Have you tried keeping the peddle level and letting the heals of your shoes drag the ground?

Not specifically no - I'm not entirely sure what happens as I'm typically in a hurry at the time and more focused on where I'm going but I guess one pedal will be down as I put the weight on that side when jumping off. How would you even put them level again after the dismount?

I would imagine that with the weight of the shoes and the bumping around as the bike is pushed that the pedals are going to rotate wherever they happen to be when you jump off the bike...?

This happens to me too and I do not have particularly large feet. Normally I just ignore it and everything is fine. Twice in 7 years of racing (40-45 races??) my shoe has been knocked off the bike while I was running into T2 and I had to stop to pick it up. This most recently happened in May at St. George. It cost me a few seconds, so not awful, but definitely annoying. I have not thought of a solution for it. Stopping to orient my cranks before running would cost more time than losing the shoe and picking it up I think!

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Ed O'Malley
www.VeloVetta.com
Founder of VeloVetta Cycling Shoes
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There's your first problem.

Then this:

This happens to me too and I do not have particularly large feet. Normally I just ignore it and everything is fine.

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Pink? Maybe. Maybe not. You decide.

Good to hear it isn't just me and that greater minds haven't come up with a solution yet either.

Re: socks - I'm mainly racing halfs, and am definitely not running 21km with no socks, so have always figured I may as well put them on in T1 and get the comfort benefit on the bike too. Am I doing it wrong?

Just ignore it and drag the shoes all the way.
You might want to grab the stem or handle bar and run because front will not bounce.

I do all my races (including 70.3 & 140.6) & training no socks. The roadies in my weekly group ride always make fun of me for this........

The key to it is shoe selection. I run in Zoots.

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Pink? Maybe. Maybe not. You decide.

Regarding socks on the bike...

you might find that your socked feet are sticking to your shoes as you jump off your bike. That couldcause the pedals to spin more. Plus in T1 your feet are wet from the swim. Therefore, it is going to be more of an effort to put socks on then. Also, if you run through transition in socks then debris will be more likely to stick to them. Finally, if you need to wear socks for the run, your feet will get treated to nice plush dry socks to start the run.

You can always return to T2 dismount to retrieve your shoes (which I have had to do before).

Interesting how it doesn't always happen, there must be a right way to do it. Go back and watch the Leeds womens' race from the weekend and watch how badly it goes for Jess Learmonth at bike dismount compared to the athletes around her. Interestingly she also had a horrible time mounting out of T1.

You might want to grab the stem or handle bar and run because front will not bounce.

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If you run with the seat and the shoes "bounce" or drag you can atleast still pick up the bike momentarily easier. Running with seat also is faster and likely easier to handle once you've mastered that skill. (But it is an skill that takes practice).

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Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

Size 49 shoe with 175 cranks here...
Pick the saddle up just a tiny bit once you have both feet on the ground. The shoes and pedals might bounce around a bit like crazy for a second or two, but they’ll settle and then yeah, it’s fine if the one shoe drags a bit on the ground.
I’ve had a shoe pop off at T2 a couple of times, fortunately in ITU they stopped making that a penalty because the safety issue of stopping to get it or going upstream even in a group is terrifying. Can’t recall it ever happening in a non draft though where my transitions are a touch more deliberate, less hectic because I’m by myself.

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IG: idking90

During the bike, your socks get wet because water runs down from the trisuit, so your socks will be soaking wet all the way. You have better chance drying off your feet riding without socks. I rode with socks before and that's what I learned.

I used to have problems with my shoes getting knocked off at dismount. I found it helps if I slow down more rather than trying to imitate Swen Nis. Also broke my clavicle when I screwed up a dismount a couple of years ago, so I have learned to take it slow.

Also, if you have Speedplay Zeros, set the cleats for a lot of rotation. I used to have mine set up for minimal rotation, so it didn't take much to knock my shoes loose.

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salmon - not because I'm a fish

I like to kick my foot back a bit as I step off the pedal to dismount. That usually pushes the cranks to horizontal, where you want them to be for running into T2.

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Strava

this is what i do too. My size 45 shoes will still hit or drag a bit depending on terrain but not enough to jump the rear wheel off the ground or pop a shoe out. I also tighten the retention on my pedals a bit more for races since I dont need to unclip at any point in the race (ideally...) and this will reduce likelihood of losing a shoe. In training it's nice to be able to pop out a bit easier when riding in stop and go traffic so i run the pedal retention a bit looser.

Your freehub has too much drag, so as you push (coast) the bike into T2, the freehub mech pulls/pushes on the chain which moves your cranks which then makes your shoes repeatedly hit the ground. Not usually a big problem on grass, but a big annoyance on harder surfaces like asphalt or dirt.

Three things you can do:

1 - Before T2, shift into the biggest cog you can on the cassette (the chainring does not matter as much, but it would further help if you shift to your smaller chainring). By shifting into the biggest cassette cog, it makes it harder for the cassette to move the rest of the drivetrain (due to a less advantageous lever arm for the sticky cassette, when in a bigger cog).

2 - Also before T2 or as you pull your feet out of your shoes, try to orient your cranks level and stopped.

3 - Before your next race, clean out your freehub, and put it in some very light/thin freehub specific oil/grease. Check that it has very low resistance when you run it backwards (like it does when you coast on your bike).

Problem should be solved.

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Advanced Aero TopTube Storage for Road, Gravel, & Tri...ZeroSlip & Direct-mount, made in the USA.
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Interesting; I'm going to try that.

I've got a size 9.5 foot, and my shoes also drag, so it's not a big-foot thing. I've only ejected a shoe once in 10 years, but it can happen. I push the bike by the seat, and if the shoes start tumbling, I pick the bike up for a second and it stops.

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<The Dew Abides>

Yeah, I steer my bike in T1/T2 by my seat too.
That is the way to do it, it allows you to control the bike pretty easily.

I can't guarantee that idea above will solve the issue for you if you have a super sticky freehub, but, for a given amount of freehub stickiness, the choice of gears as you go into (and out of) transition will make it noticeably harder for the freehub to try to drive your shoes in circles.

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Advanced Aero TopTube Storage for Road, Gravel, & Tri...ZeroSlip & Direct-mount, made in the USA.
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Use a little more rear brake coming into t2. Still use good braking technique, just squeeze the rear brake lever as you hop off to really slow down the rear wheel. Really helps keep things under control. Also, usually my bike bouncing like crazy is just a sign that I was moving too fast when I dismounted

It happens all the time in ITU racing. At worst the bike takes a little bounce and jolts you a bit. I've never seen a shoe fall off because of it and I imagine that's related to the tension setting on the pedals.

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Madison photographer Timothy Hughes | Instagram

How can you orient your cranks level before T2 and keep them that way during your dismount?

To orient:
When you pull your feet out of your shoes as you enter T2, you may have to use your foot (or hand) to get the cranks approx level.

To keep them that way:
Try to use the 3 freehub tips on this post.

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Ah, okay. You're talking about unclipping for T2. I thought you were saying that you could do a flying dismount and somehow keep the cranks level.

Ah, thanks for the correction. I made some edits, everything in the my posts above I meant to say for dismounts where you leave your bike shoes attached to your pedals/cranks. When you do a flying dismount, try to just get your cranks to stop spinning and then get them approx level. You may need to use your foot (or hand) to do this, but it really does not take much time at all.

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