5 affordable triathlon purchases that will help you go faster in 2025

In a sport like triathlon, you can drop a lot of money in the name of speed. You might buy a new bike, fast running shoes, the latest wetsuit, or whatever else, and while these items can certainly help you go faster, there are much more affordable options that will save you just as much (or more) time on race day. Here are five simple, relatively cheap, and effective ways to go faster at your next race.

Get goggles that fit you

Goggles can be expensive, but that doesn’t mean they’re good for you. When it comes to the swim in triathlon, there are few things worse than a leaky pair of goggles. Your objective is to swim as quickly and efficiently as possible, so flipping on your back every 100 metres to adjust your goggles is not ideal. It doesn’t matter if you find goggles that are cheap or not triathlon-specific — the key is to get a pair that works for your face and doesn’t leak. Even if they’re kids’ goggles with cartoon characters on them, it really doesn’t matter as long as they keep the water out.

Have a bike fitting

You might have spent a lot on your bike, but that’s money wasted if you’re not positioned on it properly. You want to get the most out of your ride, and the only way to do that is to be in the most efficient and aero position possible. Getting a bike fitting is an excellent investment that will save you time and energy every time you hop on for a ride.

Grab a razor

If you don’t shave your legs, it’s time to start. You can save so much time by simply shaving your legs. That’s $20 or so to save anywhere from 40 to 90 seconds over 40 kilometres of riding. You can get all of the top gear in the triathlon world, but if you’re not shaving your legs, you’re leaving free speed on the table.

Quick laces

Another small purchase that will lead to big time-saving in races is quick-tie laces. You don’t want to waste any time in transition, and kneeling down to tie your running shoe laces would definitely do that. Plus, you might not tie them well and find that they’ve come undone mid-run. To avoid this problem, get quick-tie laces that you simply pull to tighten. They’re only a few dollars but they will save you so much time in every race.

Painter tape

How can painter tape help you in a triathlon? You want to bring gels on the bike with you, but if you don’t have a tri-suit with pockets on the back, where are you supposed to put them? That’s easy: tape them to your bike. Run one strip of painter tape across the top of a gel, just above the tear-line, and you can grab and open the package in one pull. Best part is that the painter tape will not leave any glue or marks on your ride. This is well worth the few dollars that it costs for a roll of tape.