Cycling Shoes for Triathlon

Design aspects to consider for triathlon cycling shoes

In principle any road shoe could be used for triathlon as the requirements for the shoe being lightweight with a rigid sole are more or less the same.

However the fastening methods designed into the shoe are critical - see below.

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Triathlon shoe fastenings

Unless you do a multi-discipline event like triathlon it may not be obvious why fastenings are critical, but if you are competitive in such an event, the one thing you do want is to be able to get your shoes on and off quickly.

In triathlon the time you take during what is called the 'transition' is included in your overall time, so the last thing you want is some fiddly laces or straps slowing you down.

For this reason shoes for triathlon are specifically made with rapid fastenings like a single strap, often of Velcro. You'll also find triathlon shoes with soft linings, so that you don't need socks and also those with a heel loop.

Choosing triathlon shoes

Buying the right cycling shoe for triathlon is not as easy as it might appear. Although theoretically you can use any top road shoe, its also important to preserve your feet for the run. The last thing you want is to have any sort of pressure sores after cycling, that make your run at all painful.

In some cases, it may be best to compromise and select a shoe that has some reasonable flex in it, so that your feet don't become too tired or get stuck in a fixed position. That is also important given that after the swim, your feet will be quite soft !