I don't know of any studies. When I decided to go with my shoes clipped in a couple of years ago, I've made it a habit to always mount and dismount my bike with the shoes clipped in. I do this on every ride and it's so ingrained now that I think I can get into my shoes just as quickly as it used to take me to clip in.

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Don

Tri-ing to have fun. Anything else is just a bonus!

The other factor you have to consider is what is the surface of T1 like? Is it hard and rocky (ouch on bare feet!)? Is it nice and grassy? Is it hot black baked asphalt (again ouch on bare feet)? What happens if you stub a toe in T1? Was all that worth the 5-30 seconds you might gain?

To me, in a rather competitive age group (M35-39), I doubt 5-30 seconds is going to make a difference between me podiuming or not, since I come in near the front of the MOP. So I don't go barefoot.

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my triathlon/motorsports blog

I think the best evidence that 'shoes on bike' is faster is the real ITU races, where you have to catch the lead pack
for the draft, everyone with shoes-on-bike. Then again, they seem to transition through an area covered in a
fine Berber carpet so it is an ideal, dirt free surface.

I'm a MOP age-grouper and I've practiced a couple times trying to mount the with shoes-on-bike, much to the
hilarity of my neighbors. Obviously it can be done, but I'm with you, practicing to perfect the mount I figure
saves 15-20 seconds - maybe. I always pass people weaving down the road coming out of T1 wrestling into
their shoes, and I have seen people crash in the attempt. I could probably get good enough to take the crash
possibility to 'pretty low' but the odds of picking up a pebble between your toes and developing a blister
see high no matter how smooth your mount is.

I think it is basically a pro move for people in a small, tidy, corral and doesn't make sense for most age groupers

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" I take my gear out of my car and put my bike together. Tourists and locals are watching from sidewalk cafes. Non-racers. The emptiness of of their lives shocks me. "
(opening lines from Tim Krabbe's The Rider , 1978

do you expect to get good at ANYTHING after doing something a couple times?!?! People pay hundreds of dollars to go a few seconds faster, but wont practice something to save time? ugh....

From personal experience I am fastest when I put my tri shoes on in T1 before getting on the bike, and then leave my shoes on the bike when coming into T2. In smaller races where racking spots are not assigned I always try to get the rack closest to the bike out and I am fine.

There are hard numbers and a video reference of the results, with a clock running on the screen. That data can be viewed on this DVD:
http://www.endurancefilms.com/...uctID/9/Default.aspx

http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/...p;cat=250&page=1

In this DVD there is a split screen of two different transitions being done: Shoes on bike, shoes off bike. You can easily see which is much faster.

Now, here's the thing: Will it be faster for you? Answer: It depends on you.

In other words, are you willing to set up a little practice transition area in your driveway one afternoon with your bike on an indoor trainer in your little simulated transition area? You will lay out your transition and practice running to the bike, in the trainer, pulling on your helmet, then mounting the bike on the trainer and donning your shoes while riding on the trainer. Practice that a bunch of times until you are comfortable getting into your shoes while on the trainer, simulating real-world conditions.

Now, take it a step further.

Take the bike out of the trainer and lean it on a fence, the garage, where ever you have your little practice area set up. Run up to the bike, don your helmet and grab your bike. Walk, don't run. Go through the exact motions you practiced on the trainer. If you get a copy of that DVD and learn how to do it in advance or find a good video on YouTube.com for free that will help you visualize how to do it in advance. Simulate an actual transition but do at a walk-through, slow motion pace.

Do a few repetitions until you are comfortable with it.

Now, take it up a notch. Have a buddy time your transition. Work on smooth, economic motions. Be controlled. Take note of your time. Practice over and over. You'll see the fluidity and grace of your mounts (and dismounts) improve. You'll be able to don your shoes, rolling, on the bike at incredible speed. You transition times will improve.

It takes practice. It takes rehearsal. Crawl before you walk, walk before you run. Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse.

We're willing to put extra time into learning a swim stroke or do extra rides and runs and spend thousands on power meters, aero helmets, aero bikes and Computrainers but we often won't take 2 hours a few times a year to orient ourselves with an effective set of transition tactics that could save well over a minute in an Olympic distance race if practiced enough.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

When I decided to go with my shoes clipped in a couple of years ago, I've made it a habit to always mount and dismount my bike with the shoes clipped in. I do this on every ride and it's so ingrained now that I think I can get into my shoes just as quickly as it used to take me to clip in.

Exactly. My shoes stay on my bike most times I get on and off for exactly this reason. Just because I'm not going to podium doesn't mean
I don't want to do the best I can. I also don't want to be that guy everyone is complaining about. (On this minor topic at least)

-Jot

As you said, practice makes perfect. But to add to that, I think it is also dependent on the situation. For example, 2 years ago one of the races I did had a huge uphill right at the start of T1, trying to do a flying mount was the wrong choice for a number of competitors who ended up crashing and causing all kinds of problems for other competitors. I chose to go with shoes on in T1 and was glad I did. Also, I think at most Ironman events they do not allow shoes clipped into the bike. I know at IMAZ last year this was the case. I believe flying mounts are absolutely the faster way if you are proficient and not a hazard to other athletes.

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People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf. George Orwell

All anyone needs to do is watch the fastest people leave T1 in just about any race. Of those who leave their shoes on the bike, about 90% really suck at getting into their shoes and it slows them down. It takes far more agility and coordination than most above-average triathletes possess. For those of you who have this skill down: Good for you. For most of us, its not worth trying until you are certain you can nail it.

Then take it a step further, do all of what Tom described while idiots all around you are swerving in all directions fumbling with their shoes, chasing after their shoes which popped off, etc. If you want to see some comedy, go to any decent sized triathlon and watch the front of the Mens 30-45 AGers mount. Before the race, they will swear up and down that shoes on the bike is faster. Very few of them pull it off anywhere near the way the ITU guys do it.

The last race I watched was a decent sized Olympic, and 2nd in the Pro/Elite wave had the heel of his shoe on the non-rubber banded side dig into the ground and pop off the pedal and go rolling into the brush. This was the 3rd place guy, and his technique was much more common than a well executed mount. Imagine if 3 or 4 guys like this mounted at the same time:

http://hea-www.harvard.edu/~kwelch/MOV00231.MPG

Here's my rational on the shoes on bike vs shoes on feet out of T1 issue. My feet are not tough, telling them to HTFU hasn't worked so I'm giving up.

I can run a lot faster with bike shoes than I can with bare feet, it hurts a lot less too. For 2009 I bought a pair of fairly light velcro strap mt bike shoes.

Because they have lugs on the bottom of the shoes and because I also use Shimano mt bike pedals/cleats running is not going to be a problem at all, the steel cleat doesn't even much come in contact with the ground.

If I lose an old man's age group podium spot because I don't have my shoes clipped onto my pedals I'll just have to live with it.

In an Olympic distance triathlon a couple of years ago, I did do a "study." I got up to speed as usual before putting my feet in my shoes, and checked my speed before and after each foot. I lost about .2mph each time at over 22mph. Figure about 10 seconds each foot. You do the math on how much time I lost. (Hint: it's pretty small)

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"Go yell at an M&M"

Why do you guys do this to me? My first race of the year (a sprint where every second counts) is Saturday. I've never practiced leaving my shoes on the pedals (ok maybe once a twice about 5 years ago), but now here I am days before the race, and I'm having thoughts run through my head about attempting this in a race. In my mind I execute it flawlessly.

I need to stop reading right now.

The first time I did this transition setup was the day before a big duathlon: I broke my platform pedal setting it up. I took off the laces from my cycling shoes and replaced them with a bunch of rubber bands tied end-to-end. I used duct tape to form a handle at the heel, and as a tab at the end of the velcro straps so they wouldn't come out. I practiced a couple of times that Saturday, and did it fine on Sunday. The only error I made was overestimating how long it would take to get out of my shoes, and I ended up riding an extra hundred yards on top of my shoes.

(I'll add that the next year at this race, I won my AG (and a Waterford bowl) by :03, and had a much faster T1/T2 than the 2nd place guy)

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"Go yell at an M&M"

The old guy brings up a key point to all this. Where most people go wrong isn't leaving the shoes on the bike and sliding their feet in, they go wrong in NOT GETTING UP TO SPEED FIRST. Get up to race speed, reach down put your foot in and strap it, 5 seconds tops, pedal 10 strokes, reach down put other foot in, strap it, go. Check out the course during your warm up. Ride the 1st mile at least and PLAN AHEAD as to where, when and how you will do this. It's faster. Case closed. If it's not for you, you haven't practiced and rehearsed enough and/or you are doing something wrong. You are all coordinated and agile enough to make this work.

Love a lively debate! Tom, I took your advice and looked on You-tube for some free videos (in this economy free is always better :) ). Though I have practiced the mount with shoes on bike, and even used it in a few races, I discovered a couple of key mistakes I have been making. From all the kind folks on ST, and some video coaching, here is what I have gleaned, perhaps this can save some research time for others in my situation. Some rules I've made for myself, I figure 5 are probably more than I can remember now anyway, but here goes:

Rule 1: It depends on the course - check it out - Hilly from the get go, I'm putting my shoes on in T1 - otherwise, practice makes perfect.
Rule 2: Get up to speed first - This makes so much sense! how did I miss it? Say I can put both shoes on in T1 in 4 or 5 seconds? I'm still standing STILL, 0 miles per hour. It now seems clear to me that putting on two shoes in 10 seconds, but going 19+ miles per hour would be a much better use of my time!
Rule 3: Start pedaling with my left foot first and push off hard with my right (bike is to my right) Ah ha! Video straightened me out on this one. I was burning a lot of time stepping over the top tube, trying to put the right foot IN the shoe, and then getting the left one staightened out later once I was moving.
Rule 4: When dismounting the bike, reverse the process of Rule 3 - swing the right leg over the back of the bike, and then coast on one foot so I can hit the ground running.
Rule 5: Practice getting in my shoes while pedaling on the trainer over and over and over again, and always use training rides to practice getting in and out of the shoes.

I'm sure my race this Saturday won't be perfect, but I'm going to give shoes on bike another shot this week, and hopefully one day be an expert. Hey, at least that would make one of the 4 disciplines I could be faster than most at!

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Life IS an endurance sport. Finish Well
www.fwe1.net

Dave and all, thanks for the advice!

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Life IS an endurance sport. Finish Well
www.fwe1.net

When I dismount (on the left of my bike), I push the left pedal forward a bit as I'm getting off so it's pointing rather forward. This both keeps the pedal/shoe out of my way when running and the shoe from scraping. I'm pretty sure they don't touch the ground while I'm running with them (in T1 or T2), as I set the bike on the rack with the left pedal forward, as well.

Considering the abuse the shoes go through, I'm not at all concerned about the cosmetic appearance of my shoes.

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"Go yell at an M&M"

Yes, the bottom of your shoes will get banged and scratched up. The same thing happens every time I stop at a red light and put my foot down during training. Same thing will happen if you run in your shoes in transition. No real difference.

"Before I entered the world of behind-the-seat-hydration, and my tri shoes still had that new shoe smell, I would do the "flying squirrel" mount. Now that would be, well, let's just say unwise and leave it at that."


I'm a fan of the flying squirrel mount. I actually remove my behind the seat hydration for races.

I personally believe that the time saved with the shoes clipped to the bike at T1 is quicker, but there are offsetting factors that cause me to don my shoes then "fly like a squirrel" onto the bike:
1) Encountering immediate hills in races don't allow time for putting feet into shoes
2) My feet are as soft as a new-born baby's (so running through T1 barefoot is painful/dangerous)
3) My T2.6 shoes have an odd strap system so that the toe strap hits the chain and large chainring upon each revolution while the upper strap opens toward the bike... I feel like I'm gonna have my hand cut-off while trying to adjust/strap it.

Anyone have an explanation for the T2.6 strap system, please lay it on me?

One problem I've had is that the shoe will hit the ground and pop off if I
try to run off the dismount.

The solution (provided by some poster here I don't recall) is to lift up the
back of your bike as you hop off that last shoe. It spins, but doesn't pop off.

HTH.

-Jot

Jot, we still complain about you.

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