# Which shoes for Tri's? Need to be able to run in them...



## RedAggie03 (Jul 11, 2011)

My wife needs new shoes. She frequently does Tri's and she also rides with me. I want to get her new shoes for Christmas.

Here is the catch, she cannot walk/run in road/tri shoes to the mounting area (slippery, sore muscles make it hard to walk on cleat), so she uses MTB shoes. Her current ones are BRICKS. They must weigh 3x what my road shoes weigh.

So is there a light weight MTB shoe? What about these hike/bike shoes? 

I guess the main thing is weight for her - she said she really wants something more light weight that she can walk in, does that exist?


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## RedAggie03 (Jul 11, 2011)

I was thinking about getting her these:

Specialized Bicycle Components : Women's Tahoe Sport

Not bad at 340g

Thoughts?


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## orbit (Feb 7, 2007)

I often wear my mountain bike shoes when out & about on my road bike for the same reason - I find my carbon soled road shoes with the big cleats just so damn slippery - its really tricky just to swing my leg over the bike without having something to steady myself against.

So I've been looking into the same thing, a lighter and less chunky looking bike shoe that allows you a little walking.

_EDIT: just saw you want your wife to be able to _*run*_ in the shoes too, so these ones I've shown here won't be suitable for that. _

Shimano have these touring shoes which will be in stock in February on Wiggle. What's cool about them is that they look like a road shoe, yet the cleats are recessed so you can walk in them. (Shimano Ladies WR35 SPD Touring Shoes. Wiggle | Shimano Ladies WR35 SPD Touring Shoes Road Shoes)

I've also come across these shoes from Giro and Gaerne which look like a neater/lighter mtb shoe. The Giros Mantas are 305 gms, not sure the weight of the others.

Good luck. 

Gaerne G.Diva Shoes 2010 | Buy Online | ChainReactionCycles.com

Manta


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## RedAggie03 (Jul 11, 2011)

Well, maybe not run, but she needs to be able to walk quickly to the mounting location. She said the same thing as you, she finds it slippery and doesn't want to fall when she gets in a hurry.

Thanks for the suggestions, I like those.


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## il sogno (Jul 15, 2002)

How 'bout some Sidi mtb shoes? I have Sidi Dominators.


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## Camilo (Jun 23, 2007)

Lots of lightweight MTB shoes out there. Get a higher-end pair of MTB shoes that are really comfortable for her and they'll be light for their type. Don't worry about it beyond that. I would guess that the difference between the heaviest high end MTB shoe and the lightest is not worth spending a lot of time researching. Fit is worth researching as we all know.

For what it's worth, I have a pair of Bontrager MTB shoes (top line or second, can't remember). They're probably a little heavier than my Sidi Genius 5.5, but not at all noticable on the bike or walking. They definitely aren't over-built - in other words, seem really lightly built, which might not be great for a shoe that would see hard MTB or Cross usage, but it just fine for my road-ish use (commuting, errands, and light touring). A very comfortable, lightweight shoe - but there's a million examples from all makers and she should just find one she likes.


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## Bluffplace (Jul 30, 2008)

If your wife is doing Tri's in mtb shoes, IMO she is doing it all wrong.
When she comes out of the water and runs to her bike in transition, she should have her bike shoes already clipped in. She runs out of transition barefooted and jumps on the bike. By about 100 yards or so, she should have her feet in the shoes. On the way back to transition, she should have her feet out and on top of the shoe. She jumps off the bike barefooted and runs into transition. Drops the bike/helmet off, throw the sneakers on and then run out of transition to do the run part of the tri.


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## Kernyl (Dec 23, 2011)

I use Specialized MotoDiva MTB shoes for cyclocross, which requires running. They are light and work well. Of course I am usually running on dirt/grass, but I don't think they would slip on pavement.


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## RJP Diver (Jul 2, 2010)

Bluffplace said:


> If your wife is doing Tri's in mtb shoes, IMO she is doing it all wrong.
> When she comes out of the water and runs to her bike in transition, she should have her bike shoes already clipped in. She runs out of transition barefooted and jumps on the bike. By about 100 yards or so, she should have her feet in the shoes. On the way back to transition, she should have her feet out and on top of the shoe. She jumps off the bike barefooted and runs into transition. Drops the bike/helmet off, throw the sneakers on and then run out of transition to do the run part of the tri.


^This


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## calazula (Apr 14, 2010)

Bluffplace said:


> If your wife is doing Tri's in mtb shoes, IMO she is doing it all wrong.
> When she comes out of the water and runs to her bike in transition, she should have her bike shoes already clipped in. She runs out of transition barefooted and jumps on the bike. By about 100 yards or so, she should have her feet in the shoes. On the way back to transition, she should have her feet out and on top of the shoe. She jumps off the bike barefooted and runs into transition. Drops the bike/helmet off, throw the sneakers on and then run out of transition to do the run part of the tri.


Kind of agree...

Agree 
- Tri in MTB shoes in not right. You can certainly do it but it's not ideal. With some practice, she should be able to run around with road shoes just fine. Everyone else (including myself) manages just fine so she should be able to as well. Just a bit of practice and use the bike for extra stability while running.

Disagree
- The shoes clipped in -> Flying Squirrel mount is what the pros on the ITU circuit do and is necessary to keep up with the pack in order to not get dropped. It doesn't have much of a place in the average local triathlon. Too many people see it on TV and attempt it on race day. Not only do they crash while trying to put their shoes on, but they take down 5 other rides as well. There are plenty of organizers that actually don't allow this at all.


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## Kernyl (Dec 23, 2011)

It sort of depends on where you're at, I think. If you're good enough that you could win, by all means spend the time to learn a tri remount, buy the lightest most expensive equipment etc. If you're doing them purely for fun and fitness and are a beginner, spend more time on the engine (your fitness) and be comfortable with your equipment. If you find you're really good and want to get more serious, you can always upgrade later.
Not everyone can afford or needs the $500 shoes, and mtn bike shoes are definitely easier to run in than road shoes. Weight does make a difference, but never as much as the engine.


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## litespeedchick (Sep 9, 2003)

I don't think there's a perfect solution. My Sidi Dragons are very light mtb shoes w/ carbon soles and "grippy replaceable tred". They were $450 at full retail. Cheaper Sidis that don't have the replaceable tred are lightweight, but have a much more slippery plastic tred. If you don't want to drop that coin, i'd try one of the other high-end carbon mtb shoes, there are lots of them out there and they don't have to be the most comfortable shoes on the planted (that's Sidi) if she's only going to wear them for races.

That said, in my very limited experience with Tri's I just held on tight to the bike in case I slipped while I jogged with it in transition. Also, i have Look cleats and they have a plastic grippy thing...very easy to walk in.


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