Shoes at T1
gdh250467
Posts: 237
in General Chat
I just got my first bike shoes and clip pedals this weekend, I'm racing this Sunday.
I had been intending not bothering with the "shoes on the bike" thing. Then I tried walking in bike shoes and cleats. Cue Sunday morning spent practising the shoes on the bike method!
I had been intending not bothering with the "shoes on the bike" thing. Then I tried walking in bike shoes and cleats. Cue Sunday morning spent practising the shoes on the bike method!
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(I've got the non-slip Look cleats, so walking is slightly easier)
I know the pro's/competent have their shoes clipped in ready, run through T1 barefoot and get their feet into theri shoes as they go. However having watched the 'car crash TV' that is Transition, it seems that most who try this aren't overly efficient at it, either seeming to be exceptionally slow in getting their shoes on, or making a complete mess up of dismounting bare foot, with their bike jumping all over the place as their cranks spin and their shoes hit the floor.
If you're not completely seemless at the T1/T2 mount/dismount thing, do you really save any time. Shoud I just persevere with what I know, or shoud I start to practice?
I have SPDs which are very tricky to walk in. I am concerned that I'd break my ankle if I tried to go any distance! That was what prompted me to try the alternative rather than getting through T1 faster, although I hope it will be faster as well.
...or perhaps I am just too much of a wuss to even comtemplate the shoes already on the bike approach and am looking for ways to justify this.
It's going to be a long time til I try anything other than sedate standing & clipping in.
once you've done it several times you'll wonder what all the fuss was about.
Use some decent elastic bands around the shoes or through the loops on the back, hooked onto something like the rear skewer, to keep them parallel to the floor.
try different ones that wont snap as soon as you touch your bike, but will give once you start pedalling.
one of the most important things is not to try and put your feet in the shoes too quickly once you are on the bike.
With your feet on top of the shoes, get moving and give yourself a while to get up some speed, gather your thoughts and then do it once at a good speed on a nice straight stretch of road.
When you are coming to the dismount line, don't leave it too late to get your feet out of the shoes. give yourself plenty of time, then as you get within several meters, swing one leg over the saddle and behind you and coast to the line. hop off and get running.
It doesn't just avoid having to run in your bike shoes, it makes the whole process of transition flow better. i think that gives you a bit of a mental boost as well.
get practicing.
Ive found good practice getting in the shoes when leaving home and work. You get some stares, but who cares.
London presents its own problems...! The transition area is a lovely painted concrete floor, slippery enough in bare feet, let alone cleats and when wet with the water from a few hundred / thousand athletes! So the case for shoes on bike and running barefoot is quite strong.
On the other hand, you have VERY little time beyond the mount line to clip in before you go down the ramp to the bike course, and on the way back obviously it's uphill so you have little time at the top to get your feet out and dismount gracefully.
I would still go for the barefoot mount, but make sure you are comfortable with it before you do London! [:)]
In my dreams - the chances of me being able to partially dismount and coasting to the line without landing on my arse are nil especially now my saddle is the height its supposed to be - will continue to be hop on and slow down to hop off until i can find a way to practice in 3 foot of squidgy something[&:]
Listen very carefully and you might hear me scream, and expect new photos to be uploaded into the "Human injury" thread that was going recently.
The trick as mentioned is not to panic about how long its taking to get them on, just keep pedalling until your comfortable! the way to look at it is youre still moving forward whilst putting them on!
Once your feet are on the shoe and youve ran out of transition it doesnt matter too much