Cycle Shoes???
Blinkybaz
Posts: 1,144
in General Chat
Blinkybaz wrote:
Hello all,
I have reached the point now where the toe clips just dont cut it anymore.
I would be grateful of some advice on cycle shoes please
I have looked on the interweb and there are so many to chose from!
I saw a nice pair of canondale shoes with pedals and cleets fro arond £60. Cant remember which pedals came with it.
I am not looking to spend the earth but entry level will do as these will only be to race in this season and for training, I will buy some good ones to race next season.
(with that thread running at mo I dont want seem like I am looking fror cheap kit just reasonable and functional)
Any advice will be greatly recieved.
I've just purchased a set of tri specifc ones after a few entertaining attempts to transition with clipped in pedals before realising normal bike shoes have the strap opening towards the bike!!
Settled on the Shimano TR30's at £60 reduced from £80, looks even better value now when you consider the new version (TR31) is upto £97 for what looks like the same shoe!
Not had the chance to spin them in anger yet but they're definitely easy to get on/off.
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/shimano/tr30-spd-sl-shoes-ec011147?utm_source=froogle&utm_medium=froogle&utm_campaign=froogle
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I have reached the point now where the toe clips just dont cut it anymore.
I would be grateful of some advice on cycle shoes please
I have looked on the interweb and there are so many to chose from!
I saw a nice pair of canondale shoes with pedals and cleets fro arond £60. Cant remember which pedals came with it.
I am not looking to spend the earth but entry level will do as these will only be to race in this season and for training, I will buy some good ones to race next season.
(with that thread running at mo I dont want seem like I am looking fror cheap kit just reasonable and functional)
Any advice will be greatly recieved.
Nothing is a bargain if they don't fit and as a result your don't wear them.
Comfort is key - making the transition to clipless pedals will make a massive improvement no matter which shoes you go for.
If you want tri specific shoes they have a big loop at the back to pull them on and one big velcro strap to fix in position.
For my fist few tri's I used my moutain bike shoes with clipless SPDs and they were just fine and dandy. How now upgraded to Specialized road shoes which I can get in and out of just as quick as tri specific shoes.
Also think about what pedals you really need. It's great to spend the cash on some beautiful alloy masterpiece, but I'm guessing that spending an extra £200 to save 1.5 grammes of metal isn't high on your list. Nor mine.
I have stuck with MTB pedals for a couple of reasons: they are double sided, so easy to hit when I'm wobbling about in T1; they have a lot more lateral movement than a road pedal, so they're kind to my bow-legs and wobbly knees; they're cheap.
Also, try the leg-dangling test. Sit on a table or something, and see how your feet hang. When you attach your cleats to the shoes you'll need to fix them on to echo that angle.
To be honest, even the most basic 'proper' pedal and shoe is such a massive improvement on toe clips that you can't go to far wrong.
Expect a lot of them, since they are my first tri-specific ones!
Your feet swell during cycling, also the fact that they are clamped in the same place has an effect. I would advise you to go to a reputable bike shop and try on various shoes and take advice from the shopkeeper.
There is a myriad of brands out there - each will have a slightly different fit and be more suited to cycle style and pedal systems and may or not suit you. Do not buy on price point and do not buy from the internet, do not buy because they look good or because they are cut price. Go and try them all and see them in the flesh
I have now made the purchase and fitted the SPD-SL shoes and pedals to the bike. I went for Shimano shoes and pedals.
First time out and I knocked 6 mins off my PB. (I wont let you in on how poor my PB is, just gratefull its getting quicker)
Cheers!
love the tri-specific gadgets on them!
Is a closer fit better than haveing room for your foot to move? Is some heel movement when you pull expected or is it a bad thing?
Is there a particular time of day to try them on, am thinking after work or a turbo session when my feet are hot and might have swelled a bit.
This Shimano system gives a stable and wide platform for getting the power down and as regards shoes: ill-fitting shoes cause problems both with cycling and with sore feet, legs back. Do not go out to buy shoes on cost buy them on comfort and suitability