Shoes: Specialized Carbon Pro's (Women's)

[Starfish]

Did a little search...not extensive...hope this isn't a repeat.

Yesterday I made the mistake of trying on a pair of the Carbon Pro shoes for women, by Specialized. OMGosh...Sooooo comfortable.

I have to travel quite a ways to find bike shoes to actually try on, and I was coming home from a trip, so decided to stop & play, just for fun. I have always heard so much about Sidi shoes, and assumed I would love and want them. Well, I tried on some Sidi Genius 5's, and they fit fine, better than what I have now...but were "trim" all the way around.

Then, I tried on the Specialized Carbon Pro's, and I just went Aaaaahhhhh. They felt like slippers. The main difference for me was that, in the same length, they had just that tiny little extra bit of room in the toe box.

I wear a women's shoe in 7.5, and I have a pretty normal foot, with good arch, and my foot is a bit narrow, but never enough to buy actual narrow shoes. I have a pretty easy to fit foot. For me, the 38.5 in the Specialized was perfect, and felt WONDERFUL.

Now, to save up that $250 for shoes, and then another $150 for pedals!!

[ladyicon]

Hi starfish. I just bought a pair of the shoes you speak of. I found a store with last years model and only paid $129.00 They are like wearing slippers and the difference in the power you feel when you ride with them is amazing .
The toe box is bigger, but it lets me wiggle my toes a lot, and also I get no holes in my socks at the toe.
Mine have the 3 velcro straps, I am wary of the buckles I see on some shoes. Which do you ladies prefer? Straps or that ratchet buckle thing?

[Starfish]

Wow, sounds like you got a great deal on some nice shoes. I have never ridden with a ratchet buckle, but I intend to! The ones I tried on in the store were terrific. I loved how well they helped the shoes fit just right, and I love the idea, for centuries, of being able to reach down and loosen or tighten just a little depending on how much effort I need for that stretch, or if my feet need a little change in pressure, etc.

I will be curious to know how your stiff carbon soles feel at the end of a long day...like a century.

[GLC1968]

I just bought last years' carbon pro model in the men's (I have quite wide feet) and so far, I love them! I just rode a century this past Saturday, but I used my old (non-carbon) specialized road shoes because I haven't quite gotten the cleat placement right on the new ones, yet.

Have you checked out Specialized's site? That's where I got mine (again, last years model) for a great deal. Perhaps they still have the ones you like available?

[ehirsch83]

I have the same shoes! I got them when i was with the ex fiance, so he EPed them for me(oh how i miss employee pricing!). I have had them since April, I think, and I love them. They are a great shoe. If you can find them at a discount I say go for them!

[Starfish]

Have you checked out Specialized's site? That's where I got mine (again, last years model) for a great deal. Perhaps they still have the ones you like available?

No, thanks for the tip. Actually I forget to check their site for stuff like this, because I find the site loads and navigates really slowly. So, I needed this reminder! Thank you...

[Starfish]

Has anyone done long rides (Centuries or 8+ hours) with carbon soled shoes?

How is the stiffness on all day rides?

[JanB]

Hi Starfish...I have the Specialized carbon-soled shoes (the ones with the dial you turn to tighten) and I love them. I did my first century with the new shoes a couple of weeks ago and they were great. I had issues with my toes falling asleep and sometimes a burning sensation but since I got these shoes, those problems are much better. I have the red specialized insole in them also-wide feet, high arches.

[Starfish]

JanB, thanks. I've only had one pair of biking shoes ever. I read stuff about stiffness of soles vs. comfort for all day, but don't have experience!

Those Specialized shoes were SOOOoooo comfortable in the store, though!!

[juliejewels]

Just bought them today...I LOVE them I had to buy a size larger, though.
I have had great success over the years with Specialized shoes. I cannot wait to ride this weekend and sport my new shoes.

[Starfish]

Hi all, it's me again! In the thread below, I asked a follow-up question about how it is to use shoes and cleats like this when you're OFF the bike on a long ride, like a century or longer. Wondering how it is to negotiate bathroom & food breaks on these types of shoes, etc. Thanks for any follow-up. I am close to getting these shoes and some new pedals!

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=16578

[Bike Goddess]

For what it's worth here's my 2 cents- I've had Specialized Carobn shoes for about 3+ years now. I put in Superfeet (the blue one) to help with arch support (took out Specialized insole first).

I cycle with Look imitation cleats - from Performance bike. You can get cleat covers for them which I have and use whenever I have to get off the bike for a break (as in walk) and when I've forgotten something in the house (we have hardwood floors so the covers work great). If you are diligent about putting the covers on as soon as you are off the bike, you will save your cleats and it will be much easier for you to walk around. I've had to walk some good distances in them- no harm done.

I also wear wool socks in my shoes. These won't sweat when your feet get hot. Yes, I've done many a century in these shoes and wouldn't wear any other brand!

[ladyicon]

Hi Starfish. I have had Specialized carbon shoes for about 8 months. The pair that I have are 2006 shoes. They have a sock liner inside of them, which i would not get again. Back to your question.....these are great shoes and walking in them is a breeze, wearing them for a century you never even know that they are there. I wear SPD cleats. Hope this helps.

[VeloVT]

My boyfriend has Specialized S-Works shoes (carbon sole and a cool BOA closure) and likes them a lot. It was horrendously difficult to find a shoe that he didn't find uncomfortable for some reason -- we spent hours and hours looking.

In general, I think the difficulty of walking in road shoes/cleats is greatly exaggerated. It's really not that bad, even without cleat covers. (I don't have them actually -- though every time I walk over muddy ground and have to clean my shoes before I can clip in I think I should get a pair ). The comfort factor -- at least on the bike -- is more related to fit than stiffness, I think, and making sure you don't fasten them too tightly if you are prone to numbness.

[GLC1968]

Hey Starfish -

I mentioned earlier that I'd bought the carbon pro shoes but hadn't worn them on my century. Since then, I have. I've worn them for centuries, for two day events, and for moutain climbing when it was just TOO steep and I had to push my bike up about a 1/4 mile... No problems!

I have the look-type cleats (shimano pedals) and I don't have cleat covers. I haven't wiped out yet! I do find them to be a tad slippery on wet surfaces, but I just try to avoid those. I also have to knock mud off them after pee-breaks in the woods, but it hasn't been an issue yet. Oh, and the walk up the mountain...not comfortable, but doable. It just motivated me to get my fat butt back on the bike as soon as humanly possible!

For me, there are no better options. I find that I cannot wear my mountain type shoes (even though they are super comfy for all day mountain biking) for long days on the road bike. I don't know if it's the cleat/pedal combination or the shoe stiffness, but they make my feet ache. I've got foot trouble (its the reason I started biking), and only the stiff road shoes will allow me to be comfy for long days in the saddle. Walking around comfort was secondary importance to me, so I didn't give it much thought. Now I'm used to it and I wouldn't wear any other type shoe.

I have worn my mountain-type shoes on 'touring' type rides where we planned to get off the bike, tour a site (like an old plantation or a farmers market), and then ride again. In those situations, I didn't want to intentionally wear out my cleats...and since the riding part of the day wasn't that long, it didn't matter which shoes I wore.

I hope this all makes sense and helps you in your decision a bit.