we’ve discussed this, right? i thought i’d read some sort of rules change on this, but i just went thru the USAT roles of competition and i don’t see it mentioned.
in ironman races i think it’s often a moot point because your cycling shoes are often if not always required to be in your equipment bag, yes? but, 70.3 and lower, my questions are:
I will have them rubber banded at every race I do this year.
When allowed, I pre-attach my shoes to the bike. I do not use rubber bands, I just place the shoes in the position I want and typically they stay close enough to that by the time I get to the mount line.
In WTC 70.3 races (I think I’ve done 13 of those?), I’ve almost always been allowed to do it (recent St. George Race excepted).
All races are lower than 70.3. Always rubber banded.
we’ve discussed this, right? i thought i’d read some sort of rules change on this, but i just went thru the USAT roles of competition and i don’t see it mentioned.
in ironman races i think it’s often a moot point because your cycling shoes are often if not always required to be in your equipment bag, yes? but, 70.3 and lower, my questions are:
Always (double) rubber banded to my crank arms.
100% rubber band when allowed.
it depends on the size of transition and the course leaving transition (uphill, downhill, flat, turns etc.).
I never bother with the rubber bands but do pre-attach my shoes to the bike. I find the the heel of one shoe may bounce a bit on the ground before I get mounted but generally the pedals stay even enough that it’s not necessary.
Always rubber banded…
At Gulf Coast 70.3 the announcer at the athlete briefing explicitly called this out and said it was OK in that race.
I always rubber band because it makes easier running through T1 faster and easier to put on at the mount line. I do not do a flying start.
Sprint and olympics they’re on the pedals but not banded. Doesn’t seem to interfere with a quick mount so I haven’t bothered. Since these races are usually local-ish and have smaller fields I have a half decent shot at podiums and make the effort to shave transition times as much as possible.
At the 70.3 distance, I had to have an honest conversation with myself and know that I’m not currently shooting for any podiums. So I’ve been running in and out of transition in the shoes with no problems. Not as cool, but I don’t worry about getting feet in, adjusting fit, or losing focus on the road during the first couple hundred yards of the bike.
Enjoyed the front page article on shoes. I was close to getting a new pair and am rethinking my selection now.
I never bother with the rubber bands but do pre-attach my shoes to the bike. I find the the heel of one shoe may bounce a bit on the ground before I get mounted but generally the pedals stay even enough that it’s not necessary.
+1 I’ve been in the sport for about 20 years, I’ve never understood the need for rubber bands. I can run with my bike just fine and don’t have any problem flipping a shoe up to get my foot in.
It seems like one of those things people just do because other people do. For the rubber band users, have you ever tried a couple of practice transitions without?
I never bother with the rubber bands but do pre-attach my shoes to the bike. I find the the heel of one shoe may bounce a bit on the ground before I get mounted but generally the pedals stay even enough that it’s not necessary.
+1 I’ve been in the sport for about 20 years, I’ve never understood the need for rubber bands. I can run with my bike just fine and don’t have any problem flipping a shoe up to get my foot in.
It seems like one of those things people just do because other people do. For the rubber band users, have you ever tried a couple of practice transitions without?
Why risk having the shoe spin and possibly dislodge from the clip? Rubber banding is a no brainer. There is no downside from what I can see?
If you spent time monitoring a dismount line in T2, it’s not an uncommon occurrence to see a shoe spin after clipping the ground and go flying off.
I never bother with the rubber bands but do pre-attach my shoes to the bike. I find the the heel of one shoe may bounce a bit on the ground before I get mounted but generally the pedals stay even enough that it’s not necessary.
Me too.
I’ll tell you exactly why I rubber band my shoes. I wear a size 47 and if I don’t rubber band the shoes to the bike then they will hit the ground if the crank rotates at all while running and I’ve had them fly off as I’m running through transition.
I cant imagine a reason not to allow people to pre-mount their cycling shoes. To me running through an asphalt transition area in cycling shoes is just asking for injury. I’ve seen countless people completely wipe out running in cycling shoes in T1 and T2.
I have practised flying mounts but stopped that.
That said, I confess to not do:
-flying mounts;
-flip turns in the pool;
-grab bottles behind the saddle;
because I am indeed to clumsy to learn that all (I’m over 50).
But it costed some years in getting the right shoe/pedal system: I tried the following systems:
Look: which did not work when running on tarmac in a transition zone;
Shimano spd classic: I get pressure points from them under my feet;
Right now I ride Shimano spd sl, with which I’m really happy. There are three rubber pads under the cleats with which you can run on a stone surface, and the pedal has a broad surface contacting with the cleats.
There are people who don’t rubber band their shoes to the bike? Wow I had no idea that people would run in those horrible traction pedals cleets. I’ve never not done this
At Gulf Coast 70.3 the announcer at the athlete briefing explicitly called this out and said it was OK in that race.
I always rubber band because it makes easier running through T1 faster and easier to put on at the mount line. I do not do a flying start.
Do you step into one shoe and mount the bike or just step on top of shoe, get rolling, then get your feet in the shoes?
The long, and probably poorly described mount approach…
I mount the bike from the left side, so when I hit the mount line, I step over and slide my right foot into the shoe as I do the first pedal stroke. I try to slide my left foot in before the NDS rubber band breaks (use a long rubber band on the NDS). If I miss, then I just end up having to hook my left foot into the shoe as if I did not have a rubber band there.
Having rubber bands on both shoes stabilizes the shoes and guarantees that I can get my right foot in smoothly. Then, I get my left foot in with the benefit of the rubber band aid about 75% of the time. It broke early this weekend in Gulf Coast, so I just too a few extra yards of fiddling before I started pounding.