would you choose comfort or performance on a non competative ride?

Sounds like a question that Mrs ton would be well placed to answer?

🙂

Comfort leads to better preformance in my book.

I’ve been debating this in my Flanders thread, I’ve Gone 100% for comfort over speed

Comfort.

Performance = happy

Comfort leads to better performance.

If the aim is to ride for a certain amount of time and have fun then comfort all the way, for me. If the aim is to cover a certain distance then it gets more tricky (especially a challenging distance) as slower could have me struggling to finish, which is never fun.

The two needn’t be mutually exclusive.

the reason i asked is, i dipped my feet back into spd shoes recently. got to the stage where i couldnt wear em because of my deformed ankle/foot.
found some northwave shoes that are wide and comfy.
so spd set up has me spinning a bit faster and easier uphill, ace.

but then the cold came at the start of the week. and the comfy ace spd shoes now make my foot icy cold, even with wool socks. just my club foot not both feet.

so dilema is, long 2 day ride planned this weekend. so warm comfy boots with flats, or cold foot spd boots, and a bit faster?

Gotta be comfort for that scenario. If you get cold with the SPDs it’ll ruin the weekend riding.

Cold feet suck so go with the warm option 🙂

Would be comfort for me in that scenario, last thing you need is discomfort from the war wound on a 2 day event.
I have metalwork in my ankle, I can’t stand it getting cold, other one is fine though.

The two needn’t be mutually exclusive.

^This in general

I can’t use clip-less for a few medical/physical reasons but cages and straps can work. I tend to use really grippy flats tho, and my ‘performance’ days were cut short at 30yrs so need to keep reminding self that any riding is good riding.

When performance stops dead half way into a long ride thanks to not being able to get your foot (feet) warm and comfy, you run a strong risk of totally ruining the ride.

When you ‘only’ climb at 90% and don’t go quite as fast overall but are warm, content and comfy, thoughts of cleaning that tricky bit with SPDs will enter your mind.

Wonder which thought will stay with you the longest after the ride !

PS. Is it the foot position that causes the problem with SPDs, or the fact you don’t have the right shoes for the weather? I bought some goretex fur lined Scott SPD boots from Start cycles a couple of years ago. Keep my feet toastie in the most horrid of conditions and are plenty wide enough.

Think they were reduced from £200+ to around £90.

Do you really notice the performance difference with SPDs?

not long to test it, but all my spds have had a section of inner-tube under the insole, above the cleat

improves it, but still not going to be as warm/comfy

?imagine you have the spds on and spin faster anyway?

Comfort. Wee the shoes too tight with thicker socks. Restriction of blood makes your feet colder not warmer.

Cold protection IS performance, you ride better and harder when you’re in good condition.

I struggle with cold feet as well, for cold weather rides I wear 1 pair of think socks, then a hand warmer (actually a foot warmer but just a bigger hand warmer and works at a hotter temp) – then another pair of socks over the top.

For long XC rides I also wear a set of thermal waterproof overshoes. I’ve got the bontrager mtb shoes.

What’s all this ‘performance’ bollox Tony? You said it would be ‘steady’!

Try a different insole in the troublesome shoe?

Have you tried heated insoles ?

Bikes – performance
Boobs – comfort

Lol