Get tri shorts. Solid black if you are concerned about showing off. They have a pad to ease the bike ride AND they dry super quick. My personal fave are De Soto Sport carrera, There are many others to choose from. Alternatively, swim briefs (speedos for example) will work for this length, and if people look at you funny, well, I hope you are well trained and people will like the show.Body glide will prevent chafing. Put it on anywhere that might rub. Gels you can tape to the top tube on the bike. I have used electrical tape directly on the frame and another tape (cello packing tape if I recall) on top of that to avoid damaging the paint job. Tape the tab of the gel. Then you can remove the tab just by grabbing the gel. If you can take the gel while riding, even very easy, that it probably less time that taking the gel while standing in transition. Time commitment on the bike if you want to achieve your potential is a lot. And if you are like most of us (really), that potential is not all that impressive except to friends and family.
joed|rt wrote:
Besides, you can still use them on bike rides or swims down the road (you don't just have to use them once). Good luck with your triathlon. They are harder than most people think (make sure to have some gels with you between the disciplines so you are less likely to bonk). I did them for a while after college and the varied training seemed to help heal up some of the running specific overuse injuries from college and made everything stronger, but the time commitment was too much to maintain once I was married with children.