I just bought a new bike - Page 2 - Triathlon

Don Minquez

02/11/2006 at 15:51

No, my shoe fetish only really extends to white Northwaves

TT, are you slogging?

fat buddha

02/11/2006 at 16:05

at the end of the day - and for a 18okm ride - whether you go for road or tri shoes (not MTB ones), the critical factor is fit..............

you need to decide whether you will wear socks as well as these take up shoe volume

also, your feet will swell a lot during the bike leg (especially if it's hot) and can cause you problems id the shoe won't accomodate this - or you can't loosen the strap..........

so my recommendation is to find the right fitting road or ti shoe first before deciding on brand of pedal as they all perfrom roughly the same irrepective of shoe

checkout Spesh/Pearl Izumi/Carnac/Northwave/Shimano as these guys do road and tri shoes...........

cougie

pirate

02/11/2006 at 16:18

Yeah - FB speaketh the truth.

I reckon all the road pedal systems are pretty similar. Old Looks, Keo Looks, Speedplay, Time, SPD-SL.....

I'd go for road shoes over Tri shoes - the tri ones are v light and designed for the short tris mainly - lots of holes to drain water from wet feet. IMCH really needs comfort more than anything.

Iron Mike

pirate

02/11/2006 at 16:29

Definitely get road shoes. I have got Shimano carbon soled ones and they are good, but not neccessarily a beginners shoe. Sole doesn't flex at all to make sure all your foots pressure gets transferred to the pedal, but they are pricey at 140 quid or so. If you are worried about walking in roadies then you can buy over covers for the cleats to keep them from getting scuffed when you are walking around in them.

JD.

pirate

02/11/2006 at 16:37

i used my mtb/touring type shoes for the first time in ages and they were just sooooo painful compared to my road shoes.

hugh - after a bit of getting used to the road shoes you'll find you'll hardly ever put your feet on the floor. i maybe unclip my left foot 2 or 3 times per hour or so on a ride. would only take both feet out when stopping for a slash or to peel a banana.

mtb pedals/shoes are probably easier to get used to quickly. road shoes/pedals are much better in the long run.

Ultra Gregory

02/11/2006 at 16:54

JD - As you said in the long run road shoes are what I am going to be using so I might as well get them and get used to them asap. The more hours I get on the bike the more natural it will be.

Condifence on the bike is quite important is very important I think and right now I have zero. haha

fat buddha

02/11/2006 at 17:44

miles on the bike = confidence

JD.

pirate

02/11/2006 at 19:57

harry - it may be worth just putting on a cheapie pair of bog standard pedals for your first few outings. just to get used to handling the bike etc. about £4 i'd have thought from the bike shop. they'd probably give you a pair i'd have thought though. pedal spanner will be £10 or so. get them to show you how to use it as as you loosen the pedals differently depending on whether it's the right or left pedal. you'll need a spanner to change pedals in the future so no harm buying one now.

fwiw i use shimano ultegra spd-sl pedals. i had cheapie look p206 on the bike when i bought it. the ultegra's are much much better. they always get reviewed well too. there's other very good pedals on the market too though.

as fb says, miles on the bike will give you plenty of confidence.

SwimsLikeAWalrus

03/11/2006 at 19:13

do you set one foot up to release more easily - the foot you'd put down in an 'emergency'?

Bouncing Barlist pirate

pirate

03/11/2006 at 19:27

You mention 'how will you know the bike fits'.

If youve been to a reputable shop they should of spent approx an hour with you getting the fitting right, frame size, saddle height, checking your reach, position above pedals etc.

Bouncing Barlist pirate

pirate

03/11/2006 at 19:27

Def get road shoes though the single wider velcro fastener type are better (quicker on and off) for tri.

cougie

pirate

03/11/2006 at 19:46

Yeah but the one strap velcro is better suited to sprint events where each second counts. I've 3 strips on mine so I can adjust tightness as I like.

Unless you're a pro - you dont need these for the IM event.

JD.

pirate

03/11/2006 at 19:52

mel - i don't know about anyone else but yes i have the left pedal set slightly looser than the right to make it a little easier to unclip. i always put my left foot down at junctions etc. means if i mess things up at least i'll be leaning left and will fall out of the way of oncoming traffic! also means i can push off with my strong leg i guess too.

as for having one set looser for emergencies - really the pedals aren't difficult to get out of at all. in an emergency you'll pop your feet out straight away. it'll be second nature!

M...eldy

pirate

03/11/2006 at 19:56

I usually put the left foot down as well

cept for the three times I fell off trying to put the right one down

Pratice with both :-)

second nature my @rse

JD.

pirate

03/11/2006 at 20:00

"second nature my @rse" lol!

i've said it before, but i was mentally composing a post about how getting out of spd's was really easy, second nature infact, then a girl on a bike on a cycle path dithered a bit resulting in me hitting the deck as i didn't get my foot out in time :-(

so, second nature most of the time ;-)

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