Here's what's worked for me:

Take a flying leap onto the seat, then put both feet on top of your shoes and get up to speed/out of transiton area. Then coast while using one hand to hold the shoe open while a foot goes in, then close the velcro. Pedal some more, and repeat on the other side. If there's a short uphill just out of transition, wait till you're up before slipping in your feet. If there's a long uphill, put on your shoes before you get on the bike.

Going into T2, reverse the order. Use one hand to open the velcro, grab the shoe's heel to help your foot out, then put your foot on top of the shoe. Repeat on other side, then you can swing one leg over your saddle and brake while standing on the top of one shoe. You should be able to slow down to running speed, then hop off that last shoe at the dismount line, and keep right on going on foot as you run your bike to its rack.

I've never used dental floss or rubber bands.

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Mr Ed
Triathlete with one horsepower

I do largely the same thing, but a few minor changes. I put body glide on my feet and inside the top of the shoe. After I pedal up to speed, I am able to slide my foot inside the shoe.

On the way into T2, I loosen the straps and pedal. After a dozen or so turns of the cranks I can just slip my feet out easily.

I have gone back to hooking up the shoes with rubber bands. This is just to keep the shoes from banging on the ground on the way out of T1.

First, let me address the "running flying dismount". It works really well, unless you hit the front brake too hard...then you get a "flying endo" instead. I keep both unshoed feet on top of the shoes until I am going slow enough not to use the front brake anymore. Then I swing the leg over for the running flying dismount. One other thing to be careful of...make sure the foot that is staying on the pedal feels very stable...if that one slides off...another messy wreck. It's just such bad form, too. Right where all the spectators are....

Practice this first.

Secondly, I think the rubber band works best. All you have to do is get a thin one and wrap it in any myraid of ways around the shoe/crank and chainstay so that the cranks are held in place horizontally. That way, you can run with your bike to the mounting area without either shoe dragging, and can mount your bike however you like. If there is a hill immediately, I sometimes put my dominant foot IN the shoe and strap it in, and as I step on it and swing the other leg over the bike, I have forward motion. Depending upon what else is going on, I can then choose to keep pedalling a while or immediately get into the other shoe.

Practice this first, too, although it isn't as dangerous (or cool) as the running flying dismount. It's especially fun to pass a couple of people at the dismount area with a well-executed RFD.

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Quid quid latine dictum sit altum videtur
(That which is said in Latin sounds profound)

I've found that hooking a rubber band to the back of the shoe (if its a true tri shoe, it will probably have a loop of sorts) and then attach that to the rear axel. It doesn't matter which one, because the whole purpose is just to keep them parallel to the ground, and not dragging when you run out of transition. Now, it depends on the transition, and if they're an uphill out of it, and how then next part of putting your feet in works. I've generally found that if you put your feet in right away, you won't be looking where you are going, and thats a problem. Keep pedeling with your feet on top of the shoes, (the elastic band is broken now) and wait untill you have somewhat of a straight away, and then get your feet into the shoes (just open the strap and slip them in).

Dismounting.. about 1 or 2 min out of transition, just undo your shoes, and get your feet on the top. Execute a running dismount.. (i personally slow down until i feel confortable..) and transition.

now.. PRACTICE.. thats all there to doing this properly. I actually covered my shoes in electical tape, and spent an hour doing this on a deserted road (it was clean and paved, so my feet were fine). I would just start running, jump on my bike, pedel, practice getting my feet into the shoes, and then bike full speed for a min.. and then practice a running dismount. And now i'm good at it.

Hope it helps.

David

When you say that you have it rubberbanded to the reasr axle... do you mean the axle of the wheel ? Does this mean that you have your cranks in the 3 oclock 9 oklock position or dies it mean that they are in the 12 and 6 positions?

thanks

They need to be in the 3 & 9 position otherwise you might catch a shoe on the ground and, pop off it goes. Then you stop pick up your shoe then go. For the dismount I usually end up with 6 & 12 for the shoe position.

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Brian Stover USAT LII
Accelerate3 Coaching
Insta

Along these lines, have any of you who use Speedplay X2s had the problem of a shoe just falling off when dismounting?

I had taken my feet out of the shoes approaching T2, and as I dismounted, the weight of one of the shoes caused it to unclip and fall to the ground. Fortunately, a spectator saw it and called to me, otherwise I would never have known. Anyway, I tested it later, just to see if maybe I wasn't clipped in all the way, but the same thing happened. The spring is just not that tight, and you can't adjust the tension on the X2s (can you?).

Any suggestions on how to resolve this?

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Dave in WI
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"What you once were isn't what you want to be anymore" - Wilco

You're smart for learning on the trainer instead of on race day or in rush hour traffic. I just clip the shoes in and then put my feet on top for the first few pedal strokes. Then, when I am away from other traffic on a straight, flat stretch coming out of transition I reach down and carefully (but quickly- I've practiced!) put my feet inot the shoe and pull the strap tight. Sometimes it takes a second adjustment but I can usually get it in one shot. The key, of course, is not letting the empty shoe go flippng around on your pedals where it could hit the ground and become unclipped or even cause a crash. Enter the shoe at the top of the pedal stroke. Keep practicing on the trainer until you get it down. Good luck!

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

This does not work with X-2's. I lost a shoe while mounting - it cost me maybe 30 seconds. I love the pedals, but for that reason, I switched back to Look. If anyone has a magic trick for making it work with speedplays (not zero's) I'm all ears.

I tried to get proficient with my X's last year and am somewhat relieved to hear it wasn't just me. I had the most problem with getting into the shoes without knocking them off, never lost a shoe at T2.

I switched to Shimano pedals to fix this problem