A triathlon clothing Q?

Question

do i need a triathlon suit or can i just wear my bike shorts. the whole time. (the swim)

Answer 1

I highly recommend getting a pair of tri shorts. I've never tried using my bike shorts on either the swim or the run, but I imagine the pad is not the most comfortable thing to swim or run with. If money's tight, just go ahead and give it a try before race day and see what you think. I wear my tri shorts the whole way through and have found that I prefer using a close fitting performance tee over a bike jersey for the bike because I was losing a lot time in the 2nd transition changing tops.

Either way there's no need to get a suit right away, just start with the shorts and add a tri top later to make a 2 piece suit. They're better for "pit stops" on a longer race than a onepiece suit anyway.

Answer 2

Wear a diving suite if you like - done med covers for such events and logically people wear as little as possible that is as quick changeable as possible as every second counts. The swim is where most time is either gained or lost! If your swimming a river you will have drag against the water flow, weight of the shorts when wet! you must also practice with the clothing you intend to wear - groin strain / irritation from the wrong clothing can be painful when wet and rubbing against you...Good luck & enjoy pushing yourself - no pain no gain...

Answer 3

A pair of Tri shorts will be more comfortable.  Tri shorts or suits have a smaller pad that drys faster. It would be quite uncomfortable to run in bike shorts with that large pad between your legs.  You could also race in a swim suit (Speedo). However you will have less padding on the bike

Answer 4

I've done both, although I find the tri-specific shorts most comfortable for running.  They're like bike shorts, but with a minimal pad and shorter legs.