Living my childhood dream
Discussion
I have finally pulled my finger out, and bought myself a bike I had on my wall as a kid - a Quintana Roo. Obviously not the zipp wheeled version (etc), but as a starter, it's not half bad.
It doesn't come with pedals, so I've started looking, and now I have an issue.... Do Istay with MB STPs, or do I go for a full road version? I seriously don't know, and I'm thinking if I have SPD shoes already, do I really need the extra cost of new shoes, pedals and cleats?
Educate me people! Is it down to things like the stiffness of the shoe etc?
It doesn't come with pedals, so I've started looking, and now I have an issue.... Do Istay with MB STPs, or do I go for a full road version? I seriously don't know, and I'm thinking if I have SPD shoes already, do I really need the extra cost of new shoes, pedals and cleats?
Educate me people! Is it down to things like the stiffness of the shoe etc?
My MTB pedals are half platform, half spd.... And the shoes are now half a size too small, so I was thinking about getting a semi-decent spd/shoe package, selling or donating to charity the small ones, and being happy with less shoes...
OK, thanks - so I'm not being completely insane...
OK, thanks - so I'm not being completely insane...
For commuting through traffic the Allez has SPDs on and I use Spec BG MTB shoes as they're velcro, easy on/off and plastic sole that's hard wearing and won't get ruined. They are SPD with a resin (plastic) cage so if you miss a clip in then you don't cause an issue for you or others behind you and can press on.
For racing/training my Cervelo has SPD-SLs, Ultegra, lightweight and matched with Spec GB Pro road shoes which are light, carbon soled, ultra stiff and designed for getting max power out, not comfort or longevity. Carbon soles will ruin VERY quickly if you walk ANYWHERE on them.
So... pick you riding type and go from there I'd say. If you plan on any commuting/heavy traffic riding then I would err toward SPDs as a bit safer.
For racing/training my Cervelo has SPD-SLs, Ultegra, lightweight and matched with Spec GB Pro road shoes which are light, carbon soled, ultra stiff and designed for getting max power out, not comfort or longevity. Carbon soles will ruin VERY quickly if you walk ANYWHERE on them.
So... pick you riding type and go from there I'd say. If you plan on any commuting/heavy traffic riding then I would err toward SPDs as a bit safer.
Don1 said:
Triathlon, so thinking more about a Tri shoe or the SPD.... cheers for the input. More food for thought!
surely you arent going to be running in your spds so you might as well go clipless and get the benefit of the stiffer sole from dedicated road/tri shoes? i use shimano 105 pedals and dhb r1 shoes for duatlons as the time spent changing shoes is more than made back by having comfy feet for all three legs... they also have good vents, i just wear oversocks in the winter/colder days...
Tri shoes are designed to enable you to leap on the bike with them already attached to the pedals and then slip them on as you get up to speed.
They therefore have big loops on the heels so you can pull them on and to enable you to use rubber bands to hold them up out of the way as you run the bike to the mount line; they have straps that undo to the outside so they won't interfere with the chain whilst they're undone.
They're also generally lighter, and well-ventialted/drained as they're intended for use with wet feet and no socks.
Used correctly they can save you a good few seconds in transition - but if you're not planning to learn to do the full barefoot monty they're of questionable benefit. Payback is they may not last as long as a normal road shoe and your feet will get cold on long training rides. They also tend, like most tri kit, to be expensive.
A 'normal' road shoe with plain velcro staps rather than any complex ratchet jobs might well be a better compromise if you only want to have one pair.
They therefore have big loops on the heels so you can pull them on and to enable you to use rubber bands to hold them up out of the way as you run the bike to the mount line; they have straps that undo to the outside so they won't interfere with the chain whilst they're undone.
They're also generally lighter, and well-ventialted/drained as they're intended for use with wet feet and no socks.
Used correctly they can save you a good few seconds in transition - but if you're not planning to learn to do the full barefoot monty they're of questionable benefit. Payback is they may not last as long as a normal road shoe and your feet will get cold on long training rides. They also tend, like most tri kit, to be expensive.
A 'normal' road shoe with plain velcro staps rather than any complex ratchet jobs might well be a better compromise if you only want to have one pair.
Don1 said:
Triathlon, so thinking more about a Tri shoe or the SPD.... cheers for the input. More food for thought!
Talking my language there then as that's what the Cervelo is for 
SPD-SL, Ultegra's... very light, simple, take some getting used to for clipping in and out.
Shoes, carbon sole, mine have the ratchet on the top but you could go tri-specific andhave reverse velcors to make it a bit quicker plus have them setup on the pedals ready to go once good enough (you setup little elastic bands on the shoe to keep it "open" by attaching to the frame and that gives a fast push off with barefeet using the shoe as a pedal.... once up to speed you ten slip feet in shoes and do up.
I'm NOT that good so I'd rather the few extra seconds, and few extra mm of skin on my legs for NOT falling over trying
ETA Just notice NICK_F had just said all that too!!
Edited by dubbs on Tuesday 13th April 16:51
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