I know this is a subject that has probably been beaten to death, and I promise I searched and read a bunch, and I know I'm also vastly overthinking it - that's kind of my specialty.
I'm a runner-turned-brand new triathlete - sustained a soft tissue injury last fall and finally forced myself to learn to swim over the winter, which planted the triathlon seed in my head. The marathon is still my first love but training for a fall race is unlikely, my mileage just isn't there right now, hence making the switch to tris.
I recently bought an entry-level road bike, I am a terrible-but-improving swimmer and am just now, at the tender age of 31, comfortable enough in the pool not to be completely terrified of drowning and not totally freaked out by the idea of open water. Decent runner as that is my primary sport - if I hadn't gotten injured my goal last fall was sub-21 5K and then I should have been building up for a crack at a 3:25 marathon in May to solidly BQ (previous races were 3:48 and change while sick, 3:32 and change while healthy - technical BQ but missed Boston cutoff for F18-34 by about a minute). I don't have delusions of being particularly competitive in triathlons this year, but I am competitive by nature and love the whole process of training so I want to get some experience, race as well as I can, and target areas to improve.
I don't currently have plans for anything longer than Oly distance, so transition times will matter more than if my goal races were longer.
All that in mind, does it make sense to go right for a tri shoe for the bike? Even if the flying mount is more than I can master this season, will the easier in/out for transition, ability to go sockless, better drainage be worth it?
Running shoes are basically disposable and I end up retiring a few pairs a year so I'm much more willing to experiment with those instead of overthinking, but it is my understanding that cycling shoes are meant to last longer than that. I'm willing to shop around and invest in good shoes if I'm going to be in them for multiple seasons, but I don't know anywhere with a good selection of tri shoes in stock nearby so I'd likely be buying sight unseen online and trying on at home if I go that route.
I'm a runner-turned-brand new triathlete - sustained a soft tissue injury last fall and finally forced myself to learn to swim over the winter, which planted the triathlon seed in my head. The marathon is still my first love but training for a fall race is unlikely, my mileage just isn't there right now, hence making the switch to tris.
I recently bought an entry-level road bike, I am a terrible-but-improving swimmer and am just now, at the tender age of 31, comfortable enough in the pool not to be completely terrified of drowning and not totally freaked out by the idea of open water. Decent runner as that is my primary sport - if I hadn't gotten injured my goal last fall was sub-21 5K and then I should have been building up for a crack at a 3:25 marathon in May to solidly BQ (previous races were 3:48 and change while sick, 3:32 and change while healthy - technical BQ but missed Boston cutoff for F18-34 by about a minute). I don't have delusions of being particularly competitive in triathlons this year, but I am competitive by nature and love the whole process of training so I want to get some experience, race as well as I can, and target areas to improve.
I don't currently have plans for anything longer than Oly distance, so transition times will matter more than if my goal races were longer.
All that in mind, does it make sense to go right for a tri shoe for the bike? Even if the flying mount is more than I can master this season, will the easier in/out for transition, ability to go sockless, better drainage be worth it?
Running shoes are basically disposable and I end up retiring a few pairs a year so I'm much more willing to experiment with those instead of overthinking, but it is my understanding that cycling shoes are meant to last longer than that. I'm willing to shop around and invest in good shoes if I'm going to be in them for multiple seasons, but I don't know anywhere with a good selection of tri shoes in stock nearby so I'd likely be buying sight unseen online and trying on at home if I go that route.