Are cycling shoes really faster than trainers

OverTheHillAt21

I was once told by a guy at work who raced TTs that I shouldn't even think of riding a road bike in trainers as the extra padding would absorb all my energy and I would be too slow. Hard cycling shoes essential. Sounds quite plausible but I'd be interested if anyone can quote me any statistics from their own experience - 1mph difference, 2mph or what?

I do have a pair of cycling shoes but I'm nursing shin splints from running so riding in trainers (high class ones mind ).

navrig

It's not just about speed. Yes cycling shoes which attach to the pedals do give a more even stroke whch can enhance speed but it is as much to do with comfort and muscle fatigue.

Trainers ae soft soled meaning your foot will flex withvery rotation resultin in discomfortand perhaps an RSI type pain. Cycling shoes are stiff soled and keep the foot in a more fixed position.

Mikey41

I think he's exaggerating slightly. Cycling shoes are better, but it's more a comfort thing than gaining noticeable power. You won't hurt the shins as cycling doesn't impact them.

If you want to go to clipless pedals, then cycle shoes are essential.

simon_masterson

It's a comfort thing more than anything else, though floppy shoes (even if the connection to the pedal is solid) will certainly do you no favours. In principle you probably are expending energy flexing the shoe, but unless the shoe is very floppy indeed, I wouldn't consider it a significant factor. In practice, discomfort is not conducive to pedalling hard, and poor foot support will not make longer durations in the saddle enjoyable.

As with most areas of bike fit, some people have more trouble than others; I am fortunate and have never experienced any foot trouble cycling.

carrock

In a 100 yard dash certainly not...

simonhead

Impossible to say you will lose a set amount of speed due to wearing trainers. However with flat pedals and trainers it's difficult to keep your foot in exactly the right place, too far back and you can end up pushing through your heal and to far forward and it'll be through your toes, neither of which will do your shin splints any good.

OverTheHillAt21

Thanks for the responses. I can see the stability factor as my left foot overpronates (which caused the shin splints) and even on the bike I can feel it turn slightly as I pedal though not enough to cause me any problems, at least so far. Interesting though that no-one seems to buy the argument about speed, perhaps this was just an urban myth in his club.

frisbee

The right kit may only make a fractional improvement in performance when everything is good but it's big benefit is that it stops you from freezing/melting/injuring yourself.

If you can't cycle because you've injured your leg by using soft soled shoes, then you'll be infinitely faster with proper cycling shoes which haven't injured your leg.

Schoie81

I cycled for quite some time on flat pedals before switching to clipless and stiff soled shoes. I can't say I noticed an increase in average speed when I switched, maybe a slight increase but I can't say with any certainty that was due to the pedals or shoes. The benefit I found was that on flat pedals my foot constantly moved forward on the pedals so that I ended up with the arch of my foot pushing down on the pedals which is not much good and was starting to cause a bit of foot pain. I had to make a conscious effort to keep moving my foot back on the pedals again. Obviously with clipless pedals your foot can't move back and forwards and the pain I was getting stopped instantly when I switched.

Faster?, probably not., Better?, in my own experience, yes.

slowbike

I did a year with cages before my wife bought me some SPDs & stiff soled shoes.

What's the difference? Mostly comfort....
I don't remember a speed increase with the SPDs so there probably wasn't one - the main benefit was the more secure foot placement and being able to pull up.

father_jack

More stable platform, shoes aren't moving around on pedals, slipping off. Some shoe/pedal combinations it's like standing on ice.
So because you know foot is secure you can put more power, as reassured shin won't be cheese sliced
Long term comfort, for longer rides
Depending on type of shoe, no pressure spot
Able to provide power on the upstroke, so for longer ride your muscles won't get as tired.
Good in the wet, again because it's secure to the pedal.
No strain on the foot itself, as trainers flex so much your arch of the foot is taking the force of movement.

keef66

I rode my MTB off and on road for several years with flat pedals / toe clips and wearing a variety of cheapish trainers. Never experienced any foot trouble. Doubt I was losing out very much in efficiency.

Now on a road bike and went for SPDs and some touring shoes when I came into a bit of money. I do prefer being attached to the pedals; makes it easier to pedal in circles which helps when trying to power over smaller undulations in the road.

If you're time trialling I suppose the tiny bit of energy wasted in repeatedly compressing a squashy trainer sole might make a difference?

racingcondor

Personally I think the speed gains from cycling shoes are what certain shops use to sell shoes to new cyclists. By far the biggest gains in my opinion is that you'll stay on the bike if you hit a pot hole at speed because you can't have your foot slip off the pedal and as others have said you can better deal with knee problems etc.

goonz

If you want to sprint hard you will have much more power and control and ultimately speed with cycling shoes and pedals. You can also pull up when clipped in which you cant do in trainers unless you have toe straps.

akc42

I was a beginner in May this year and was riding with trainers and flat pedals, but getting better (my times were coming down on segments) as my fitness improved and my strength improved. But each trip out wasn't necessarily a Personal Best - it was just a general upward trend

Then about 4/5 weeks ago I bought some clipless pedals and shoes - and since then, I keep getting new personal bests on all my hardest climbs.

I think there are three factors in play here:-
1) My fitness/strength is improving generically
2) My weight is coming down (was 102Kg, last September - this moring I was 83.5Kg)
3) The clipless pedals are allowing me to add muscles contributing to the power in the pedaling circle. Initially not so much, but since getting the shoes I can feel different muscles becoming sore after a hard ride than before I got the shoes. I think the growth of these new muscles is why I am getting new PBs each time out.

One piece of advice I've read on the internet is pedal in circles. With trainers, I couldn't. With shoes, sometimes I forget to, realise I am not and conciously start to do so. When I do I speed up.

So my experience is that clipless pedals allow you to grow to another level - but you have to train the new muscles that get brought in to take advantage of them.

subwoofer

Very interested in the opinions expressed in this thread.

I ride with normal shoes, but not trainers, so the soles are quite hard. I also use strapless toe clips. I've never liked the idea of SPDs as they feel too attached to me.

Recently I had been riding an old bike of mine without the toe clips and suddenly felt like my feet were constantly going to slip off the pedals.

I had assumed that cycling shoes = using SPDs, but see that you don't have to, you could just use toe clips. This then brings me to the comfort and stability factors.

Having very wide feet, I find most shoes do not fit me and have a very limited choice. Considering that you are constantly pushing with the ball of your foot and this seems like it will be similar to walking in that you will be pushing down in the shoes. I suspect I'll end up with rubbing and very sore feet.

If someone were looking to buy cycling shoes, would you suggest that they should be comfortable to walk about in the shop, because if not they will end up being uncomfortable in the saddle?

diamonddog

subwoofer wrote:

If someone were looking to buy cycling shoes, would you suggest that they should be comfortable to walk about in the shop, because if not they will end up being uncomfortable in the saddle?

Cycling shoes are not designed to be comfortable 'to walk about in' but they should fit well like any other shoe designed for a specific purpose, not too tight and not too loose.

MichaelW

subwoofer wrote:

Considering that you are constantly pushing with the ball of your foot and this seems like it will be similar to walking in that you will be pushing down in the shoes. I suspect I'll end up with rubbing and very sore feet.

If someone were looking to buy cycling shoes, would you suggest that they should be comfortable to walk about in the shop, because if not they will end up being uncomfortable in the saddle?

Some people suffer from hotspots using SPD. Generally, the midsoles are so stiff as to be inflexible so they spread the load evenly. Race shoes are stiffer than leisure SPD shoes which are built more for on/off bike utility.
Most leisure shoes are MTB pattern but you can get very stiff MTB race shoes.

Stiff soled cycling shoes precede clipless pedals. In the olden days, cycling shoes had wooden soles and the cleats (slots to engage the pedal edge) were nailed on. Later models had plastic/fibreglass soles and the cleats were screwed on as in modern SDP shoes. SPD systems are a great advance over old style race shoes with tight toe clips for racing.
How stiff a sole do you need? It depends how much force you use for pedalling. There is no point adding stiffnes to a sole which you can't flex in normal riding.

goonz

subwoofer wrote:

I've never liked the idea of SPDs as they feel too attached to me.

Personally I dont feel right unless I AM attached to the bike with my pedals...

bad_moose

I rode for about 3 months in normal trainers before I made the move to clipless, and it's made a pretty big difference to me. I feel much faster going up the climbs because you can pull the pedals as well as push, and I feel much more confident when descending because my feet don't slip off the pedals. The shoes are much more comfortable too, the ventilation is better and they give support in the right places. I much prefer it, I definitely wouldn't go back now. It doesn't have to be expensive either, Sportsdirect sell Muddyfox shoes for very little money and they do the job really well. The soles are plenty stiff enough and you can get ones to fit Look, SPD and Shimano pedals/cleats

gubber12345

in my experience when riding with trainers when I first started I used to get sharp pains in my feet almost every time after a ride.so one day when I was in the LBS I happened to mention it and the guy said it was the trainers that was giving me the sore feet as the soles were to soft.i changed to clipless and never had a pain after that.

as for the speed thing I didn't notice any difference just a more secure feel whilst clipped in.

OverTheHillAt21

Well I think I will try the cycling shoes again tomorrow and see how it goes, I have toe clips and the shoes are Shimano, I think of them as 'light MTB' ones but they are still chunkier than road shoes. Ideally I would shell out for some more appropriate ones when I can scrape the money together. Out of interest I just weighed both shoes on electronic scales, my Asics Gel 2160s weigh 360g each and the Shimano shoes weigh 480g (!). Is that way too heavy for my road biking?

iPete

Trainers in winter =

Like riding in sponges sucking up cold water and air. Bike shoes offer more protection & are easier to run with overshoes, reason enough alone.

lotus49

No equipment is going to transform your speed but having gear made for the job will certainly make the whole experience of cycling more enjoyable.

The whole pulling on the upstroke thing is a myth in all except the rarest circumstances and even then, only for a few seconds. The real advantages of proper cycling shoes are having a stiff sole (less tiring on the feet and marginally more efficient) and keeping your foot in the correct position all the time.

The best evidence of the value of cycling shoes is that almost no-one makes the return trip from proper cycling shoes to trainers. Once you are used to them, you won't look back.

trappy666

I've been cycling in trainers on flat pedals for the last 3 weeks and everything I've gone for a longish ride (30-50 miles) I've been getting numbness in my right foot. I've just put some Shimano R540s on the bike and tomorrow my dhb R1.0 shoes will be here so I can see if it's made a difference (apart from my bank balance)

♠ChumBucket♠

I read an article a while ago, can't remember where now. However, the gist was that the talk of "pulling up" on the pedal was nonsense! Apparently impossible for those muscle groups to be anywhere near as efficient as the ones used for normal "pushing". The conclusion was that if you are pulling then you are in fact doing more harm than good?

Sounds plausible, especially given the amount of bollox talked in road cycling!! :twisted:

Dinnae ask me, I don't use them!!

zoltansocrates

id in turn say that was bollox chumster, i do specific exercises on the trubo where im only pulling and i have felt the benefits of it, especially for climbing, yet to have a leg injury touch wood and ive been doing it for years, clipless pedals are absolutley essential, its the bike equivalent of driving with a seat belt, you just do

at the end of the day if it didnt make much difference you would see some cyclist on grand tours using their nike air max, it doesnt happen for a reason

clipless is essential

pinarellokid

you cant pull on the upstroke with trainers on

♠ChumBucket♠

pinarellokid wrote:

you cant pull on the upstroke with trainers on

You shouldn't be pulling on the up stroke full stop!

I very much doubt any fixture for foot/pedal was ever for the purpose of pulling on the up stroke.

diamonddog

zoltansocrates wrote:

id in turn say that was bollox chumster, i do specific exercises on the trubo where im only pulling and i have felt the benefits of it, especially for climbing, yet to have a leg injury touch wood and ive been doing it for years, clipless pedals are absolutley essential, its the bike equivalent of driving with a seat belt, you just do

at the end of the day if it didnt make much difference you would see some cyclist on grand tours using their nike air max, it doesnt happen for a reason

clipless is essential

^^^This, as stated especially when climbing.

♠ChumBucket♠

Here, have a read- it's not the one I recall but pretty much says the same.

http://roadcyclinguk.com/riding/bike-fi ... troke.html