spd or comfy flats for 24h race ?

[ian westmacott]

hi guys ,just a quicky. do you guys have any thoughts on what footwear to use for a 24h race?
i have ridden with cleats and i am happy with ridding in them but when i have been training in them for a few hours i look forward to getting them off im not sure i could cope for 24hrs in them would it be worth me getting a nice pair of flats and riding in my nice already broken in trainers ( i will be pushing and carring my bike also ).
generally what do you guys ware for longer races?

 

[Kies]

I ride for 24 mins never mind hours! ...... I would have thought good quality spd's would still be the way to go?

 

[GrumpyGregry]

spds for me

 

[02GF74]

7 hours in the saddle. spds.

 

[marzjennings]

SPDs for sure, that last thing I need to think about +6 hours into a ride is my position of my foot on the pedal. Click in, spin on and forget.

 

[ianrauk]

If you find them uncomfortable after a few hours then you are going to really suffer anything longer then that.
It's alright everyone saying SPD but they are not you.
Which begs the question.
How are they uncomfortable? They may not be set up correctly.

 

[MacB]

If you find them uncomfortable after a few hours then you are going to really suffer anything longer then that.
It's alright everyone saying SPD but they are not you.
Which begs the question.
How are they uncomfortable? They may not be set up correctly.

This is really important, what's uncomfy after a few hours could result in far more serious damage in 24hrs. The format pretty well lends itself to this sort of damage. You will suffer, you will expect to suffer and your judgement will become impaired. Very easy to pass the point of no return on self inflicted damage while trying to 'man up' to get to the end.

Regardless of flat v SPD opinion I'd say you either get some sort of fit/assessment re the SPDs or you ride flats. Even if you go with SPDs have spare flat pedals and shoes ready for a swap and do so sooner rather than later if there's a problem.

 

[fossyant]

You shouldn't feel any discomfort with SPDs at all. If you do the cleats aren't set in the right position. Thing is, if the 24h is soon, then flats, as you don't want to be trying to get SPDs set up at a late stage. TBH SPDs are some of the easiest cleats to set up due to the range of float.

 

[Bikerchick]

Definitely SPDS. I've done all my 24 hour racing with them, if they are uncomfortably they need adjusting.

 

[Tango]

I did mountain mayhem 2 years ago using flat pedals and 510 impact low shoes and was very comfy, not sure how much fun it would have been in ordinary trainers though

Having said that, if you are happy with SPDs then I would suggest being clipped in. I can assure you, if you have any discomfort using SPDs, then either as has been said above, they are not set up correctly or you have poorly fitting shoes on.

 

[MattHB]

You'll loose a great deal of efficiency riding in flats over that time range. SPDs are probably the way to go, but you need to make sure they're set up right well before you ride the race. You'll need to be training in them before hand to be sure.

 

[MacB]

You'll loose a great deal of efficiency riding in flats over that time range.

that has the whiff of a prejudiced assumption there, unless of course you can back it up

 

[GrumpyGregry]

If you find them uncomfortable after a few hours then you are going to really suffer anything longer then that.
It's alright everyone saying SPD but they are not you.
Which begs the question.
How are they uncomfortable? They may not be set up correctly.

Good point, and a sensible question on the discomfort but the OP's question was

generally what do you guys ware for longer races?

after all

 

[Tango]

Incidentally, I have read some research that shows that there is no gain in efficiency using SPDs over flats

As a muscle group, the leg is designed to push down / away for lifting / running etc, in the 'pull up' stoke when using SPDs you are using muscles that were only ever intended to lift the weight of the leg prior to the next push downward that would carry full body weight and even more when lifting.

It has been shown that whilst the upward pull obviously is better than no upward pull, this tends to take away some of the effort that would be applied to the dwn stroke of the other leg when no upward pressure is being applied.

Whilst I don't have any figures at and, I think the implication is that in simple terms, if you were to use flats, you would apply 100% effort into the down stroke, but when using SPDs you may exert 10% upward effort but the downward effort of the other leg drops to 90%

Now these figures are to illustrate the idea and come from many arguments in mountain biking circles as to which is best, flat or SPD

I will try to find the article

I am a flat pedal user for MTB and SPD for the roadie, but for 24 hour events would suggest SPD

 

[ian westmacott]

Thanks guys i think im gonna stick with spds.Gonna get some new one break um in over the next few months.Again thanks for the feedback