Cycling shoes for wide feet?

[ny biker]

I have Sidi women's shoes, size 41. They generally fit okay though I have to fasten the velcro straps loosely. Last year one of the LBS managers noticed the way I had the straps and suggested I get a pair in wide.

Over the winter I had problems with a new pair of running shoes that were too narrow and caused pain in the outside part of my left foot at the widest part (near the base of the toes). New running shoes in a different brand seemed to solve the problem at the time, but now that I'm back to cycling the pain is back. And my Sidis are pretty worn (I think they are at least 6 years old) so this is probably a good time to get new shoes.

I would prefer to get them at my LBS. They carry Sidis as well as Bontragers, Mavic, LG, Pearl Izumi, Shimano and Giro. (Those are the brands listed on their website, which means I should be able to special order them if they are not in stock at the store.)

Any suggestions on what works for wide feet?

Thanks!!

[OakLeaf]

If you're wide in the heel you might be able to wear the Sidi Mega. My sister wears those.

If you're wide in the forefoot only, I don't think any of the brands you listed will fit. They sure won't fit me ... You might try Specialized if your feet aren't *super* wide; they have a more foot-shaped toe box than most.


I'm in a pair of men's wide Lake - I think I read that they found a new US importer. One of the few pairs of shoes in the world that fit my feet.

[GLC1968]

Yeah, the three brands I think of when I think wide bike shoes are Specialized, Lake and Northwave.

I wear a small size (38) so I couldn't even try the Sidi Mega's. Up until last year, I was fine wearing Specialized shoes in the men's versions (they make them small enough for me if I order online) but after my foot surgery, even those were too narrow. Now I wear Northwave but I had to order them online (I picked out 4 pair and returned the three that didn't work).

[ny biker]

My feet are not super wide -- I wear regular width shoes for everything except my New Balance sneakers. I just need something with a bit more room in the toebox.

I have only had bad experiences with the shops in my area that carry Specialized when any fit issues are involved, so I really prefer to stick with my LBS.

Thanks

[roo4]

I wear men's shoes whenever fashion-appropriate (heck, if it is a comfortable shoe, I'll wear it fashion-inappropriately). Do you need wider than D?

[Crankin]

After suffering with hurting, burning feet that felt like they were being squashed, for years, I gave up my red Sidis for Shimanos. My feet are not wide, and I wear a small size, but I have a bunion on one foot and I just can't tolerate anything tight. The Shimanos have a wide toe box, and I got the ones that are molded to your feet. I had to wear 2 sizes larger than my street shoes in Sidi, and i was able to go down one size in my Shimanos. I still keep the ratchet pretty loose, as well as the straps, but that's me.
Another thing that has helped me immensely is wearing very thin wool socks all year round. It has virtually eliminated the pain in all my sporting endeavors. And I bought Mizuno running shoes that have a wider, meshy toe box area, but still have support in the heel.

[zoom-zoom]

If you're wide in the heel you might be able to wear the Sidi Mega. My sister wears those.

If you're wide in the forefoot only, I don't think any of the brands you listed will fit. They sure won't fit me ... You might try Specialized if your feet aren't *super* wide; they have a more foot-shaped toe box than most.

I didn't like the pair of Women's Specialized shoes I tried at all...and couldn't wear Sidis. I had 40s...perhaps a 41 would have worked, but I didn't need length. And I found the heels on Sidis to be too wide (the opposite of what I need). I have a very narrow heel and wide foot. LG shoes fit like they were made for me--at least the men's models do. I have the CFS-300, T-Flex 300, and that neoprene Winter boot one (name escapes me).

[OakLeaf]

perhaps a 41 would have worked, but I didn't need length.

[hijack] Sigh.

I have to go one Euro size up in length to get Lems wide enough. The NB running shoes I have in women's 4E have at least a full US size in length greater than I need (and I could still use a few millimeters' width, on those).

It's a perennial problem at shoe stores, where the salespeople will check only the toe space and proclaim that shoes are too big for me, when they're actually way too small. They will actually argue with me about that. Any more, I just pull the insoles out and stand on them so they can see my big toe and my fifth metatarsal head hanging over the sides.

Wishing you luck with yours.....

[hijack]

[OakLeaf]

Have you ever looked seriously into mens shoes? They do have more styles than they used to. And if you put an insert under the ball of the foot, it makes the heels tighter.

The Lake cycling shoes I wear are men's.

Lems are unisex, basically (some of the colors they label "men's" or "women's," but the shoes are otherwise identical).

The Mizunos I wore out for running and now wear for kicking around are men's 2E (hated running in those shoes, but more because of the stiff sole and the pointy clown toe than anything). Reasonable in forefoot and heel, though as always there's a great deal of empty space in front of the second and third toes.

The Nike Air Pegasus I really want to make work for me, but probably can't, are men's 2E. Those are the only shoes I own that actually don't rub against my toes. The problem is that the ankle opening is way too big, which causes issues with the tendons on both sides of my ankles - the Achilles because my heels tend to move around, and the flexor tendons because the laces are too tight against them (another perennial issue for me that I can solve in most shoes by padding the tongues).

Length-wise, my feet are measured at a women's 8-1/2. The only shoes I can wear that are smaller than women's 11 are the NBs that I wear in 10EEEE. Both my pairs of men's running shoes are 9EE. My cycling shoes are men's 43 Wide which usually converts to a US men's 9-1/2.

I'm just in the process of weaning myself off the metatarsal buttons. They were a very useful tool while I was developing foot strength and flexibility, but at this point, I don't need them, I need to run without them in order to let my feet function fully, and to be able to get my weight fully into my first and fifth met heads ... and they really never affected the fit at all.

Sigh. :rolleyes:

ETA - this is my foot on the insole of those NB 10EEEEs (sorry for the huge file, too lazy to edit right now)...

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/704339_590977997586249_809817094_o.jpg

[ny biker]

Nike running shoes are the reason I have this problem. I bought them in wide but they still cramped my left foot to the point where it hurt all the time with any shoes. I will never wear them again.

[OakLeaf]

One thing about Nike, they use several different lasts. Most of them I couldn't even begin to wear. Just kinda the men's Air Peg and old versions of the women's Zoom Triax (unfortunately, not the 15 and I can't find a pair of the new 16s to try on).

[GLC1968]

Oak - my feet are shaped just like yours except they are shorter, making men's shoes an impossibility except in very rare cases.

After my surgery, I can't even wear my old NB minimus shoes that used to work great for running for me because they were tight enough across the arch to keep them from moving around over distance. Now that tightness just hurts like hell. I have no idea what I'm going to do for running (it's part of the reason I haven't really started up again).

[OakLeaf]

If you're still okay running without much of any cushion, try Lems (http://www.lemsshoes.com/). They go down to size 37, and I know of people who run in them.

[GLC1968]

If you're still okay running without much of any cushion, try Lems (http://www.lemsshoes.com/). They go down to size 37, and I know of people who run in them.

That's a good idea. I've been meaning to try them!

What size do you wear in them? I fear ordering a 38 since they call that a 6.5 and it's rare that a 6.5 fits me (mostly for width), but I fear that a 39 will be too big for running.

[OakLeaf]

What size do you wear in them? I fear ordering a 38 since they call that a 6.5 and it's rare that a 6.5 fits me (mostly for width), but I fear that a 39 will be too big for running.

I wear size 42 Lems (the old Primals). They're still a little long on me, but only by one size ... I tried on a 41 and it was just too narrow. Since I don't run in them, it's hard to say, but it *is* possible they'd be too sloppy on my feet for running. Is there a shop anywhere near you that carries them?

[ny biker]

Okay, it turns out that I bought a pair of Bontragers. Specifically the RL Road WSD shoe. I went with white.

http://www.bontrager.com/model/09597

They are not super-wide, but they felt like they were shaped right for my feet and were wide enough to give me some wiggle room at the toes, and also seem a tad longer than my Sidis. They also have great arch support, which I really need. And since Bontrager products have a 30-day comfort guarantee, I have a month to try them out and decide that I'm happy with them.

I also got new cleats to go with the new shoes, so I can still use the old shoes as a back-up pair if needed. (They put the cleats on the shoes while I waited, even though the store was closed for 20 minutes by the time they finished with the cleats and rang up the sale. They really are great at this LBS. :D)

If the Bontragers don't work out, I will probably try a pair of Shimanos.

Thanks very much for everyone's input!! I hope this thread comes in handy for anyone else searching for a better-fitting shoe, especially folks with wider feet.

p.s. something interesting to note -- on the Bontrager website, it says that the size I got (41) equates to a 9.5 in US women's shoe sizes. I have never worn a size 9.5 in any shoe in my life -- in Clark's I usually wear an 8.5 and in most other shoes I wear a 9. But a 40.5 (size 9 equivalent) would have been too small in these shoes.

[GLC1968]

I wear size 42 Lems (the old Primals). They're still a little long on me, but only by one size ... I tried on a 41 and it was just too narrow. Since I don't run in them, it's hard to say, but it *is* possible they'd be too sloppy on my feet for running. Is there a shop anywhere near you that carries them?

Yes, multiple ones including my podiatrist (who is the guy who invented 'correct toes'). Unfortunately, all the stores are downtown and not open in the evenings. I might try to squeeze a trip in this weekend. Or, I could just order both sizes and return the ones that don't work, I suppose.

Thanks for the info!