Kit ideas for PNW tri geeks

Gear & Brands | Some I Actually Use

Not a paid list. Just a rolling shortlist of bikes, wheels, cockpits, wetsuits, and apparel that tend to work for Pacific Northwest conditions. Treat it as a jumping-off point, not gospel.

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Wearables Triathlon & TT Bikes Race Wheels Cockpits & Aerobars Tri Swiss-Army Brands Aero Accessories & Race-Day Optimization

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Wearables

Stuff you wear — wetsuits, kits, compression, eyewear. No dupes, just the hits.

Blueseventy

Wetsuits and swim gear

Cold-water friendly suits that work well for PNW lakes and coastal races.

Cold-waterPNW favorite

Xterra Wetsuits

Value-focused wetsuits

Budget-friendly wetsuits used by many PNW age-groupers; solid entry point for first-timers.

ValueUsed it

Orca

Wetsuits and swim gear

Good spread from entry-level to high-end, with models that handle colder water well.

Cold-waterValue

HUUB

Wetsuits and triathlon gear

Rotate a lot of ideas through their lineup — worth a look if standard suits do not fit you right.

Fit-first

Zoot

Wetsuits + tri suits + race-day basics

Long history in tri; good value; and a lot of age-groupers end up in Zoot at some point.

PNW favoriteValueUsed it

De Soto Sport

Two-piece wetsuits + two-piece tri kits

If one-piece never quite fits, De Soto is the “make it fit” answer — functional and genuinely comfortable.

Fit-first

ROKA

Wetsuits + eyewear + fast-looking kit

Sharp patterning and materials — lots of serious racers use their suits, and the eyewear is actually good.

PremiumCold-waterUsed it

2XU

Tri kits + compression + wetsuits

Easy to find, decent value, huge size run — you’ll see 2XU everywhere at big regional races.

PNW favoriteValue

Castelli

Aero tri suits and bike apparel

Race-cut gear that is legitimately fast in the wind tunnel and still usable in the real world.

PremiumAero nerd

Rudy Project

Sunglasses, helmets, performance gear

Aero helmets and sunglasses with maximum style; Italian design meets race performance.

Aero nerdPremiumUsed it

Triathlon & TT Bikes

Frames you see over and over again in PNW transition racks.

Cervélo

Triathlon and time-trial bikes

Very easy to find locally, good fit ranges, and tons of real-world tri history behind them.

PNW favoritePremiumShop supportUsed it

Trek

Speed Concept and road/tri lineup

Big dealer network in the PNW and a long-standing tri presence, plus easy service support.

PNW favoriteShop support

Canyon

Direct-to-consumer tri and aero road

Aggressive spec for the money if you are comfortable doing more of the setup yourself.

Direct-to-consumerPremium

A2 Bikes

Portland-based tri and road bikes

Pacific Northwest direct-to-consumer brand offering solid value tri and road framesets.

Direct-to-consumerValuePNW favorite

Felt

Dedicated tri bikes and framesets

Felt has legit tri DNA (IA/“B” heritage) and still builds bikes that are all-in on aero + fit — the kind of platform you actually see at races, not just in catalog photos.

ValueTri-specific

Quintana Roo

Tri-only brand

Tri-specific geometry and details (storage, bosses, etc.) built around actual racing.

Tri-specific

Argon 18

Triathlon and aero road

Nice balance of adjustability and stiffness, with plenty of high-end pro usage.

Premium

BMC

High-end aero platforms

Not cheap, but extremely sorted front-ends and integration if you want full superbike vibes.

Premium

CUBE

Aerium triathlon & TT bikes

The Aerium is a wind-tunnel/CFD-driven speed weapon with smart storage/hydration options — big-engineering vibes without automatically pricing you into the stratosphere.

Aero nerdRace-dayValue

SCOTT

Plasma triathlon & TT bikes

The Plasma line is built around pure speed: modern aero shaping, serious integration, and lots of position range — basically “go fast, don’t overthink it” in carbon form.

PremiumRace-dayAero nerd

Race Wheels

Fast hoops that actually matter on flat/rolling PNW courses and windy coastal days.

Zipp

Deep aero wheels

Deep section wheels that are still rideable in gusty conditions; a staple at PNW races.

PremiumPNW favorite

HED Cycling

Aero wheels

Fast, stable wheelsets that handle PNW crosswinds better than most deep rims.

PremiumAero nerdUsed it

ENVE

Premium carbon wheels

If you care about ride feel as much as speed, their hoops are hard to beat.

Premium

DT Swiss

Hubs and wheel systems

Bulletproof hubs and raceable wheel options that still make sense for daily training.

Shop support

Roval (Specialized)

Integrated wheels for Specialized builds

Makes sense if you are already on Specialized; clean aero integration and good support.

Premium

Reynolds

Carbon wheelsets

Solid mid-range carbon wheels that punch above their price; great for training and local races.

Value

Flo Cycling

Budget aero wheels

Bang-for-buck aero wheels that show up constantly at age-group races; solid entry point.

ValueDirect-to-consumer

SwissSide

Precision-engineered aero wheels

Swiss aero brainpower — built for speed, not vibes.

Aero nerdPremium

Cockpits & Aerobars

Bars, extensions, and integrated setups for dialing in your front-end position.

TriRig

Aerobars, brakes, and aero bits

Clean, aero-focused components that tidy up the front end of a tri bike.

Aero nerdPremiumTri Swiss-Army BrandUsed it

Profile Design

Aerobars, extensions, and hydration

Easy-to-find cockpit parts and extensions when you are dialing in fit or upgrading a stock bike.

PNW favoriteShop supportValueTri Swiss-Army Brand

Vision

Integrated cockpits and aero bars

Common OEM spec on a ton of tri bikes; plenty of options if you like integrated setups.

Shop support

51 Speedshop

Fit-driven aerobars and extensions

More niche, but great if you are chasing very specific fit and pad/extension shapes.

Fit-first

FastTT

One-piece tri/TT aerobars (full-forearm “speedbar” style)

Full-send aero-nerd cockpit vibes: a clean, integrated bar designed around reducing drag and supporting your forearms (so you can stay low without suffering). Also: their bars are designed to bolt onto most tri/TT bikes, which makes the upgrade path way less painful.

Aero nerdRace-dayPremiumDirect-to-consumer

FSA / Vision

Aerobars, base bars, extensions, and tri cockpit components

The “you can actually source parts” option: Vision has a deep menu of clip-ons, base bars, and extensions—from simple setups to full integrated systems—so you can upgrade in stages instead of doing a whole new front end at once.

Shop supportAero nerdValueTri Swiss-Army Brand

Tri Swiss-Army Brands

Brands that show up in more than one “important gear lane” — great if you like a cohesive build.

RON Wheels

Carbon wheels + aero cockpit bits for tri/TT

Aero nerd gear without the boutique rabbit hole — wheels + front-end stuff that’s clean, fast, and race-ready.

Tri Swiss-Army BrandAero nerdRace-dayPremiumDirect-to-consumer

AeroCoach

Aero testing + components for marginal gains

Marginal-gains nerd heaven: real aero testing, practical race bits, and a bunch of published aero/CRR data you can actually use.

Aero nerdPremiumRace-day

Drag2Zero

Aero testing and optimization

Data-driven aero solutions and accessories from UK-based aero specialists.

Aero nerdPremium

Evolve Aero

Aero wheels + oddball-fast components for tri/TT/road

UK aero-nerd workshop energy: wheels plus “why does this exist?” components that are built around reducing drag in the real world. If you like gear that feels engineered (not marketed), Evolve is a fun rabbit hole.

Aero nerdPremiumDirect-to-consumerRace-day