So you’re a triathlete now. You’ve done a few sprint triathlons or perhaps even an olympic distance triathlon
but now your looking to improve your triathlon performance. What piece of triathlon gear can make a big improvement
on your performance? You could spend thousands of dollars on a new bike or even more money on aero wheels. Well
I’m here to tell you that buying a quality pair of triathlon cycling shoes is that one piece of gear you probably
didn’t even consider until now. For a triathlete the connection between your fitness and your bike's ability to
exploit that fitness is through your triathlon cycling shoes. Your shoes make it possible for your body to
convert your fitness from hours and hours of training directly into speed and endurance.
You'll probably ask yourself 'could I just use road cycling shoes'? Yes of course but getting in and out of
your cycling shoes quickly and comfortably can set you up for success in
your transitions and in turn make an impact on your overall performance thereby saving you time. Triathlon bike shoes are
designed to be easy getting into and out of. You could be looking at shaving minutes off
your transition time as well as your bike splits. When your
feet are comfortable you will go farther and faster.
Having the right cycling shoes is critical to your success as a triathlete. You need to
understand that triathlon cycling shoes should fit considerably tighter or more snug than running
shoes. Your foot should hardly move at all inside your cycling shoe.
Too much movement within the shoes is an indication it's too big. This is one of the most common
problems when buying triathlon cycling shoes. You'll know your cycling shoes are too big, if you
experience problems such as such as blisters, hot spots, or numbnesss. Eliminating the movement of
your feet within the shoes will help alleviate these symptoms.
Do not make the mistake of bying cheap cycling shoes. You wouldn't run a marathon in flip-flops so why would you buy cheap
cycling shoes for your Ironman triathlon? Quality is what you pay for and receive. There are a lot of brands and different features and even materials. Shimano
triathlon cycling shoes and Sidi triathlon cycling shoes are amoung the best available. Of course Louis Garneau, Scott Tri, and Bont, are worthy products too. And now you can even buy gender specific women's triathlon
cycling shoes. This is great news for the ladies out there.
An important feature to consider for a triathon cycling shoe is how many straps does it have. You
need a shoe with 1 strap to enable fast transitions after you getting out of the water in T1 and
getting off the bike in T2. Be sure the strap opens away from drive train so it doesn't get caught up.
If your doing a sprint triathlon for example then time is off the essence so you need a
triathlon cycling shoe that has 1 stap or 2 at the most. Just think about it. Having a shoe
with 1 strap will make it easier to get into your shoes in T1 and then as your coming off the
bike into T2. Be sure the strap opens away from your chain and cranks so it doesn't get caught up.
Sole stiffness is a critical aspect of triathlon cycling shoe performance. The sole needs
to be very stiff to effectively translate power from the entire shoe to the pedal and this
process needs to be provide comfort for the foot. Carbon fiber has become the choice material in
recent years to make the shoe sole ultra stiff yet light compared to the old technique of injection molded plastic.
If your doing a longer race such the big kahuna an Ironman triathlon, well then comfortable triathlon cycling shoes are critical. Consider
a shoe with plenty of ventilation and even a soft lining so that you could ride without socks in
necessary. Your shoes enable your body to translate your fitness into speed. Having the right
triathlon shoes is critical to your success as a triathlete. Triathlon cycling shoes should fit
much tighter than running shoes or daily footwear. There should be no movement of the foot inside the shoe whatsoever.
One of the most common problems with a triathlon cycling shoe is buying it too big. Movement
within the shoe will create problems such as blisters, black toenails, hot spots, and numb feat
are symptoms of tiny movement within the cycling shoe. Correcting that movement will alleviate these symptoms.
So how do you test a triathlon cycling shoe? Well don’t just stand up in them
because you’ll never be just standing or walking in them. You need to try them on
while riding a bike. For this reason we recommend that you get properly fitted at a
bike shop and they try them on a bike in the shop. Some shops will even allow you to
bring your own bike to the shop and use an indoor trainer to test them out.
