scot

Besides "ride faster" I need some help with my shoes. I have a pair of bontrager Road RXLs that are both awesome and terrible at the same time.

For the good, they fit and I find I have no numbness. To put this in perspective, I have older pairs of Sidi, shimano, d7, and a bont custom. All of which gave me different issues/numbness/movement. The bont custom was the closest to perfect, but the toebox was not and would cause bad numbness issues after 3-4 hours of riding and a problem with one particular toe that took over a year to come to light. Which sucks because they were near perfect otherwise and the company could not fix it.

So back to the bontragers, they are super comfortable and I really enjoy using them... mostly. After a year of using them, my bike (domane) developed a possible bearing squeak on longer rides. Figured it was just the crap bb90 bearing noise people complain about. Replaced the bearings towards the end of the season and... no more noise, one bearing was tight as well to help confirm that theory. Then again I had no more longer 3+ hour long rides. Flash forward to this spring and the squeaking came back. I replaced the bearings again, no change. Thought maybe it was my weird 3ax pedals (which were great BTW, but overpriced) and put my speedplay set back on with new cleats. Tried replacing a bunch of other bits as well because the connection hadn't been made in my head that it could be the shoes.

So now that I've changed everything else in the system, the squeak which was rare in the beginning, is now REALLY annoying and starts soon after I start riding. Its definitely the shoes, and no amount of tightness helps, though if I ensure a VERY flat circle, with no foot movement, I can get rid of the noise for that revolution. It seams the material of he shoes has developed some level of rubbing somewhere and makes the noise. I've tried wd40 and some chain grease, but no luck as it seems to wear off quickly.

Anyone have any advice on making these shoes quiet again? I have tried so many different pairs of shoes and have too many issues with my feet to want to dive back into the field to find a new pair again. These are comfortable and stiff and are good for 1 hour or 6 hours. Except for the fact the squeaking takes me out of "the zone" and I just cannot relax while in the ride, so I find that by the end of 40 miles I am going a bit crazy from the sound alone.

burnthesheep

I have a pair of Fizik that do this. I am using the off brand “puzzle piece” spd-sl for being able to replace in the same spot.

That combo on my Propel does exactly as you say.

I can’t figure it out. It is exactly as you describe. Grrrrr.

In the topic in case someone solves it.

scot

I may try getting a bunch of felt sticker things from home depot, normally used for furniture on hardwood floors. They are too thick, but maybe... I dunno. It worked on a car with squeaking parts a few years ago.

wont last though due to sweat/rain, but might help me pinpoint what parts are making noise. so incredibly frustrating and hope you find a solution too! If so, please remember to post it up.

drewtk

What about the inserts? Seems unlikely but it would be an easy thing to test.

I have a pair of Shimano tri shoes that didn't squeak when new, then developed a constant squeak in one shoe on EVERY revolution. Terribly annoying so I feel your pain. Then the squeak went away, I'm guessing from wearing in more. However, your shoes are already broken in with a year's use.

woodcraft

Maybe try a bit of silicone spray...

topflightpro

I've noticed the material of some shoes will squeak when it moves. Not sure there is much you can do about it other than try different shoes.

scot

I tried 3 in one, wd40, and some other noname brand of lubricants. Made some small effect, but went away and the squeak returned.

Before I went out on my ride today I finally found the spray bottle of silicone lubricant. I sprayed every moving part, then remembered the suggestion about the insoles. I pulled them out, and sprayed the underside.
SILENCE! Admittedly it was only an hour on the bike, but the squeaking is incredibly annoying. I had nothing, not even a peep. I have high hopes this is repeatable on the next ride. (Blaster silicone from home depot if you want to get the same stuff, its 3-4 bucks I believe)

canklecat

Wax, paraffin, or leftover scented candle wax. Rub it onto the contact points between the shoes, cleats and pedals. I use it on my Look and Shimano SPD-SL cleats and pedals. Makes it easier to clip/unclip too.

Wax is cleaner, less likely to pick up debris, won't soak into most materials or damage them.

I also use it on one bike with enameled spokes. The black paint tends to create friction at the crossing points and squeak. I smudge candle wax where the spokes cross. Lasts for months before I need to reapply, depending on weather.

scot

This is perfect general advice, but those contact points were already lubed and I used multiple pedals and cleats. For most people though, yes this is GREAT advice.

The problem in my case is (or at least appears to be) a combination of other squeak points, strap to tongue, strap mount to tongue and upper, tongue to underside of upper, and underneath the insole to shell. The latter would make sense to me since keeping my foot completely steady stopped the noise. So I could use wax to coat the underside of the insole, but that might cause other issues. Dunno, but if the silicone stops working, I will give it a shot.