Sidis vs Specialized Shoes

[OakLeaf]

Isn't Lake part of Shebeest/Descente (or am I remembering that wrong)?

My recollection is that it's a separate brand and Descente had been importing them. They now list Stage-Race.com as their North American importer on their website - but Stage-Race.com doesn't list Lake as one of their brands. We'll see. Barring some footwear catastrophe, it'll be a while before I need a new pair anyway (but maybe the other duck feet here will be able to find a pair ).

[nscrbug]

Interesting that some of you find Northwaves to be too narrow. I consider myself to also have "duck feet", in addition to having hammertoes...so I really need to be able to "splay" my toes out in my shoes. My Northwaves are as comfy as a pair of slippers to me. Much more accommodating in the toe box than my Sidi's or the Specialized shoes I've worn in the past. Perhaps I just have a freak pair of Northwaves that happen to be wide in the toe box...I don't know. I just wish my pair weren't so beat up and worn...otherwise, I would not be looking to replace them.

[zoom-zoom]

Interesting that some of you find Northwaves to be too narrow. I consider myself to also have "duck feet", in addition to having hammertoes...so I really need to be able to "splay" my toes out in my shoes. My Northwaves are as comfy as a pair of slippers to me. Much more accommodating in the toe box than my Sidi's or the Specialized shoes I've worn in the past. Perhaps I just have a freak pair of Northwaves that happen to be wide in the toe box...I don't know. I just wish my pair weren't so beat up and worn...otherwise, I would not be looking to replace them.

I had a pair of Shivers, I think...they were silver and a mountain bike shoe. I think I had 39.5, so maybe a 40 would have been better, but the heels were too roomy, like my Sidis, so I didn't feel like they'd be a good fit in any size.

[nscrbug]

I had a pair of Shivers, I think...they were silver and a mountain bike shoe. I think I had 39.5, so maybe a 40 would have been better, but the heels were too roomy, like my Sidis, so I didn't feel like they'd be a good fit in any size.

Yup, I have the Shivers for spinning and the Venus (the road version of the Shiver) for outdoor riding. I think my Shivers are a size 42.5 and my Venus are a 42. I can't seem to dial in the heel fit (even with the adjustable heel cup system) on my Sidi's...which is part of the reason why I can't get comfortable in them. I am truly regretting my purchase of the Sidi's now. They were expensive and I doubt my LBS will take them back after I have worn them a handful of times (plus they were a closeout item). I'm hoping to try and sell them to get back some of the money that was spent on them.

[Crankin]

I sadly wore Sidis for almost 9 years, because that seemed to be the brand to buy, and they are one of the few companies that make women's shoes in small sizes. I had to wear 2 sizes up, but my feet always hurt.
I now have Shimano shoes, both road and mountain. I love the wide toe box. Even the slightest change in thickness of socks (I have several types of wool cycling socks) make my feet ache, and this has been mitigated a lot. The road shoes had the molding process, which was OK, but the inner liner that came with the shoe strangled my foot. The LBS told me to wear the shoes without the liner until they figured out what to do. I went to the Good Feet store and bought a pair of ultra thin liners like the Sidis had and that was that. Perfect. The mountain shoes also had a problem with some nails poking up through the sole, but DH and the shop woman mechanic figured it out. I like these shoes even more. This is good, because I will be wearing them on our trip to the San Juan Islands.
Nothing ever comes easy for me, but once I had the initial issues solved, I love my shoes.