Cycling Sandals, Help Please

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04-22-2007, 06:10 AM
Hammer

Cycling Sandals, Help Please

I was thinking about trying to buy some cylcing sandals this season. I managed pretty well with my pearl izumi shoes last season, so it's not a high priority and I am trying to avoid paying full price for them.

Performance Bike doesn't have any sandals available right now, I'm a member with them so if I have to pay full price somewhere, I'd rather do it there so that I can rack up points.

Nashbar.com has a few sandals available.

http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?c...untain%20Shoes

Now here's a great deal and I believe that the LAke brand is pretty popular. However, my cycling shoes are 41.5 and these aren't.

http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?c...untain%20Shoes

I wonder if these shoes would be okay. They are NAshbar's, and they're affordable... But if they're horribly uncomfortable then I don't want to bother with those at all. Everybody that I've seen has Shimano.

http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?c...untain%20Shoes

Does anyone have a thought on this? Thank you in advance for your advice!!
04-22-2007, 07:51 AM
jobob

This could be helpful:

http://www.bicycletouring101.com/RidingInSandals.htm

I've used the Shimano sandals, and I also have a pair of Exustar sandles that I got on sale ages ago but I never got around to attaching cleats :o

The problem I had with my Shimano sandals is that they are sized for men's feet. While I have normal width feet for a woman, for a man's size they're fairly narrow. So the Shimano sandal was a bit wide for me. To compensate, I tightened up the straps but that was very uncomfortable, and my foot still was a bit wobbly which was not good for clipping out. Since my husband has essentially the same size foot as me :o :o :o but wider, I gave them to him and he's very happy with them.

The Exustar sandals are supoosedly narrower, and they seem to be, but I haven't gotten around to actually riding with them.

Based on what I've read & my own experience, if you have wide feet, either the Shimano or Lake sandals (which have the same sole as the Shimanos) should work OK for you. If you have normal width feet, the Exustars might work out. If you have narrow width feet, you may as well just forget about sandals, unless manufactureers ever come out with sandals in women's sizes. And since sandals haven't really caught on (they're sooo fred after all ;) :D ) then I doubt we'll see them in women's sizes any time soon.
04-22-2007, 01:58 PM
KnottedYet

just googled "exustar" sandals, and laughed out loud at Google's logo for the day. (Earth Day)
04-22-2007, 02:58 PM
Hammer

Quote:

Originally Posted by KnottedYet

just googled "exustar" sandals, and laughed out loud at Google's logo for the day. (Earth Day)

Me too. But, I can't find where the Exustar sandals are sold.
05-07-2007, 06:50 PM
DarcyInOregon

Size Question on the Shimano Sandals

I need to ask a follow-up question to this thread.

Today the temperatures were in the 90s and my feet got really hot, so hot that the discomfort and pain made me cut my ride short, which annoyed me considerably. So I don't care how "Fred" cycling sandals are, I am going to get some so that my feet remain cool on the hot summer days.

I am looking at the Shimano sandals, and then at the size chart, and like it has been mentioned, the size comparison is given against mens' sizes. I wear a Euro 40 in Sanita clogs and Birkenstock sandals, which I believe are a "wide" versus a "medium" in width. Is the Euro 40 comparable to a size 40 for these sandals? Otherwise I don't have a clue as to which size to order.

Darcy
05-08-2007, 02:57 AM
Blueberry

Disclaimer: my shimano sandals are the old style, so they may have changed....

I wear an 8.5 (39 in most danskos/38 in some birks). I wear a 41/42 (they come in size ranges - or used to) in the shimano sandals. I tried the smaller size (39/40) and couldn't get my foot in it. I wear a 41.5 in Sidis.

Good luck!
05-08-2007, 10:13 AM
DarcyInOregon

Well TE put the Shimano sandals on the New for Sale Items yesterday. This morning I called the TE number and the nice lady looked up what size I am. If this is helpful, for a ladies' size 9-91/2, it compares to a Shimano 42, and that translates to a Shimano size S for this specific sandal.

I don't have a spare pair of cleats, so when they arrive I will rush into the LBS and get cleats. TE ships so fast I bet I will have the sandals by Thursday.

I can't have that hot feet thing again. It was extremely painful.

Darcy
05-09-2007, 10:05 PM
DarcyInOregon

I want to say these Shimano sandals are awesome. Incredible. Fantastic.

And TE is amazing. Thank you TE.

I sent TE an email to ask them what size to get. But before they could answer I picked up the phone and talked to someone at TE who told me which size to get. I got off the phone and went online and ordered the sandals on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the service department responded to the email and gave me the same information as the lady on the phone.

Thus, my online purchase of the sandals was on Tuesday morning. Wednesday morning (today) I was 10 minutes away from leaving the house for my daily bike ride when the rural route carrier arrived at the back door. It was the sandals from TE, arriving about 24 hours after my purchase. I put on the sandals and they were a perfect fit. I then stuffed the sandals into my sports tote, put the bike on the car rack, and headed for the LBS, and the LBS put the cleats in for me.

I then went out to the state park, unloaded the bike, and went out into the valley for a short 30-mile ride. The temperatures were in the upper 70s. The sandals were incredible. Did I already say that? I loved having the air on my feet. The soles were firm. The straps were just right. I had no rubbing on my feet from the sandals. I had firm pedaling power, which gave me more energy to bike into the headwind.

If anybody reading this thread has had a foot problem and you use clipless pedals (Shimano), you might think about trying the sandals. I am a person who wears sandals and clogs mostly, in Euro sizes, and these cycling sandals feel very natural on my feet. The sandals are perfect for those of us who hate having our toes cramped and who like our feet to be able to breathe. I think the sandals would be good for those who might have problems with toes, or bunions or caluses. Be sure to call TE first and make sure you get the right size.

Darcy
05-10-2007, 04:55 AM
jobob

Glad you like them, Darcy! :) Isn't TE wonderful?

The Shimano sandals that are now being sold by TE look a little different than the ones I have, so I probably had an older version. So perhaps what I said above (regarding foot width) might not apply any more (?)

Darcy, if you don't mind my asking, do you have narrow, normal, or wide width feet ? (in a women's shoe size, that is)
05-10-2007, 09:26 AM
DarcyInOregon

Quote:

Originally Posted by jobob

Darcy, if you don't mind my asking, do you have narrow, normal, or wide width feet ? (in a women's shoe size, that is)

I think my feet are a wide.

What happened is in 1985 I was in an accident on my land, and the result was I completely shattered the joint on my left ankle. Before that date I was always a size 8 medium. It was 3 surgeries and 7 years later before I could walk again without crippling pain, and for years after I struggled with shoes fitting me. Eventually my feet became a new size 9w, or sometimes a 9 1/2 M.

I prefer to wear shoes in which I can walk, so I wear brands like Sanita or Wolky or Birkenstock. The cycling sandals are very similar to the type of shoe I am used to wearing, so they feel very comfortable on my feet. The Euro sizes in the regular width are similar to a wide in USA sizes, therefore I prefer walking shoes/sandals produced by manufacturers in Euro sizes. I wear a Euro 40 with the above shoe makers, and on each purchase I get a perfect fit. I think anyone who typically buys shoes/sandals in a Euro regular width will find the Shimano cycling sandals to be exceptional.

Darcy