The Ergonomics of Biking Shoes

As of late, I switched to my Sidi mtn bike shoes. Did this for about two months. I just went back to my Specialized Pro Carbon shoes. I noticed immediately that although the cleats are placed at the lowest point on both shoes that the cleat sits lower on the specialized shoe. I also noticed how less squished my feet are in the Specilaized shoe, and I have normal feet, not wide or real narrow.

Specialized touts the ergonomics of their shoes and that they position the feet better and align better. Perhaps a marketing ploy.

I tried a Bontrager mtn bike shoe on the other day, and it is a nice shoe with a similar fit to the Specialized shoe. If you have not seen Specilaized new S Works mtn bike shoe for women with the BOA system, have a look. I am still not sold on the benefit of a carbon shoe to stop hot spots, so that's a lot of dollars to shell out. I wish they made one with their basic sole and the new BOA clinching system.

My opinion? It's easier for most people to get away with ill-fitting cycling shoes than it is to get away with ill-fitting running shoes, but that doesn't mean fit isn't important.

My feet are super wide, but I sure do hear a lot of people complaining about most brands of cycling shoes running narrow. I wore Specialized for a long time - even though they were really too narrow for me, they do have a nice square toe box that's more likely to fit actual human feet. :p

Are they importing Lakes into the USA again?

I also have wide feet and used to wear Specialized in the men's versions for extra width in the toe box. Not something I could do in running shoes or my heels would slip out (less of an issue in a cycling shoe, I think - to Oak's point).

After my foot surgery, even my Specialized shoes were too narrow on my right foot causing instant pain. I ordered a pair of Northwave's from amazon (the pair I found that had the most reviews mentioning a wide toe box!) and they work pretty well.

I am waiting for the day when cycling shoe companies join the growing trend in running shoes by making ergonomically correct shoes! Who has pointed toes?? ;)

I started with Northwave MTB shoes on my road bike because they fit my wide feet. I feel like a poseur wearing MTB shoes, so I spent months looking for new ones. I really don't like the tongue on Sidis, and those are the main shoes around here. Last week I picked up some men's Specialized Pro Carbon for half price because they fit, matched my bike, and were half-price. I haven't gotten the new pedals and cleats for them yet, though.

I saw that Speed-play makes a pedal that is supposed to be easier release than their regular ones, which I have heard can be hard to get out of. Has anyone tried them?

Gals,

What defines a wide foot width?

If there's any bright line I'm not aware of it. In my case it's not exactly ambiguous. The last pair of running shoes I bought was men's EEEE and I still had to buy a half to a full size too long to get them wide enough that they don't aggravate my ingrown toenails or tailor's bunion. :rolleyes: Just buy what fits and don't worry about the letters and numbers on the box!

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Originally Posted by itself

Gals,

What defines a wide foot width?

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I don't think mine are as wide as Oakleaf's, but I would say your feet are wide if you have a hard time finding shoes that fit in a typical store.

When you have your foot measured on one of those shoe store devices they can tell you what width your foot is...though it's just a guideline. Foot volume is a factor, too, and those devices won't tell you anything about that.

I could not wear women's Sidis. And men's or megas may have been wide enough, but I found the heels on Sidis to be too roomy (I have duck feet). I currently wear men's LG road and mountain shoes and they are still none too wide, even with ample extra room through the toes. A women's wide is a D, same as a men's standard width shoe.

With running shoes it's simply a matter of trying things on. I can get away with the Nikes I've tried, since they have roomy forefoot area (especially in the more minimal shoes, like the Free Runs that I've been wearing) and the uppers seem to have plenty of give. For years I wore New Balance wides, until they changed the last on their running shoes and they've not fit me right since.

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Originally Posted by happyscientist

I saw that Speed-play makes a pedal that is supposed to be easier release than their regular ones, which I have heard can be hard to get out of. Has anyone tried them?

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I have not tried them out, but I was sent (mistakenly... I actually ordered Zero's) a pair of SpeedPlay Light Action pedals, that I never got around to returning. I still have them around somewhere. They are new in the box and I'd be happy to sell them at a discount, as I have no use for them. They sell for $115 online. I'd be willing to let them go for $80 plus shipping. PM me (anyone who might want them!) if you are interested.

Lake's website says they have a North American distributor, Stage Race. But if you go to Stage Race's website, they don't list any Lake dealers. Maybe people could ask their larger LBSs to inquire about stocking Lake shoes. I'm so very glad I got mine from an overstock site before they all went away (thanks to Colby for the tip!). My men's EE Lake road shoes are NOT too wide in the heels and only press on the sides of my toes a tiny bit, although I really need to take mine to a cobbler to shorten the instep strap. (I tried on a couple of pairs of Northwave shoes once and found them super pointy in the toes ... YMMV.)

The foot measuring deals only show me being between a D and EE. I have long toes, and I think that has something to do with it also. It means that my feet are wide through a greater length than someone with shorter toes. My foot volume is actually on the low side, so instep height can cause me as much trouble as heel width.

OT trivia. The "foot measuring thing" is called a Brannock Device. Go forth and educate.

That is all. :D

Actually that isn't all. About 3 months ago I switched to the entry level Specialized road shoes from mountain bike shoes. The shoes combined with Speedplay X pedals have virtually eliminated my knee pain. I did find that I had to go up one size in the shoes (I normally wear a 36) but this allows me to use slightly thicker socks. I can really tell a difference in the angle of my knee when wearing the Specialized shoes with the wedge design.

I think there might be something to the Specialized shoes. Now the knee improvement you are seeing is from the Speedplay pedals, as I went to these pedals years ago for that reason.

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Originally Posted by Eden

I have not tried them out, but I was sent (mistakenly... I actually ordered Zero's) a pair of SpeedPlay Light Action pedals, that I never got around to returning. I still have them around somewhere. They are new in the box and I'd be happy to sell them at a discount, as I have no use for them. They sell for $115 online. I'd be willing to let them go for $80 plus shipping. PM me (anyone who might want them!) if you are interested.

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Thanks, but I try not to buy myself things this time of year. I have put in a request with Santa.

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Originally Posted by itself

I think there might be something to the Specialized shoes. Now the knee improvement you are seeing is from the Speedplay pedals, as I went to these pedals years ago for that reason.

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Oh, agreed! But I do think that having my knee, given its anatomical wonkiness, appreciates being aligned properly in relation to my ankle. It takes the stress off of it. However, I do so love that 15 degress of float with my Speedplays!

The Specialized BG footbeds are also getting good reviews. I have custom orthotics but am tempted to try them. No question I am having better luck with the Specialized shoes. Very few online dealers unfortunately.

Just have to add my obligatory reminder that "arch support doesn't come from shoes," on the bike any more than it does running - at least for most people, without knowing your "anatomical wonkiness" (love that phrase :)).

It's important to have shoes that fit and cleats and cranks that don't pull you OUT of alignment, for sure. But all that being equal, we need the hip abductors and external rotators, and all the muscles in the feet, to bring everything INTO alignment to begin with.

I would also like to mention that my foot specialist liked Specialized shoes for me because their shoes are designed to support people who pronate. If you don't, then they probably are not the right shoe for you.

(most people tend to pronate, so they made the right gamble by trending that way)

If you were to look at my foot while it was suspended in the air, it doesn't look wide. Until I put weight on it. I have flat feet (low volume) and my toes spread like crazy. Because of that, I need shoes that are wider. I've never discovered a shoe that was too wide...BUT, since my feet are also short (wms 6.5) finding shoes is tough. My theory is that if you are a woman and if you don't know if you have wide feet by the time you are an adult, then you don't. You would know if you spent your life searching for shoes that didn't hurt your feet something awful! (Men may be more clueless since men's shoes trend wider anyway - and pointy toes are not in fashion for them either).

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Originally Posted by GLC1968

My theory is that if you are a woman and if you don't know if you have wide feet by the time you are an adult, then you don't. You would know if you spent your life searching for shoes that didn't hurt your feet something awful! (Men may be more clueless since men's shoes trend wider anyway - and pointy toes are not in fashion for them either).

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Well, I gotta disagree with that. Maybe it's just the way I grew up ... but I honestly never knew shoes were actually supposed to fit my feet until about five years ago, and I'm 53. The machines (that somebody said the name of them and I'm blanking on it now ;)) don't tell the whole story with my feet, for one; some quack doctor put me in orthopedic shoes when I was six, for another, pretty much precluding my parents or shoe salespeople from even looking for shoes that fit, even supposing there were any; and last, decades of wearing shoes that were too small squeezed my bones together and my toes under, so I wear even wider shoes now than I did when I first started wearing shoes that fit. As I said in the other thread, the last pair I bought were men's 4E and I still had to buy a size too long so as not to aggravate my ingrown toenails and tailor's bunion, so there's no ambiguity about whether my feet are wide or not!

I still find myself, way more often than I'd like, having to argue with a shoe salesperson trying to put me in shoes that are too narrow. Drives me crazy.


I also don't find men's shoes to have less pointy toe boxes than women's, in the athletic shoes I've tried on and seen. As far as dress shoes, men's are WAY pointy, while women can sometimes wear open toed shoes.

So did you grow up thinking that shoes were supposed to hurt? How does that happen?

I knew with my very, very first pair of 'school shoes' (we got one new pair of nice shoes at the start of every school year) that I was not like other girls. Every single pair I tried hurt my feet something awful and I was always fighting blisters. It blows my mind that anyone with feet wider than mine could go so long just enduring the pain! Even when I was a kid, I knew that certain brands were better for me than others. The super cute mary janes I wanted from Sears (yes, Sears!) were not going to happen because they were too narrow but I had good luck with other brands (even though no one made a fashionable 'wide' width shoe for women/girls back then).

Oh and I didn't mean that men's shoes don't come pointy (and I wasn't thinking about athletic shoes at all), I meant that they could get away with a boxy toe shape and still look high fashion. They had options - women typically don't as longer and leaner is almost always the trend (and higher - don't get me started on heels!). Plus, men's shoes have been coming in widths for a hell of a lot longer than women's shoes have....

Open toed shoes don't solve the wide foot problem though. In fact, they are worse because the foot can rub on more edges than in a closed toe shoe. It guess it makes sense for someone who is wide purely due to toes, but I have a wide forefoot, too. Open toed shoes are pretty much hell for me.

I will say that the early 90's when big, boxy shoes were in were a JOY for me in terms of shoe buying! I had quite a few, big, clunky styles of shoes that were comfortable for standing all day because the toes were either squared off or rounded and the heels were fairly low and thick. I'm still hanging on to one of my favorite pair of shoes from back then in the hopes they come back in style some day! ;)