At IM70.3 Princeton my trusty cycling shoes finally died. With 10ish miles to go, the buckle on one broke, but luckily the shoes are so old (12+ seasons) and so used that the crust, sweat, grime and all my spilled EPO held them together and the shoe stayed on for the remainder of the 58-ish miles. After transition though, that shoe was dead.

My shoes were not actually tri-specific. They were an old Specialized road shoe, not carbon, not fancy. My first and only cycling shoes. They slipped off easily despite two tight velcro straps and a ratchet strap thing at the top, but they really weren't meant for a fast transition.

I briefly considered just wearing one shoe from now on, but that doesn't seem practical considering I'm already a mediocre cyclist. Why add to the handicap.

Now is probably the time to get a new shoe. Any suggestions on a good, comfy tri shoe that just happens to also be on a great sale?

Thanks and happy holiday where relevant.