Upgrades

I had a packet in the mail yesterday with my amazon order of my new cycling shoes. It's a pair of Pearl Izumi's TriFlyIII.... SWEET! And the timing was perfect too, since I just got some Speedplay pedals and a new cycling helmet earlier that day! DOUBLE SWEET! Especially, since I have some birthday cash to spend that I actually don't have yet, because it's not quite my birthday yet, but the shoes were too much of a deal to let that one pass. And of course I didn't want to wait with all the other stuff then.

When I started back cycling on my hybrid a couple of years ago, I eventually wanted to get some clipless pedals. Because I didn't know, if this cycling thing is going to stick with me, I ended up with SPD cleats and mountain bike shoes. It was a simple more bang for the buck type deal, because shoes with SPD cleats could double as my spinning shoes and seriously, the mountain bike shoes I got were so much cheaper than any regular cycling shoe I saw.

Now that it's two years later and that cycling thing seems to really stick with me, I thought it was time for an upgrade and BAM! here we are... New shoes, new cleats and new helmet... Oh the helmet was actually really due, because you are not supposed to use a helmet longer than two years... At least that's what I read somewhere.

It took us a little while to get the new pedals on the bike and the new cleats on the shoes, but eventually we made it out on the road. And then had to stop again to make some additional adjustments to make it easier for me to clip in and out... So that I won't tip over at the first stop sign.

We headed out for a 30 mile ride and it took us a little longer than usual. There was a lot of wind and I picked a really really hilly route... On top of all that, my legs just felt dead. But we got out there and that's the important thing.

First impression of the shoes/cleats/pedals/helmet:

Shoes: I think I like them, but I think it's going to take my feet a while to get used to them. Those shoes are so much stiffer than my mtn bike shoes. A big plus in comfort is that I picked a larger size for those shoes. My old ones are really snug and in the winter, I wasn't able to wear a good pair of socks without cutting of the circulation to my shoes. Oh and they are soooo light.... so sweet and light.

Speedplay: I just hope I figure it out really fast! But I do enjoy the 15 degree float. Unfortunately, the way we set them up currently, gives me full range on my left foot and pretty much none on my right. Gotta fix that before I hop on the bike the next time.

Helmet: It's worth spending a little more to get a helmet with sizes and not one of the universal size type helmets. All the helmets are just as safe as the next, but having a sized helmet, just fits so much better and feels so much better. It's also lighter than my previous one and has more airflow...  All good so far.


Looks like the weekend is almost over.... I hope you all had a great weekend. For me, it's just 3.5 days of work and then team D.N.R. is back in action at he Blue Ridge Relay... YAY!