My old Specialized bike shoes hit retirement age… about five years ago. Funny story about them:
About time for retirement
Mike, Marty and I were riding up in Sampson County near Newton’s Crossroads.
That’s about mile 54 of the old Beach2Battleship iron distance triathlon.
About the time we turned down Willard Rd, this bitch came out of nowhere and got on my case. She must have gotten tired of nursing her pups and figured she would scare the crap out of some cyclists. We rode as fast as we could for about two miles and she stayed right with us, barking and threatening to take me down. Teats flopping and teeth gnashing, she tried nipping at my shoes.
Finally, after two miles she backed off, but Marty and Mike harassed me from that day forward about my shoes. Even back then those shoes were rank and ratty which the reason my friends believe the dog was after the shoes. It’s quite possible. The shoes did smell a bit like roadkill.
With help from Charlie, the best bike mechanic on the planet, I picked out a new pair of shoes, Shimano SH-TR9. They looked OK on the website, but when they arrived, I was shocked by the bright blue color.
Now my friends have something new to harass me about!
Blue shoes? What was I thinking?
Overall, the shoe is pretty good: stiff and comfortable. Other than the color, there is one thing that really bothers me about this model of shoe. The straps fasten on the medial side of the foot: the inside between the shoe and the bike frame. Not only is that awkward to fasten while you’re pedaling out of T1, but the tip of the strap bumps the crank arm if you don’t firmly press it down on the shoe. Watch the video. You’ll see what I mean.
Until next time…