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I am thinking about racing an off-road triathlon in my road shoes.
Why? They are super fast on/off. Super light. Stiff. And I don't have money right now to drop $200++ on triathlon ready mountain bike shoes... that I will wear once HA!
I would guess the risks are ruined shoes or lack of traction if I have to hike a bike. I'm ok with that. Any other thoughts would be appreciated!
I wouldn't be worried so much about lack of traction hiking a bike as having trouble clipping back in. In my experience, road cleats take a lot less mud, dirt, and gunk before they decide to start being extremely finicky.
Is this off-road as in mountain bike? Or like gravel road/trail or...? Are you racing on a mountain bike? Cross bike? Or...? (I am just curious if you already have a bike for off-road, but have road pedals on it, or something). More information would help!
Myself and another rider found this out, yesterday. We both had a biotch of a time clipping in and out with Shimano SPD-SLs after a short venture on sand/gravel/grass during a snack break while on a cross-state ride, yesterday. I have been so used to wearing mtn. SPDs that I was ill prepared for that. Now I really need to clean my cleats and pedals before riding, again.Quote:
Originally Posted by jessmarimba
What pedal system do you have? Are your shoes two-bolt, three or either, and how confident would you be about being able to switch pedal systems?
Look cleats won't take much mud at all. It'll dig out easily with a stick, but that's time you don't want to waste in a race (and you may not have a clean place to do it without putting one foot down again to get back on). That's the only system I know anything about. Some people put Eggbeaters on their road bikes for touring.
I race tris with Eggbeaters.
I noticed today on the club ride that I was taking off faster at the lights than the group of guys I was riding with. I think it's because eggbeaters are SO easy to clip into.
I just have Eggbeaters on everything - mountain bike, race bike, the bike in the trainer, the tandem. It keeps things simple. :D
Veronica
The other thing to consider is that if the off-road biking section has anything technical where you will need to hike your bike, you run the risk of falling [badly] in your road shoes. Those cleats, and the [carbon] soles are not made with any traction, as their intent is NOT walking. I've seen some people take some pretty bad diggers using road shoes even on easy off-road trails.
You might be better off with flat pedals and your sneakers.
SheFly
The mountain bike I will ride has SPDs and I normally use SPD-SLs on these roads shoes. So I would need to put on SPD cleats, which they have holes for. Never thought of using Eggbeaters though. I will be competitive in this race and don't think running shoes will cut it. The course is in Whistler and is very technical too.
Whistler as in BC? Definitely DO NOT USE ROAD SHOES! Yes, I was shouting. There is NO WAY road shoes/cleats will work for you there. I've ridden Whistler and it is technical. You need a shoe that will let you run if you need to while on the trail.
Any friends/teammates with the same size foot willing to lend you a pair of shoes for the day?
Good luck! And I agree - sneakers are also not the answer.
SheFly
Ha! Thanks! I haven't ridden up there in years.
Wish I had someone to borrow from. I have large feet and usually wear a 44 for cycling shoes. So this forces me into men's shoe territory and they do not fit right. So frustrating! /rant off