Cycling Shoe Reviews - Part 2

or Clipful Cycling

For Part 2 of the Sisterly Cycling Shoe Review, here is Caitlin and the Bontrager Solstice shoes:

I have a confession to make.

I still don’t have the clipless bike pedals that would maximize these shoes’ potential. If you are on the fence about converting all the way to clipless pedals or if you need to spend money in small increments like me, keep reading. Turns out that both clipless and clipful (clip-positive?) cycling can improve your ride tremendously.

I have the Bontrager Solstice shoes, which are sturdy, affordable and comfortable. Before these shoes, I knew that clipping into bike pedals makes the whole long-distance biking thing much more fun and fast. I took other people's word for it. But what I didn’t know is that the entire shoe structure is made for optimum pedaling action whether or not you go clipless. This is primarily due to the stiffness of the sole throughout the length of the shoe. The result is that your entire foot is transferring energy to the pedal while being supported. Additionally, they tend to be narrow and light which is beneficial for obvious reasons. 

My first ride with these shoes was nothing short of awesome. I felt in control and very cool. My imaginary competitors were blown away. I was ready to win at least the biking portion of my upcoming triathlon. Like this:

Julie Bresset after winning gold in the mountain bike competition.
Image from imgace.com

For now I have clips on my pedals which keep my foot attached to the pedal in the proper position.  The combination of biking shoes and clips make my rides smooth and fast. I will soon invest in some clipless pedals but for now, I am very happy with these shoes and encourage you to try them out! You won't regret it.


*For more comprehensive information about cycling shoes from the professionals visit this page on The Village Cycle website.

Bontrager Shoe Reviews – Part 1

(or How To: Bike Quickly, Look Good and Feel Like a Superstar)

Due to the generosity of The Village Cycle, my sister Alison and I now own new cycling shoes. Clearly, we are both excited about this, since we both wanted to write about them as soon as possible. We decided to make this a two-part series for two different perspectives on Bontrager cycling shoes.

So, without further ado, I give you Alison with her Bontrager Street WSD Shoes:

Bontrager Street WSD Shoes  (On Sale!)

Thanks to the Village Cycle I acquired a second pair of clipless biking shoes. And I must say, they are working out quite a bit better than the first pair. Here are a few reasons I particularly like them.

You go faster. I own two bikes: a Myata road bike I picked up at a garage sale 6 years ago for $20 and a french Mercier, granny-inspired bike from the 1970s (it was my mom's). The combo of the Myata bike with the Bontrager clipless shoes has pretty consistently cut my commuting time down by about 7 minutes for 4.5 miles, although I then have to shower when I get to work since I was actually able to work up a sweat so it's kind of a wash.

They are fashionable. I rode/wore them to Alamo shoes to try on regular, non-biking shoes and the shoe sales guy complimented them (or me for wearing them I guess) then a minute later asked "oh, wait, are those bike shoes?" so apparently it didn't immediately turn on the bike-dork radar, which was fine with me. Also, they are simple enough that it's easy to wear them around work if necessary and I have been known to have them on at a street festival or two this summer.

If you don't fall a bunch, you feel like a super star. I know this because the first time I used my first set of Bontrager clipless shoes (not fashionable ones mind you) I most definitely DID NOT feel like a super star. Several acquaintances at work had invited me to join them for a 40 + mile round trip to Wolf Lake on a Saturday morning, and me, wanting to try out my new clipless shoes and train for the Apple Cider Century, agreed to join them. 

Everything was fine until I got to the South Shore Cultural Center where, instead of asking an armed security guard where the bathroom was (my intention), I rode up to the cop-like guy, stopped my bike and promptly proceeded to fall into both him and his side holster and gun. Luckily there was an extremely large group of volunteers sitting and watching the whole thing and they were quick to ask why the heck had I tried to mall the guy. Trying to explain the physics and reasoning behind clipless pedals to them, at that point, didn't work. That was the first and probably most dramatic of the approximately eight splendid crashes I had that day while trying to start and stop my bike all over Chicago's south side. Somehow my coworkers still talked to me afterwards, but my street cred was pretty low. Luckily, so far, the new Bontragers have been easier to get in and out of and (knock on wood) I haven't had any spills in them yet.

*For more comprehensive information from the professionals, The Village Cycle has an awesome page here

Sidi Diablo GTX - Making My Feet Happy All Winter Long

Roses are red,
violets are blue.
Sidi Diablo GTX,
I love you!

If you have yet to get yourself a pair of dedicated cold weather shoes, get yourself some Sidi Diablo GTX. Up until last year I was using my Dragons with Gore Tex socks, and City Overshoes for slushy days. But then I was lucky enough to get my feet into a set of Sidi's Diablo GTX and since then, my feet have never been happier. I use them for my daily commute, cross racing in a foot of snow, or mountain biking at Palos once everything is frozen over. Usually a pair of thin socks is all I need, but occasionally, on the uber cold days, I need some thick socks. Which Sidi was kind enough to think about by adding some extra room so my tootsies still get blood flow.

After a pedaling through a full Chicago winter last year, 2 races, and couple trips to Palos, mine are still holding strong and ready for another year.

Sidi Diablo GTX

Your feet are vulnerable on cold, wet off- and on-road rides. Keep them toasty and dry with Sidi’s Diablo GTX shoes. They sport waterproof and thermal Gore-Tex uppers along with neoprene cuffs and billow tongues so winter seems a world away. Plus, you'll benefit from supreme pedaling dynamics with Sidi’s Competition soles and Velcro closures for fine-tuning the fit. And, you'll appreciate the aggressive tread on the soles for all-conditions traction.

http://villagecycle.com/product/sidi-diablo-gtx-52463-1.htm

In stock at Village Cycle Center, with a fill order on the way.

Check them out in our store or online here.

Review by Scott N. from Yelp

- 8/24/2011 - by Scott N. from Yelp

Having purchased my mountain bike there a few years ago, I'm giving VC a 5-star rating today based on a pair of fantastic experiences I've enjoyed over the last three weeks. Most recently, I had a great interaction with one of the bike fitting/sales specialists, Evan. I had borrowed and brought my buddy's bike in with me to get a new tube and lube for the triathlon, and was hoping the crew might help me adjust the seat. Not only did Evan adjust all the specs for free, he had me ride on the stationary bike to ensure my form was correct, he twice tweaked the pitch and position of the seat to make sure it was perfect, adjusted the pedal straps to better fit my shoes, greased down the chain, gave lots of instruction on the gear shifting, etc. In short, Evan was the ultimate equipment coach, which I really needed. He didn't push any sales, and made my experience there fantastic. BTW, be sure to print off the $20 coupon the next time you take a bike there for servicing, as they gladly accept it, based on my earlier experience there with the mountain bike this month.