# Cost of cycling shoes.....ugh



## proclaimer888 (Jul 24, 2010)

So somehow, I lost one of my shoes?? Must have left it on the top of the Van and drove off....ugh. Looking at options (wide foot warning) and wow...$$$. I'm a 45 wide and looking for a white shoe. Hit all the local shops and forget bout white. Nothing in stock. Best option was a pair for $190 but black. Shop would not budge on the price....full list. Would not throw in a water bottle. Dang!! Just cant pull the trigger on shoes at that price. Cycling shoes have gotten $$$...might have to just put on regular pedals and go old school.


----------



## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

Everything's gotten pricey. How much did your bike cost? How much do you spend on good tires?

Quality cycling shoes these days are very well made, and last a long time (if you don't leave them on top of the car ;-) Think of it as a capital item -- a long-term investment.
Old school? Like wearing your sneakers? I can do that for easy rides around town, no problem, but for longer or harder rides? No way. The compromises in efficiency, comfort and even safety would certainly not be worth saving a hundred bucks on shoes.

White shoes? Too hard to keep clean, IMHO. Tacky, too, but that's a matter of taste. If you like, 'em you like 'em.


----------



## billium v2.0 (Oct 22, 2012)

proclaimer888 said:


> So somehow, I lost one of my shoes?........................and wow $$$$............................Dang!! Just cant pull the trigger on shoes at that price. Cycling shoes have gotten $$$


I don't disagree.

BUT, could be worse. My left foot is one full size larger than my right. Try $190 per foot on for size. 

I'm a Sidi fan, but I'd kill my wife if she spent $700 on a pair of Italian shoes (or any shoes for that matter). That'd be the admission price for 2 pair of Sidi Wire's.

$190 seem reasonable about now, proclaimer?


----------



## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

billium v2.0 said:


> I don't disagree.
> 
> BUT, could be worse. My left foot is one full size larger than my right. Try $190 per foot on for size.
> 
> ...


That's a drag. I know there are organizations that run online exchanges for people with different-sozed feet, so they can try to find someone with the opposite match to share with. But I don't know if they work for specialized footwear like cycling shoes.


----------



## billium v2.0 (Oct 22, 2012)

JCavilia said:


> That's a drag. I know there are organizations that run online exchanges for people with different-sozed feet, so they can try to find someone with the opposite match to share with. But I don't know if they work for specialized footwear like cycling shoes.


J:

I take advantage of what you describe when I can. But as you noted, cycling shoes are too narrow of a field for anyone to provide the service.


----------



## Jay Strongbow (May 8, 2010)

ah, I don't know. Mine were about $400 (so about as expensive as off the shelf gets) and I've had them for 6 years about 40000 miles and they show no signs of quitting. Compared to running shoes, basketball shoes, skates, ski boots, probably any other kind of active footwear that's pretty cheap on a per time of use basis.


----------



## skinewmexico (Apr 19, 2010)

I'd watch steepandcheap.com, or Backcountry, or one of those for a sale. Westernbikeworks seems to have a perpetual sale on shoes too.


----------



## Hiro11 (Dec 18, 2010)

I suppose it's all a matter of perspective. Retail price on a good pair of running shoes can easily top $120 and many runners go through a couple of pairs a year. Tennis shoes can easily top $100 and an avid tennis player will go through several pairs in a year.

Meanwhile, one good pair of cycling shoes will last many years if properly cared for. They're not "disposable" like shoes for other sports. My current pair is in its third season and just getting broken in now.


----------



## Ventruck (Mar 9, 2009)

proclaimer888 said:


> Nothing in stock. Best option was a pair for $190 but black. Shop would not budge on the price....full list. Would not throw in a water bottle.


Honestly I don't understand the existence of bargaining nowadays, unless it was for an actual big ticket item like a bike (in the context of an LBS).

In some cases companies are more firm with their pricing when agreeing with distributors and shops now, especially in retailers beyond bike shops that aren't privately-owned. Sometimes it has to boil to the owner/manager to remotely allow it to happen, and usually it'd happen just to play damage control or really squeeze something out of a slow day. Otherwise, they probably got regulars picking up a lot of stuff for top dollar that makes a $190 sale mere peanuts.


----------



## sasquatch16 (Feb 7, 2013)

You can find some good prices on Ebay. Just bought a pair of last years model Sidi Genius 5 shoes for $90.00 new in the box. Have seen them in all sizes including Mega.


----------



## TricrossRich (Mar 26, 2014)

Specialized has these in white, size 45.

Specialized Bicycle Components


----------



## pmf (Feb 23, 2004)

I just looked at one website (Colorado Cyclist) and there's several brands that sell white shoes. I haven't bought shoes at a bike shop in years -- they usually have really limited inventory. I too am a wide size 45 and have been happy with Shimano shoes because they come in regular and wide sizes. Just got a pair of XC-90 mountain bike shoes and they fit great. In the past, I used Carnac because of the wide toe box. 

Bike shoes -- especially those used for road biking -- out last anything else you put on your foot by an order of magnitude. My last pair of shoes lasted 6 years. How many pairs of bike shorts do you go through in 6 years? I don't hesitate to spend money on good shoes that fit well. Hell, my 12 year old kid has 3 pairs of LeBron whatever basketball shoes that cost around $500 that he won't wear outside. I only wish his foot was a size bigger so I could wear them when he outgrows them in 6 months.


----------



## Shuffleman (Sep 4, 2013)

Jay Strongbow said:


> ah, I don't know. Mine were about $400 (so about as expensive as off the shelf gets) and I've had them for 6 years about 40000 miles and they show no signs of quitting. Compared to running shoes, basketball shoes, skates, ski boots, probably any other kind of active footwear that's pretty cheap on a per time of use basis.


I, like the OP, have a hard time spending that much on cycling shoes. I wear Serfa Podiums that I bought on sale for $45. I also like the white ones regardless of the scuffing. These are the only road shoes that I have ever worn and they are comfortable. I have no issues with them but that does not mean that something else would not be better. I just have no point of preference since I tend to stick with what I know and just replace them with the same thing when possible. I am a runner and do go through 4 pairs of shoes per year. I also play tennis and go through a few pairs per year so I understand what you are saying. I do not believe in cheap shoes. However, I feel that I am not walking in them so bike shoes are different. I am not saying that I am right, it is just the way that I have justified not buying more expensive shoes for road biking. I have always worn Performance Ultra or Bellwether shorts. Mine are pretty ragged out so I have decided to try something new. I bought a pair of Assos, a pair of Pearl Izumi, and of course one of the old faithful Performance Ultras just to feed my ocd. I am in need of new shoes soon so perhaps I will try something else new as well but that price does seem to bother me. Ahhh, the joys of switching to something new...
As for your $400. I would not even think about that. I am not sure if my wife would keel over first or kill me first. If neither of those things occured, I would have to suffer the fate of never being able to say NO to her shoe buying habits again.


----------



## cdhbrad (Feb 18, 2003)

I have several pairs of Sidis that are more than 6 years old and wear them regularly in rotation with other Sidis (6.6s, Lazers, Ergo 2s) that are newer. I ride 7-8K per year and I never have problems with my feet which I largely attribute to wearing a quality shoe when on the bike. Yes, they are expensive, but a quality cycling shoe will last a really long time and if you amortize $$$ spent/miles ridden, you get to a pretty reasonable number pretty quick.


----------



## SauronHimself (Nov 21, 2012)

OP, you didn't say how old your previous shoes were, but to put things in better perspective you should take their MSRP and figure out what that price would be today when adjusted for inflation. I bought a pair of Nike Hautacams in 2005, and they got ruined in 2013 by a motorist who hit me. Back in 2005 they retailed for $200, but in 2013 dollars the same quality shoes would have been $239. Ironically, $239 is exactly what I spent on the replacement shoes, which are Fizik R1 Uomos, but those retailed for $400. I ended up paying the same inflation-adjusted amount for nicer shoes.


----------



## Camilo (Jun 23, 2007)

OP: if you liked your old shoes, just try to find a discounted pair online. You know the brand and size that fits you. That's the main reason to buy from a bricks and mortar store - to make sure they fit. If you know what fits you, you can look for bargains online.

Also, most mail order companies have liberal return policies. You may have to pay return postage, but with discounts often in the range of 40+%, you can afford a little of that and still come out ahead.

As for the cost: yea, they can be expensive, but as others pointed out, good cycling shoes are a many-year investment, unlike running and other sports shoes. I compare to my other "gear" sport, XC skiing. The longevity of cycling shoes is similar, but the cost is actually less.

Saddle, shorts and shoes: don't skimp on them (within your personal means, of course).


----------



## Shuffleman (Sep 4, 2013)

SauronHimself said:


> OP, you didn't say how old your previous shoes were, but to put things in better perspective you should take their MSRP and figure out what that price would be today when adjusted for inflation. I bought a pair of Nike Hautacams in 2005, and they got ruined in 2013 by a motorist who hit me. Back in 2005 they retailed for $200, but in 2013 dollars the same quality shoes would have been $239. Ironically, $239 is exactly what I spent on the replacement shoes, which are Fizik R1 Uomos, but those retailed for $400. I ended up paying the same inflation-adjusted amount for nicer shoes.


I hope that my wife does not hear your side of the debate and try that logic on me next time she goes shoe shopping.
In reality, bikes have gotten cheaper over time if you factor in inflation. I remember buying my first mtb in 1992/1993. It was a Trek 820 (I think). 
Entry level mtbs are about the same cost today. Mid to High end ones are much more. I remember paying $800 for my first suspension fork back in the mid 90's.
With that being said, $200 or more for a pair or bike shoes is still expensive. Many of the prices have fallen because of the economies of scale. There are far more people riding today than years ago, which helps to drive down the cost. I remember when I first started mtb. We were not a big group back then. It seems like everybody has a mtb now.
Regardless, there are certain items in biking that seem expensive too me and shoes and helmets are one of them. I try to by helmets in the $75 range and typically buy them when they are on sale for that price. I have never spent more than $65 on road shoes. I have only bought them when on sale and I tend to keep them until they fall apart.
I can justify paying $85-$150 for shoes that I work in as I spend all day in them 5 days a week. Bike shoes don't get that amount of time in them and I am not walking or putting weight on them. I may also be lucky in that I have never had a pair that I would consider uncomfortable. Like seats, it seems that whatever I buy seems to work.


----------



## MR_GRUMPY (Aug 21, 2002)

"I bought a pair of Nike Hautacams in 2005, and they got ruined in 2013 by a motorist who hit me."

Did you include the cost of the shoes in your claim??

I never buy cycling shoes at retail. Last time I bought shoes, I got a $450 pair for $150, by looking for close out prices on "old stock", along with my negotiation skills.
(shops want to dump shoes that have been sitting on their shelves for a few years.....expensive shoes don't move very fast)


----------



## greatestalltime (Aug 20, 2012)

Yep. Found my Sidis on eBay nib for 75$


----------



## DaveG (Feb 4, 2004)

proclaimer888 said:


> So somehow, I lost one of my shoes?? Must have left it on the top of the Van and drove off....ugh. Looking at options (wide foot warning) and wow...$$$. I'm a 45 wide and looking for a white shoe. Hit all the local shops and forget bout white. Nothing in stock. Best option was a pair for $190 but black. Shop would not budge on the price....full list. Would not throw in a water bottle. Dang!! Just cant pull the trigger on shoes at that price. Cycling shoes have gotten $$$...might have to just put on regular pedals and go old school.


Its near the end of the season, maybe just pedal with one leg until the post-season sales start? I agree cycling shoes are expensive but they do seem to last a long time and its a critical comfort area where you don't want to skimp


----------

