Shoes - Velcro vs. Ratchet

hippy said:

In the market for new shoes (since 1999 actually - bit slow).

I wonder if you lot have experience with ratchet straps? Are they as
durable as plain old velcro straps?

I've found the ratchet to be more secure than velcro straps but have had
issues with the levers breaking on my Specialized shoes (although by
this time the shoes are getting pretty trashed anyway). The levers on
the Sidis look a bit stronger.

Parbs

On 2007-07-09, hippy (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:

Quoted message said:

In the market for new shoes (since 1999 actually - bit slow).

I wonder if you lot have experience with ratchet straps? Are they as
durable as plain old velcro straps? A lot of the high end shoes seem to
go for at least one ratchet closure and this kinda bothers me. I expect
a new pair of shoes to last at least 5-10 years based on previous pairs
and the ratcheting jigger looks like a weakness. Shoes are for road use
- commuting, touring, racing, etc. SPD probably.

Velcro? Durable? I cleaned out the cat fur the way I believe cfsmtb
suggested, but that never restored them. Their stickiness probably
lasted all of 8 months. I can feel the burrs have all lost their
hooks.

Now, my dillemma. Radiohead doesn't finish until 11:04pm on ABC2
according to my electronic program guide.

And I just hooked up my stereo to my digital box for this occasion (I
fear having to unplug everything to get my VCR back).

--
TimC
Heisenberg may have been here.

On Jul 9, 10:26 pm, TimC <[email hidden]-

astro.swin.edu.au said:

Now, my dillemma. Radiohead doesn't finish until 11:04pm on ABC2
according to my electronic program guide.

And I just hooked up my stereo to my digital box for this occasion (I
fear having to unplug everything to get my VCR back).

Radiohead???

$%%$^%###!!!

I managed to catch their last 3 songs.

What is the ABC trying to do, steal SBS's "French" audience?

TimC said:

On 2007-07-09, hippy (aka Bruce)
Velcro? Durable? I cleaned out the cat fur the way I believe cfsmtb
suggested, but that never restored them. Their stickiness probably
lasted all of 8 months. I can feel the burrs have all lost their
hooks.

Well I'm still using my Nike ACG or AGC or whatver shoes. They were laced but I ditched the laces almost immediately and have used the two velcro straps since. These shoes must be 8+ years old and have been used for commuting, road racing, mtb rides, touring, even a bit of track (I suggest NOT using SPDs for track unless they are the SPD-SL or -R variety).
They have held together skidding the fixed around London so I can't really complain. I'm looking to upgrade to slightly larger shoes after destroying my toe nails touring and worry about the ratchet system on all the good shoes..

On Jul 9, 11:23 pm, hippy <hippy.2tg...@no-

mx.forums.cyclingforums.com said:

TimC said:

On 2007-07-09, hippy (aka Bruce)
Velcro? Durable? I cleaned out the cat fur the way I believe cfsmtb
suggested, but that never restored them. Their stickiness probably
lasted all of 8 months. I can feel the burrs have all lost their
hooks.

Well I'm still using my Nike ACG or AGC or whatver shoes. They were
laced but I ditched the laces almost immediately and have used the two
velcro straps since. These shoes must be 8+ years old and have been
used for commuting, road racing, mtb rides, touring, even a bit of
track (I suggest NOT using SPDs for track unless they are the SPD-SL or
-R variety).
They have held together skidding the fixed around London so I can't
really complain. I'm looking to upgrade to slightly larger shoes after
destroying my toe nails touring and worry about the ratchet system on
all the good shoes..

I've had no problems with Shimano ratchet shoes - the rest of the shoe
wore out before they did.
I've got around 25,000km on this current pair so far (R214s, SPD-SL
cleats), road & track ...

Quoted message said:

--
hippy

On Jul 9, 7:55 pm, hippy <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

In the market for new shoes (since 1999 actually - bit slow).

I wonder if you lot have experience with ratchet straps? Are they as
durable as plain old velcro straps? A lot of the high end shoes seem to
go for at least one ratchet closure and this kinda bothers me. I expect
a new pair of shoes to last at least 5-10 years based on previous pairs
and the ratcheting jigger looks like a weakness. Shoes are for road use
- commuting, touring, racing, etc. SPD probably.

Thoughts?

hippy

--
hippy

My Pearl Izume Vipers (ratchet wheel thingie) are showing no signs of
wear and tear after over a year of daily use including on numerous wet
days when they've gotten really soggy.

Ask me again in a few years and I'll give you an update. 🙂

Travis

hippy said:

I wonder if you lot have experience with ratchet straps? Are they as
durable as plain old velcro straps? A lot of the high end shoes seem to
go for at least one ratchet closure and this kinda bothers me. I expect
a new pair of shoes to last at least 5-10 years based on previous pairs
and the ratcheting jigger looks like a weakness. Shoes are for road use
- commuting, touring, racing, etc. SPD probably.

They probably haven't been around long enough to really know yet.
FWIW, mine (Specialized Carbon) have been fine for well over a year,
and I don't know anyone who's mentioned having problems with them.
OTOH, velcro that's opened and closed a lot definitely loses its grip
over time.

I know that spare ratchets are available for my shoes. If you're concerned,
you could always get a couple of spares for yours when you buy them.

Michael Warner said:

I know that spare ratchets are available for my shoes. If you're concerned,
you could always get a couple of spares for yours when you buy them.

As soon as I get a chance I am getting a pair of the new specialized jobs.... I tried a pair on recently and I cannot believe how well they fit! And they are good for Tris and Cycling because of new twisting mechanism they have fitted, but the fit man they felt nice!

hippy said:

TimC said:

On 2007-07-09, hippy (aka Bruce)
Velcro? Durable? I cleaned out the cat fur the way I believe cfsmtb
suggested, but that never restored them. Their stickiness probably
lasted all of 8 months. I can feel the burrs have all lost their
hooks.

Well I'm still using my Nike ACG or AGC or whatver shoes. They were
laced but I ditched the laces almost immediately and have used the two
velcro straps since. These shoes must be 8+ years old and have been
used for commuting, road racing, mtb rides, touring, even a bit of
track (I suggest NOT using SPDs for track unless they are the SPD-SL or
-R variety).
They have held together skidding the fixed around London so I can't
really complain. I'm looking to upgrade to slightly larger shoes after
destroying my toe nails touring and worry about the ratchet system on
all the good shoes..

I had a quick look on-line for shoes shortly after buying my roadie (I
got Shimano SPD-SL's with Velcro when I bought the bike). My search for
ratchet shoes always seemed to provide a link for replacement ratchets,
so I decided it wasn't the way to go. No probs with he Velcro after
10,000+ k's... yet. Nonetheless, I've heard no complaints from friends
with ratchet shoes.

--
Bean

Remove "yourfinger" before replying

MikeyOz said:

As soon as I get a chance I am getting a pair of the new specialized
jobs.... I tried a pair on recently and I cannot believe how well they
fit! And they are good for Tris and Cycling because of new twisting
mechanism they have fitted, but the fit man they felt nice!

You must be referring to the model which came out after I bought
mine, but the fit is probably the same. I couldn't believe how much more
comfortable they were than others I tried on, so I gritted my teeth and
paid the $325 or so. I felt like Imelda Marcos on retail therapy :-)

Michael Warner said:

You must be referring to the model which came out after I bought
mine, but the fit is probably the same. I couldn't believe how much more
comfortable they were than others I tried on, so I gritted my teeth and
paid the $325 or so. I felt like Imelda Marcos on retail therapy :-)

Yeah... I reckon they felt that good! The only thing is the colours.... bright! I am sure the fitting is the same to what you have just a different mechanism, but as I mentioned before good for Tri's and Road riding, plus no straps hanging around when getting your feet in. I currently have a pair of Shimano Tri shoes and they feel like loafers compared to the specialized I tried on.

MikeyOz said:

Yeah... I reckon they felt that good! The only thing is the colours....
bright!

Mine are black, with bits of silver trim. Being lazy about cleaning
or washing stuff, one thing I've learned is to buy black whenever
possible. Except jerseys, which ought to be more visible.

Quoted message said:

I am sure the fitting is the same to what you have just a
different mechanism, but as I mentioned before good for Tri's and Road
riding, plus no straps hanging around when getting your feet in. I
currently have a pair of Shimano Tri shoes and they feel like loafers
compared to the specialized I tried on.

I'm sure the new mechanism is nice. There's always a better model
which comes out soon after you buy something :-)

Michael Warner said:

Mine are black, with bits of silver trim. Being lazy about cleaning
or washing stuff, one thing I've learned is to buy black whenever
possible. Except jerseys, which ought to be more visible.

Actually I just saw the black ones online, it must just be the shop I was at only decided to buy the flashy colourful "BUY ME", "BUY ME" colours.

MikeyOz said:

As soon as I get a chance I am getting a pair of the new specialized jobs.... I tried a pair on recently and I cannot believe how well they fit! And they are good for Tris and Cycling because of new twisting mechanism they have fitted, but the fit man they felt nice!

Have you got a model number or link to the pair you are talking about?