Faster Transition Times
Are you a triathlete or duathlete looking for faster transition times? Tri Clips may be just the product you are looking for. Tri Clips are bit fancier looking than the usual rubber band trick that many racers use. As you are coming into transition from the swim portion of the triathlon, many triathletes decide not to wear socks during the bike and run leg of their races. I am okay not wearing socks while cycling, but usually have to wear socks while running to prevent blisters from forming.
Tri Clips enable you to attach your bike shoes to your bike pedals. Instead of having to stop to put on your bike shoes in transition, you run out of T1 barefoot. When you get out of T1 and are at or past the bike mount area, you hop onto your bike and place your feet into your shoes.
Coming into T2, before you get to the bike dismount area, slow down and remove your feet from your bike shoes. You then ride the last few yards with your bare feet on top of your bike shoes. When you get to the bike dismount, simply hop off your bike and run bare foot into the transition area and get ready for the run portion of the race.
Above: Tri clips. Velcro straps attach Tri Clips to the back fork of your bicycle, to make your triathlon transition times super fast.
Setting Up Tri Clips
Above: Use the velcro straps to attach a Tri Clip to either side of the back fork of your bicycle. Once the clips are securely attached to your bike, make sure to trim off the excess velcro before using Tri Clips for the first time.
Above: Clip your bike shoes in your pedals. Then attach the Tri Clip to the back of each shoe.
Tri Clips Video
Watch the video shown below to see exactly how to use Tri Clips. I would suggest placing your bike on an indoor trainer and practice getting in and out of your bike shoes while they are clipped into your pedals, before attempting to use Tri Clips on a training ride or race.
Bike Diva's Opinion
I'm not sure if I would ever use Tri Clips during a race. I am not the most coordinated person in the world, so I think pre-clipping my shoes into my bike is just a recipe to fall. But if you are a pro triathlete, or elite age grouper looking to shave seconds off your transition time, Tri Clips may be the perfect piece of equipment for you.
The velcro straps concern me a bit. If the straps became loose during a race, the Tri Clips would slip down the bike frame and could end up jamming up in your rear derailleur and cause you to crash - YIKES! Also, they add a bit of weight to your bike, in my opinion, a couple of rubber bands are a much safer, less expensive and lighter weight way to pre clip your bike shoes into your bike.
Additional Information
A package of 2 Tri-Clips has a suggested retail price of $22.99.
Website: www.tri-clips.com
Twitter: twitter.com/TriClips
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Tri-Clips
Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Bike Diva
I agree with your assessment of the usefulness of this product. As a triathlete that uses rubber bands I looked at this product to see if is less hassle. It can't be. It disrupts the aero of the seat stays, it can snap back and can chip your paint. It looks like a hazard if the recoil mechanism fails and the string winds itself around your derailleur, and if the velcro slides. What if the Velcro slides before the shoe releases? This seems like a solution to a problem that is more eloquently solved with a rubber band. Thanks for review.
Posted by: Tom | 10/01/2011 at 02:38 PM