i was finally able to get my first clipless setup. got some used LOOK pedals ($25) and some used shimano TR01 ($45) from ebay. i had been riding with running shoes with toe clips.
my first ride last night was very uncomfortable. i’m used to all the float my other setup provided so i hope to get used to clipless soon. is there anything i should know about setting up the cleat? i kept feeling like my heel was pointed inward most the time but the shoes are pointing forward and exactly parallel with each other when clipped on… is this normal for my first ride?
another thing… if i practice leaving the shoes clipped on in a race; wont the shoes get badly scuffed up with the ground during T2? is there a way to save the shoe from dragging against the ground the whole time?
i did get a good deal on the shoes but they are still worth a lot to me…
float? you didn’t have float, you had running shoes on pedals!
do you have red cleats or black cleats? also, how is your cleat alignment on the shoes? are they turned in?
dragging shoes - some people use small rubber bands to tie the heels to the bike, they snap off when you pedal. I don’t bother, the draggin doesn’t bother me, I haven’t noticed any abnormal wear on my shoes and I’ve become adept at flipping my shoes over properly.
Chances are you have black cleats (non-floating). go to your LBS and get some red cleats. They will allow for some float and will let you find a more comfortable position.
In regards to the scuffing of the shoes during T2… unless you race every weekend, the scuffing on the shoes wont amount to a whole lot over the life of the shoe. Yeah, they’ll drag and get a little scuffed up, but in general I dont think the amount of scuffing you’ll get from T2 will destroy the shoes.
all i can say is get a set of speed play. they have the float you are looking for and are easier on the knees. As for the shoes getting beat up the answer is they get a little scuffed when you first get off but once you start running they end up in the neutral position and at worse you scrape the bottom of the carbon plate(which does very little damage). I usually go through a pair of shoes every season so it is no big deal if they get blemished or not, just go for the speed and pick up a minute on the person infront of you in the transitions.
get red LOOK “free-arc” cleats as the other poster suggested, they are vastly better.
getting the cleats set up correctly is essential to getting comfortable. get a good local shop or a friend who knows exactly what he/she is doing to help you with this.
yes, if you scream out of t1 and into t2, then your shoes will get trashed around the heels. i put some layers of plastic tape or just 1 layer of gray duct tape to prevent this. some tri biking shoes now have plastic heel cups for this reason.
and use a rubber band around the heel strap of the left shoe and the rear quick release handle to reduce mounting problems out of t1–if you dont understand how to do this, have a triathlete friend help you.
i have black cleats. they were free with the pedals. i had no idea that there were different types. its good to know…
i guess i’ll just scuff them up. its my second tri ever so i guess the 100 yards of dragging wont kill them to badly…
On my first pair of shoes I guesstimated where the cleats should attach and rode that way for a while. I then got a professional fit and they shifted the cleats almost 1/2 inch, which is quite a bit, and the
difference was huge.
I would also concentrate on pedalling the full circle, rather than just mashing on the downstroke. It was described tome as scraping poop off your shoe at the bottom and rolling a log forward at the top.
Try using only one leg at a time to practice this.
Sounds like your pedalling in circles correctly then. A more “forward” tri/TT position will use more quads and less hamstrings, perhaps at some expense of bike speed, to save some for the run. You will have to see what works best for you. I prefer a more road geometry set-up for a faster, more comfortable bike split (especially for longer races). I really don’t seem to run much slower using my hammies more.
Your hamstrings are pretty big muscles and getting them involved in the bike will help keep your legs as a whole fresher for the run.
I’m not sure how much force you actually put in on the upstroke, but just unweighting that pedal means you don’t have to add energy on the downstroke to lift the other leg.
Of course, you could just go out and drop $900 on Powercranks,
but that is for a different thread…
i have black cleats. they were free with the pedals. i had no idea that there were different types. its good to know…
i guess i’ll just scuff them up. its my second tri ever so i guess the 100 yards of dragging wont kill them to badly…
thanks
In your “second tri ever”, there’s no need whatsoever to try mounting or dismounting with the shoes in the pedals. Just put the shoes on in T1 and take them off in T2 and then you won’t have to worry about scuffing them up. Or dropping a shoe and having to go back upstream to get it. Or having trouble getting your foot in and secure and falling over or swerving in front of someone else. Etc. There is very little chance that you will gain measurable time by having them attached - it’s far more likely that you will lose time and possibly impact your fellow racers. Patience, grasshopper. When you can snatch the C02 cartridge from Tinley’s hand, then and only then think about leaving your shoes on the bike.
one last question on saddle height… i had read on the web that sitting on the the saddle i should be able to place my heel on the pedal in its 6 o’clock position. but i’ve also read people recommending to put their saddles higher just to acheive a better aero position. does having a bit higher saddle and possibly a more extended leg affect leg power negatively?
i know a lot of this is experimentation and that i need to figure it out on my own but i rather not injure myself trying odd things…
Actually, you should be getting a professional fit. Not that figuring out things on your own is bad, but if your baseline is way off than you’re asking for trouble.
Once I was riding right up on some fabulous babes in a suv. I at a stop sign I pulled along side of them real suave like, I slowed to a complete stop and then promptly tipped over onto the side of the road.
I forgot I was clipped in, or I thought I’d have more time during the tipping over process to unclip and put my foot down.
It takes some getting used to, but the learning curve is relatively short.
Oh boy, I remember my first clip on days … Hell, I didn’t even make it out of my driveway with the first “tip over”. Funny how natural it becomes. I don’t have clip ons with my Mountain bike/errand runner and it feels very strange now. I really can’t get me feet out of the cages any faster than I can unclip/clip with my Speedplays now.
Ahh yes…the Bus Stop Flop. The odds of it occuring are directly proportional to the number and hotness of the babes waiting at the bus. When it happened to me I unhooked the right foot and leaned left.
The worst part was the little old ladies running over saying “Oh dear…are you ok.” and me having to explain that I meant to do that and it was a new form of stetching. The babes were not impressed.