Ford, Chevy? Chocolate, Vanilla?

[rebeccaC]

as pll wrote it's a personal choice made with riding/feet in mind. i bought a pair of Carnac's when i was in college, starting to do brevets and when money was very tight. i'm glad i did as they are as comfortable today as they were 5+ years ago and with care they still look almost new. plus they were made in Gesté France which isn't far from where i grew up.

[OakLeaf]

+1 it's mostly about the fit, and once you've got that (NOT before), take into account the conditions you ride in.

For me, my men's Lakes are the only cycling shoes I've tried on in 30 years that are wide enough for me (and because I still have to go a couple of sizes long to get the width, PLUS I have long toes, cleat placement still isn't ideal with them).

Once you've got a pair that fits, you can think about your weather. If you've got one pair of shoes that you'll be riding in year round, including cold weather, you probably don't want something super vented. If you often ride in the rain, you might want to stay away from leather (which takes much longer to dry, plus a little extra attention when it's saturated). Et cetera.

[CyclChyk]

Excellent points everyone, thank you for your input. I have been thinking in terms of the shoe sole primarily, and now I see that is pretty naive. Of course conditions will play a big factor. Why did I not think of that?? I think I am OVER thinking and that is my real problem.

Thanks again everyone!

[cosc]

I wore sidi dominators for several years, but was doing my forefoot no favors with the narrower shoe. Trying on shoes wasn't an option since I live in a place without much for cycling apparel.
I changed to spd-sl road pedals a month ago, purchased some men's giro factor shoes from internet, which fit my feet better. The toe box is wider than my women's sidis. I wear a women's 8 1/2 street shoe and the men's giro 40 1/2 fits my foot. Fit is paramount when buying a cycling shoe.
The sidi's reliability and longevity is probably better though.
Try on locally if you can for best fit.