# Using triathlon shoe for everyday riding?



## dbleoh7 (Mar 23, 2010)

I'm in a bit of a shoe dilemma. I have it narrowed down to two shoes: One being a specialized bg carbon shoe and the other a specialized trivent shoe. I will be using the shoe for recreational road rides that last about an hour or 2 long. The shop I went to has a really good deal on my size trivent shoes, and honestly they fit my foot almost exactly like the bg carbon shoes. so, would buying the trivent shoe be alright? what's the difference between a road and triathlon shoe other than ventilation?


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## C6Rider (Nov 15, 2008)

*Go with a road shoe*

After 13 years of wearing SIDI triathlon shoes, I switched to a LG road bike shoe. I immediately noticed that the road shoe had a much better fit. The ratchet closure of the road shoe does a much better job than the velcro snap on the tri shoe. Also the road shoe has extra velcro straps for a better feel. 

The tri shoes are easier to put on, due to the heel strap. As my tri days are over, I'll only be wearing road shoes from now on.


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## Dr. Nob (Oct 8, 2007)

The biggest (only real?) difference between tri and road shoes is the closure systems. Tri shoes generally only have one big velcro strap where as road shoes have 3 (one ratchet and two velcro.

Road will more than likely be easier to get a snug, stable fit. I would personly get the road shoes. There is a better chance they will be more comfortable than the tri shoes.
(I wont say "will" be better because everybody is different, just more likely to be better).


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## PJ352 (Dec 5, 2007)

dbleoh7 said:


> I'm in a bit of a shoe dilemma. I have it narrowed down to two shoes: One being a specialized bg carbon shoe and the other a specialized trivent shoe. I will be using the shoe for recreational road rides that last about an hour or 2 long. The shop I went to has a really good deal on my size trivent shoes, and honestly they fit my foot almost exactly like the bg carbon shoes. so, would buying the trivent shoe be alright? *what's the difference between a road and triathlon shoe other than ventilation*?


The Trivent is designed to be used in consistently warm/ hot conditions, thus the added ventilation. There are a couple of other minor differences between the two, but IMO depending on the weather conditions where you ride, the ventilation could be an issue, because cold feet can become numb feet, so more (vents) wouldn't necessarily be better.

EDIT: And yes, I did catch the phrase "*other* than ventilation", but IMHO it is potentially THE pertinent issue.


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

dbleoh7 said:


> what's the difference between a road and triathlon shoe other than ventilation?


Many triathlon shoes have reverse closures, meaning you can ride with completely opened straps because they flop _away_ from the frame and chainring instead of into them. But unless you like to ride with open straps for a few minutes to get your blood circulating back in your feet, these reverse closures would mean little to you. They're designed to make bike-to-run transitions as fast as possible.

Personally, I liked reverse closures. My feet used to hurt on long rides and a few minutes before the end of the ride, I'd undo the reverse closure straps completely to get some relief. Now I'm on (gasp!) platforms pushed by nicely ventilated sandals and I ride pain-free. 

/w


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## Ibashii (Oct 23, 2002)

PJ352 said:


> The Trivent is designed to be used in consistently warm/ hot conditions, thus the added ventilation. There are a couple of other minor differences between the two, but IMO depending on the weather conditions where you ride, the ventilation could be an issue, because cold feet can become numb feet, so more (vents) wouldn't necessarily be better.
> 
> EDIT: And yes, I did catch the phrase "*other* than ventilation", but IMHO it is potentially THE pertinent issue.


Ditto that: cold, numb feet suck. Throw some rain into the equation and it's pure misery. Meh, you can always wear shoe covers when it's cold or wet, I suppose.

Still, if I were you I'd get the road shoe because of the closure system: it's hard to say that a ratchet-clasp/velcro combo isn't better than velcro-only, at least for those of us not worried about precious seconds lost between riding and the swim or the run (which, BTW, includes most triathletes: if you're not gunning for the podium, what's 5 seconds in a 6 or 8 or 10-hour event?). I have two pair of BG road shoes and am really happy with both of them.


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