I've got two pairs of Carnac Orions in which I regularly ride around, and also some Sidis, the name of which escapes me (perhaps it is the Verona). The Sidis have the Micro-Lock system, which is a small winch-like mechanism that tightens down the upper.

I hate to get wound up on the subject of products created by the cycling industry for the triathlon market. I get upset, and my blood pressure rises, and then I have a hard time falling asleep at night and I've got to read for a couple of hours, and listen to classical music, and most of the time it's just not worth getting the hair up on my back.

So let me just graze the subject lightly by saying that -- for some reason -- cycling shoe companies all seem to have agreed that the transition split is SO IMPORTANT that under no circumstances can we triathletes abide the notion of more than one strap on our shoe. We just can't spend the time(!) it seems.

Athough I've been riding around -- as I've said -- in my Orions, I acquired a pair of Ellipses, even though I've got to spend interminable amounts of time on two extra straps. Why? Because there is merit in having more than one strap across the upper. My feet are like anyone else's, they swell during a long ride. It's nice to be able to adjust the fit during a ride.

Carnacs are fundamentally different than other cycling shoes. They are renowned for their superior fit, and the Ellipses didn't disappoint. The major difference between these and my other Carnacs is the additional adjustability.

But you have to be hip to the whole Carnac "way" in order to like this -- or any Carnac -- shoe. The soles are very, very stiff. This is a good thing. The arch curvature is quite extreme. It's a little bit like riding in pumps. Not that I've actually tried that ( I've never been able to get cleats to mount on my pumps; maybe a Slowtwitch reader has solved that problem, and wants to share the solution with the rest of us). When I ride with Carnacs, I also must actually lower the saddle 2mm or 3mm.

But all that shouldn't be construed as negative. I've been finding myself reaching for this shoe quite a bit for my rides. I suppose one additional reason is that I can get these in half sizes, and for me that is 45.5. Cycling shoes often do not come in half sizes above 45, and I appreciate the fact that Carnac offers this.

As for straps, I wish cycling shoe companies would get off that single-strap kick. It's simple. I adjust the two straps closest to the toe quite loosely if I've got to get into the shoes in a hurry. Then, I've just got the one strap to worry about in the transition area. If I want to tighten the other straps later, on the fly, I can. One thing about the Ellipses that IS a time saver over the Sidis: simply the fact that it's a strap, not a winch. It's a slight-bit time consuming to ratchet the Sidis down. How much time? I suppose I'd lose 5 seconds putting on the Sidis versus the Carnacs, so one must decide how often an age-group place comes down to a time increment like that.

At $239.00 these are not inexpensive shoes. Yet anyone who knows my approach to this sort of thing understands that I'm very picky about things that touch my body. Shoes, socks, shorts, saddles, armrests, handlebars, even bar tape, is very important to me. So, I'll dig deep and fork over for the right shoes. Carnac Ellipses are worthy of the extra money.