Cyclocross - Toe Spikes: Yes or No

I have some Sidi shoes that can accept toe spikes. Good/Bad idea, legal? Thanks.

Yes they are a good idea. When you are running up a side of a hill, they very nice

You should make this a poll, but the answer is yes.

depends on where you are racing

not necessary in the SW, but it probably wouldnt hurt either

I guess I am too lazy to go get some

What exactly do they do for you? Reason tells me that they give you a little bit of extra traction at the cost of a less natural stride on firm, flat surfaces. Is that in the ballpark?

Nitropowered mentioned running up hills. Does the surface of the hill matter? Grass, mud, rocks, firm, soft?

Are there other times they're useful?

For 'cross you definitely want shoes that accept spikes. You may not always need them and can remove them if you want. When you do need them, on a steep loose run-up, then you'll be happy that you have them.

I think there are 2 sides here.

On a muddy hill, they'll come in handy. If it's rocky, you can slip because of them. So it really comes down to the course.

We have one course in my series with a concrete stair run-up. The dismount leading into that is also concrete. That's about the one race out of the season that I don't wear toe spikes in my shoes because I've seen people have some pretty brutal falls there.

Oh, and I use Sidi shoes. Their toe spikes are significantly longer than the ones in Shimano shoes, etc. but I'm not sure if there's a measurable difference in traction.

For most courses, I like them. a little extra bite on the steep uphill runups, and not that much interference with natural stride on flatter soft surfaces.

As with Shapelike, my local series has a concrete stair runup (Andy, that is at Alpenrose) and i may leave them off for that venue, but the same race has one of the nastier run ups in the series.

I am SO ready for the race season to start!