Cycling shoes last a few years, plus they are a major contact point when riding so IMHO this is definitely an item for which price should not be much of a question

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I've spent $650 on my previous pair of custom D2 shoes. With feet that are 2 different heights, widths, lengths, 4th toes that are as long as my big toe & my 2nd & 3rd digits are longer I'd rather buy a lower spec'd bike and buy shoes that are going to fit my feet.

One of those two decisions will exponentially have a bigger impact on how long, how enjoyable and how often I want to ride my bike

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Brian Stover USAT LII
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Personally, I've never spent over $150 or so on cycling shoes. I've often got shoes that a previous iteration and on sale. I did win a nice pair of Shimano shoes after winning an indoor TT, but I sold them. As long as a shoe has a good carbon sole to transfer power, I don't need all of the bells and whistles of the top shoes. Weight is only a concern of mine on race day - heavy shoes (and other gear for that matter) in training only make the race stuff that much faster.

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Hopefully not full price, as they are scary expensive these days. Got a nice pair of SIDI last year for half price £130. That's about my limit.

Best shoes I ever had were Specialized. Would love a pair of the S-works 7 But OTT price wise. There's no need to spend hundreds to get quality shoes. Plenty of good stuff out there at the mid price range.

The new Rapha ones look very nice tho. :D

The two items I would spend the most on in triathlon are the bike and the bike shoes. The bike is the one piece of equipment that is a major factor in finishing time. The shoes need to be comfortable, stiff, and light. Your going to spend hours upon hours in them between training and races. Don't be thrifty on this item.

I always get the cheapest shoes with Boa dial. Specialized got some nice ones.

In my experience, it's worth spending abit more for good shoes. Look for brands with replaceable hardware- gaerne, sidi, lake- these shoes last a long time. My sidis are 7 years old and going strong.

Lightweight shoes I find dont do too well- a pair of s works or the like wont last past 2 or 3 seasons.

On the other hand though, I never pay full retail for them. Last seasons shoes are typically at 30-40% off and I pick them up. About $250 USD would be the max I would pay.

I'm wearing Giro Imperials. They're amazing. BOA dials and crazy light. So comfy! I think I paid $340. They weren't cheap but it was some of the best money I've spent in triathlon.

Cost is never the top consideration when it comes to contact points like shoes and saddles. That said I have worn s-works in the past. When it came time to replace my second pair I found a mid range shoe that I found just as comfortable as the latest s-works. Sure they are a little heavier, but that doesnt bother me.

the key for me is being able to try the shoes on. I usually know pretty quick if a shoe will work for me when I try it on.

If I have to spend a little more money to get significantly more comfort I will find a way to make it happen.

buy another pair of s-works shoes. I used multiples pairs for about 15yrs and switched to Giro for $100 less last year. Guess what....about 6 month later i bought another pair of s-works. they are good shoes. you wear shoes every time you ride. spend the money and get what you want.

Hello AlexS321 and All,

I have come to believe that pulling up with the foot is not particularly important .... (maybe in sprinting) .... so a tight fit is less important ... than comfort and a good platform for pushing down.

So most any shoe that is comfortable will work for me now.

Shoes 'break in' after a time so it is a bit of a crap shoot when buying .... since the shoe you buy will change over time.

Maybe there is a market for 'used' shoes.

I have a few different shoes and like the Giro Empire as it seems comfortable (laces converted to a zipper) and aero and they are on sale sometimesl.

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Cheers, Neal

+1 mph Faster

If you're looking for true cycling shoes (not tri shoes), and use speedplay pedals, this is a hell of a deal:

Lake CX402

ohhhhh, I had kangaroo leather soccer cleats many years ago-super comfy!!

Personally, my limit is probably sub $200 for most shoes, although I may spring for the fancy velovetta shoes. I agree with others that comfort is very important, but the reality is that you can find very comfortable, very high quality shoes (see above as an example), for $200 or less during a sale.

That is pretty much my limit too.

In the last month I bought a pair of Bontrager Cambions for gravel riding on sale from a UK store for $120, and a pair of Northwave winter boots for $140 from a store in Germany - no way I would have bought them at US prices.

$125 or so. I can find good cycling shoes with carbon soles on backcountry, active gear up, or REI for that price or less.

Coincidentally, that’s about my limit on running shoes too.

The upstroke is 50% of your pedal stroke. How is it not important?

Most you should do is lift the weight of the leg on the upstroke. Power is generated on the downstroke. That's what the muscles are designed to do. You can generate a small amount of extra power by concentrating on the upstroke but only for a short time and it's much less efficient.

I am a bottom feeder of bike gear, so I tend to get stuff at close out or from EBay. I am also a dedicated SpeedPlay user, so I try to only buy the 4-slot SpeedPlay shoes. With a little patience, I usually find new shoes for under 150$. If I had to guess, I would say any of the 3 pairs of shoes I have would have been 250-300$ A piece.

Because science. It’s been proven over and over it’s not important to “spin circles”.

I miss days of Day Vs. Coggan.

I've never ever paid more than 90. It's not necessary.

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I'm DaBaby but ya baby daddy really wanna be me

It's a good investment in your feet. What's not necessary are lame ass $300-$500 tri suits that you see left and right at IM races. Especially when a guy and his gal pal are rocking matching suits at bike check the day before a race. There's a lot of dumb shit you can piss money away on. Good shoes are not a waste of money.

Interesting argument. I assumed those who advocate for comfort in their feet would likewise do so for the remainder of their body. Of course , you can find moderately priced comfort for both. But to label one more lame than the other is strange.

A good pair of cycling shoes can last many years. I only ride sidi as they fit well and function great for me. I have 5 pair and 2 of them are 8-10 years old and still work great with minimal issue (replacing buckles and some velcro). Shoes are critical for me on the bike since I may be on it for hours. My last pair was about 300.00 as a previous year closeout. I'd say 300 usd is reasonable to me for a shoe that may last 5+ years and many thousands of miles - an outright bargain compared to running shoes....

Use speci pro (200€) for about 10 yrs now and they’re almost shot, but ne but second hand older model sworks (170€), the pro are a bit more comfortable and I think the sworks are a bit more fragile but time will tell.
Like others said it’s one contact point you won’t get something crappy but I’d swallow to fork out more than I did.
(My LBS told me that speck made later sworks a little different (more narrow) than previous yrs, that’s hey I went for the older model, couldn’t find the pro I had anymore)

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-shoki