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Dan
QL
Member Since:
02/06/2007 Total Posts: 33
1.7 Years Ago
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Hi,
I'm new to Fitness Journal & was wondering if anyone had advice regarding cycling shoes & cleats. I've never used them before & am entering my first full sprint triathlon next month. I'll be riding a mountain bike & was wondering if anyone has recommendations on what type of cycling shoes/cleats I should look at?
Cheers
Danny |
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Tri Geek
MN
Member Since:
02/20/2007 Total Posts: 459
1.7 Years Ago
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Hi Dan,
I'm an avid reader and novice tri-geek. I'd recommend an SPD clip w/ a moderate shoe. You can easily walk around in SPD shoes and are more popular among mountain bikers.
However, you may want to convert to a road or tri bike if you stick w/ triathlons. Then you may want to shift over to a road shoe. The clips are easier for the transition and the pedals are often larger providing more leverage with the foot. You don't want to do a lot of walking around in a road shoe.
Good luck with the sprint.
Greg |
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Jimbo
FL
Member Since:
01/03/2005 Total Posts: 667
1.7 Years Ago
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Danny,
Are you an avid Mtn Biker? If not then I would just go with whatever pedals are on the bike and ride in your running shoes. It will make T2 go a lot quicker. Plus, you won't gain any benefit in the tri by investing in shoes and cleats, unless you are planning on doing a lot of off road tri's or is this an off road tri?
Actually I should take that back because you may gain a little bit of benefit but I am not familiar with the construction of a mtn bike shoe. For example, a road shoe has a stiff sole so the power you use to push the pedal is not wasted and is directly transferred to the pedal stroke. If you wear say a running shoe with a soft sole then the flex of the sole allows for wasted energy and therefore less power to the pedal stroke. For your first tri though, you probably don't need to worry about it all that much. Just have FUN!!!!
As Greg said...once you progress in your tri growth, you will probably want to invest in a tri or road bike. I like Speedplay because they give the foot a lot of float and they are VERY simple to get in and out of. You can clip in on either side and your foot is not "locked" in to relatively one place. You can still move it around while clipped.
P.S. And as Allison points out...yes...you will fall over at least once. Everyone has and everyone will. HAHA!!! Happy cycling!!! |
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Alison
BC
Member Since:
04/04/2006 Total Posts: 349
1.7 Years Ago
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I'll add my two cents to the already excellent advice to say that if you do decide on clipless pedals you should be sure to give yourself enough time using them before the race to get used to them. Clipless pedals can be tricky to clip in or out of and race day may not be the ideal time to figure it out.
Good luck! |
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Dan
QL
Member Since:
02/06/2007 Total Posts: 33
1.7 Years Ago
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Thanks everyone. At this stage I'm a little unsure what I want to do. The cycling leg of the upcoming triathlon is on road, but I am interested in doing some off road adventure races when my fitness level has improved. So I was looking at a shoe which may suit both on & off road use. I had a bit of a browse on line last night & found two affordable shoes, the pick of the bunch being the Specialized Sport Mountain http://www.riders.com.au/product_info.php?products_id=674&osCsid=ea2aace640810f36f890273779948a53
The other one is the Specialized Sport Road http://www.riders.com.au/product_info.php?cPath=50_67_129_132&products_id=670&osCsid=ea2aace640810f36f890273779948a53
One reason I like the "sport road" is because it has the optional cleat system (good if I choose to purchase a road bike with Look style cleats later).
Any thoughts?
Don't worry, I plan to get several rides in prior to the race, as I too have heard plenty of stories of cyclists not getting their cleat out of the pedal in time to stop themselves falling :-)
Cheers
Danny
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David
CT
Member Since:
02/21/2007 Total Posts: 26
1.7 Years Ago
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At the risk of sounding sophomoric, I actually ran in my Shimano cycling shoes in most of my 1/2 day adventure races. Those shoes saved me a few times, particularly when I had to "hike-a-bike" up rocky terrain. I still use the same shoes when I have hill training for my tri.
I completely agree with the comments made earlier. Riding clipless even for AR'ing makes a huge difference, but if you don't have any experience riding clipless be sure to consider the following a) Find a nice grassy place to ride, b) It wouldn’t hurt to wear your armor & full-face for WHEN you take a digger and c) Be sure to have a friend armed with a video camera and access to youtube.com for a little comic relief.
Let us know how you make out!
DW
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Tri Geek
MN
Member Since:
02/20/2007 Total Posts: 459
1.7 Years Ago
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Ha ha... great posts.
I have taken more than one digger in my SPD's. On recreational rides vs. races. Of course it always happens when coming to an usure stop with lots of people around, often at a busy intersection.
I am looking to go to road shoes... I have looked at the shimano's but have considered the speedplays. Has anyone tried them both and able to provide a user comparison between them?
Thanks,
Greg |
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Gerry
CA
Member Since:
12/19/2005 Total Posts: 227
1.7 Years Ago
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Awesome posts.... thought that I would add to the great posts already....often times when you get something that does both, it does neither very well.
Try on different makes of shoes because they have different lasts/ widths etc...I find Carnacs (fr) being wider in the toe box whereas sidi's (It.) are more narrow, and shimanos somewhere in-between.
I used Campy and Look pedals on the road bikes as they are platform type and I feel that they distribute my power more evenly throughout the platform. As opposed to the Shimano pedals that I use on my commuter bike; mtn. bike; and tandem which I feel puts most of my power/ weight on the ball of my foot area where the pedal contacts the shoe.
I feel the shimano shoes are more flexible than the road shoes or even the Sidi Mtb. bike shoes. I wear the sidi mtn bike shoes on the mtn. bike and on the tandem cuz they are more comfortable when I have to walk.
To sum up, try many different shoe/ pedal combinations... before you settle on what you like, you might like different combinations for different applications.
good luck,
gerry |
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Tri Geek
MN
Member Since:
02/20/2007 Total Posts: 459
1.7 Years Ago
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Great post!
I wish I could buy all the shoes and pedals and return those that didn't "qualify".
Good point on toe box w/ Carnac. I need the wider boxes. Therapist says my big toe is curving in! Blah.
I may buy a used set of LOOK and FREEPLAY to see what I like best. That will be a little later... (a month?)
Greg |
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Gerry
CA
Member Since:
12/19/2005 Total Posts: 227
1.7 Years Ago
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Perhaps you have some friends at a bike shop that will let you try the different pedals....otherwise, you won't go wrong with either, but not for a mtn bike... lots of luck,
g |
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Tammie
WI
Member Since:
10/10/2005 Total Posts: 571
1.7 Years Ago
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I'm no expert, but when I do a tri I use pedals with straps. This allows me to wear my running shoes during the bike ride and I don't have to change shoes in that transition. The straps also allow me to use both the up stroke and the down stroke for the bike ride. I don't know if that is phrased correctly, but it works for me. I would also recommend borrowing a road bike for your tri, just get the feel for the bike first. The first time I did a tri I used a "comfort" bike - a cross between a mountain bike and a road bike. It was too heavy and really slowed me down. The next year I had a road bike and cut 15 minutes off of the bike time! It may be worth it for you. The most important piece of advice... HAVE FUN!!! Don't worry if you have the fastest time, just think about all of those at home sitting on their BUTTS while you are out there doing a TRIATHLON!!!
Good luck & KEEP MOVING...
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Tri Geek
MN
Member Since:
02/20/2007 Total Posts: 459
1.7 Years Ago
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Maybe I can hit up the local tri shop to see what they have in inventory for use (trial).
I started tri's last year and bought my tri bike 2 years prior. Ha. Just too busy to get into the sport at the time. Wish we had home pages (very simple ones to keep confirmity with this clean, elegant site) to post some basic bio info and a few pics.
Keep on trucking you tri-geeks.
Greg |
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Derrick
CA
Member Since:
01/07/2007 Total Posts: 4
1.7 Years Ago
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Speedplay Frogs are a great option. Frog's are speedplays mtb version. They offer all the advantages of speedplay peddles - lot's of float and clip in on either side of the peddle - but with MTB shoes so you can walk and not worry about your cleats getting clogged with dirt. I bought these for my wife so that she could use mtb shoes on her road bike.
Speedplay road peddles are great, but you have to know that if you are walking in dirt or mud, the speedplay road cleat can get full of debris and need to be cleaned out before you can clip in. Not a huge deal, but was something I never thought about. You can buy cleat covers to use if you will be walking alot.
Alot of road riders prefer Look compatible cleats, but I've never ridden them so can't comment.
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