Shoes around £100

davedicko

Having inherited a cheap set of road shoes when I bought my road bike 6 months ago, my feet hurt a bit when I'm riding over 30 miles (little support and sole is not particularly stiff) and I've decided its time to invest in a decent set of shoes. Nothing absolutely top end, but have around £100 to spend and there seem to be lots of options out there at the moment with the numerous January sales going on. I've spotted these and have tried most of them on and all seem comfortable -

Shimano R107
Specialized BG Elite
Sidi Logo Vernice
Bont Riot (though they are perhaps the ugliest shoes I've ever seen)
(Could maybe stretch to something like Specialized Comp Road or Shimano R170 but that would be the very top end.)

Wondering if anyone has any opinions or experience on any of the above?
Or if there is something else I should look at? (I'm a 44 and using Look 3-bolt)

simonj

I like Sidi, I have some old Sidi 5's but find the soles a bit flexy. I now have some Wires and love them. If you want stiffer soles maybe look at Diadora on Wiggle or CRC, their Carbon soled ones will be stiff and have good discount currently.

pitchshifter

They are still selling Fizik really cheap on Planet X.

unixnerd

Think about the riding conditions you'll encounter in normal use. A lot of road shoes have a mesh top, useless in the wet or when it's cold. I have Shimano R086 and they fit well, but I have to wear overshoes with them for a good chunk of the year.

davedicko

I see that they have Fizik, but by all accounts they come up pretty much spot on your shoe size (I'm actually a 43) and Planet X don't have 43 in stock. And as I can't try them on anywhere I wouldn't order the 44 just incase.
I can try on the full range of Sidi, Shimano & Specialized as I'm based in Belfast and there are several shops around. Nowhere stocking Bont however.

Any of you guys wearing any of the shoes above?

daniel_b

Lots of excellent Diadora deals at CRC right now.

davedicko

Wondering how the rest of you that bought Fizik R3's found the sizing?
I've taken a punt on size 44 R3's from Planet X. I wear 43 in normal shoes and have found 44 in Spesh/Shimano the right size. These arrived today and not sure about sizing. They are certainly not what I would call snug. The width is perfect and there certainly seems to be zero/very little movement in my heel area as I try to move my feet in them. I have the ratchet and velcro tightened up but not so tight as to cut off blood supply.

The issue is there is between 5-10mm space at the toe (I can loosen up entirely, push my foot the very top and fit a finger in between my heel and the heel cup) which I'm assuming is too much?
They feel good on my feet, but perhaps too spacious around the toe area. The width and arch area is perfect, its just the toe. They are a really lovely shoe and I'm loathed to return as they don't have 43 or 43.5 and I can't seem to find them in stock anywhere else. Think I'll have to face the facts!

upperoilcan

http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=40042&t=12955112

Already on this very board.

DHTT

Giro Prolight SLX or Factors on Evans are good deals at the moment.