Entry Level Pedals and Shoes
jase
Posts: 47
in General Chat
I'm in the market for some clip in pedals and shoes - what would anyone recomend as the best entry level options?
Where is the best place to buy - Wiggle obviously but who else?
Where is the best place to buy - Wiggle obviously but who else?
0
Comments
I got these pedals, can't remember where from but find them very easy to use.
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Shimano_105_5610_SPD-SL_Pedals/5360031902/
[image]local://2838/D54C53686D634C908EC84E4774F2FFB7.jpg[/image]
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/dhb_R1_Road_Shoes/5360033177/
[image]http://www.wiggle.co.uk/images/dhb-road-shoes.jpg[/image]
yes, but they are very cheap! If I can find any proper tri one strap shoes not too far from forty quid I will have a look at them - not sure I will though [:D]
Any recommendations? I'm on a budget!
http://www.louisgarneau.com/catalogs/catalog_product.asp?catalogue=SM9§ion=MS&sub_section=032&style_no=1487044&type_catalogue=&language=ENG&website=2
And I didn't pay anywhere near that much for them. Think I paid about £40. Mine are white and silver, so probably last years design.
The shoe is fairly wide but then I have wide feet, so that suits me. They also came with two sets of insoles, one for warm weather and one for cold.
Served me pretty well and as you can see, one strap.
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Exustar_SR900_Triathlon_Shoes/5360036696/
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/shimano/tr30-spd-sl-shoes-ec011147
Thought it was a bargain but then I was buying my turbo at the same time which was £200
But still go to the LBS and sniff around what they have especially in today's market where they'll be gagging for customers.
Worth a try.
I bought some of these from JE James last year. THey generally have some good bargains.
I can live with that...
One strap would be a bit easier but two is manageable.
Think tri-specific shoes also have drainage for wet feet whereas road shoes don't.
As Scibby says a couple of secs here and there isn't going to bother me. The extra cost of tri-specific shoes might!
I didn't intend to go for all out carbon fibre soles etc but as they went for a good price I guess I'm sorted.
I seriously thought about getting the DHBs - as the orange black white pair as the same colours as my bike! - but I've had a play at playing with my MTB shoes whilst on a road bike and don't want to do any more fiddling on the fly than I have to - yes a few straps shouldn't make a difference but riding bike into a solid object/marshall/other triathlete while I'm playing with my shoes may add more time.
And no I am not running in road cleats; I will (somehow) have to learn the elastic band trick.
But first I need pedals... So now I've got whizzy shoes maybe I need whizzier pedals than I thought... MTB ones make centre on foot totally numb on road rides, quite inconvenient for the run.
It may only be 2 extra staps but try putting your feet in and fastening them all while cycling (cause that would ideally be how we all do transition one day !!)
I have been and looked at my local bike shops and they are considerably more expensive than I can find on the net and have next to no selection, especially for shoes.
I am a bit nervous about buying shoes off the net but intend to splash out on a set of Shimano 105 pedals first and continue looking for the shoes. I'm thinking the 1 second per strap is still going to be quicker than the double bows on my trainers ;-)
I got a pair of Shimano TR50's. Pic below.
I wanted to address the 'is it really worth it' question. I have asked this question myself as it was my money buying them! And i already have a decent pair of standard cycling shoe's. It comes down to what distance races you are planning on doing. If you are doing super sprints, sprints or even Olympic then every second counts in transition. I am planning lots of sprints this year and depending on how the season goes i may enter an Olympic, i thought long and hard about buying tri specific shoes and here were my main considerations:
1. Would i be able to leave my standard shoes attached to the pedals of my bike ready for T1 and more specifically, would i be able to get my feet into them once on the move??
2. Alternatively (to consideration 1), and giving up some valuable time, would i be able to put my standard cycle shoes on in T1 in good time, and run with my bike to T1 exit (without falling over) before jumping on and clipping in?
3. How much time will it save me having tri specific shoe's (thinking about considerations 1 & 2), how much does it matter to me, and could i make up any time gained by having the tri-shoes in another way with less £'s.
Conclusions:
To point #1, no! There's no way i could get my feet in the standard shoes if they were already on the pedals. It takes me two hands to put them on when i'm sitting down! And the Velcro straps would be eaten by the bike!
To point #2, yes - maybe, i could put the shoes on and run through transition with them on, but it would take valuable time and i might regret it if i slip over due to the lack of grip cycle shoes offer.
To point #3, if i have the tri-shoes they could be left on the bike (clipped in), and i can just get on with running through t1, when i mount i can get in them quickly due to the single strap and heel hook. Any time saved is worth it, and this seems like a cheap(er) way to save up to minute (or more).
Here's my new shoes....[:D]
[image]local://2838/7106C37C01E248FFB47A148B2B89B81F.jpg[/image]