road shoes

[williamtash]

Ha everybody.

I have a guestion about road shoes. I have a size 5 1/2 and I am in between sizes. I have a 36 and 37 womens shoe. the 36 my toes just clears the toe top and the 37 makes it hard to unclip.

Does anyone know of what to really look at in a shoe for fit and how to get one for small feet. My LBS said my feet would be hard to find shoes for without going to $157.00 a pair.

[missliz]

Well, all brands are different. And often, all models in a brand are different. May I mention Diadora?
Your LBS may only be familiar with the lines they carry. Another brand might do better. Go to Performance Bike and look around.
I finally bit the bullet and moved up to fancier, pricier shoes, and you get what you pay for. That's true in all bike gear. You may need to take the plunge, but better shoes are fabulous. You can get stuff on sale this time of year, too.
I had to use slightly long Chilies for a while, but you can use the laces to adjust the fit and they were fine. Shop around. I got a pair of high end Lake road shoes on sale and WOW are they sweet!
What are you using now?

Lizzy

You can try calling the nice ladies at Terry Bicycles and telling them your dilemma- they know a lot of stuff about smaller women's fit problems and may have the inside poop on brands and how they fit.

[Dogmama]

Every shoe is different. You need to try on lots of different kinds. I have wide, duck feet and Sidi's generally don't fit -- but the cheapest Sidi's ($100) fit like a charm because they have velcro over the ball and the instep - so they can be adjusted. I wear a size 7 American & approx 37 Euro. But, it can be a 36 or a 38, depending on the shoe.

[williamtash]

Thank you
I had sidi and specialized bith have velcro. I just don;t want to pay alot and still not have then fit. How much room at the top toe area should you have? I have a feather distance in the specilzed and 1/2 inch in my sidi. I would hate to pay $$$ for them an really not get a better fit.

[tinkerbell]

Hey,

I can sympathize with your shoe dilemna!! I've been riding for about a year and a half and have been through 4 different pair of shoes!! I finally found a pair that fit great and they are not any brand that I would have ever expected--Nike! I actually wear mtn biking shoes even though I ride road, but I'm sure the same goes for both...i've found nothing replaces being able to try a ton of shoes on, and nothing beats actually trying them on the bike. maybe if you buy a pair you'd want to try them on the trainer first so they don't show a lot of wear in case you need to return them. I'd heard they are suppose to fit snug, and I think maybe I misunderstood what that meant because I think I was buying shoes that were too small. (When I think snug I think my climbing shoes in which my toe touches the front and I have to squeeze my foot in-- I don't think that's suppose to be the case with bike shoes ) My nikes now have plenty of room by the toes which allows me space for my feet to swell during long hot rides. They tie and velcro so I can get the perfet fit too. My foot numbness has gone away almost completely now and I enjoy riding just a little bit more. I guess what I'm saying is shoes may be like saddles-- everyone's body, including feet, are different in the way they are shaped so experiment with a million different pairs and don't get caught up with expense or brand-- go with what feels good because that's what ultimately matters!!

[tinkerbell]

one more thing....my shoes are a men's size 8.5 (42) and I normally wear a women's size 9. so, they are a little bigger than I would've expected to have to buy. I wouldn't go so much by size, as I think all shoes are always sized a bit differently, but instead by feel...I don't know how much stock you can put in advice from a girl who has had four pair of shoes in the last year though I'm not stupid (at least not usually ) so if it was as easy as I make it sound then I should've been able to get it by pair three-- at least Good Luck

[williamtash]

Wait till you hear this I have a pair of specilized shoe I just found out that I can use them on my hybrid with the $80 look pedals but I can not use them with my road bike look $150 pedals I have to use the sidi which are 39 size 6. I can now clip out like a peice of cake on my road bike. With the smaller size show I could not clip out that easy. I even took it to LBS. So I am going to ride with both pair. When I ware them out I will then get a new pair.

Thank you for all the help. I did not Know about the swelling part.
I will keep that in mind on the smaller pair. My LBS is real good about letting you try stuff. Lelsie already has given a good idea of a good road shoe for me when I have to move up.