Do You Buy A Bigger Sized Cycling Shoe?

[itself]

Do you buy a bit larger to allow for foot swelling?

[maillotpois]

I have to buy men's because I am a women's 11. I buy cycling shoes slightly larger, but not as large as running shoes. There's a fine line for me between shoes big enough to accommodate swelling and shoes so big they allow my foot to slide down in the shoe when i stand to pedal, causing my toes to hit the end and damage the toenail. I finally grew a toenail back from this happening in a 400k last year.

[Catrin]

Next time I will if I can find the cycling shoes of my choice that are a little bigger but not TOO big. My Mavics fit perfectly but this means my toes can get a bit numb on longer/hotter rides when my feet tend to swell.

[chatnoire]

Sort of. Mine are size 42, which is sometimes considered a 9, sometimes a 9.5 for American sizing. I've been able to fit into a 41 before, as well, and have shoes that are as small as an 8.5 for street wear. It's really more the shoe's fit than anything. I buy all my shoes (cycling, street) at the end of the day when my feet are more swollen, so I can determine if they are comfortable then. Theoretically, they should be comfortable all other times as well.

[SadieKate]

I answered no because I buy shoes to fit the season, the socks, the use, etc. So my question is "bigger than what?"

Have you tried playing with your electrolyte intake to see if it affects the swelling?

[astolpholambert]

It's ending. For me, I do seem to be in shoes half a size bigger than normal and this is the case with running shoes too, I guess a lot of it is to do with your feet swelling up while your training.

[north woods gal]

I now run flat pedals with pins on all my bikes, so no longer need or bother with cycling specific shoes. I just use a variety of shoes, depending on the season, everything from sandals in the summer, to hiking shoes and even wool lined pack boots in sub zero temps. My requirement for shoes is that they have soles that give good grips on my flat pedals (all have pins) and that the shoes are suitable for walking in the event of a breakdown. Not saying flats are better, just that they are better for me and my riding - lots of moving around on the pedals and seat when trail riding, sometimes even dropping a leg to make a tight turn. For road biking, was getting way too many cramps in my feet when locked in. No change in my average speed, anyway.

Has to be one in every crowd, I guess.

[azfiddle]

I wear size 7 in regular shoes but my road cycling shoes are 39.5 which is more than 8. My feet are kind of wide though....

[Crankin]

I wear a size 5.5 or 6 shoe (36), but always wear 37 cycling shoes.
I learned this the hard way...

[Helene2013]

My clipped-on shoes (when training in the basement) are same size as my regular shoes. I do find them a little tighter. They are Louis Garneau Women S Ls 100 Road Shoes. Love them a lot.

For riding outside, I'm using Giro Whynd Clipless Mountain Bike Shoes but not using the clipped-on system. I have a mini toe clip. I just can't ride with my feet locked-in, fell a few times and I can't afford to damage my already-too-damaged knees. The harder sole is perfect for pushing more.

So my shoes are same size as my normal shoes but for the road bike ones, I think I could use half point bigger.