Hi, new here, and I couldn’t find anything on the search .
Anyway I was just wondering if there was anything special I should know about cycling without socks. I did an Olympic distance last year and I need to work on my transitions. I have cycling shoes/clipless pedals . Will these be fine? I don’t even know the right questions to ask about this…
I plan on doing the run portions with socks, so am I just wasting some time? Should I learn to do both without socks?
Thanks for any help 
“I was just wondering if there was anything special I should know about cycling without socks.”
Um, yeah. Shoes. Only. That’s about it. But definitely do it in training first. A lot.
As for socks on the run, it depends on the shoes – how well they fit you, seams, hot spots, all that. Again, do it in training first. Work up to full training runs sans socks. And be VERY picky about the shoes you buy.
If you’re going to put them on for the run, might as well for the bike too, unless you’re more comfortable without socks on the bike. The only time I’ve not worn them on the bike, but did on the run, was for Ironman or a Half Ironman. In olympic races and shorter, I don’t even carry socks in my transition bag, and those races are where the time matters most.
If you’re putting on socks, you’re putting on socks. It doesn’t matter if it’s T1 and your feet are wet from the swim or T2 and your feet are wet from your sweat. You’re not “saving” time.
Now, if you just like riding w/out them, OTOH…I found it pretty easy. Little body glide, try it out in practice a few times, you’re golden. I hate riding in socks. Makes my feet all squinchy.
In shorter distance Tris (Oly and under) you can get away without socks to speed up your transitions. As noted, you’ll want to train that way to get used to it. Some people will put body glide on their feet or vaseline in their running shoes to avoid blisters.
Clipless pedals are great and getting a single strap Triathlon specific cylcling shoe will make the shoes easier to get on and off. With practice, you can eventually get to the point where your shoes are clipped into the pedals while your bike is in the rack and you put them on and take them off while riding. Don’t try this in a race without a lot of practice 
Wow…so much help so fast. Thanks
Actually my shoe is effectively 1 strap , I’ve been practicing getting into my shoes on the trainer. The next step will be to do it outside where the neighbours can have a show.
The other advantage of tri bike shoes over regular road bike shoes is that they often come with oversized pull loops on the heal to aid entry while on the bike. Also the single strap is usually wider and longer allowing for easier access than the multiple straps of a regular road shoe.
I’d say that a regular road shoe is fine if you are putting it on in T1 and then getting on the bike but if you are going to leave your shoes attached to the pedals then a tri shoe will help.
More power to you if you can do it with your current shoes. I have some Shimano three strap shoes too and for daily riding I usually only have to loosen the top strap to put them on, but I still find them too cumbersome for doing it on the bike during a race. For Tris I really like the single strap Shimano TR50 which open up a lot more and are much easier to do it under pressure. No right answer, just whatever works for you. I personally haven’t done a tri for over a year so I’m sure I’ll fall flat on my face during my next one.
I’m sure your neighbors will appreciate the show as you practice those transitions. The folks in my culdesac have seen it all and hardly even blink an eye as I wizz in and out with my various spandex outfits, aero helmets, etc.
Make sure you spend time training barefoot also. Gets you used to the feel.
I hate riding with socks and only do it in the cold . I’ve ride w/ the Spec tri vents and going sockless keeps my feet dry in the heat. To me that’s the big benefit. Putting dry socks on dry feet at the start of the run is a whole lot better than starting the run with socks that you’ve been sweating in for hours and feet that are already soft from the moisture.
Then there’s the whole what-if-you-don’t-stop-to-piss issue. Just won’t work with socks.
Plus, you’ll get a better tan going no socks
.
I prefer socks and here is why. I am impatient when it comes to cycling steep hills and prefer to stand-and-jam (at a buck fifty, I don’t lose much by standing). At these times, the top of my foot presses hard against shoe and I get sore spots around velcro/buckle areas if I do not where socks.
Having said this, I now wonder what would happen if I apply chamois butter …
I never ever wear socks in cycling shoes , training or racing. Ever.
But I live in a tropical climate so temperature is not a problem.
If I cycled in cold weather I woyuld imagine I would.
Never wear socks unless the run is in sand. Please please be sure to wear socks if the run coarse is in the sand.
I have not worn socks for cycling or running in 17 years. Even when I do an IM I do both without socks. When I first get a new pair of cycling or running shoes I coat the inside with vaseline. The first few times I wear them I vaseline my feet. This softens the inside of the shoes…poof…no blisters!!
we dont wear socks on the bike
you may wear socks on the run if you have hotspot issues with your shoes
test to determine
better to not wear socks
faster and less moisture and less heat
.
cycling without socks…
after an entire season of riding, (left uncleaned) they’ll smell like death. and you may even grow a new strain of athlete’s foot.
Hid,
Welcome back. Where the hell have you been???