Triathlon is increasingly becoming a sport where marginal gains make all the difference. From ultra-buoyant wetsuits to help you swim faster. To constantly evolving bike set ups, riding positions and tech-laden tri suits to improve aerodynamics and reduce CdA. Many triathletes, PROs and age-groupers alike, are constantly looking to optimise their gear to get the extra 1% out of themselves come race day.
And while running super shoes are a hotly discussed topic. Another piece of triathlon footwear – triathlon cycling shoes – is often left out of the limelight. So can your choice of cycling shoe actually make a difference to your race splits?
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Swift transitions
The most obvious way that your choice of cycling shoe can help to improve your finish time in a triathlon is how quick and easy they are to get on. Opting for a triathlon-specific shoe often means you have the addition of a heel loop. This means you can leave your shoes fixed to your pedals in transition, using elastic bands through the heel loops to hold them in place making it easier to get your feet in if you do a flying mount or a push mount. Not only will this allow you to jump on your bike and get riding sooner once you reach the mount line. The time you’ll save actually running through transition in bare feet versus clip-clopping along in cleats shouldn’t be underestimated. Especially in larger races where the distance between the bike racks and the mount line can actually be quite a long way.
“I’m usually one of the first out of the water, so I want to hit the bike hard and make it count. With these shoes, I can jump in fast and accelerate right away—no time lost. A clean, fast transition lets me put pressure on the field straight out of T1.” Rico Bogen, 2023 IRONMAN 70.3 World Champion
The open design of a triathlon-specific cycling shoe also makes it easier to get your foot into the shoe, even if you’re putting them on in transition rather than leaving them clipped into your pedals. Compared to a traditional road cycling shoe, choosing a triathlon shoe for the bike leg can quite easily save you time in transition.
Aerodynamic triathlon cycling shoes
But something to keep in mind with certain tri shoe designs is that while the open construction might save you time when it comes to getting your shoes on. It can also cost you time once you get going on the bike.
Head down to your local time trial cycling event, and you’ll notice many of the riders rocking up with shoe covers to maximise their aerodynamics. Because while you can adapt your body position to minimise drag, there’s not much you can do about how much surface area your feet present to the wind. In typical open design tri shoes, “the irregular shape at the front of the shoe and sometimes even at the back causes turbulence and irregular air flows.” All of that translates to increased drag.
A study carried out by Cadomotus tested out a range of triathlon cycling shoes against their aero Chronos triathlon shoes to quantify the potential reduction in CdA and how that translates to watts saved. The Chronos shoe features a zipped lace cover. Underneath, the shoes have a Boa fastening system so you can still get them on quickly in transition. Once your feet are in, you can then zip up the cover while you ride to make the shoes more aerodynamic.
Their testing was carried out on the Eddy Mercx velodrome in Belgium. At a speed of 45km/h, compared to the Specialized Trivent shoes, the Cadomotus Chronos shoe reduced the tested rider’s CdA from 0.241 to 0.234. That might not sound like a lot, but it translated to a 9 watt saving. And even comparing their own Cadomotus World Cup triathlon shoe to their Chronos aero shoe, at 46.5km/h there was a 3.3 watt saving.
Using Best Bike Split to crunch some of our own numbers. If we take a conservative 3 watt saving, riding at the same effort and just changing shoes would theoretically save us 1 minute 6 seconds over the 90km bike course at Challenge The Championship. And 2 minutes 49 seconds over 180km at IRONMAN Tallinn.
Stiffness – maximising power transfer for a more efficient ride
We spend hours in training building strength and power in our legs to help us to be able to ride faster for longer on the bike. But what can be easy to forget, is that your shoes are the crucial point of contact between you and your bike pedals. And so your choice of triathlon shoe, can have an impact on how efficiently you transfer power to the bike.
A softer shoe might prioritise comfort and fast foot entry. But that lack of stiffness can mean that you’re not efficiently transferring energy from your legs to your pedals.
“A soft shoe causes instability and loss of energy,” explains Diederik Hol, product designer at Cadomotus, who has an MSc in Product Engineering. “A stiff carbon shoe allows for more efficient power transfer. Coming from a speedskating background, we know that footwear is all about balance, control, and aerodynamics. In that world, any flex leads to instability and wasted power. Our triathlon shoes bring that same philosophy to cycling. With our signature CarbonShell™, we create a super-stiff, heat-moldable shoe that supports the foot like no other—maximizing power transfer.”
How well your choice of triathlon cycling shoe supports your foot isn’t just about power transfer either. By reducing any unnecessary pronation and supination in the foot, and relieving tension in the calves, opting for a stiffer triathlon shoe can also help to reduce discomfort and fatigue through the lower legs once you get out onto the run course.
“You can feel the difference on every climb and surge. The shoe just responds—it’s like the bike becomes part of you.” – Menno Koolhaas, 5th place finisher 2024 IRONMAN World Championship
“My legs feel noticeably fresher off the bike. Less foot fatigue, better support—it adds up when you’re chasing those final kilometers.” Marlene de Boer, Challenge Almere-Amsterdam 2024 champion, T100 Triathlon World Tour 2025 Wildcard athlete.
The verdict: Can your choice of cycling shoe impact your triathlon times?
When it comes to improving your triathlon finish times, obviously there are a variety of factors to address. Putting in the hours during your training build up to get faster over the swim, bike and run (check out some of our recommended articles below for tips!). Working on race-specific skills like drafting in the swim and improving your transitions. And of course, dialling in your nutrition so low energy or GI issues don’t derail your performance come race day. But once you’ve addressed all the obvious factors, really nailing the details like your race kit, helmet and shoe choice can help you to start finding all those little marginal gains that can add up to a decent chunk off your overall finish time.
Related content
- Expert swim coach on how to improve your Ironman swim split
- 5 ways to improve your cycling FTP
- Triathlon training zones explained – what they mean and how to use them to get the most out of your training
- How to get more aero on the bike
- Mark Allen on how to prepare for the Ironman marathon
- Triathlon transition check list and tips for getting faster
