a performance edge in a race setting among other neighborhood-oriented competitors:

• Sure-Stop braking system dynamically allocates braking force to both the front and rear with a single lever, allowing later braking into corners. Otherwise, kids usually under-utilize their front brake and take longer to slow down.
• Mounting and dismounting is easy over the low-swooping top bar. They’ll soon be showing you how to do flying mounts and dismounts.
• Shimano 7-speed drivetrain provides quick shifts for accelerating out of corners and a wide gear range to handle hilly routes.
• The Guardian comes with pavement-focused low-rolling resistance tires.

If your kid already has a neighborhood bike that fits and has a couple of gears, the best speed-for-your-dollar upgrade will be tires. Most kid bike tires are knobby jack-of-all trades and masters of none. At $28.95 each, the Tioga Power Block BMX race tire can decrease rolling resistance and increase cornering grip on pavement. The tire comes in a variety of sizes for 20”, 24”, and 26” wheels.

Before you buy, beware that sizing for bicycle wheels, tires and tubes in this range can be confusing. Ensure that the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) bead seat diameter, measured in millimeters, matches correctly. This number will likely range from 298 to 622 and be printed on the side of your tire. Bring a correct size spare tube, an air pump with the correct Presta or Schrader valve and two tire levers to each race. Yes, this was a lesson learned the hard way.

Best-of-the-best youth triathlon bike

Custom-Built HUP evo SL Carbon with SRAM Apex Hydraulic Groupset and HUP CD50 Wheelset

$3,200 including shipping from UK

For youth cyclists who are too small for even XS adult frames, HUP is practically the only source of thoroughbred road and cyclocross race bikes still shipping to the United States. Fortunately, their products are knocking it out of the park.

Off-the-shelf HUP aluminum Straatrace and Evo models start at around $1,300 including shipping. To achieve the ultimate top-tier build, input your child’s measurements, choose each component, and have Kids Racing Co. UK construct the carbon-framed HUP evo SL with electronic SRAM Apex shifting, hydraulic brakes, and 50mm deep wheels.

Kids may be the biggest beneficiary of the recent trend toward affordable electronic gravel group sets. Little hands struggle with the reach required to operate drop-bar shifters. Electronic shifting solves that problem with just a tap. Similarly, hydraulic disc brakes provide significantly more stopping power for a given grip strength.

HUP’s CD50 wheels reduce precious watts lost to the wind. While these are all marginal gains, it is not uncommon for races to come down to seconds for that top step on the podium.