2011/04/11

Speedplay Zero and Giro Trans shoes

I finally switched from my Speedplay Frog pedals. There wasn't anything majorly wrong with the Frogs, but I was starting to notice discomfort on the outer ankle due to my feet (especially the right) trying to rotate outwards. I suspect that this was due to two causes: the small surface area of the cleat, and the cleat being more inboard than it should be.

My current main shoes are a pair of 661 MTB shoes. I wanted the new pair of shoes to have a much stiffer sole. Unfortunately, I will have to give up the capability of being able to walk in my bike shoes.

I am very happy with my Frogs, so I thought I'd try the Zeros. I needed new shoes, so I went to REI to check out their selection. The Giro Trans has the necessary stiff sole so I thought I'd give them a try, even though these would be my first real road shoes.

Installation of the Zero pedals and cleats was pretty smooth with one exception: I put the cleats on upside down so that the float limit adjustment screws were inboard instead of outboard. No big deal, just duh.

I wound up exchanging the shoes for a larger size before my feet got comfortable. I don't have a problem with 11.5 shoes for walking but on the bike it looks like I need a 12.5 or greater. The specific issue is severe numbness of the toes on the right foot. I know that I have flat feet and I presume that my feet are wider than usual.

The shoes are well made with excellent ventilation. The main buckle is very simple and I see a phillips-head screw so it looks like it is replaceable. The velcro straps use metal D-rings for durability. The strap attachment points are staggered to help spread the load out. These shoes are also noticeably lighter than the older SIDI pair I own.

I rode up Larch Mtn. Road to try the new shoes & pedals out. Other than the numbness issue (hopefully fixed) I didn't have any problems. They are still slightly uncomfortable but that's understandable since they are brand new and aren't broken in yet.

The only minor annoyance I ran into with the Speedplay cleats was that the float adjustment screws are small phillips instead of hex. My multitool doesn't have anything close to that size so I was unable to adjust them while riding. I made sure to also get a set of the cafe covers so hopefully that will extend the cleat life.

I also picked up a pair of used SIDI Genius in the Mega width. I have another pair of SIDSs but can't really wear them as I get numb toes. I'll be using the Giro and Genius for the road bike, I'll move the Frog pedals on to my grocery-getter, and I'll toss the SPD pedals & cleats into the parts bin.

No comments:

Post a Comment