Sidi fit

[madscot13]

With all of this hullabaloo about Sidis lately I got interested. What is their fit like? I have heard a lot about how they are for narrow feet but why is that? I guess I have small but wide feet and I was wondering if they were meant for only one foot shape. Also, I heard that the half sizes were the same lenght but roomier toe box, can anyone corroborate? Do these shoes stretch? Should i actually buy shoes that are smaller because they will stretch out over time?

thanks- so many questions!

[Zen]

oooo, so now you're looking at Sidi's?

Go to the LBS and try them on, you don't have to buy them there.
Mine are the lowest end model called "Blaze" and I got a deal for a hundred bucks. I like them a lot and I think I have wide feet.
They're made of a material they call Lorica but who are they kidding, it's plastic but it's breathable. I doubt it will stretch.
Did you get your pedals yet?

[salsabike]

Get a men's Sidi and that takes care of the width problem.

[indysteel]

Get a men's Sidi and that takes care of the width problem.

The men's version might work, but there are differences between women and men's feet and you may run into other problems, even if the width is right. A few of SIDI's women-specific shoes come in a "mega" version, i.e., a wider width. I would suggest those instead.

I have a fairly narrow foot--somewhere between your standard A and B--and I find my SIDI Zetas to be a bit narrow, even for my foot. Next time around, I'd like to try either a Mega or a different brand altogether--maybe Carnac.

[bikerz]

Form what I've learned over the past few weeks, the primary difference between men's and women's cycling shoes is in the heel - women's shoes tend to be narrower at the heel so your foot doesn't lift up out of the shoe. Men's shoes are generally wider too, but I think the main feature is the heel.

I just got a pair of Sidi's - men's Genius 5 (?). After fitting me for shoes, my LBS guy thought the men's would work better for me than women's (I have a fairly wide foot). At first I thought they were too snug, and I was worried that after 10 or 20 miles in the heat, the shoes would feel too small - but I found them very comfortable on my first few rides. My heel does come up a tiny bit, but much less than it did with my previous shoes (men's Specialized).

I think a good way to go is to try on different shoes and see how they feel - particularly check if you can lift your heel out of them, and also that you have enough room in the toebox but not too much. If you can get a shoe fitting at a bike store where they understand how bikes shoes should fit, that would be a good way to go.

[gnat23]

I don't know if they stretch, but mine seem to, uh, mold around my foot. I have the women's MTB Lorica 5 or something like that, and there's the two velcro straps plus the ratchet thingy and no matter how tight or loose I make it, they're always ridiculously comfortable.

Go try some on. Try *lots* on. They're pretty popular, so I see them in every bike shop I go into. But trying 'em on Cinderella-style is probably the only way to know for sure!

-- gnat!

[Starfish]

I appreciate the question abou Sidi's. I have been thinking of going looking, too. I have another question about shoe fit, too, and hope this isn't hijacking?

What do all of you do about riding with the same shoes in the winter as the summer? Do you find that some smartwool or other warmer sock will fit into the same shoes that your light summer socks work for?

Cycling shoes seems so snug!

[withm]

I have Sidi Blaze model shoes but I guess I have a little more wriggle room than you do.

At around 50o or so I start wearing heavier wool socks. Smartwool.

At 45 I add toe covers - Callientoes. You can get them here at TE. They are wonderful!

WHen it goes to the 30s I add neoprene shoe covers. Mine are made by Terry and worth every penny.

If it gets any colder than that I'll be snug as a bug in a rug sitting in front of the fire with a good book.

[Starfish]

At around 50o or so I start wearing heavier wool socks. Smartwool. At 45 I add toe covers - Callientoes. You can get them here at TE. They are wonderful! WHen it goes to the 30s I add neoprene shoe covers.

I have to laugh...I am still wearing my amfib winter tights at 60 degrees, and on yesterday's ride, I was still using my calientoes. I use neoprene in the 50s, but they aren't warm enough without wool!

OK, sorry for the thread drift...kind of curious how you guys buy shoes in terms of wiggle room.

[madscot13]

No this is a good question. I never understood why people went to the trouble of wearing those crazy booties. But if you are set on wool socks you could wear them over your shoes. that would be hot.

[winddance]

I love my Sidis, but instead of calling them narrow I would call them "tapered". If you've got a foot that is more square from the ball of your foot forward, they probably won't be as comfortable as if your foot tapers in. When I was trying on shoes, I found that Specialized shoes tended towards fitting a square foot.

If my description doesn't make sense, check out this handy foot chart (which is actually for fitting pointe shoes, but it's all relative.) I have an Egyptian foot, and my Sidis fit like a glove.

[Jiffer]

I posted about SIDI's recently, so you may have already read my comments on same. I have a very long, but very narrow foot. I have found that SIDI's are good for people with narrow feet, yet that doesn't mean they are bad for people with wide feet. My husband does not have narrow feet and loves his SIDI's. In general, SIDI's seem to be made to sort of mold around your foot, whichever shape it is.

The regular men's shoes were too wide for me, so I tried ordering a women's shoe. But I needed a 44 length and they only sell women's up to 43. So, I opted for the men's narrow. I have such a stupid foot length and width that I couldn't simply go try on a bunch of shoes. Hopefully, you won't have that same problem. I've only warn mine a couple of times and, so far, my right heel seems to be a little too roomy, yet my left is not. I'm still playing around with the right tightening. Over all, they are WAY better than my Shimanos. I have SIDI Genius 5's.

[Bklynmom]

I have Specialized shoes which have a really high toe box -- perfect for my small wide feet. My friend Gail found the Specialized really uncomfortable, but the Sidis fit her longer narrower feet perfectly.

On my first Century ride last month, I did notice that almost all the Sidi wearers were taking their shoes off at mile 75!

[Bklynmom]

Shoe covers rock - I have neoprene ones that I bough when my feet froze on the bike path. Wool socks are good to add too.

I saw some serious bike guys in shorts, in May, still wearing the shoe covers. Maybe they know something.

[koala]

For cold-weather riding in your regular cycling shoes, depends on how cold you are willing to go. I use a thin wool sock with my regular cycling shoes when the temps start to get cold. If it's windy, I add covers to diminish wind-chill on my toes. Once it gets cold enough to wear thick wool socks, I switch to a winter shoe that is a full size bigger. You should allow extra room for heavier-weight socks.