Summer Bike Shoes

ShandyH

My Northwave shoes finally came a cropper after 5 years of use fairly solid use. Rather than getting a pair of summer shoes and watching them get trounced over winter I got some Northwave Winter GTX replacements which are superb. They come up a size small but they are really warm and give the foot a lot of support.

I'm now looking for replacement summer shoes. I don't need stupidly light shoes as they are mainly for commuting but I want really good support and comfort for slightly wider feet. I've only ever used Northwave so was wondering what people would recommend. Sidi, Shimano, Mavic, Gaerne, Giro - have people had good experience of these? Which ones last best etc? Cheers!

daniel_b

I personally like Diadora (Many bargains to be had frequently on CRC) and also more recently have bought some Mavic Maxi shoes - they are wider than the standard shoes, so for example I am a size 10 in normal shoes, a 45 in Diadoras, a 45/13 in normal Mavic's and a 44 2/3 in Mavic Maxi's!

There are sometimes some Mavic bargains to be had on the German websites, notably bike-discount.de.

I have worn Shimano, but was not overly impressed, and found them VERY narrow.
I have a pair of Sidi's but have yet to wear them, so can't comment sadly!

Specialized get raved about a lot, and again I have a pair of them but have yet to wear them :oops:

Hopefully someone will be along soon with some recommendations.

Beauty with Wiggle, CRC, Wheelies and Koo bikes is that they have free returns, so you can order multiple sizes to test in the comfort of your own home.

spasypaddy

giro empires are sensational but not everyone likes the styling
sworks are brilliant but not built to last
bont vaypours are the stiffest shoes ive ridden
i dont get on with sidis.

asprilla

I've got Giro Factors foe weekends and Triples for commuting. Fit me like a glove.

rick_chasey

If you want to be a playa - sidis.

Otherwise, whatevs.

kurako

If you are interested in support then get whatever shoe fits the shape of your foot and consider replacing the insoles.

I nearly always trash the insoles that come with the shoes. Spesh BG footbeds come in 3 colours depending on the height of your arch. There's also insoles which can be heat moulded. I got some Lake ones.

ShandyH

Asprilla wrote:

I've got Giro Factors foe weekends and Triples for commuting. Fit me like a glove.

Would you say the Giros come up narrow or normal? They look narrow in the pictures but that can be deceptive.

rick_chasey

Sidi megas are good for wide feet.

the_fuggler

I've got quite wide feet and recently bought some Shimano R171s. No issue on width and a good stiff sole. I'm using the Shimano inners with medium support. Impressed so far.

ShandyH

The Fuggler wrote:

I've got quite wide feet and recently bought some Shimano R171s. No issue on width and a good stiff sole. I'm using the Shimano inners with medium support. Impressed so far.

Interesting. Do they come up standard size? Seems a lot of bike shoes come up a size small.

ShandyH

Rick Chasey wrote:

Sidi megas are good for wide feet.

Same question Rick. Do Sidis tend to come up normal size in your experience?

dhope

ShandyH wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

Sidi megas are good for wide feet.

Same question Rick. Do Sidis tend to come up normal size in your experience?

My Sidi's (normal, not wide - Genius 6.6) come up smaller than my equivalent Specialized (MTB Expert and S-Works road)
Not massively different, but a 43 in specialized was too small for me. The 44 Sidi is larger than the 43 Spesh that but smaller than the 44 Spesh.

asprilla

ShandyH wrote:

Asprilla wrote:

I've got Giro Factors foe weekends and Triples for commuting. Fit me like a glove.

Would you say the Giros come up narrow or normal? They look narrow in the pictures but that can be deceptive.

Definately narrow but high.

I found Sidis pinched at the heel, Shimano tight over the arch, and in Northwaves the toe box was too big.

the_fuggler

ShandyH wrote:

The Fuggler wrote:

I've got quite wide feet and recently bought some Shimano R171s. No issue on width and a good stiff sole. I'm using the Shimano inners with medium support. Impressed so far.

Interesting. Do they come up standard size? Seems a lot of bike shoes come up a size small.

I'm wearing the same size as with normal shoes, but I'd say the Shimano shoes are a touch smaller (maybe half a size).