# Shoe suggestions for hard-to-fit feet



## tom_h (May 6, 2008)

My wife (and I !) are at wit's end trying to fit her first pair of road shoes.

Her foot length is Eu 40, but the problem is her very wide toe region and the very high forefoot (large volume).

We have tried a variety of sizes and styles in the Sidi, Specialized, and Shimano lines, shopping at 3 separate bike stores, and had these general results:

1. Sidi womens size 40 is good length (toes don't hit front), but much too narrow and not enough forefoot volume (straps barely close).

2. Sidi mens standard 40 has _almost_ the correct width at toes, but heel is too wide and lifts. Didn't have any Sidi mens Mega (wide) 40 to try, but suspect heel lifiting problem would be worse. No Sidi mens Narrow to try.

3. Specialized shoes (womens or mens? don't recall) tended to not have enough forefoot volume, when the correct length is chosen. 

4. Shimano mens and womens in the correct length (only 1 width available?) tended to have similar problems as Sidi -- womens is too narrow at toes and has insufficient forefoot volume, mens is too wide at heel.

It seems the ideal shoe might be a womens Wide in size Eu40 ... but all the major manufacturers only appear to offer 1 womens width, unlike the typical mens narrow-std-wide.

Any suggestions for her hard-to-fit feet ??


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## Andrea138 (Mar 10, 2008)

Northwave shoes tend to be more high volume.

I had similar issues, but the men's Specialized S works worked for me.


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## kretzel (Aug 1, 2007)

*shoes*

Cpl things to check out 

Carnac - hard to find but tend to have widest toe box. Super quality though, if they are still made like my old ones. 

Shimano semi-custom - they bake the shoes then mold around the heel cup. Have heard rave reviews of these from a client of mine, these will be my next pair of shoes. I forget the model numbers. 

Some high end Sidis have a little heel cup compressor knob that makes the heel snug down tighter. I think they are all expensive race shoes (everything I list above is pricey) but shoes are so critical, it's worth it.

Good luck.


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## il sogno (Jul 15, 2002)

Did you try the Sidi Mega shoes? They are made for wider feet.


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## tom_h (May 6, 2008)

il sogno said:


> Did you try the Sidi Mega shoes? They are made for wider feet.


The Sidi Women's shoes are, unfortunately, not available in Mega width.

The Sidi Men's in std width were _almost_ a good fit in the toes, but heel was a bit too loose. The Mens Mega would probably be much too loose in the heel.

We're going to try to find a pair of Sidi Genius 6.6 Carbon shoes for wife, that Karl mentioned. Sidi claims some sort of "Heel Security System prevents power robbing heel lift"  We'll see. At $430 per pair  , it's an appreciable fraction of the cost of her bike.

If we can find a pair of the Shimano "Heat-moldable Custom-Fit" shoes that have adequate toe & forefoot volume, then _maybe_ the moldable inserts will snug down on her heel. 

Some of the other shoes mentioned (Carnac , Northwave) seem not to be locally available (LA county beach cities).

Wife has always had a miserable time shoe shopping -- ends up wearing sandals a lot.


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## prschatt (Aug 19, 2007)

I always wondered how those wooden shoe stretchers work on synthetic materials. Some of them have metal "toe knobs" that stretch in specific areas. I have a pair of SIDI Ergos that fit one foot perfectly and tight on the toe in the other, that I'd like to try them on.


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## tom_h (May 6, 2008)

*Update*

After trying on what seems like dozens of shoes of different makes and models, there may be a glimmer of hope.

Wife bought pair of Shimano R300 "heat moldable" shoe in men's 40-E(wide).

The forefoot part of the shoe is reasonably roomy, and what would otherwise have been a too-loose heel seems to have tightened up after the heat/vacuum molding process. 

The footsole was also customizeable to create a higher arch. 

She's been wearing the shoes around the house first, and we _may_ have to do another attempt at re-molding to provide a bit more width at the little toe.

We remain cautiously optimistic.

The big downside of these shoes, is the price: $350  That's the cost of having odd-shaped feet ...


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## tom_h (May 6, 2008)

*Another Update*

Wife & I took a short-ish 25 mile ride last weekend, including some hill climbing ... she reports the Shimano R300 shoes were very comfortable.

We're happy campers, now


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## *A-Train* (May 28, 2008)

I'll have to try those after I get some more miles under my belt. I have wide forefeet and super high arches, and while my Shimanos are comfy (I bought mens, size 43) my feet still get a tad cranky. I've read of custom insoles for running, skiing, and inline skating, so why not cycling? 

It's almost impossible for me to find cute strappy womens shoes in my size (11 US) though


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## JayTee (Feb 3, 2004)

Yup, I have similar foot dimensions (very wide forefoot, high instep) and have a set of Northwave shoes.

The Sidi Mega can be awfully sloppy in the heel unless your feet are wide all over. 

I also have a pair of Carnacs, and have done okay in Diadora mt shoes (Diadora is especially a good option when you need to spend under $100 and have wide feet).


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## NadiaMac (Jan 13, 2008)

I have hard-to-fit feet-- wide forefeet, narrow heel, knobby big toes (incipient bunions), high arches and slightly different sized feet. The Shimano WR80 work really really well for me. They were fairly comfortable out of the box and the heat molding for the insert made them extraordinary comfortable. Can't say that the heat molding did as much for the upper part of the shoes-- the women's version is less moldable (why?) and this did little to enhance my fit. 

My only "fit" complaint-- the arch insert (an additional insert placed under the sole for extra arch support) is insufficiently sticky and shifts periodically. I need to check it before riding (or find an adhesive to glue them back down)


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## AidanM (Aug 11, 2006)

D2 shoes


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