Does anyone use both the Specialized S Works Road Shoe and the Trivent Triathlon bike shoe? I was wondering if the height of both shoes is the same and if you would have to change your seat height if you were to use both for training and racing long course. I have the Trivent and originally it was only meant for races and just because they are so comfy I ended up wearing them all the time. I have heard great things about the S works road shoe and to be honest, I really don’t jump into my bike shoes on the bike anymore (most IM and 1/2 IM’s don’t even allow this anymore) so outside of possibly additional cooling and water flow I am trying to come up with reason not to just use the S works road shoe. I know Macca does this, but you never really know when people are sponsored what they would wear if they had to buy their own gear.
I have the s-works shoes and can’t justify buying a tri shoe.
Rappstar and Macca both race in the s-works shoe. macca even did the super sprint thing in oceanside in them.
I have the S Works Road Shoe and absolutely love it. But, let me ask you, are you able to do quick transitions with it? Do you clip it to your pedals and do a flying start on your bike in T1?
I am going to be doing oceanside as my first race of the year so flying starts are not allowed.
But with that being said, no I can’t do flying starts with them, the boa does not open wide enough to allow that.
I have both and for my long training days, the S Works just seems much more comfortable. However, for my races I use the Trivent as all the races I do allow flying starts and the S Works is just too difficult to get my feet in quickly (and safely). Too many times I still see AG’ers weaving all over the place trying to get their feet in their shoes. I think they should outlaw it and make everyone just put theirs shoes on in T1. Seems much safer option.
I tried on the Specialized Expert Road Shoe the last time I was at the bike shop and kind of wished I’d bought them instead of my Trivents. I really like the fit and ratchet system.
I have the 2009 S Works road shoes and the 2010 Trivents. They seem to me to be so close to the same height. If I had to guess the Trivents may be a milimeter thicker. Maybe.
I interchange between the two depending upon my mood, the temperature, etc. I can’t tell the difference in fit or function.
I am pretty sure they already outlawed “flying starts” in all 70.3 and IM races unless your in the “pro” division. I could be wrong, but the ones that I have done recentlly IMCDA, IM Canada and 70.3 Califonia (I will forever want to call it Ralphs since they were the origional sponsor) won’t let you leave your shoes on your bike at T1
So, unless your into sprints their may not be an advantage to using a tri specific shoe (in this case the trivent). I do like that water flows through it (I love to pour water over my head on the bike when its hot) but maybe the S works road shoe is similar in that way.
The s-works has holes in the bottoms just like the trivents. the tongue is also a mesh, with 2 on the toe box and one on each side. You could power water in them fine.
Have both, love them both, but the clasp on the S-Works shoe is a little to complicated for me to attatch in a tri race.
I use both, though I rarely wear the trivents. I’d say for ~30km races or less I would. Or, more specifically, short races where you don’t have a long stretch to get into your shoes. I’ve asked if the sole heights are the same, though I believe they are.
If I had to buy only one shoe, it’d absolutely be the S-Works.
Have you noticed if they are the same height so you dont have to adjust your seat when going back and forth?
Good question…TBH I haven’t in saying that I am not very fussy (in comparison to the rest of the ST crowd) about minute changes in fit. The biggest difference I have noticed is in the fit (trivent is narrower).
I am thinking of investing in the '11 model S-Works shoe (with two ratchets) as I find the forefoot a little loose
Thanks!
I echo most of the sentiments on here so far. The S-Works road shoes are phenomenal, and I use them for all my racing, sprint to long course. I have not noticed differences in sole heights, but cannot be certain they are exactly the same. The shoes seem to drain well with all the venting, and flying starts are completely possible with the Boa fully opened.
no need to open the boa all the way. The cable unhooks from the non-boa side. So all I need to do is re-latch the cable into the track and tighten down.
AWESOME!! I had no idea! Now there is NO way I would by tri shoes, so there will be another pair of S-works in ion green in the near future since I don’t need to buy tri shoes.
=]
thanks!
yeah is a pretty cool feature!