Proper Fit of Bike Shoes

Hi,

I've been cycling about a year and just bought a lovely pair of Dominator SIDIS from TE and they feel much tighter - but better - than the bulky Shimano shoes I just let go of that killed my arches.

The SIDIS are more narrow in the toe box and feel just a tad short when I stand in them - though I realize they shouldn't feel like street shoes. So how should these darlings fit? If I put the SPD cleats on, I'm guessing the slight tilt will pull my heel back and toes away from the front. After that should my toes have lots, little, or no room to the end? Is there a difference in how they should feel when I'm standing as opposed to how they should feel when I'm clipped in?

I only do road biking now but would eventually like to do cyclocross, so I'm assuming at some point I'll need to hike/run a few steps in these shoes and want to avoid toe bruising if at all possible.

Sidi's - at least the Sidi Doms - run small. I wear a (women's) size 6 in a street shoe (clogs, running shoes, etc.), but my Sidi Doms are a size 38.

If you look at most shoe conversion charts, a size 38 is a women's 7 1/2. If I went by the strict conversion from my street shoe size I would be wearing a size 36, not the 38 that I actually need. Here's a link to a shoe conversion chart in case you need it: http://www.i18nguy.com/l10n/shoes.html. There are others out there too if you don't like this one.

But - if your toes hit the end of the shoe then I'd say they are too short for you. If it were me I'd order a larger size.

--- Denise

What I'll do is order another size up and try them on side by side. I don't want to void the return policy by putting on the cleats, so will just error on the side of roomier, which I do with my street shoes as well.

Bye

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Originally Posted by DeniseGoldberg

Here's a link to a shoe conversion chart in case you need it: http://www.i18nguy.com/l10n/shoes.html. There are others out there too if you don't like this one.

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Dagnabit!!! I *KNEW* there was a reason buying bike shoes for me is such a crap-shoot!!! There's no size 11 for U.S. Women on that chart! :eek:
My shoes are all over the place - anywhere from 42's to 44's - depending on the maker.
Sigh. I'll never be able to wear women's SIDI's - only dream. They just don't come in my size.

Hey Regina! Love the pic - is that your new bike helmet?? :D (where were you skiing?)

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Originally Posted by Regina

Dagnabit!!! I *KNEW* there was a reason buying bike shoes for me is such a crap-shoot!!! There's no size 11 for U.S. Women on that chart! :eek:

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Here's a chart that does show a size 11 for US women's sizes: http://www.aussiethings.com.au/shoe-...ion-chart.html.

Sidis do run really small. I wear a 7 in most street shoes, and my Sidi road shoes are a 39, which I'd say is a 6.5; they fit, but just barely -- fine for road shoes since my feet jam back in the heels when I ride, but I wouldn't want to walk in them much! If I ever buy another pair of Sidis, they'll be a 40. My Pearl Izumi Vagabonds (mtb shoes) are a 38 and have a lot more room in the toes and are longer than my Sidi 39s! I don't know why Sidis are sized so differently from other bike shoes. :confused:

Emily

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Originally Posted by IFjane

Hey Regina! Love the pic - is that your new bike helmet?? :D (where were you skiing?)

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Thanks.
That's at Beaver Creek in Colorado. That's why I have such a big smile on my face! Sigh.


Aren't SIDI's Italian??? It's got to be an Italian-thing. Castelli clothing is sized very small, too. :rolleyes:

When I was trying on cycling shoes, I needed a narrow width and a high toe box. Of about 6 pairs I tried, only Specialized had the high toe box. Most of the shoes would have would have been painful because they smashed the top of my big toe, even if they were long enough and fit otherwise. So size alone doesn't tell you everything - we all have different shaped feet.

Hmm - I wear a 38 1/2 or 39 sidi road shoe/mountain bike shoe and I wear a size 7 usa women's shoe size - but I have a rather narrow foot so maybe that makes it more to size for me. I have a 38 specialized road shoe that has more room in the toe than my 39 sidis.

You don't need as much room for your toes as a regular walking shoe , i.e. a thumb width from toe to front of shoe, but you should have a little room there; especially if you are going to run in the shoes, i.e for cyclocross.

jan

how do they feel in the width? i'm considering a pair and need a slightly wider pair.

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Originally Posted by chickwhorips

how do they feel in the width? i'm considering a pair and need a slightly wider pair.

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I believe the Sidi 1/2 sizes are wider than the full sizes, not necessarily longer, but wider.

Emily

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Originally Posted by emily_in_nc

I believe the Sidi 1/2 sizes are wider than the full sizes, not necessarily longer, but wider.

Emily

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That's what I was told as well.

Ditto on Sidi's running small. I'm typically a 7 (or a 38). My Sidi's are 40.5 and I love them.

I'd be wary of any bike shoe that feels snug. I get numb feet easily and shoes that are too tight have definitely been a contributing factor.

Ditto for Denise's advice. My first pair of Sidis were 36s since I wear a size 6 or even 5.5 in street shoes. After I started riding longer distances, I had a terrible foot swelling experience on a 40 mile ride in hot weather. I bought my Dominators in a size 38 and they are perfect. My mtb shoes, also Sidis, but not Dominators are 37.5 and are on the edge of too tight. Surly Girl graciously gave me a pair of mtb shoes in another brand that didn't fit her. They are 37s and are almost too big. I will wear them for cold weather riding on the mtb, with wool socks and use my Sidis for spin class. That way, I am not bringing mud into the gym.

to answer the initial question - how should they fit? if we're talking about road shoes then they should be snug to your feet with minimal room to move your foot when you're all strapped in. extra space in any direction will result in a loss of power from your muscles and body - through your foot - into the pedal. extraneous movement is bad. a buddy of mine actually crams his foot into a smaller shoe than he should take just because he's so anal :p

if you don't care about loss of power then get what's comfortable. that simple. :)

I would agree that they shouldn't be loose exactly, but nor should be too snug. It's neither healthy nor comfortable to wear overly tight shoes. For that reason, I'm willing to loose a little bit of power. Not only will your feet become very painful when they swell after a long, hot ride, you'll also have a heck of a time during winter rides when you definitely don't want to cut off circulation with an overly tight shoe. I wear 7 1/2 in street shoes, and I think my SIDIs are size 40. Even with that, I think they feel a little snug in the toe box. I'd like to try Carnacs the next time around (if the SIDIs ever give out that is) because of that.