Shoes or Computer?

MaxPrime said:

I have a crappy computer that just does speed and distance. I want to incorporate cadence and heart rate into my workouts - should I blow the $200 on a pair of Sidis or on a computer with cadence/HRM?

hmmm, I'd buy the computer, but that shouldn't cost 200, so i'd pocket the extra and then save some money up and buy the Sidi's a little later.

beels99 said:

hmmm, I'd buy the computer, but that shouldn't cost 200, so i'd pocket the extra and then save some money up and buy the Sidi's a little later.

HRM + Cadence, isn't that at least $200?

MaxPrime said:

HRM + Cadence, isn't that at least $200?

Just buy the shoes first. You can ride without the computer but without the shoes, you wont go anywhere... 🙂 Computer can come later

tanggoman said:

Just buy the shoes first. You can ride without the computer but without the shoes, you wont go anywhere... 🙂 Computer can come later

I have a pair of shoes - just crappy ones that are tough on my feet. I assume the Sidis are still the way to go?

MaxPrime said:

HRM + Cadence, isn't that at least $200?

Well, yeah actually if you get a nice polar one it is... i haven't looked into them before i was just assuming... 😉

The polar ones are really expensive but a found a Cateye for $150

http://aebike.com/site/page.cfm?PageID=30&SKU=CY1204

but yeah, i don't have much experience with HRM, i never realized how expensive they were.... (I am a Cateye Astrale 8 man)

Shoes or computer -- that's a no-brainer! Always spend money on something that directly affects your comfort and performance. That computer will not make you feel any better or go any faster, but those shoes probably will.

And yes, SIDI is the way to go!

MaxPrime said:

I have a crappy computer that just does speed and distance. I want to incorporate cadence and heart rate into my workouts - should I blow the $200 on a pair of Sidis or on a computer with cadence/HRM?

I vote for the Sidi's also. You can always buy a cheaper HRM, and count the cadence yourself. I use a SigmaSport PC-3 HRM which was about $40. It's a bit more cluttered to have the watch on the handlebar in addition to the computer, but also more versatile since you can wear it while cross-training, or as a watch/stopwatch.

golden rule is-never scrimp on the contact points.....ie, buy the best, shoes, saddle, handlebars and pedals you can afford.

Computer can either do without or buy later.

FWIW: I just picked up the Vetta V100HR (HR model = HeartRate) with Cadence off of ebay for $125 brand new through an ebay store shop, but given the choice I choose shoes first.

MaxPrime said:

I have a pair of shoes - just crappy ones that are tough on my feet. I assume the Sidis are still the way to go?

Buy the shoes. Don't buy Sidis because they're Sidis though. Buy shoes because they fit and are comfortable. If the shop has Sidis that meet those requirements, buy 'em. If they have another brand that meets them better, buy those.

Dean

Here's my recommendation:

Buy for nice shoes for about $100.00 - Specialized, pearl izumi or shimano all have nice shoes in this range.

buy a computer with cadence - $20-$40 is sufficient. The Cateye Astrale 8 is about $40.00 and the original Astrale can be found for $20 - both are very good.

For a first HRM, i would buy an inexpensive one that goes on your wrist - they start at about $50.00. Later you might find you want certain features, then you will need to upgrade.

This is the pragmatic approach, and has the perhaps unwanted side effect of minimizing the "bling" of your $200.00 expenditures. If you want to maximize the flash factor, I would probably go with the Sidi's cause they are pretty cool.

It's all up to you of course, but I like Randy's advice. Particularly if you keep an eye out for deals, sales, and Ebay lucky strikes, you can get a great pair of competition-level shoes for $100 to $130, leaving you more than enough to get an excellent $30-$50 computer with cadence, like an Astrale 8.

The last two pairs of shoes I've bought were both incredible deals. For $99 a few years ago, I found a brand-new pair of Pearl Izumi Vapers (their top-shelf carbon-soled model) on sale, online. For the same price more recently, I scored a pair of the Shimano R215 (also the top-shelf model, super-slick carbon wonders); they were a lightly used demo pair. Both feel excellent on my footsies. Most importantly,the Vapers and the R215s have massive *bling* value. Sidi shoes are blingy as well, but quite popular, so it's harder to find such great deals.

Just a thought...

Should I go with something like the Shimano R151's to get carbon soles or just go for comfort? How much power transfer difference is there with carbon?

MaxPrime said:

Should I go with something like the Shimano R151's to get carbon soles or just go for comfort? How much power transfer difference is there with carbon?

Go with comfort. If the best fitting happen to be carbon, then all the better, but don't get hung up over it.

gruppo said:

Go with comfort. If the best fitting happen to be carbon, then all the better, but don't get hung up over it.

Well said, gruppo.

Also, Maxprime, the "different shoes for different feet" credo includes matters of stiffness. Sidis, for instance, are an incredibly popular brand, and they don't emphasize hyper-stiffness much at all; some feet seem to appreciate the rigid soles, and others prefer a touch of controlled flex.

Power transfer, by the way, may play a role, but the concept of the sole as a stiff, stable platform might be more closely linked to comfort than to efficiency. Any shoe with a good, well-fitting upper portion is going to get leg power cleanly through to the pedal... the question tends to be what kind of stress that puts on your foot. Whether you favor stiff stuff or flexy is going to be a matter of experience.

MaxPrime said:

I have a crappy computer that just does speed and distance. I want to incorporate cadence and heart rate into my workouts - should I blow the $200 on a pair of Sidis or on a computer with cadence/HRM?

I ordered a pair of SIDI's last week and was told that the pair I wanted was not in stock, and that the 2005 models were coming in a few weeks. You might want to delay your decision until the new SIDI's are in.

Joe Faust said:

I ordered a pair of SIDI's last week and was told that the pair I wanted was not in stock, and that the 2005 models were coming in a few weeks. You might want to delay your decision until the new SIDI's are in.

Yeah, because then you can get the 2004 model at a discount!