Wide fitting road shoe advice/experience

rafletcher

I have wide feet, and as with everyone, they're getting wider with age. And high arches that need support. And I get numbe toes a lot. And most cycling shoes are relatively narrow, though they, like all shoes, vary with manufacturer. So, I've been looking at wide fitting road shoes. Sidi Genius 5's are available in their "mega" fit, and are widely available online so I could order/try/return and so on, intil I found the right fit. And I've worn and liked them (non-mega) in tha past - that fact that all the bits and pieces are replaceable I like. And price, whilst not cheap, is acceptable.

Also available are several versions of Shimano shoes, again in a wide fitting. And again, fairly widely available online. But they also do the R320 "custon fit" shoe (at a price, but shopping around can cut that down a bit), which intrigues me - current versions seen to have a moudable insole as well as outer. So far so good - but the moulding process appears to involve a specail toe box protector, a plastic bag, and a vacuum pump. Not stuff I've got lying around at home! So a visit to a shop would be required I guess - anyone know how I can find out where such shops might be (I know Cyclefit in London do it but thats the only place I've found).

And lastly - any other shoes those of you with wider feet have tried? I've done the Spcialized BG route and despite all the metatarsal button stuff, they don't work for me.

MickTheMove

Northwave, i am a size 12 wide fit and NW always come up wide enough.

brettjmcc

I've tried the Genius 6.6 Mega. It was a good shoe, but not ultimately for me. Currently on Bonts in the Vaypor in the wide fit. Doing me OK, but I've even had to warm them up and push the carbon tub slightly; however, I should note that when I used Bont's sizing wizrd, they told me I needed custom shoes! I ditched the Bont inner soles in lieu of some Spesh ones. I have thought about maybe trying some Sidas innersoles as well, just because like me, my feet are wierd

gwillis

Sidi Mega are great for my pasty like feet and for mtb I use the giro privateer which they do in wide also .
Oddly I have a pair of diadora racers which sizing up 1 worked too.

rafletcher

Brett, interestingly, I have also just looked at the Bont site - like the look of the Vaypor+ (I like Boa closures) but not sure I can justify the price. However the Riot also looks good (literally IMO - I like black & white), and the sizing wizard just has me as their "standard" width, plus the Z closure is pretty good - I had that (albeit elasticated) on a pair of Diadora MTB shoes 20 years ago, and it worked a treat at spreading the load. NW's I dont like the look of (vain I know). The Sidis are always good looking shoes, but I suspect even the "mega" isn't that wide!

Edit: And looking on the Sigmasport website, they suggest (for the Riot) going up a size a Bont fitting is "snug". :roll: You just can't win - I guess trial and error it will be - order a pair and try at home on the carpet for a few days and see what it feels like! The Bont site sizing says I'm still a standard in the Vaypor+ - but if I increase the width it doesn't go "wide" it goes "custom". Think I'll be emailing them!

jewbs

I have been using some shimano r220's in a wide fit. I bought them in Norwich and the bike shop had the little shimano oven to heat them up in. They did both the insoles and the outer shoe. Its actually quite a pleasant experience!!
Like you though i have high arches that need support and i to get numb toes sometimes when riding. I bought the wide fit as they felt the most comfortable at the time i bought them and the narrow or normal fit felt a bit tight. I recently damaged one of the shoes so need a new pair and fancied trying something different. Doing a web search i came across a sports podiatrist near norwich , spoke to him on the phone and decided it was worth going to see him to have my feet checked out and have him recommend the right shoe for my feet. turns out i have a narrow foot and very high arches that need support, also he advised against boa fittings at the top part of the shoe as it would not suit my foot shape. He recommended 2 or 3 different shoes and makes of shoe that would be right for my foot. I've bought one of the pairs he recommended and they feel very good. Definitely worth getting your feet checked out if you can find someone local to you. It cost £30 but i saved more than that on the discounted price of the shoe. Also cycling shoes are so expensive its worth the effort to get it right. I will see him next summer when i need to have my insole replaced.

brettjmcc

So I found the Sidi to be wide, but the killer for me was the larger heel cup that went with it. It seemed to grow the whole shoe, whereas I find the Bonts are wider inthe toe box and not anything else.

On the Bonts try and find a dealer to try them on. The reason I say is that the bathtub sole has little int he way of side give, whereas Sidi or Spesh will allow the material to flex as they are a flatter sole.

I got my Vaypor Premiums on discount for £170 earlier in the year. A friend has just picked up a pair of Vaypor+ for £110 last month on TTF and they were basically new, so have a hunt around.

For me, I really like my Bonts and am thinking of saving up for my 40th in a few years to get some customs done

wishitwasallflat

rafletcher wrote:

Brett, interestingly, I have also just looked at the Bont site - like the look of the Vaypor+ (I like Boa closures) but not sure I can justify the price. However the Riot also looks good (literally IMO - I like black & white), and the sizing wizard just has me as their "standard" width, plus the Z closure is pretty good - I had that (albeit elasticated) on a pair of Diadora MTB shoes 20 years ago, and it worked a treat at spreading the load. NW's I dont like the look of (vain I know). The Sidis are always good looking shoes, but I suspect even the "mega" isn't that wide!

Edit: And looking on the Sigmasport website, they suggest (for the Riot) going up a size a Bont fitting is "snug". :roll: You just can't win - I guess trial and error it will be - order a pair and try at home on the carpet for a few days and see what it feels like! The Bont site sizing says I'm still a standard in the Vaypor+ - but if I increase the width it doesn't go "wide" it goes "custom". Think I'll be emailing them!

Order and size Bont's from here

http://shop.bontcycling.com/collections/road-shoes

UK distributors don't stock the wide fit Bonts (except very rarely) I'm sure that's why they are saying you need custom. If you order Wide fits from that site they will be made to that order (so in that sense they are custom) and you should get them in 2-3 weeks. I alos found they were cheaper and I bet that's as fast as a UK dealer could get you them - unless - you are very lucky and need a size which is one of the rare wide fits in stock in the UK. It's only in the most extreme cases (or if you are wealthy and can afford the luxury) that anyone actually needs a truly custom made shoe.

PS - Looks like you have to go up to at least the A2 model to get the three fits (wide, std and narrow) when I got mine I got A3s. Still the best shoes around though and well worth the price - someone (other than Birkenstock of course) making shoes that are the same shape as feet; what a strange idea :shock:

rafletcher

Jewbs - intersting point, I'll see if there are any "sports" podiatrists around here (south Bucks) as it sound like your guy knew cycling and cycling kit.

Wishitwas - actually I did manage to get the Bont site to offer a "wide" - in the vaypor+ when I increased my foot length by 3mm... and got a 44/10.5 Wide, but for the Riot the sizing gives 45/11 Standard for the same measurements - I guess that's down to the differences in construction.

Brett - ues, I agree about trying on, but as has been said trying to find someone with a variety of sizes stocked isn't the easiest, but I'll keep looking (might email saddleback, the distributor)

Thanks for the advice & suggestion guys.

mm1

Northwave are very comfortable for wide / large volume feet. Giro Factor are also good, but I had to go a size up on my usual fit. I've had problems with Sidi Mega fit, the heel is too lose on models that do't have the heel grip and the straps are a bit short across the top of the foot. The standard Northwave and Sidi insoles are not very supportive, so may need replacing with after market insoles (Esoles or Sidas).

brettjmcc

rafletcher wrote:

Jewbs - intersting point, I'll see if there are any "sports" podiatrists around here (south Bucks) as it sound like your guy knew cycling and cycling kit.

Wishitwas - actually I did manage to get the Bont site to offer a "wide" - in the vaypor+ when I increased my foot length by 3mm... and got a 44/10.5 Wide, but for the Riot the sizing gives 45/11 Standard for the same measurements - I guess that's down to the differences in construction.

Brett - ues, I agree about trying on, but as has been said trying to find someone with a variety of sizes stocked isn't the easiest, but I'll keep looking (might email saddleback, the distributor)

Thanks for the advice & suggestion guys.

BTW, I didn't try on. I just used the wizard. If you are Essex way at all, the guys at Yellow Jersey stock Bonts and are very accomodating regarding ordering and trying on. I know one other member on here who rides for Chelmer and got his there. If you are this wayish and you are a Eu41, more than welcome to come over and try mine on. Have a good Christmas tomorrow everyone