Road shoes for women - really needed

mr_poll

Help all female riders - or anyone to be honest


Mrs Poll has finally succumbed and is joining me on the road, she has got herself a starting bike from ebay which comes with SPD pedals.

Looking at road shoes there seems to be womens specific shoes - are these essential (well the womens specific bit) as the choice seems limited or could she get away with mens shoes.

hopper1

Best to just nip to your LBS, get her to try some on, then make a comparison and decide which route to take...

leedsmjh

Not essential - frankly difficult to get women's version in my size anyway.

Would definately try them on in a shop, bike show sizing doesn't always tally with what you think your shoe size is

pst88

I doubt there's much difference apart from the colours. Pink for girls, blue for boys etc.

slowlanejane

Girls feet tend to be narrower than boys, I find the boys stuff a) doesn't come in smaller sizes, tending to start at 7 and b) has a wider heel cup meaning my foot is loose and gives blisters / generally not comfortable.

The obly way to know is to go and try some on at the LBS.

CarleyB

if you get Diadora ones you need 2 sizes bigger than your normal size as they size them so small.
I bought WSD road shoes but currently where mens MTB shoes so it doesn't make much difference i suppose other than the colours.

floosy

Yes there are differences.
Women have in general higher arches than men and more often than not narrower feet for the same shoe size.

Dave.

LittleB0b

It depends what size and shape feet she has

I find that i have wide feet (so you'd think mens shoes) - but that i'm a size 5, so most places don't stock those lines below a size 6 or 7.

Try them on is the best thing

leedsmjh

CarleyB wrote:

if you get Diadora ones you need 2 sizes bigger than your normal size as they size them so small.

+1
My experience exactly

Ron Stuart

Women like men are as different in the foot department as they are in general. Humans must be the most varied in size and shape in the entire animal kingdom and their feet are no exception, so when it comes to shoes and colour isn't an issue the answer is to try lots of them on, blokes as well (they may be cheaper). I would advise on getting a slightly larger fit as feet when hot expand and a thicker sock in winter could be an advantage.
Rotate the shoe when trying on as if you were cycling and make sure that there is no rub around the ankle and the tongue doesn't put pressure where the foot meets the front of the leg. Some specialized shoes are prone to this. Unless you are expecting to do some Cavendish type sprinting then three Velcro straps is plenty of security, the triathletes get away with two.
Lastly SPD type shoes have a trainer type sole with recessed cleats which is good for walking around on.
Road shoes have external cleats on the sole and are usually much lighter and you can purchase cleat covers which protect the shoe and make walking somewhat safer (on shinny floors).
Hope this helps a bit.