Do I need cleats, pedals & shoes

Plenty of difference. Day and night. Probably the single best thing you can do to improve your cycling speed and efficiency.

Clipless pedals keep your feet in the proper position on the pedal and allow you to transfer power throuughout the entire pedal cycle. You can get a little of this effect with toe clips, but not much.

Amen to what Bear said. You can, actually you should, pull as well as push through the pedal stroke with cleats and shoes. You'll notice a huge difference in your efficiency and speed. Good luck in your race.

Edited by Flyboy 2004-08-13 10:25 AM

Ditto to the two previous posts. Once you get used to them you'll enjoy riding that much more, too.

It would make a considerable difference. However, it is a big investment and if you are unsure, you can always just put rat-traps on your pedals and reap the same benefit. Actually for a sprint you can save time by not having to change from cycling shoes to running. Now having said that, I would never again ride a bike without clipless pedals ... I am spoiled.

I still ride rattraps but I bought a pair of hard soled cycling shoes that can be used for walking around too. I have two pairs - one from Cannondale and another from Specialized.

You can find what similar shoes at:
http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_listing.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_i...

I plan on switching to clipless pedals when I buy my new bike in the spring, but will keep these shoes for my old bike when I want to run errands.

I guess I'm going to offer a differing position and say no. You don't need clipless pedals and shoes. I've done 5 sprint distance tris without them and finished BOP/MOP. The pedals wouldn't have made much of a difference for me.

Also, you have to get good at taking your feet out of the shoes as you approach T2. My husband told me that he saw a bunch of people slip and fall (some hard) when they unclipped and put their foot down on the asphalt. Their shoe just slid out from under them. I know that lots of practice minimizes the problem but you are only riding 12 miles. Wait and upgrade in the off season.

I use POwergrips at the moment they are cheap and fit on normal pedals until i get some proper shoes and cleats. They have tension by inserting your foot at an angle and twisting it straight...they are pretty cool i recommend them for newbies