francismacomber

Hey all, my cheapo POS sixsixone mountain bike shoes finally gave out. Do any of you have recommendations for a good tri shoe? Ideally I would like to get something that will work as my primary mountain bike shoe as well (i.e. something I can walk in and is spd compatible). Maybe a mountain shoe? Despite their supposed "fredness" are there any spd type pedals that would work worth a darn on my tri bike, so I wouldn't have to change out my cleats every time I go mountain biking?

I guess I am just not in the mood to buy two pairs of shoes.

Fivetenfrank

Lets define a good tri shoe first.

A tri shoe is constructed so that the triathlete can enter and exit the shoe much more easily then a standard road shoe. Most triathletes leave their shoes on the bike and stick their foot into the shoe while on the bike after they have exited the transition.

To make this "shoe on the bike" arrangement easier, a tri shoe typically has:

1. One strap, not 2-3 like a typical road shoe. One strap is easier to close on then three straps.

2. This strap opens up opposite the cranks, not into the cranks, like road shoe straps. This way, your strap doesnt get caught in the cranks

3. A wider mouth for easier entry of the foot

4. A heel hook to aide the triathlete with getting the shoe on while the shoe is on the bike. Reach down, pull the hook, foot slips in.

5. Tri shoes are flat bottomed, like a road shoe. You wont find a tri shoe with treads like an MTB shoe.

With that being said, I do not think that there is a good mountain bike shoe that has all the qualities, or any of the qualities for that matter, of a tri shoe. Additionally, like a road shoe, a tri shoe will not be easy to walk in, regardless of whatever type of pedal you have.

Concerning cleats and pedals, you can use Eggbeaters on both a road and a mountain bike, or Speedplays. Both pedals use a small cleat, like an SPD. The Eggbeaters are four-sided, which makes them super easy to get into. The Speedplays offer the most float of most pedals out there.

You can also get road pedals that are SPD compatible. Google the Shimano A-520 or the Forte Pro's. So in theory you can get the same cleat system for both your road pedals and your mountain bike.

And dont worry about the Fredness of anything. I dont even use clipless pedals for tri. I have a pair of snap-in flat pedal adapters for my tri bike that I use for tri, because I cant be bothered with fumbling around with my shoes on the bike. Am I "fredlike" sure but I am fredlike while I am collecting my awards for 1st in my Age group.

francismacomber

Great advice, thanks for the reply. I guess then I need to decide whether I need a tri-specific shoe or a mountain shoe that I can just sort of get by with at tris. I have heard good things about the Sidi Dominator mountain shoe from a friend who is a roadie- supposedly they are about as stiff as a mountain shoe will come, making them a good road shoe that can be walked in. However, they don't really seem to have the large opening or the straps running the other direction, though. I do like the eggbeaters idea they have always seemed like a nice simple setup...

Man, I am sick of winter. Shopping around for shoes on the net to avoid getting on the trainer isn't as much fun as actually riding.

thanks again.

Fivetenfrank

No problem. For years, I used a mountain bike shoe for my road pedals, then I made the move to LOOK pedals, and you cant fit a LOOK cleat in the cleat recess of a mountain bike shoe.

However, for your purposes, a good stiff-soled mountain bike shoe with a small cleat makes an excellent road shoe.

For tri, you have to ask yourself how much the inherent power transfer qualities of a clipless pedal system is worth versus a 30 second transition if you dont have to mess around with shoes in the transition area. Its not uncommon to see people with 2+ minute transitions because they spend in an inordinate amount of time trying to wedge feet into shoes

The majority of the regular triathletes out there are using a tri shoe attached to the pedals. Barefooted run out of the transition, jump on the bike, put your feet on top of your shoes, start pedaling, and when you get up to speed, slip the feet into the shoes. This takes some practice to do well.

bburrito

One thing that I haven't seen mentioned yet is just going down to the store and trying on shoes. I recently bought my first pair of road shoes and am glad I went down and tried shoes on. The pair that was the most comfortable were the least expensive ones they had. (Forte 200s) Now... that being said... I will be happy just to finish the tri, I am not to the point where I am fretting over seconds in a transition. If thats the case... features before comfort, just remember that they are your feet to take care of!

spiderbike

I just bought Look Keo sprints for $86.00 at PBk. I love them and would suggest them to anybody. You can't beat the prices for pedals from PBK

dgasmd

What is PBK??? Any links?

spiderbike

www.probikekit.com

It is a site from the U.K. that has free shipping to the U.S. and no taxes. There are a lot of BF members that use them. At the top left of thier website you can change the country and currency to show the cost of items in Dollars. They are really reliable and have great prices.

If you do a search you'll get a lot of hits from the road forum.

norsehabanero

take into consideration the transitoin zone as well road shoes are great on the bike but walking or running in them to get on the bike could be tricky one tri i did starts up a hill on the bike so you have to be in you pedals to start

Psydotek

MTB shoes will be fine. Really. My brother in law has just one pair of MTB shoes and he's perfectly fine on them for triathlons.