The basicsSo when I first saw someone do this, I told myself that I had to learn. For those of you unaware of flying dismounts and mounts, these are great ways to shave off time from you next triathlon.In the flying mount, you already have your shoes clipped into your pedals. When you get to the mount line, you get one foot in a shoe and get a running start. Then you coast as you swing your other leg around. As you are doing this, the bike is coasting and you fumble around to get your feet in the shoes and strapped in.On the dismount, you remove your feet from your shoes a couple hundred yards from the dismount line. As you get closer to dismount, you do the reverse of the flying mount and straddle one foot over and quickly hop off the bike just prior to the dismount line.I will try to get some video of this up in another post.The equipmentI had to get a pair of triathlon specific bike shoes. These shoes are different from most other shoes in a couple of ways. First, the straps velcro in. This is so when the shoes are clipped in and you are trying to get started, they are easier to tighten. Second, there are loops on the heel of the shoe. This is so you can use a rubber band to tie the shoes up so they are perpendicular to the ground and easier to get your feet into the shoes.Shoes can range from basic Shimano SH-TR30 to high end shoes such as the Sidi T-2.6 Carbon Shoe. I went with a pair of Sidi T-1’s that I found on eBay for only $75. (As with most things about this sport, it is expensive. So I have done well by shopping on eBay!) I went with the Sidi, because the overall feel was better in these shoes than the Shimano. The Shimano felt like I had a huge box on the end of my foot.Getting it down I first practiced without the shoes on and just with my street shoes so I could get the feel of straddling the bike and coasting with you feeling like I was going to crash. Once I felt comfortable with that, I moved to the shoes clipped in. Clipped in a completely different feeling and it took some practice to feel comfortable. But know I feel confident at my next event that I will definitely be able to shave off some time on my transitions. I will let you know how it goes next month at Riverwood.
Tags: bike, dismount, flying mount, Shimano, shoes, Sidi, triathlon
