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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!we13!ihnp4!inuxc!pur-ee!uiucdcs!schwager
From: schwager@uiucdcs.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.bicycle
Subject: Biking Shoes - (nf)
Message-ID: <38200007@uiucdcs.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 7-May-84 12:01:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: uiucdcs.38200007
Posted: Mon May  7 12:01:00 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 9-May-84 01:49:00 EDT
Lines: 39
Nf-ID: #N:uiucdcs:38200007:000:2113
Nf-From: uiucdcs!schwager    May  7 11:01:00 1984

#N:uiucdcs:38200007:000:2113
uiucdcs!schwager    May  7 11:01:00 1984


I'm considering getting some biking shoes and wonder if anyone out there can
lend an opinionated hand.  Some things to go on:

-I plan on doing much long distance touring, though right now all I've done
 are 15 mile training rides.  Should I get touring shoes or cleated shoes?
 Silly question, you might say.  Well, since getting my bike and through
 my experience as a runner, I've found that little things make a big 
 difference over the long run.  So are the benefits of cleats while on the
 bike vs. a Bata Biker, say, with just a flat sole worth it?  Let me say
 that I consider a small inconvenience like having to change shoes when getting
 off the bike not worth worrying about.  You with experience, what have you
 to say?  
-In the same vane, I'm considering the Avocet touring shoes.  Are they almost
 as good as cleats, having those four little grooves in the bottom of them?
 Then again, I've read that a four percent error in the height of your seat
 with respect to a certain formula (from Eugene Sloan's Bicycle Maintenance
 Manual) can affect your efficiency by an even greater amount.  Likewise,
 maybe I need a finer tuning of my foot position than the Avocets would
 be able to give me?
-Speaking of foot position, how do I determine what is the best position?
 Can improper foot position (I've got toe clips and love 'em- I won't be 
 putting my arches on the pedals) cause me injury?  That might be another
 bad point about the Avocets- the grooves would determine the rotation
 of my foot on the pedal.  I've notice that my heels like to move in a bit.
 So I could go with the Bata Bikers, but then there's the point of greater
 efficiency with grooves or cleats.  Could make a differece over 10 hours
 of cranking.

Any help you can lend would be appreciated.  Sorry about the length; I've got
a lot of questions on my mind.  I realize the importance of quality equipment
over the long haul, and I'd like to make an informed position.  By the way,
I know the Avocets are $7 more than the Bikers, but if worth it, I don't
consider it much of a burden.

-mike schwager (uiucdcs!schwager)