[Gear] Minimalist/barefoot runners for fast transition?

Kurt Godel

I wear minimalist runners, which take me a bit of time to get on. The Saucony Hattori look like an ideal Tri shoe for transitions- one large velcro strap and they're on. Anyone using these for Tri, or got any opinion on them?

tunney

The normal ones are no faster to get one than a normal shoe. They are quite tight (have to bit) and it can take work to get on. I would not use them in a tri for this reason.

(Also the total lack of any support or cushioning and the zero ramp would leave me worried about calf strains when running fatigued off the bike)

Super comfortable shoe though. LC version more so

tunney

There are two straps, large one and small one at the heel.

Kurt Godel

tunney wrote: »

The normal ones are no faster to get one than a normal shoe. They are quite tight (have to bit) and it can take work to get on. I would not use them in a tri for this reason.

(Also the total lack of any support or cushioning and the zero ramp would leave me worried about calf strains when running fatigued off the bike)

Super comfortable shoe though. LC version more so

Cheers. Slow to get on seems to be the consensus on ST as well. All my minimal shoes take ages to get the foot in correctly, even with lock laces, guess thats the nature of them.

tunney

Kurt Godel wrote: »

Cheers. Slow to get on seems to be the consensus on ST as well. All my minimal shoes take ages to get the foot in correctly, even with lock laces, guess thats the nature of them.

True actually. hadn't thought if it. on kinvara the flimsy uppers fold down.

Where I racing again I'd go fasttwitch or A6 for racing I think.

sconhome

Still the Type A5 which has a pull on loop at the heel, perfect for triathlon.

BTH look away now


Saucony Type A5 - SS'13

RacoonQueen

I used inov-8 roadx 155 last year 4mm 'drop' but no support, cushioning etc and had no issues. They were easy enough to get on. Hattoris would be a nightmare in transition.

NB minimus might be worth a try if you're looking at minimal shoes for tri?

Kurt Godel

RacoonQueen wrote: »

I used inov-8 roadx 155 last year 4mm 'drop' but no support, cushioning etc and had no issues. They were easy enough to get on. Hattoris would be a nightmare in transition.

NB minimus might be worth a try if you're looking at minimal shoes for tri?

Thanks. I have, and love, the NB minimus, but they are very difficult to put get the heel in correctly. Seems to be a common theme in minimal runners, the heel part will collapse if you force the foot in quickly, as compared to more structured runners. (edit thread title to reflect what I'm looking for)

Kurt Godel

I'm a genius- wear these inov-8 Evoskin's inside my bike shoes and take 30 seconds off transition time;)

Izoard

Kurt Godel wrote: »

I'm a genius- wear these inov-8 Evoskin's inside my bike shoes and take 30 seconds off transition time;)

Serious cankles - say it ain't so, KG?:P

A0

Kurt Godel wrote: »

I'm a genius- wear these inov-8 Evoskin's inside my bike shoes and take 30 seconds off transition time;)

Sounds good. Did you have to get larger cycling shoes than what you'd normally wear? Do you not lose some of the feeling in the pushing phase compared to when you wear socks only?

Thanks.

catweazle

If you could wear them for the swim as well you would be in great shape

Kurt Godel

A0 wrote: »

Sounds good. Did you have to get larger cycling shoes than what you'd normally wear? Do you not lose some of the feeling in the pushing phase compared to when you wear socks only?

Thanks.

I thought the winky;) would have gave it away- I'm not going to try these in a Tri. They're tough to get on themselves (going by reviews), so you'd only be pushing forward any shoe-delay to T1. They might be an idea for a short Duathlon, though (with oversized bike shoes?).

The real problem is coming off the bike, and trying to get minimal shoes on quickly. I find this hard to do without a chair, or without screwing up a tight calf muscle. The NB minimus have a tab at the back to help "pull" up the heel part- I might try looping an open string in here so I can pull it on quickly, while standing up.

A0

Kurt Godel wrote: »

I thought the winky;) would have gave it away- I'm not going to try these in a Tri. They're tough to get on themselves (going by reviews), so you'd only be pushing forward any shoe-delay to T1. They might be an idea for a short Duathlon, though (with oversized bike shoes?).

The real problem is coming off the bike, and trying to get minimal shoes on quickly. I find this hard to do without a chair, or without screwing up a tight calf muscle. The NB minimus have a tab at the back to help "pull" up the heel part- I might try looping an open string in here so I can pull it on quickly, while standing up.

Got it, wasn't sure...
Yes, my question was about doing it in a Duathlon. I don't think I'd do it though. I'm not sure about the oversized shoes, it might add some unwanted compliance and discomfort.

Regarding the problem of getting min. shoes on quickly, have you tried to put a small amount of talc powder in the min. shoes? I don't know much about the shoes you are using (not sure about the exact type of rubber / material used) but adding talc inside might help. This applies to duathlon as your feet should be dry, otherwise, the talc powder will have the opposite effect... Having said that, it might work in Triathlons but, as I said, your feet must be dry. As usual it's better to test a few times before a race.

Kurt Godel

The talcum powder works a treat for regular runners all right, it just seems that minimal runners are less sturdy on the uppers/heel area, and require greater wriggling to get the foot into them. "Forcing" your foot in quickly makes the heel part collapse, and you end up spending ages digging your finger under to retract the heel part (thats what I've noticed on a few different brands).

Its not a huge deal, but I've certainly noticed it takes me longer to transition into minimal shoes than regular ones. An old-fashioned shoe horn might be the answer, I'll try a few options.

Izoard

Might I suggest, moving directly to iron-distance?

Transitions are a time for rest and relaxation before the rest of the day kicks off...

RacoonQueen

Kurt Godel wrote: »

Its not a huge deal, but I've certainly noticed it takes me longer to transition into minimal shoes than regular ones. An old-fashioned shoe horn might be the answer, I'll try a few options.

I was going to post a picture of a long handled shoe horn to save you bending and cramping up. Great minds...

Kurt Godel

Izoard wrote: »

Might I suggest, moving directly to iron-distance?

Transitions are a time for rest and relaxation before the rest of the day kicks off...

You're in very louche form these days. I picture you feet up in T2 with a cigar and the Financial Times.

valerie

Haven't tried them in a race yet but I wear Vivobarefoot trail runners and find them very quick to get on and off. They have laces but they're also kind of elasticated so once you have the laces adjusted you don't really need to untie them to take them on and off.
AFAIK there's very little difference between trail and road versions - just that the trail ones have deeper lugs.

Izoard

Kurt Godel wrote: »

You're in very louche form these days. I picture you feet up in T2 with a cigar and the Financial Times.

Yes, very much in the old skool spirit of IM - stopping for Big Macs, radios strapped to your bike, camping gear etc...

Kurt Godel

valerie wrote: »

Haven't tried them in a race yet but I wear Vivobarefoot trail runners and find them very quick to get on and off. They have laces but they're also kind of elasticated so once you have the laces adjusted you don't really need to untie them to take them on and off.
AFAIK there's very little difference between trail and road versions - just that the trail ones have deeper lugs.

This is a decent option- I have and like these shoes, and just tried to slip into them with tied laces. Seemed to work ok, the heel is a bit stiffer than the NB's. I'll give 'em a proper shot off the bike soon.