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Best piece of kit

Rudi Riet

AKA songfta AKA randomduck - a USSS coach, as well
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Shoes are so important.

Yup. There are three contact points with your bicycle: hands, butt, and feet. If any one of these isn't happy, the riding experience is not going to be enjoyable.

It's definitely worth finding a pair of shoes that fit well (and are built well). Many European brands are built on a narrower last that doesn't always cater to a North American foot shape. Luckily, a lot of North American and Asian brands (as well as a few of the Euro brands) are offering wide options or variations on custom molding of the sole and/or footbed. And the price point on the customizable shoes has dropped steadily over the past few years.

Let's just say it's easier than ever (save for COVID-based distribution and production hiccups) to find a pair of bike shoes that fits well.

As we've already covered handlebar tape, saddles are the other major point of contention for most riders. Again, there's now a bounty of great saddle options for the variety of sit bone widths, ride position preferences, and other anatomical variations.

Point of fact: my current Ergon SR saddle is a women's model! I tried many saddles and the overall "fit for my sit" on the women's model was spot on. It is the small/medium width, so it's a similar setup to the Specialized Toupe 143mm I used to favor (until I had a string of rail failures on them and decided to move on).
 

Philpug

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I have been looking for a better phone holder and Quadlock was recommended. So far it works well. Pretty darn solid and not cumbersome at all.
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DoryBreaux

Not the Pixar Character
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Sensus Meatpaw grips are my "how did I survive without these" piece of kit. Been trying something different the last month or so, probably switching back soon.
 

Rainbow Jenny

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My old Sidi shoes (old = 15+ years old) were finally getting a little too beat even for my tastes, so I got some new Lake CX238 "wide" shoes. It took a couple back-and-forth's to find the right size, but now my feet are finally happy again. The Lake's have -- relatively common these days -- boa-style fasteners. I figured it was a gimmick -- velcro straps have always worked -- but the boa-style fasteners are awesome.
I was fitted into a pair of wide CX237 three years ago, rather surprised that I’m wide with 97 mm last on ski boots. The boa fasteners are pretty sweet. But the soles are wearing out already.
 

Rudi Riet

AKA songfta AKA randomduck - a USSS coach, as well
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I was fitted into a pair of wide CX237 three years ago... But the soles are wearing out already.

Yup, that's the rub with many bike shoes, especially road shoes: once the walking nubs wear out the who shoe needs to be replaced. Sidi shoes are outliers here, with tons of replaceable parts on the soles. Where Sidis wear out is the uppers: the heel cup, the cuff, the liner, and even the glue between boot and sole.

I've found I get about 3-4 years in a pair of road shoes before they're done. Note that I ride pretty much year round (it's never not bicycling season in the Mid-Atlantic, to be honest) and rotate between 2 active pairs of shoes, so it blunts the wear and tear, but things will wear out on them and they get replaced. Given my primary pair averages 3,500-4,000 miles per year and the backup pair 1,000-1,500, it's not terrible. More often than not, the backup pair is the pair that's nearing retirement, having lived a former life as the primary. So they get 16,000-18,000 miles before retirement - not shabby.
 
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KevinF

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I've found I get about 3-4 years in a pair of road shoes before they're done. So they get 16,000-18,000 miles before retirement - not shabby.

What are you doing to shoes in four years to ruin them? My old shoes probably had 15 years and 50,000 miles in them when they finally retired earlier this year. The Velcro fasteners were fairly worn but other than that they were fine; just didn’t really fit my feet anymore.

Edit: given the high cost of cycling shoes, they better last more than four or five years. I’d call that time frame poor.

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Rudi Riet

AKA songfta AKA randomduck - a USSS coach, as well
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What are you doing to shoes in four years to ruin them? My old shoes probably had 15 years and 50,000 miles in them when they finally retired earlier this year. The Velcro fasteners were fairly worn but other than that they were fine; just didn’t really fit my feet anymore.

Edit: given the high cost of cycling shoes, they better last more than four or five years. I’d call that time frame poor.

Eh, it's actually fairly average per a survey of my cycling crew here in DC.

Part of it is I sweat a lot - and that sweat breaks down the lining of the shoes, as well as the glue that bonds the sole to the boot. They also see a fair amount of use in the rain and on wet/muddy roads, which doesn't help in terms of upkeep.

And I have fairly aggressive plantar fasciitis, so when the soles start flexing more than usual that's it for the shoes.

Sidi shoes typically last longer, it's true. But living on a shoestring budget like I do, they're often well outside my budget for the ones that are built to last. My previous pair was great before my femur break and resultant hip replacement, but as my right foot expanded a bit post-surgery to the point where the right shoe no longer fits without causing a lot of pain. Pity, they were good shoes (Genius 5.5 model). They've since been sold to another rider who loves them.

I'm currently using a pair of Specialized Torch 2.0 shoes, and they are really well made and have lasted around 15,000 miles thus far without any degradation of function. We shall see how much longer they hold out, but the glue is still strong, the Boa closure still good, the liners still intact. Truly, they're some of the best shoes I've had in terms of durability, and they fit fairly well (with a Superfeet black insole).

Fit wise, I've had Bontragers that were better but they had a run for many years where the sole would shear off the boot after 3-4 years of use. Mine suffered this fate on a ride, luckily when I was only 3 miles from home. There was no warning: they just went.
 

cantunamunch

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Part of it is I sweat a lot - and that sweat breaks down the lining of the shoes, as well as the glue that bonds the sole to the boot.

Heh, we all do. And in the summer it doesn't even evaporate like it's supposed to - just drips and soaks everywhere. I can't use my phone after the first 30 minutes - at all - unless I keep a dry microfiber wipe in the tool bottle.

when the soles start flexing more than usual that's it for the shoes.

Yup. This effect is also MUCH worse for heavier riders, first because of the added force on every pedal stroke leading up to the softening (we also see shorter BB lifetimes for this reason) second because the softening threshold is lower (we get more flex on a stiffer shoe, especially on out of the saddle efforts).

I was fitted into a pair of wide CX237 three years ago, rather surprised that I’m wide with 97 mm last on ski boots. The boa fasteners are pretty sweet. But the soles are wearing out already.

Don't forget that Boa closures can't support uneven tension like laces or ratchets or Velcro can. Not even remotely surprising that your feet need a different shape fit with a Boa closure shoe.
 
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doc

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Thats hard to relate to. Haven't noticed any material sweating on any ride from April through today, even on 4-5 hour rides. Of course, thats what happens when max humidity for any ride is between 15 and 20%, and most are around 10%, and the result of that, of course, is all the forest fires we're having in CO.
Heh, we all do. And in the summer it doesn't even evaporate like it's supposed to - just drips and soaks everywhere. I can't use my phone after the first 30 minutes - at all - unless I keep a dry microfiber wipe in the tool bottle.
 

Rudi Riet

AKA songfta AKA randomduck - a USSS coach, as well
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Thats hard to relate to. Haven't noticed any material sweating on any ride from April through today, even on 4-5 hour rides. Of course, thats what happens when max humidity for any ride is between 15 and 20%, and most are around 10%, and the result of that, of course, is all the forest fires we're having in CO.

Yeah, the dry summer heat in the west is something I miss - tho not the tinder dry flora and the ever present wildfire risk.

Here in the District of Columbia, we had a string of days where the high temperature was above 90°F for 26 straight days, and the low temperature still hasn't dipped below 70°F for almost 40 days (this will change tomorrow night into Monday). The dew point (where fog forms and typically the arbiter of low temperatures) has been at or above 70°F for most of this period. Dew points over 60°F feel muggy to most. Over 70° is sticky. Over 75° is oppressive - especially when the air temperature is 90° plus, giving a heat index (or "feels like") temperature over 100°F.

Compare that to Salt Lake City as I type this: current air temperature is 90°F, dew point of 34°F, heat index of 86°F. Relative humidity is 13%. In this weather, sweat evaporates almost as quickly as it appears, especially if there's a breeze (self generated or not). The low temps will be in the upper 60s to 70 because of the radiant heat from the valley floor, especially manmade pavement (concrete and asphalt), stone, and other solid structures that absorb solar heat during the day - the "heat island" effect.

Park City has both altitude and a relative lack of built infrastructure (read: less pavement) than SLC, so the current temp there is 72°F, dew point of 27°F, 14% relative humidity. Low temperature will be 49°F because the dry air won't retain heat, and the lack of a heat island will let this happen.
 

markojp

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Just curious about phone issues and humidity, but I usually always keep my phone in a ziplock bag for 'sky moisture' and protection from sweat. Easy enough, and the touch screen works fine through the plastic. Maybe the humble baggie is the most underrated piece of kit.
 

Rudi Riet

AKA songfta AKA randomduck - a USSS coach, as well
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To wit: since the advent of an IPX-rated iPhone I've not not carried it in a baggie, and it's worked fine, whether carried in a jersey pocket or in a bag on the bike. Yes, if the screen is really wet it isn't quite as responsive to the touch, but it still works fine 95+ percent of the time.

My wallet is a waterproof case, so that's not a concern - tho I've used zip-seal baggies for other things, like spare tubes, CO2 carts (if riding in wet and humid conditions on the regular), foodstuffs, etc.
 

markojp

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Zip lock with a talc'd up tube, and another with a mini Covid kit: gloves, mask, 2 packs of wipes.
 

Ron

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Point of fact: my current Ergon SR saddle is a women's model! I tried many saddles and the overall "fit for my sit" on the women's model was spot on. It is the small/medium width, so it's a similar setup to the Specialized Toupe 143mm I used to favor (until I had a string of rail failures on them and decided to move on).

I just went through the whole process of finding a saddle. Its a tedious process that comes down to a "best guess" :). I ended up with the Selle Italia SP-01 Carbonio Superflow Saddle based Selle Italias online fit system. It really made sense although they base your sit bone width your height and build (slim/medium/wide) so I figured out that if I lowered my height by 1cm it put me in the correct width category (my Sit bones are super narrow, 105mm) I ended up going with this saddle in the end because of the shape and frankly, the discount of 35% plus 12% Active Junky discount. Turns out its an amazingly comfortable saddle and the difference in power on m right leg was about 10 watts. I think as my leg heals (long story). and I get used to the saddle, that should increase a little more.
 

cantunamunch

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To wit: since the advent of an IPX-rated iPhone I've not not carried it in a baggie,

Carrying my phone in a baggie

a) puts it in pocket mode permanently or until I do a hard reset to restart it within the baggie so the pocket sensor calibrates to the baggie

b) even after the restart it doesn't do squat to improve the capacitive contrast between my actual finger and the blob of sweat surrounding the finger or the snail trail of sweat left behind by the swipe. Makes it worse, really.

So, yeah. Short of getting a JP-market flip phone or reverting back to the 2010 era, baggies are zero help except on the kayak - where I'm not the primary moisture source.
 
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cantunamunch

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I just went through the whole process of finding a saddle. Its a tedious process that comes down to a "best guess" :). I ended up with the Selle Italia SP-01 Carbonio Superflow Saddle based Selle Italias online fit system. It really made sense although they base your sit bone width your height and build (slim/medium/wide) so I figured out that if I lowered my height by 1cm it put me in the correct width category (my Sit bones are super narrow, 105mm) I ended up going with this saddle in the end because of the shape and frankly, the discount of 35% plus 12% Active Junky discount. Turns out its an amazingly comfortable saddle and the difference in power on m right leg was about 10 watts. I think as my leg heals (long story). and I get used to the saddle, that should increase a little more.

You have L/R power sensors? Cool :thumb:

Related to Rudi's Ergon story - I went from riding Fizik Vitesse ("wimmins") for yonks to being hugely disappointed in the Ariones. 2012 Ergon came out with the SM3 and a shortnose CX variant so I went to that.

Here's a weird thing - I simply can't ride a 70s or 80s geo bike with a modern flat saddle. There's something about those slack seat tubes that requires either a Brooks or a highly tilted dropnose. So ...Selle SMP Nymber yay!
 

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