Wide fitting shoes with a high instep!

xhacker

Am I the only one that has trouble buying road cycling shoes?
My instep is high and they're wide but I'm not a freak of nature! Surely there's others like me. The only shoes I've found are Scott in HTC colours with a stiffness index number 9. I'm no pro, just a bloke who does about 30 mile a time 3/4 times a week and at 47 my ambitions are quite low.
Does anyone think the stiffness will make them too uncomfortable? Or is there anything else worth looking at? I've tried most others to be fair and nothing fits, Bont, Shimano, Sidi, Speciallised, Lake etc etc.

Any help would be gratefully accepted.

giropaul

Shimano and (harder to get) Sidi both do wide fittings. You can sort out the instep issue with appropriate footbeds, many cyclists use specific footbeds, like Superfeet - the pros and others have custom ones specially formed.

As for stiffness, it's very personal. I am not comfortable in carbon-soled shoes, but others swear by them. It's going to be something you find out for yourself I'm afraid.

xhacker

Thanks for your reply Paul.

I've actually tried 'wide' fitting Sidi's but they aren't wide enough. I can't seem to get hold of Shimano's.

Pardon my ignorance but why would a carbon sole be so unsuitable? Or should I say 'what difference do they make'?

adm1

Try Lake.

They make lovely wide fitting shoes. And the sizing is more American than EU/Japanese.

giropaul

I didn't say that carbon soles were unsuitable, just that not everyone gets on with them. I guess what I'm saying is that if your shoes aren't comfortable, try a different type.

racingcondor

I believe Northwave still come up wider than most.

Re insole I would work work out which Specialized or other alternative insole fits you best (for me the ones Giro use) and add them seperately.