£125 to spend on shoes

mspoke

OK, while the Tour boys are in the valley heading for the Telegraphe and Galibier I've been looking around forsome new road shoes. Budget around £125, like the Sidi's, not sure on the Specialized and the Nike shoes are a bit bling for me. Haven't really thought of Northwave...

Any help much appreciated.

Massimo

Get yerself onto Wiggle. They're flogging Pearl Izumi Vipers at stupidly cheap prices (under £100). They're the 2005 model and retailed for £160 (that's when I bought mine, d'oh!). Carbon fibre sole, boa closure system, very very comfy for all day rides...

mspoke

Yeah, been looking on Wiggle, some excellent discounts on some really nice shoes, will check out the PI's you mention...

Monty Dog

Careful buying old model shoes as spares availability can be non-existent - particularly something like a BOA closure. For that reason alone I'd stay 'safe' with Sidi - because they're popular, spares are readily available for years rather than changing every year on the whim of fashion.

mspoke

I like the look of Sidi Genius HT 5.5 Road Shoes @ £119, maybe I will go for these...

Simon Notley

The Genius 5.5 are a good shoe, I have a pair. Bloody pain finding all the colours and sizes though.

vanleapo

It depends how wide your feet are. If you've got quite wide feet then I'd go for Specialized and definitely steer clear of Sidi.
All the Italian shoes I've tried have been very narrow. They feel OK when you first try them on, but after an hour your feet are in agony. I have presently got a pair of Specialized Carbon Pros and they are extremely comfortable even after 7/8 hours.

ajohn9

have a look on www.parker-international.co.uk
theyve got some niiiiiice DMT shoes for around £100 sheets

cougie

Try them for fit over anything else.

Personally I like the specialized ones - three velcro straps and £99.

mspoke

Thanks everybody, really value your opinions. Problem I have is that local stockists only seem to do Nike, Specialized and Shimano....maybe I just order the Sidi and if they obviously don't fit send them back for a different size.

Monty Dog

Parker International have Sidi Genius 5s reduced from £150 to £100

cougie

I'd really look at your local suppliers then. £100+ is a lot of money to waste on shoes that may not fit well or be comfy. It doesnt matter how bling they look - comfort is the thing.

What shoes are you in at the moment ? Do they fit well ? Sidi seem to have a v narrow fit, but you can get a wider mega size sometimes.

You can waste a lot of money sending shoes back and forth to mail order companies.

mspoke

I currently have seom high-end Shimano's which I have for 4 years now, they're a bit knackered. Problem with Sidi's is that there are no local stockists. I don't mind sending back replacements once or twice, it's no big deal to me.

I've narrowed down to either Sidi Sidi Genius HT 5.5 or Sidi Energy 2 HT, one has buckle plus 2 velcro strappings, the other has buckle plus some ratchet system (best I can describe it).

My current shoes just have 3 velcro straps.

nathanb74

MSpoke
I got the Sidi Energy 2's about 5 weeks ago. Fantastic shoe and currently half the original price. The closure system is very easy to use.

mspoke

Thanks Nathan, were these from Wiggle?

nathanb74

They sure were