Most Aero shoe

I have heard the specialized sub6 with the cover is the most aero shoe but is there anything close thats cheaper? Can you use the sub 6 cover on different shoes?

There’s nothing really special about the slip on cover (basically just a soccer lace cover) so technically it should work on shoes you can get it over.
As to the aero thing… shoe/foot area has a lot going on including how you pedal (toe down, flat, etc etc) so anything it’s all going to depend.
That said, the sub 6 is a narrow shoe, and with the cover it should be pretty smooth. So it should be good.

There are some specialty shoes that are probably more aero in most cases though.

Lake and Giro both make some lace ups “similar” to the sub 6’s that are on the cheaper spectrum.*

http://forum.slowtwitch.com/forum/Slowtwitch_Forums_C1/Triathlon_Forum_F1/S-Works_shoes%3A_Boas_vs_laces_P6012992/?search_string=sub%20%206#p6012992
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Bont Crono or bust.

Or the Bont Zero+, the crono was designed for track pursuit cycling which means they did not take comfort into as much of a consideration for comfort.

There’s nothing really special about the slip on cover (basically just a soccer lace cover) so technically it should work on shoes you can get it over.
As to the aero thing… shoe/foot area has a lot going on including how you pedal (toe down, flat, etc etc) so anything it’s all going to depend.
That said, the sub 6 is a narrow shoe, and with the cover it should be pretty smooth. So it should be good.

There are some specialty shoes that are probably more aero in most cases though.

Lake and Giro both make some lace ups “similar” to the sub 6’s that are on the cheaper spectrum.*

I read your blog a couple months ago and saw the DMT’s with covers. I think I noticed you wore them for your hour record, so are are you holding back some info? :slight_smile:

The Bont+ is 230 grams vs the Specialized Shoe @ 190. The SLX weighs less than that. The Bont+ shoe @ $400 is pricey. I don’t understand why another company doesn’t come out with a tri shoe with covers similar to the bont. If they released something in the $200-$250…and they were actually available in the USA, I would thing they would be a hot selling item.

http://forum.slowtwitch.com/forum/Slowtwitch_Forums_C1/Triathlon_Forum_F1/S-Works_shoes%3A_Boas_vs_laces_P6012992/?search_string=sub%20%206#p6012992

the info in that thread about the s-works 6s is outdated. the current s-works 6s have the boa that will pull out and “free wheel” the wiring. much easier to loosen up the shoe.

that said, i have no idea how someone would get this shoe on without putting it on at transition and running the bike to the gate. the shoe rubber banded to the bike method doesnt seem feasible to me as its nearly a pain getting them on just sitting in a chair in my garage.

There is no Aero triathlon shoe. There are some few road shoes that you could call aero, for example Bont Zero+, the mentioned S-Works or Mavic also had a model a few years ago with a zipper-cover. However keep in mind how you put the shoe on during a triathlon - it can be extremely difficult, these shoes are not made to put them on in a few seconds while on the bike. The Bont Zero+ is the exception there, it opens extremely wide and can easily be put on. Its an overall great choice for Triathletes, stiff, relatively light, aero, easier to put on than other road shoes, but comes at a price.

If you are looking for cheap shoe-aero, just take the orca shoe covers for 40$ or what they cost nowadays. Allows you to quickly slip them on after you made it quickly into your normal triathlon shoe.

But at the end of the day shoes are in the “marginal gains” part of aero, Most of the top10 in Kona haven’t bothered with shoe aero, just took normal triathlon shoes. If you use 30 seconds to put on an aero shoe or shoe cover, how much can you possibly gain? Sebastian Kienle experimented some years ago with the orca shoe covers, but hasn’t used them in the last 2 years. True, sponsorship and all that, just be realistic what your gains can be for the pains you are going through.

I read your blog a couple months ago and saw the DMT’s with covers. I think I noticed you wore them for your hour record, so are are you holding back some info? :slight_smile:

I did test a couple of different pairs of shoes (DMT P1’s, Bont Zero+, Specialized Sub6 lace ups) but never posted up any results because although I think my testing methodology is pretty good, I don’t know that one days worth of tests was enough to confirm something like shoes. Looking at some wind tunnel data from guys on here it seems a lot like shoes are a crap shoot, whereas TG found gains going from a “bad” shoe to laces GP didn’t find gains moving to a custom Simmons. So it’s likely too personal to suss out much anyways. I do think it matters a LOT how flat your foot is through the stroke, but that’s just a hunch.

Fwiw, I modified my Bont’s with Sugru to smooth out the front (I also removed the front tab from them) but at the end of the day the DMT’s were narrower and just a much smoother shape all around, so I went with those… also Sarah Hammer wore them in Rio so 乁(ツ)∫ (Using that logic the old DMT pista’s, Zero+'s, Suplest and Simmons were probably more popular)

In regards to tri though, no way you could get the DMT’s on in a reasonably quick fashion on the bike. The sub6’s you might be able to if you ran quick laces and cut out the tongue, that shoe is pretty fragile though compared to something like a Giro, so it might not be the best idea. If I was picking what I thought was the best shoe for tri my top end pick is probably the Crono, my budget pick would be the LG LA84’s hacked up with quick laces and some Velotoze toe covers pre installed. Just guesses though. :wink:

I’ve got a pair of DMT P1s and jtook out the inner tounge and laces, and replaced them with a little bit of elastic.
I can just slide my foot without any probs, then once moving just pull up the zip. Even without any elastic, the zip works pretty well as the primary closure. You can’t accelerate, or pull up real hard like that, but if it’s just steady state effort, it’s works fine for me. No idea on the durability of the zip though…

wow, impressive.

I feel like I’m going to tear the zipper (and I’ve seen a lot of them that have been torn) just putting them on easily sitting down, kudos for making it work on the bike.

Yup the zip worries me too! :slight_smile:
I put some grease on them, but they don’t feel confidence inspiring for long term durability.

A few of my shoes (just the lace ones).

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v285/dirtygrill/20170425_205331_zpsfuimnoqd.jpg

Crono is legit fastest. Enough so that it’s now my go-to TT shoe.

The Scott Tri Carbons have the boa closure, and it also pops up to allow a quick release, for easy exit for dismounting. I could do without the lower strap on them which helps to adjust the sizing of the toe box. they have good heel loops though, so they are great for shoe in transitions and flying mounts.

I thought the UCI ban the Bont Crono, or is that only for the track? Do you race the British TT circuit? Would be a good shoe to wear in a fight.

the Crono is a-ok for CTT races (and of course for Tri) but not ok for anything UCI would be involved with.

As Morelock says, fine for CTT regs (can’t see myself racing in any BC TTs).

it is amusing how much larger the crono is than the rest. toe overlap folks are going “no thanks, sont care how aero it is, i am going to crash” :slight_smile:

Crono is legit fastest. Enough so that it’s now my go-to TT shoe.

how do you know?