Who doesn’t love a bit of matching kit??

Socks matching the tri suit, shoes that tie in with the hat, the perfect bike paint job, colour-matched bottles, even sunglasses that tie into the whole “look.” There’s nothing wrong with wanting your gear to look sharp because after all, confidence is a great performance enhancer. Look good, feel good, race good!

But in Triathlon pretty isn’t always practical… though it can be when done right.

Recently, an athlete said to me during a race analysis, “Pretty isn’t practical.”
And in their case they were absolutely right.

In triathlon, function always comes first. We’re managing three sports, transitions, nutrition, safety, and let’s be honest, some questionable weather at times (*cough* Melbourne 70.3 *cough* 2XU*). Your gear needs to work before it needs to match.

When Pretty Gets in the Way

As coaches we’ve seen it:
Someone chooses a sleek aero helmet that looks fast… but it cooks them on a hot day.
Or they buy lightweight race shoes that were the right colour (but maybe not the right fit)… but don’t hold up over 21km or 42km on tired legs.
Or they pick a bike hydration setup because it looks tidy but it puts bottles somewhere they can’t reach at race pace or because of the weather. .

The truth is, nothing looks pretty when it fails on race day.

  • Those cool looking goggles that fill up with water

  • A nutrition bonk because you couldn’t reach your bottles

  • A tinted visor on a dark day that you can’t see out of because it would look better in the photos than the clear visor

  • Blisters from shoes chosen for colour, not fit

Function First, Style Second

When I get asked about gear, here is a summary of what I reccommend…

Choose gear that performs the way you need it to, then find the version that looks good.

Most equipment categories allow this balance:

Tri Suits

Start with comfort, chafe resistance, aerodynamics, and temperature management.
Then choose the design that makes you feel like a weapon. Naturally we’d reccommend our squad kit because it’s been field tested and we think it looks the best! It also makes it really, really easy for us to spot you on course!!

Bikes & Accessories

Fit and biomechanics first.
Hydration and nutrition accessibility second.
Colour and matching bar tape third.

The pic above – very little wrong with it. But the wheels are brand new and untested. The pink bottles were chosen for their look at the expense of a front hydration system that the athlete was much more comfortable using. The windy conditions meant the athlete wasn’t able to grab their nutrition bottles (and they were sure in there tight), breaking thast golden rule of ‘nothing new on race day’.

Running Shoes

Always function over fashion.
Nobody cares how pretty your shoes are at kilometre 32—you won’t either.

Helmets

Safety ? Ventilation ? Aerodynamics ? Looks.
In that order and specific to the type of racing you are doing.

Race Day Extras

Socks, sunglasses, visors, bottle cages…
These are the easy wins. Get your practical pieces locked in and then match the rest.

Pretty isn’t always practical… but with the right approach, it absolutely can be.

Aim for gear that performs first.
Choose pieces that help you race your best.

Test everything.

 
And once the boxes are ticked go ahead, make it look sharp.

Because looking good is fun.
But finishing strong is better.