# First time buying shoes



## sc87 (Sep 14, 2011)

Hi ladies, 

I'm slowly making the transition from a hybrid to a roadbike (still shopping for a roadbike). I don't know what I was thinking when I bought a hybrid! Anyway, I've just purchased myself a pair of Shimano 105 SPD-SL, which means I need a pair of shoes to go with them.  I've done some reading on shoes on here and it looks like it would be more comfortable to get a pair of shoes with carbon fibre soles to prevent hotspots. I'm okay with spending a little more for carbon fibre soles because I want to stay comfortable and I don't want to keep upgrading. 

Are there any suggestions of what kind of road shoes I can look at for women (I've got wide feet)? Aside from comfort and a snug fit, is there anything else I should be aware of when buying shoes?

Also, my LBS carries a brand called Bontrager. I've never heard of these and I'm wondering if anyone use these and how they like them so far? 

Sorry for all the questions, but I'm still very much learning. Thanks!


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## kbwh (May 28, 2010)

Disclaimer: I'm a Gentleman.

Some thoughts:
I do not think one can say that a carbon fibre sole is the answer to a hot spot problem. A sole can become too stiff. Sidi (a very good Italian shoe brand, but on the narrower side) redesigned their top of the line sole last year to soften it in the right places.
My wife has wide feet. She is happy with her plastic soled Diadora road shoes, but she is never on the bike for more than 90 minutes. She uses the Look Keo2 pedal system which is very similar to your Shimano.
The SPD-SL is a very nice system.
Bontrager is a TREK brand that is used for shoes, helmets, wheels, handlebars and such.
Try many shoes from different brands. Any proper bike shop carries more than one brand of shoes.

Good luck!


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## QuiQuaeQuod (Jan 24, 2003)

You should look for shoes that are the best fit, and not worry about the soles. Carbon soles are stiff, but non-carbon are plenty stiff too!

For fit, make sure your heel is snug and does not move, that is the most important thing ime. You don't want tight spots, you want to be able to move your toes a bit. Generally speaking, the best fitting shoes will fit like a glove, form fitting but not tight enough to notice in any particular place. 

Keep in mind that you want to test the fit not just by walking, but also by pushing forwards and back, and lifting UP with your foot (or pulling down on the shoe), since cycling has all those motions involved.

I like shoes with velcro straps over the toe box, since my feet tend to swell in the first 30 minutes of the ride, then shrink back down. That makes it easiest to readjust. I also like ratchets for the top strap. 

My wife likes Specialized, but really every foot is different so that doesn't mean they would be good for you, or bad for you.

Good luck!


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## Keeping up with Junior (Feb 27, 2003)

*Heart and Sole*



QuiQuaeQuod said:


> You should look for shoes that are the best fit, and not worry about the soles. Carbon soles are stiff, but non-carbon are plenty stiff too!


Hot spots are really not an issue with good quality shoes. Our family has a preference for Sidi shoes as they fit our feet and last forever. My wife and son wear a pair of Sidi road shoes with a plastic sole and have absolutly no problems with hot foot. As noted, *focus on fit* for the action of your foot when cycling, not walking around the store. You mentioned wide feet, you might want to try men's shoes rather than women specific designs. 

The Sidi shoes really do last forever. I had a pair from the mid nineties that I used for six years, then my son took them over for another five years and he is really hard on equipment. He still uses them for rain shoes when training. At college the cycling team members ride thousands of miles a year, many of his teamates will go through a pair of shoes in a season or two but the Sidi shoes just keep on pedaling. While we are Sidi fans if they dont fit your feet then keep shopping.


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## Orange Edge (Jul 28, 2011)

I have a pair of Bontrager shoes. They are comfortable and have worn well except for the buckles. The buckles have been replaced once and still don't work properly. Sometimes they won't release at all and I have to try and pull my foot out still buckled in and loosen it when my foot is out. Won't buy Bontrager shoes again! I do love their tires though!


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## theBreeze (Jan 7, 2002)

I'm on my third pair of Diadora shoes, one pair mtn bike and 2 pair road, and I really like them. I have fairly small feet, European size 38, but my forefoot is wide. In my experience Diadora and Sidi design their women's shoes to accommodate a wider forefoot and narrower heel.

Like bike shorts you often get what you pay for in terms of comfort. If you aren't sure what will work for you I wouldn't go all out with carbon soles right away. Hot spots are commonly caused by misplacement of the cleat. It may take a few rides to get your cleat placement dialed in. BTW. I use Shimano 105s as well.

Most shoes have removable insoles. I often take mine out, and in my mtn bike shoes I have replaced the full insole with a gel "half" insole. It has cushioning under the mid foot and heel, but leaves room for the toes. These are the shoes I use on long tours where I am doing up to 100 miles a day. I found the insoles for about $5 at WalMart. I use Shimano's touring pedals on these tours. Has a wide platform like a 105, but an SPD clip so I can use the mtn bike shoes.

Good luck and welcome to road cycling!


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## Oasisbill (Jan 15, 2011)

I'm a bloke so forgive me butting in, but I thought this might help. Specialized seem to have wider shoes than others (I don't have a pair but thought you should know). I have Sidis and I love them, bu tonly with the right footbed in them, as I have a high arch. All these things need to be considered. Also you don't want your heel to come out of the shoe on the up stroke so pull down on the back of the shoe to see how well they grip around your achilles. Bont make very good and very expensive shoes that are heat moulded to your feet. Good luck.


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## Tommy Walker (Aug 14, 2009)

Another guy here.

As mentioned focus on fit. I really suggest buying a great pair of shoes first; if Sidi's fit well, then that is an excellent choice, hopefully you can find a sale. The reason I suggest that is after a year or so I wanted to upgrade, so now I have a pair of shoes just sitting around, only used them once when it rained and I let my Sidi's dry the next day when I rode.

If you don't want to spend a lot of money, try the Shimano RD61's. really a great shoe, but my Sidi's fit like a glove. So if the shoe fits, wear it.


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## smoothie7 (Apr 11, 2011)

I think my next pair of shoes will come from Specialized. I think they are the most comfortable road shoe at least trying them on. I can't compare actual use. Right now I use a pair of Pearl Izumi Carbon Pro and have been getting hot spots.


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## catlikeone (Sep 22, 2011)

Sidi by a long shot. And I have farm girl splayed wide feet, sidis fit insane. Forever spoiled with my Ergo 2 vernice


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## lk1965 (Dec 18, 2011)

I've been very comfortable wearing my Northwaves, but they are starting to get a bit worn (4 seasons of wear will do that). Just this past week, I went to my LBS and tried on 3 different brands of women's cycling shoes - Giro, Sidi, and Fizik. Just for reference, I wear a size 42 women's in my Northwaves. The Giro's were a 42 and were too narrow in the toe box for me, so they're out. The Sidi's were a 42.5. The upper is leather which looked and felt nice, but the shoe still felt a bit narrow in the forefoot. If I wanted to wear even a slightly thicker sock for winter riding, I would likely need to go up 1/2 size and women's Sidi shoes top out at size 43, so I would be at the upper limit in sizing. 

The Fizik's were simply heaven! Beautiful and supple kangaroo leather, made in Italy, carbon sole, comfortable fit...but just a bit too rich for my wallet. If money weren't a factor, I'd definitely be wearing the Fizik R1 for sure. I think I'll try and squeak out 1 more season in my Northwaves...while saving my pennies for the Fizik R1's a year from now.


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## Kernyl (Dec 23, 2011)

It's funny, the back and forth on Sidi. Some people seem to think they fit wide, some narrow. For what it's worth I have narrow feet and they swim in Sidi's. I have had good luck with Specialized and used to have an old pair of Diadora's that also fit really well.


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## tarac (Oct 11, 2011)

I'm a cross racer, so I wear mountain bike shoes. My feet are ridiculously wide from running since I was ten. I have a pair of Bontrager's that lace up and have velcro just around the ankle. I can make them as wide as I need by the toe box, and still tighten them where I need to for my heel. The softer sole also works great for walking around in when I'm going on a more social ride and we stop to drink or eat.


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## Trek2.3 (Sep 13, 2009)

The size (37, 41, 43) is only a guess as to fit. * Try 'em on.* Walk around the store. Try another brand or size. Walk again. I am a man with small feet. Very hard to fit. So I always get an agreement that I can wear them at home if I stay on the rug. You'll want to sit with them too (try to get your feet to swell a bit). 

Each brand designs their shoes to a different immaginary foot. I've found Specialized (Woman's 40) and Pearl Izumi (Men's 40) to fit well although I wear a 38 in non-cycling shoes.


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## Nicole Hamilton (Sep 5, 2010)

sc87 said:


> I've done some reading on shoes on here and it looks like it would be more comfortable to get a pair of shoes with carbon fibre soles to prevent hotspots.


If you're getting hotspots, it's likely that you pronate (twist) your foot, causing you to put more weight on the side of the cleat where you feel the hotspot. The solution is to put a very thin shim under the OPPOSITE side of the cleat.


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## firefly12 (Mar 4, 2012)

kbwh said:


> Disclaimer: I'm a Gentleman.
> 
> Some thoughts:
> I do not think one can say that a carbon fibre sole is the answer to a hot spot problem. A sole can become too stiff. Sidi (a very good Italian shoe brand, but on the narrower side) redesigned their top of the line sole last year to soften it in the right places.
> ...


I have a very small toe box which means the SPD-SLs are quite large and required shims to stabilize the cleats. At the time, I really didn't understand the technology and physics involved. Lots of learning later, I wound up buying a different cleat set up. Please learn from my mistakes. Try lots of shoes and lots of cleat options. Some bike shops will allow you to try them on a bike in a trainer with all the proper gear on. They will set you up but it isn't the same as a cleat fitting. Please keep trying! The world is your oyster. 
Don't forget to check out the sales. Just don't settle, ok? Girls + $hoe$ + $ale = Love


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## Wangythewombat (Mar 10, 2012)

I used to ride in Shimano shoes and my feet swam in them. Just changed to the new Fizik shoe just released, womens specific, and love them. Had to get a smaller size. No hotspots and nice and snug.
On the Sidi shoe thing, the mens shoes are wider than the womens specific. Sidi do not import 1/2 sizes to Australia either, nor do most shops carry the top line 6.6 carbon sole, hence I went tried the Fizik and love them. Getting a good quality means that they will grow with you as you improve. They take a long time to wear out.
Prices are now pretty much the same worldwide


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## murielalex (Feb 6, 2012)

I went shoe shopping yesterday, and was surprised by how many didn't fit me. I didn't think my feet were that weird (7.5 ladies, M width). I ended up with men's Shimano's, and they heated them in a little oven to make them fit better. I think they're horrible ugly, but all ones I liked felt horrible. Trying things on is the only way to go.


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## litespeedchick (Sep 9, 2003)

catlikeone said:


> Sidi by a long shot. And I have farm girl splayed wide feet, sidis fit insane. Forever spoiled with my Ergo 2 vernice


Ditto! I have duck feet, i.e. narrow heel, wide forefoot. Before I got my Sidis I had Vittoria and Diadora, and I thought they were good...then I got Sidis and found out why people buy Sidi. I now have Sidi for both road and mtn. I attached a pic of mtb Sidi Dragons pretending to be high heels. They are the most expensive shoes (of any kind) I have ever owned.


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## firefly12 (Mar 4, 2012)

What size shoe do you wear??


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## LovelyLegs (Apr 21, 2013)

*First Time Buying Shoes*

My experience has been that most cycling shoe manufactures simply produce a man's shoe in "girly" colors and smaller sizes. I've burned through Mavic, Shimano, and Pearl Izumi's (not to mention the Performance shoes I first started out with ... blah) over the course of the last ten years. But nothing was sweeter than when my feet discovered SIDI's. Sleek, snug, and comfortable - with beautiful design. I will never ever wear another shoe than my SIDI Genius 5s. If you want to see how other ladies feel about SIDI check out these reviews: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004OV85HQ/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B004OV85HQ&linkCode=as2&tag=biarco-20">Sidi Women Road Bike Shoes Genius 5 Pro Carbon Lite Standard White Vernice 39.5</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=biarco-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B004OV85HQ" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />


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