Triathlon - Can I swim in my shorts? Bibs?

I'm a grad student with no money. I'm looking to run my first triathlon. I'm also looking at buying my first pair of bike shorts -- or I might just go whole-hog and get bibs. Everybody seems to gush about them, and I'll try anything twice.

So for a first newbie sprint triathlon for a guy who doesn't want to change more often than Barbie, can I wear these things in the pool? Or is this a ridiculous question?

probably not bibs in the water. tri-shorts have less padding in the butt so they dry quicker. Regular shorts/bib for training, tri-shorts for racing. for a sprint you could probably get away with just a swimsuit (speedo - if your brave :)).

good luck and have fun.

Check out www.sportsbasement.com They have some of their stuff on sale...check out the tri suits that can be worn through the entire race. I love mine for sprints and international distances.

For a sprint you can get away with your swim suit (jammers).

RedHairedScot: Sure you can wear your biking shorts to swim in. I may be in the minority but I don't prefer bibs over regular shorts. A trisuit, as mentioned by others, would be a good investment if you think you'll be doing more than one triathlon.

Go with the speedos. On a sprint the distance you ride is probably no more than 20 miles. Howerver a wet chamois with standard bike shorts might make the run very uncomfortable.

So what do people actually wear?

Swim: Wetsuit over tri-bike shorts?
Bike: Tri-bike shorts w/ jersey?
Run: Same?

Why not:

Swim: Wetsuit over speedos
Bike: Bike shorts over speedos
Run: Running shorts over speedos

OR,

If it's warm enough, why not:

Swim - Speedo
Bike - Speedo
Run - Speedo ?

When I did a "tin-man" (now "Olympic" distance) tri 20 years ago, this is what I wore. The speedo dried on the bike and was fine for the run. I have a bit of a belly now, so out of the water I will be sure to have on a shirt or singlet just so the dogs, horses, women and children don't spook. That was the uniform of the elite guys that day, also. Butt might be a little saddle sore the next day, but 24 miles of riding shouldn't do lasting damage.

Tyson

When I was a 20 something (meaning in shape) I was speedo man. I'd do the swim and bike in the speedo and then add a top for the run. What I'm planning on doing in June is do everything in bike shorts. I swim and run in them now so I'm used to the feeling of wearing them. I'm planning on wearing a short sleeve underarmor type shirt as well. I'm doing this for a couple of reasons. I plan to wear my HRM for the whole race and I think having a shirt over it for the swim, since I won't be wearing a wet suit, will help keep it in place and it makes pulling a bike jersey on after the swim a whole lot easier. The jersey slides over the underarmor shirt much easier than my wet skin. When I drop the poundage I'll go back to wearing a tri suit. I still have one that I used to wear back in 1999 when I did the Whistlestop duathlon and I'm looking forward to the day that I'll be able to wear it again :)

haha -- 'just so the dogs, horses, women and children don't spook'

I plan to wear my HRM for the whole race

Dumb question...HRM?

Dumb question...HRM?
Heart Rate Monitor