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Bike shoes/pedals
Patch
Posts: 11
in General Chat
Now that I am hooked on triathlon I am looking at buying some new gear.
I thought I would start with the cycle shoes as it is likely to make the most improvement. however I haven't got a clue what a cleat is and whether you need to buy a pedal that fits that or shoe that fits either!!!!! Let alone how to fit them.
Can someone explain to me what basic set up I need.
Thanks
I thought I would start with the cycle shoes as it is likely to make the most improvement. however I haven't got a clue what a cleat is and whether you need to buy a pedal that fits that or shoe that fits either!!!!! Let alone how to fit them.
Can someone explain to me what basic set up I need.
Thanks
0
Comments
There are to main types of shoe/ pedal:
SPD: the little ones used for montian biking and touring
SPDL: road ones this tend to be larger
if you buy a shoes which has a 3 screw in system they will fit any road shoe
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y32/zbikenut/IMG_0393.jpg
hope this helps
Andy
Cleats wise: Well all the standard brands willaccept allthe cleat systems. There are several on the market - all brand names ; Look, Time, Shimano SPD (road) amongst others. I would say avoid cycling specific cleats - like the Crank Brothers lollipops and stick to a more mainstream triathlon/cycling system. Again its about 1. Power transfer on the bike and 2. Ease of transition (both in and out). Do you run bare foot and enter & exit on the bike or do you shoe up and then mount the bike? Have a look, ask questions and try them out. I use Shimano road for both road biking and tri, mainly because they feel very positive on the drive ie I feel I'm well connected to the pedal partly because I perceive them to be more finely adjustable, but others swear by the latest Time system - for the same reasons! Its a bit like asking which is the best trainer, once you go above a cetain point they are all pretty good its a case of which one ticks all your boxes
I guess I will spend a bit longer doing research before taking the plunge