Recommended equipment for a small girl?

Triathlon Forum
1

My daughter has seen me do a couple road and cross races and has caught the bug. She loves riding, if its above 40 and dry she demands we ride to school and right now does 4+ mile rides on the local bike path which is the paved trail at Jones Beach on Long Island. The biggest problem is she’s 7, which seems to exclude her from any road races i’ve found and most every cross race. However i’ve found a number of duathelons and triathelons that will allow her to do a race about every 3-4 weeks starting in April.

Her current ride is an old 20" gt kids bike, I’ve repacked all the bearings and adjusted the hubs and bb as perfectly as 20 year old equipment can be.
Because of its limits I just purchased a new Raleigh cx24 for her, its too big for the moment but I’m fixing that. The CX24 uses iso 540 disc wheels so I have a set of 20" wheels on the way which drops the whole bike nearly 2 inches, slightly more with the smaller tires so she can reach the road. I put a different post in that could be turned backwards which moves her closer to the bars, it already came with a 50mm stem so this was the best reach solution. It doesn’t quite put her forward of the bb so it should work. Finally the cranks are 155 so I’m going to drill and tap them at 140mm, shorter and I run out of meat in the arms and they start to curve. I really like the 1x10 12-32 set up, can’t imagine needing really low gears for a tri and it doesn’t have the complication of a front shifter. Can’t think of what else I can do with it till she’s bigger. Does only weigh 21lb, I’m thinking 19 with cranks cut down and smaller wheels and road tires so light enough.

That said I really don’t know what she needs for the swim and running. I did a number of sprint tri and a couple sprint XTerra races in college and always placed solidly, including a couple 2nd and 3rd places in age category but never got into it so the non-cycling side is not my forte.
I bought her decent running specific Nike’s, once fit was sorted color determined Nike over Adidas and NB. Right now she can run a mile which we do on a semi-regular basis, any specific clothes she should have for this? Right now most of her races seem to be 4-6 miles on the bike and at 4 miles padded shorts don’t seem to be an issue so I’d assume something she can just wear through both parts.
Swimming is the other part, some of the races recommend wet suits due to water temps, I have no idea brands on these and no clue what to look for. Right now she can swim, mostly (she can do 2 laps at the Y without drowning), but needs more practice, the first tri is early June so we can get lots more practice but that will need to include how to use a wet suit. So any recommendations?

Right now she can already do the distances in the races, so my biggest focus will be on making sure she has the right equipment and is able to do them one after the other and still have it be fun.

2

Forget all the drilling and tapping. You know what to do:
https://i.pinimg.com/564x/a0/85/7b/a0857b4d6bcbf5694dcaf8fc5c266b96--cycling-shorts-demotivational-posters.jpg

3

Does it have to be triathlon? If it does, find a local venue (or club) that organizes kids’ tri events where the swim is done in a pool.

If it does not have to be tri, get her into BMX. At least in our area there is lots of interest from both genders, age groups are 2 years starting at about 4 years old, and kids’ race BMX bikes are not super expensive (and typically sold on from one family to the next, as kids age out). Bonus is that even if she is not super competitive, she will learn bike handling like you would not believe.

4

She’d really prefer road and track but Kessina doesn’t seem to allow them on the track till 9 and neither does any of the road races we’ve found. She loves to swim and honestly I don’t want to get in her way, I’d rather she do duathelons and tri rather then have her get discouraged by telling her there’s no races she can do.
I did discuss BMX with the wife and she’s against it. The nearest bmx track is about 90 minutes away each way and my daughter would be the only one riding, with the other races either the wife or I can also compete which makes longer rides fine with her. She’s planning to do a couple sprints herself this year. I was a mechanic at a shop that had a top national BMX team in the 90s and thought the races were cool and the kids amazing so I was all for it, but not enough to fight the wife.

5

Giant has the Escape Jr. 24", 7sp. Flat bar, but you could change that. $315. Pinarello used to make the Kids Speedy. $900ish. Cannonade does some kids’ bikes, too. 24" may be too big for a 7 year old.

Since you’re in NY, give R & A Cycles a call - they’ll know something.

6

I’d try to avoid the wetsuit if you can. The supersprints the swim is only 200yds or so. Or buy her a springsuit off ebay or craigslist. I think you can get one for $20-30 and then resell it later. Just dont get her use to having all the expensive equipment you will go broke before she is 18. For the bike I have no idea she is so young I’d just have her ride what you got maybe around 10 start combing craigslist or even just look at walmart for a cheap 10 speed type bike.

7

At 7yr, she’s prob only swimming 25-50m, so no wetsuit required. Can do whole thing in a swim suit + runners.

U could always do what we did, start a Tri/road club for kids. Hard to find races to attend, but you can have a lot of fun with parking lot crit courses and a bunch of kids who love to ride bikes! Bonus - bike handling practice for all the coaches.

8

I put a different post in that could be turned backwards which moves her closer to the bars,.

Careful with that - putting the saddle too far forward usually causes the rider to rotate their pelvis back and arch spine - leading to reduced reach. So you don’t gain anything and the rider is uncomfortable.

Finally the cranks are 155 so I’m going to drill and tap them at 140mm, shorter and I run out of meat in the arms and they start to curve.

Needs to be at least 22mm shorter if you’re to have any material left above the hole. Probably safer to buy some 140s.

9

This is really exciting - I wish my folks had been this kind of engaged in my interests.

I’d like to second what a couple of others said about wetsuits, clothing. One of the less desireable features of tri is all the crap (gear) it needs. So anything that strips that down and simplifies gear carrying, gear changing during the event, gear to keep track of and not get left behind after, would make it more fun to me as a kid and probably a parent as well.

You didn’t mention a backpack, but one for carrying her goggles, bike helmet, maybe a towel for after. Sunscreen.

Swim in whatever (bathing suit, snug shorts and snug shirt - just so they don’t swish and make swimming feel awkward), goggles, maybe bring her own cap - I say that since I don’t know if kids events give them out like adult ones do and don’t know if they’re sized for a 7 y.o.'s head, and b/c I feel distracted if my hair is bugging me or if I feel like my cap is slipping off. She could wear her well-fitting cap under a race cap if the race one is a little too big. Wetsuits add a layer of complication that just isn’t needed for a swim taking less than 20 min to complete (based on my experience in water in the low 60’s, and kids are more robust).

Out of the water, slip on runners - easier to leave socks off if she can stand it. Swap headgear (goggles/cap to helmet, glasses?) and she’s off. I’m unsure water bottles are used at that distance, or whether it’s advised against so young riders aren’t distracted? Not sure if kids bikes have water bottle cages these days, mine sure didn’t. Anyway, after 10 y.o. my thighs started filling out and I wouldn’t have found riding a bike in a bathing suit all that comfortable. But I used to cover 10 miles no problem without padded bike shorts, which was why I suggested snug shorts (that extend 2+ inches on inner leg) above. If she’s happy in a bathing suit - great for her! As for glasses, I’ve also had sensitive eyes in bright sun, even as a kid.

Just thought of something. Does her bike have a kick stand? B/c it’ll probably be too small for a standard hanging bike rack (mine still is).

Do kids wear bib #'s? If so, a race belt would be great since pinned on #'s may get distroyed in the swim or be tough to affix in transition.

If she wants to feel racey and like she has cool gear, some elastic laces in her runners could do the trick. Lots of color choices for some added fun, and removes the thoughts of laces done too quickly coming undone and getting caught in the bike crank or tripped over in the run.

Sounds super fun!

10

I am on my touch so searching is hard but will try later on a computer. Here in Indianapolis, Louisville and even Des Moines all have youth development teams. Look around where you are. The kids here do everything … Road, mtb (is how ours started) and cross. I know Midwest Devo has done stuff at the track as well.

Do you know any USA Cycling reps? Or give the association a shout to get contacts for youth teams.

Another place to look is the Hogh School league. The new one in Indiana Expanded to allow youth over 5(?) to participate in their own cat.

Just thoughts on resources.

11

Careful with that - putting the saddle too far forward usually causes the rider to rotate their pelvis back and arch spine - leading to reduced reach. So you don’t gain anything and the rider is uncomfortable.

Needs to be at least 22mm shorter if you’re to have any material left above the hole. Probably safer to buy some 140s.
Got any more info on the seat? I swapped posts since the old one wouldn’t go level, new one is tilted about 1- 1.5* down at the nose but my kids keep swiping my wixey digital angle finder from the wood shop so I couldn’t check precisely.
I also haven’t done an exact measurement of the crank other than to verify there’s enough to move the pedals and still have a decent amount between the new hole and the old one. I’m guessing a 7 year old won’t have a ton of power to put down that I have to worry that there’s an adult sized amount of material after the pedals. I’ll also make sure not to heat them when I bandsaw off the old hole and sand down.

12

You didn’t mention a backpack, but one for carrying her goggles, bike helmet, maybe a towel for after. Sunscreen.

Swim in whatever (bathing suit, snug shorts and snug shirt - just so they don’t swish and make swimming feel awkward), goggles, maybe bring her own cap - I say that since I don’t know if kids events give them out like adult ones do and don’t know if they’re sized for a 7 y.o.'s head, and b/c I feel distracted if my hair is bugging me or if I feel like my cap is slipping off. She could wear her well-fitting cap under a race cap if the race one is a little too big. Wetsuits add a layer of complication that just isn’t needed for a swim taking less than 20 min to complete (based on my experience in water in the low 60’s, and kids are more robust).

Out of the water, slip on runners - easier to leave socks off if she can stand it. Swap headgear (goggles/cap to helmet, glasses?) and she’s off. I’m unsure water bottles are used at that distance, or whether it’s advised against so young riders aren’t distracted? Not sure if kids bikes have water bottle cages these days, mine sure didn’t. Anyway, after 10 y.o. my thighs started filling out and I wouldn’t have found riding a bike in a bathing suit all that comfortable. But I used to cover 10 miles no problem without padded bike shorts, which was why I suggested snug shorts (that extend 2+ inches on inner leg) above. If she’s happy in a bathing suit - great for her! As for glasses, I’ve also had sensitive eyes in bright sun, even as a kid.

Just thought of something. Does her bike have a kick stand? B/c it’ll probably be too small for a standard hanging bike rack (mine still is).

Do kids wear bib #'s? If so, a race belt would be great since pinned on #'s may get distroyed in the swim or be tough to affix in transition.

If she wants to feel racey and like she has cool gear, some elastic laces in her runners could do the trick. Lots of color choices for some added fun, and removes the thoughts of laces done too quickly coming undone and getting caught in the bike crank or tripped over in the run.

Sounds super fun!
You and others probably have a good point on swimming, it is short distances; we’ll find out in late May/early how well it works by swimming in the ocean then riding. We’ve only recently moved to LI so I’m hoping the water is warm enough by then to practice in. Usually it was by that time in Lake Ontario for short swims.
She doesn’t wear socks now so going without for the transition shouldn’t be a problem, similarly all the shoes at her size have a Velcro top strap. Non running are laced but not running specific that we found. I also won’t use clipless pedals with her for at least another year so that cuts down some equipment. I’ll look for the caps for swimming.
The bike does have a spot for a cage which she will get but I’d guess she only needs a bottle for fun rides. No kickstand, bike doesn’t come with and I won’t install one. I will also look for a number belt.
Thanks for the feedback so far.

13

Whoa! We’re talking bikes, wetsuits & race kits and she can swim a couple of laps “without drowning?”

  1. Swim lessons!
  2. Contact local USA Swimming and/or YMCA swim teams. Get her going there. Everyone needs learn how to swim (correctly & well). It may save her life some day. Have her learn now rather than wait until she becomes an Adult Onset Swimmer. She’ll thank you for it later in life.
14

Whoa! We’re talking bikes, wetsuits & race kits and she can swim a couple of laps “without drowning?”

  1. Swim lessons!
  2. Contact local USA Swimming and/or YMCA swim teams. Get her going there. Everyone needs learn how to swim (correctly & well). It may save her life some day. Have her learn now rather than wait until she becomes an Adult Onset Swimmer. She’ll thank you for it later in life.
    It’s slightly poorly worded; we started her at the Y with swim lessons when she was 2 and kept it up till she turned 7 last August. Despite the lessons she still doesn’t swim well in my opinion, I know I was much better at the same age. As I mentioned above we’re going to be starting at the community center, the Y is too far from where we now live to go to.
    I will check out the local USA swimming.
15

Give you all an idea of who we’re talking about, here she is after her last 4 mile ride, it was 45 out and she loved it.

The other is testing out the new Raleigh in the church parking lot. With the post reversed it isn’t a bad reach, seat isn’t all the way forward. The seat is close to where it needs to be. Just needs the 20" wheels to get it down then lots of miles on the local paths to get more familiar.

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16

a kid that cute should be on a hello kitty bike.

17

At this age she is going to be crushed by a kid riding a Huffy who swims 5 days a week on a club team. If you want her there be a fast triathlete then spend your money on a swim team. But if she really just wants to ride then just take her for rides.

By the way, I am totally jealous as my 7 year old just got her training wheels off. She is just a nervous kid in general and it doesn’t help that we don’t have a good area nearby for her to gain confidence on the bike.

18

We put on a cross race every year with a kids category that does not look too different from that pic!

rich

19

Her seat is too low.

Just kidding.
I think it’s very encouraging to hear that there are kids who still have an interest in triathlon. It warms my heart and kudos to you for the support and encouragement! She looks fierce and seems to be having a lot of fun.

Keep going with the du’s and tri’s that you can find and she can do. Getting her involved directly in S and R clubs at school is a must. My son had a blast at cross country and eventually did Jr Olympics and he clearly learned how to run with the coach’s help, back when he was 7 or 8. Try to find a local swim team for kids at the Y. Learning the way swimmers swim and runners run, and how they train is vitally important when they are young. My kids swam in HS for only 3 years and did no swimming after HS and then each did a triathlon 5 years later with minimal training. They both did a sprint and then a few weeks later, one did an OLY and the other a HIM, and both had the least amount of trouble with the swim due to their prior HS swim training. Get her swimming regularly early and coached for a few years and it will carry over for life.

I doubt there is as much around for formal cycling training but keep checking around. At least, bikes and kids go hand in hand, so just encourage her to ride a lot, as you are doing now. There will be more opportunities as she gets older for cycling races. Street riding has greater risk so try to find protected trails. There must be many other places you can find and go to that are relatively close by, on the weekends. Oh, and learn how to do transitions well. It seems like it is a lost art on adults.

Remember to keep it all a positive experience. No pressure-all fun. Fit for life.
Best of luck to her!

20

I’ve done pretty much every triathlon on Long Island, from sprints up to the 70.3. I can’t say I ever remember seeing kids wearing wetsuits. Maybe some of them had rash guards on, but it was few and far between. I also volunteered at one of the duathlons once and it was adorable haha. But I wouldn’t go to crazy with gear, you’ll see kids show up with whatever bike they’ve got, the showing up is the important part.

You should be able to get in the water in early May, but don’t go to the ocean, you need to go to the bays where it won’t be as cold, and a lot calmer. But keep in mind, even in May it’s pretty damn cold. I don’t know that I would swim around here without at least a sleeveless wetsuit until end of June/early July.

April will give you the best opportunity for a race at the Mini Mighty Man. Pool swim and very short bike and run. Unless she shows comfort in open water, maybe that should be the only triathlon she does this year. You could then have her do duathlons, which there are 4 of on LI; RaceAwesome and EventPowerLI each have a spring and fall duathlon. (There may be some other smaller ones) Then there are a few in the boroughs throughout the year.