Racing long course in the Caribbean: an equipment guide from the island
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Every long-course guide on the internet was written for Kona or Frankfurt. You are racing here — 32 degrees, ninety percent humidity, trade winds off the Atlantic, and a run that starts when the sun is already serious. This is what we have learned about equipment for Caribbean racing, island races like the San Juan half included, from riding and fitting on these exact roads.
Heat is the equipment problem
Most triathlon gear is designed in northern Europe for northern European spring. Here, heat is not an edge case — it is the race. It is why we carry Cádomotus: shoes built for sockless riding and hot conditions as a starting assumption, with the low stack that saves your calves for the marathon. It is why the aero helmet we stock has real venting — an aero lid you cannot wear at 32 degrees is a souvenir, not equipment.
Hydration that stays on the bike
Caribbean road surfaces eat bottle cages. A bottle that leaves your bike at kilometre 60 is a race-changing mistake that costs twenty dollars to prevent — which is the entire argument for the Wove BTS system: cages that mount directly to the saddle, a bracket for two bottles on long course, and a retention loop that ends the conversation.
Wheel depth and the coastal wind
The trade winds are real, and they do not care what the wind tunnel said. Our honest matrix: a disc or deep rear is almost always right; the front is where body weight decides. Under about 65 kg, treat mid-depth as your front-wheel ceiling on exposed courses. Bigger and stronger? The deep fronts and full discs — No.6 Pulsar, OVERFAST Phantom — are the fastest equipment we sell. Tell us your weight and your course before you spend; we will tell you the truth, including when the answer is the shallower wheel.
The position you can actually hold
The fastest setup is the one you are still holding at kilometre 80. That is a saddle question (the Wove V8 exists precisely for holding an aero position), a crank-length question (shorter cranks open your hip angle — we stock real lengths from 155 mm), and ultimately a fitting question. Saddles, shoes and aerobars are the three things riders most often buy wrong — so we measure first, and the fee is credited against whatever the session leads to.
We built a collection with all of it in one place — and if you tell us your race, we will tell you what you do and do not need from it.