Shoe Suggestions

I'm thinking of embarking on finally finding shoes and pedals (mostly because I see some sales approaching for Labor Day). I'm wondering if I can get some tips on brands to go try on, each LBS in my area carries different brands so I'm hoping to minimize running around town just to sample shoe fit! If only Nordstrom carried bike shoes... :)

My feet are somewhat wide in the front, my converse all stars always crack at the ball of the foot and I had sketchers come completely unstitched at the ball in only 2 months of walking in college. Probably explains why I love Keens, Birkenstocks, Borns, Doc Martens, Clarks for dress shoes, and all athletic and tennis shoes. I don't know if my heel is normal/narrow/wide. My biggest problem is that my feet are exactly half a size apart. My left foot is an 8.5, the right is an 8 (or a 39 and a 38 as I astounded a shoe store clerk in Germany once when buying Berks). Usually shoes with laces I can cinch up enough just fine, dress shoes I have to get foam heel liners to push my foot forward so I don't walk out of them. I have a terrible time with snowboard boots because the small foot floats around in the boot making it difficult to steer, but if I wear them too small then my toes fall asleep. I'm hoping that I won't have this problem in cycling shoes too.

A friend said to spend the extra money for a shoe with a ratchet, which seems like a good idea to help cinch in the small foot. Any solid go-to brands I should go check out in person? My options are REI with Giro (on sale next weekend) and Shimano, Performance doesn't have many women specific in store but I think I saw mostly the house brand Scattante and maybe a Diadora women's shoe (tons online though), the LBS that stocks only Trek/Bontrager and the larger across town LBS that stocks Specialized and Trek and probably a few others for shoes. Realistically I should probably go across town to the larger LBS but before I venture that way I figured I'd ask and see if there's a brand I should focus on!

Did you ever find shoes? This has been a big issue for me this year as well (and I have the same issue with ski/snowboard boats), although because my feet are narrow and I have had to resort to custom orthotics in them or else I'm either floating around in them or my feet are numb.

When I replaced my bike last year (and chose pedals that wouldn't work with my MTB shoes), my friends told me to get Sidi Genius 5 shoes. But, EEK, they were way more expensive than I wanted to pay and I ended up with an entry level pair of Specializeds. I began to have numbness on the bottoms of my feet once I started riding 20+ miles. I had to SAG on my first 100k because I was having so many problems with my feet going numb. I went back to the shop and had them move my cleat position. That helped, but didn't eliminate the problem. I bought different inserts (for a high arch, which I have) to see if that worked. Again, some, but not enough. I bought a different pair of shoes. Same issue. I finally, after 2 tries, got the Sidi's that everyone recommended to start with. I ended up spending way more money by doing it this way. Bottom line, go to whoever has the biggest selection and find someone who knows what they are doing to fit you. When I put on the right size Sidi's, they felt like little pillows for my feet. You'll know when you've found the right pair. You may still need a custom orthotic (I think we all have one foot that is bigger than the other), but your feet will thank you for it in the long run.

I started out with (and still use) my $80 Specialized Tahoes. They were okay until I started doing rides of more than 30 miles on a regular basis. I'm getting hot spots. Moot point now that I'm going to have to buy new pedals (and road shoes) anyway. Mavics are nice but are wide in the heel. I'm contemplating a pair of Sidi Geniuses, provided I can try them on first. (I'd have to drive an hour to try them on, and there's no guarantee that they have women's shoes.)