Carnac / Sidi / Gaerne - best for wider feet?

jrab
jrab Posts: 99
edited August 2009 in Road buying advice
Have Shimano road shoes but feet (toes) feel cramped after a couple of hours.

Have Carnac MTB shoes which seem to fit pretty well.

There seems to be very few Carnac road shoes about at the moment - mostly clearance sales at good prices but in the wrong size. Ones in my size generally more than I want to pay....

Anybody know how Gaerne and Sidi compare fit-wise to Carnac?

Gaerne look good and have good reputation, but no local stockists to try so would need to be mail order..... Local shops seem to stock mostly Shimano so not much help for trying-on sessions.

Looking at £50-100 ideally (Sidi Zephyr just in that bracket!)

Tricky part of the question is :- how do you tell whether a pair of shoes that seem to fit fine at first will still feel good after 60 miles, and how do you return them "unused" when they don't?!

Cheers
Richard.

Comments

  • jamestux
    jamestux Posts: 47
    I have wide feet but find my new Mavics brilliant, they are the bright white ones for about £80-£90.

    I thoroughly recommend them!
  • Carnac are great for wider feet. I can't fit into sidi's :shock:
  • Not sure if this will be much use as I can't compare across your choices. I have Gaerne road shoes and find them a bit narrow. My Shimano MTB shoes feel great however, with plenty of space across the ball of the foot and in the toe box. From people I have cycled with in the past, Carnac seems good for wide feet on road bikes.
    No-one wanted to eat Patagonia Toothfish so they renamed it Chilean Sea Bass and now it's in danger of over fishing!
  • majormantra
    majormantra Posts: 2,094
    I don't know how Sidis compare to Gaerne and Carnac but the the regular ones are narrower than Shimanos in my experience. However, Sidi do wide sizes which they call Mega which are worth a look.

    Pro Bike Kit is having a Sidi sale by the way.

    Matthew
  • jrab
    jrab Posts: 99
    Thanks for the input guys. From your comments and my own thoughts, seems like a better chance I'll get on with Carnacs than taking a flyer on other brands. (The Shimanos felt fine in the shop!)

    Managed to track down some Carnacs in my size at Ribble, took the plunge.

    At least I can use the Shimanos in the rain and keep the Carnacs all nice looking!

    Richard.