I’m upgrading pedals and shoes on my bikes from Northwave mountain bike shoes with time ATAC pedals to Road or Tri shoes with Speedplay Zero pedals. However, I still havent decided whether to go with road shoes or Tri shoes. I have raced everything from short course to 1/2 IMs, and have IM - WI scheduled for this year. I am mostly interested on efficient power transfer and comfort since for me putting my shoes on during T1 really doesnt take me much time.
I think I have it narrowed down to the following shoes
Tri shoes: Shimano SH-TR01, Sidi T-1
Road shoes: Sidi Genius, Sidi Energy, Shimano R-150
When my Sidi T-1 shoes wore out I replaced them with Genius IV (I think they are the IV’s anyway). If you can spare the time in T1, I would certainly rec them over the T-1’s. I wear size 48 and have skinnish ankles for the size of the shoe and need the extra straps to get my heel secure (which I never could in the T-1’s). I can’t speak about the Shimano shoes as I am a sidi man.
I’ve been going throught the same thought process myself this past week.
Yesterday I bought a pair of Genius 4 - for these reasons: Comfort is #1 for me not transition time ( like you I don’t care too much about the little extra time it takes to get strapped in - 15 or 20 seconds is not going to put me anywhere near the FOP). I train a lot more than I race, so efficient,effective, comfortable riding is more productive and most important to me.
Look at the direction that the velcro on the upper of the shoe engages. The nice thing about Tri Shoes (I have Sidi T-1’s and love 'em) is that when the velcro is “unzipped” the loose ends stay away from the chain rings (not getting sucked in when pedaling). This is only a concern if you leave your shoes on the bike in T1, and run out of the transition bare foot. Just food for thought - Ernie
if they are equally comfortable, I’d go w/ the tri shoes. I switched from mtn shoes w/ spd’s last year to Zero’s. I got Nike Poggio’s at a bargain price. No regrets, but now I’m starting to think about leaving the shoes on the bike. the 3 straps on the poggio’s are a bit of a hassle for this, so now I’m considering getting yet another pair of shoes. last year I would have said the same thing you did about just putting them on in T1. but a year later, I’m not so worried about the time it takes to put them on, but some of the transition areas are pretty big and clopping around on the bike shoes is actually pretty dangerous if it’s at all slippery.
if you go w/ the tri shoes your better positioned if you change your mind in the future. but comfort first.
I’d go with road shoes. I like the 2 big fat straps that my northwaves have and it takes me 1 sec longer to put each shoe on. Plus for climbing or if you ever bike race you’ll appreciate the extra support.
The bottom line is that a good road shoe is also going to be a good triathlon shoe.
The possible exceptions are the good road shoes that have some form of rachet mechanism on the straps - these may take longer to get into and out of in transition. I have never used such shoes. This is just my observation.
Fit is key, because cycling shoes, if they are fitted properly should be “comfortably snug”, not tight or constricting, just snug enough to facilitate maximum transfer of energy from your legs/feet to the pedals.
Fortunately there is quite a range in fit from Sidi, to Carnac, to Shimano and some of the other brands. Try them on and see what works for you - preferably on a bike, because it is hard to get a sense of how a cycling shoe will work/feel just standing around in it, on the shop floor.