Reply With QuoteIt's all about fit, if you have narrow feet Sidi, more normal width Specialized & Giro, as with everything bike related you really need to try them for size.
Best bet is to order a few pairs and sizes from Wiggle and send back what you don't want.
Any experienced cyclists on here that can recommend a pair of road shoes?
I am finding it hard as most stores only stock limited shoes, so I am having to go online.
I am looking for a decent pair with full carbon soles, but still remaining comfortable for upto 4 hours.
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It's all about fit, if you have narrow feet Sidi, more normal width Specialized & Giro, as with everything bike related you really need to try them for size.
Best bet is to order a few pairs and sizes from Wiggle and send back what you don't want.
I tried a pair of giro and the foot was nice and slim. What I found with specialized etc was heel lift.
So narrow/normal width and good heel grip is what I'm after.
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Try a sidi then, the ones with the adjustable heel gripper, my pair are like slippers but now I use lintmanen ones that have adjustable volume for winter socks so they do not get too tight and cut the circulation off.
With road shoes you really do have to try them until you get a fit that suits.
They all come with rubbish orthotics though as you really should go custom footbed unless your foot matches their lasts for the best fit
Sidi for me even with a normal width foot. Great fit and REALLY comfortable. They were not cheap but have certainly been worth buying.
Interesting guys, the only sidi I was looking at were the wire as they have an adjustable heel cup.
Are the giro footbeds not good which come with the shoes?
How much on top are a good set of insoles?
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For sidis should I be looking to size up from my normal shoe size?
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Sidi do a Mega in each size which is wider than the normal one. I also go up a size. So I'm a 45 in most other shoes, like my Specialised S-works, but a 46 Mega in Sidi
A lot of the guys/gals in my old club liked the Shimano range, even though they don't have the glamour of Sidi.
To some extent it also matters what kind of cleats you wear, and where they transfer the pressure load. I think you really need to try them on, unless you know the size you take in a given brand.
The Specialized footbeds are a good compromise between the crap that tends to get supplied with new shoes and the full nuclear (aka expensive) option of custom. They base the fit on the height of your arch (flat, medium, high).
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If you can get to sigma sport in Kingston they do Sidas foot beds which are on offer at the moment, they fit them there (you have to stand on a mouldable bed and then the heated insoles are formed to that shape.
If you are on a budget the specialized ones are good for the money.
(I might have some greens (high arch) knocking about if you were thinking of trying them)
They do have a hump in them which feels odd at first but does offer lots of support, they come with wedges too.
I use the insole wedge and a cleat shim to straighten my knee tracking, I basically can't cycle without these little bits of plastic.
Edit: I see you are north of the border but they may be a Sidas dealer near you
Another recommendation from me for Sidi's. I've not tried the Wire version but the ergo and 6.6 versions are excellent. Bought a pair of Giro triathlon shoes recently too and was also impressed with the fit of them.
Sidi or spesh , I've several pairs of spesh but really rate sidi
I've tried top end shoes from Specialized, Giro, Sidi and Mavic. Never tried Shimano which I believe fit a wider foot. I'm pretty narrow.Originally Posted by BadBoyR
The Giro insoles are not great, and I have to contradict Mr.Smith's view that the Specialized insoles are worth a go. They lack a decent heel cup and the metatarsal button can push too much up into the foot, especially if tightening shoes to race fit.
Take a look at Steve Hogg's site. His reputation as one of the world's best bike fitters is well deserved:
https://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com
I had a lot of problems with my feet and his recommendation of the Sof Sole Fit insole has been a revelation. They are absolutely superb and as with the Spesh come in 3 arch heights which you can assess yourself for. They're only around £25 a pair.
For shoes, as others have said Sidis are excellent but the uppers are quite rigid. As they wear in they are like slippers unless you have any odd bones sticking out of your feet. Any bumpy bits with the Sidis and you're in agony.
For pure comfort I cannot speak highly enough of Giro's lace up range. I have a pair of Empire ACC and another of their Empire SLX and they are honestly like putting a pair of slippers on. They're a one piece upper and extremely supple and the SLX are light as a feather.
It's a very personal thing getting the right shoes as you see from peoples responses but either a good pair of Sidi or Giro plus the Sof Soles should be a winning formula.
Most brand you also have to go up half a size as well so hear that in mind
Eh? I said they were good for the money, I use them in my MTB/commute spd shoes. For road with it's more critical position with less float I use custom Sidas.I have to contradict Mr.Smith's view that the Specialized insoles are worth a go
Retul do custom, I'm sure there are others out there too.
Very informative, thank you. I'm planning on getting a bike fit once I have a good set of boots. I have looked as the giro empire and the only thing off putting is the laces, but all users are saying that they are excellent.
No one ever used fizik? I have ordered a pair of fizik r1 to try on and I will go down the trying route until I find a pair which are most comfortable.
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Never tried Fizik but also meant to be very good and the R1s receive excellent reviews. I always wanted to try a pair of their kangaroo leather shoes but never got round to it and I'm a lace up convert.
Good luck with the search and do report back. Cycling shoes can be a bugger to get right but once they're right the subsequent comfort is very rewarding in terms of your levels of enjoyment. There's nothing worse than foot pain in a ride
Last edited by Schofie; 8th August 2017 at 22:10.
I've got a pair of Fizik R1's. They're really nice, extremely comfortable & adjust on the foot nicely. You can also loosen them & remove them really quickly simply by pulling out the boa unit. Unfortunately just a little bit too big for me
I've also tried the Specialized insoles of the type indicated by fitter in the shop but they did push up hard into the arch of my feet & caused a pain which took weeks to resolve
A shoe is a contact point, therefore it's worth paying attention to how it performs along with all the other contact points, bars, saddle, shorts, gloves. If one of those isn't comfortable or you notice it on a ride then find something that works well so it's not an issue.
I wear Specialized S-Works SPD shoes, they have carbon soles. I can't fault the setup. I have used Look and Speedplay Zero cleats with the compatible flat bottomed shoes but find the recessed cleats on SPD's to be far more practical. They wouldn't be much good if you need a lot of 'float' though!
I agree. S-Works shoes are incredible if they fit your feet nice. I know a few pro riders sponsored by Specialized who despite getting kit free all day they would gladly pay full price for them
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Another vote here for the Empire SLX. I had the same problem a few months ago (old shoes dying, not made anymore) and ended up doing lots of reading and buying a whole load of shoes online, having them delivered and then trying them on.
The Fizik R1 and Giros fit well and looked the nicest to me. I wear the Giros with some custom footbed I had from skiing and they are pretty damn comfortable. Which reminds me, I should probably buy a back up pair.
OP, the recommendation from someone earlier on of ordering a few different pairs, trying them and sending what you don't want back is a good one. Just don't fit cleats
never had the need for insoles yet i have them in the steel toe cap boots i wear on the footplate . i do rate spesh but had a pair with the rotary dial ( i cannot for the life of me remember which ) i found them very tedious to get on and not generally a good fit
SIDIs and Superfeet Insoles work well for me, used to get bothered with Hotfoot on long rides (600km plus) but not now.
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Thanks guys. I just don't want to end up ordering 10 pairs and then having to return them all. Fizik r1 are still to arrive and then I will try out the sidi vernice/shot and then maybe s works.
For me cycling shoes are like snowboarding boots, never skimp on them. And as I ride a nice bike and really enjoy it, I see it as an investment.
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I'm glad that Superfeet insoles worked for you but they are severely flawed and caused me serious pain. You're one of the lucky ones. I sent them back under their satisfaction guarantee.
They only do one side arch and the length of the arch section does not vary between the length/size selected. This is ridiculously simplistic as obviously people with bigger feet have a longer arch section.
The Steve Hogg website gives brief summaries of the different supports available and I've found it to be very accurate.
I wear Bont and find them comfortable. I have a wide foot and they can be moulded in the oven to give a good fit.
I ordered loads of pairs of Wiggle and returned the ones I wanted. It was no hassle and their refund policy is great. Wandering round the shops would have taken a very long time and you can't compare A and B if they are in different places.
My last three pairs have been Northwave. I really like them, nice and comfy. 10 hours in them isn't too bad, even.
Pity, because I get half price Sidi, Fizik, and Mavic at work :!
You know we've always been great friends
iirc Northwave are quite a wide fit
Don't buy online. I tried a load on at a bike shop with decent stock and the pricey ones were without exception terribly uncomfortable to me. I bought the entry level Specialized shoes with three simple velcro straps. Super comfortable and cost £50. No need to spend more unless you absolutely have to for the fit or you are a pro cyclist.
Last edited by PipPip; 9th August 2017 at 19:51.
I ride Audax events, which come in lots of different lengths from 50km to over 2,000km. There's a minimum speed (15kmh for up to 1,000km events) so that gives you a time limit you need to get inside. So for a 600km event the time limit is 40hours. Up to the rider to decide if he/she wants to stop for breaks or have a sleep somewhere, but if you take a few hours for a sleep then your on-bike average speed needs to be a lot higher than 15kmh. I'll usually take a few hours kip on a 600 and aim to finish in around 36 hours. If I ride straight through the night then I can get under the 30 hours mark. I can get through one night okay without sleeping but if it's a longer event I normally need to sleep on the second night, otherwise the hallucinations kick in and it's too easy to fall asleep on the bike. Hope all that didn't put you off, it is fun and you can find more info at http://www.aukweb.net/ Most folk start off with 100km and 200km rides and that's what the bulk of the events are. Last week was the 1400km London-Edinburgh-London which was the biggest ride in the calendar this year. I didn't do it, as living near Edinburgh it just seems pointless to drive down to London just to cycle back up and down again.
That's some hardcore riding Valkyrie. Hats off to you sir. Biggest I've managed yet is the Marmotte and that was long enough in the saddle
I have ordered some specialized s works 6 tonight as Evans have them on a crazy deal.
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For what it's worth I always buy shoes online now - order 4 or 5 pairs in roughly the sizes I think I'd need from Wiggle, try them all on at home at then send the ones I don't want back before it hits the credit card.
I've been using Bont Vapor S's for a while now - heat mouldable, super stiff and for me, very comfortable.
I'm starting to find more appeal in the longer distance riding. I'm thinking of doing a 12hour TT next year aiming to break my club record which stands at 269.9 miles. I've already got the records at 10, 15, 25, 30, 50 & 100 miles so the 12hour is the next step up. It might take a fit of madness to have a go at the 24hr though
Impressive! Be great to have all the club records. I've always fancied doing the 24, but the dates always seem to clash with something else. The 24 needs a different approach to the shorter rides, practically all riders take at least one off the bike break. All my friends who have done it say it's a great event, one has done it every year for the last 50 years!
One of my friends has won the National 24hr champs four times. The last time he won I asked him how many times he had got off the bike. The answer was once. Not for a pee, he said he didn't get off the bike for that, but to take his lights off & change into cooler daytime clothes. He did 510 miles
London Brighton London is the farthest I've cycled. Only 212km, 10 hours, wouldn't want to do any more than that. Couldn't do any more than that, I think. Watching my workmate's tracker on the LEL was impressive (even if he really only beat the clock by a handful of hours).
Update.....
Got the fizik r1 and s works. Fizik come with no extras in the box and were a little big, very easy to get on and off, however the carbon sole digs into the underside of my big toe.
S works, are harder to get on and off, fit is good and they seem comfortable. Not easy to undo the boa as you can't pull it out. Front of the shoe feels like toe caps.
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Interesting to read sidi run narrow as I have wide feet and I have top of the range sidi's and they fit perfectly.
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They might be 'mega' which are the wide version.
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