Road shoes for off-road tri?

[Veronica]

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.

Veronica

[SheFly]

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

[Enduro_Rider]

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.

[SheFly]

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

[Enduro_Rider]

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