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Recommend me some road shoes.

JesseDJesseD Posts: 1,961
edited July 2016 in Road buying advice
I'm after a new pair of road shoes, I am currently using some black Shimano R320's in size 45 which were heat mouldable and are great and really comfortable, but after a hard winter are looking a bit battered so I fancied done new ones in white.

I have just bought a pair of Shimano R171's in a size 45 thinking the fit would be very close both being Shimano does and the same size, however the R171's feel much wider/bigger than the 320's and do much so the material across the toe box pulls/wrinkles a bit when I tighten them up.

My budget is around £130, happy to get last years model if going cheap, want a carbon sole and preferably white!

I know fit is the most impugning but am after suggestions for what I should be looking at.

Thanks
Obsessed is a word used by the lazy to describe the dedicated!

Posts

  • mct88mct88 Posts: 36
    Northwave Extreme 3s (the 3 strap velcro not boa ones) can be picked up at a good price. And in white!

    I got some last month, I love them - but aesthetically, with white shoes any fabric ventilation covering gets smattered and stained up if you get caught out in the rain without overshoes. They're now crisp white vinyl with brown fabric panels!
  • diamonddogdiamonddog Posts: 3,426
    Mavic Ksirium Ultimate II, got some as a present and done about 80 miles in them up to now and I'm impressed.
    Boa/Velcro fastenings and cushioned tongue works well.
    They do size up really small though, I have their 40.66 (7) and normally buy 39/40 (5.5/6), on sale at Wiggle £105.
  • luv2rideluv2ride Posts: 2,367
    I'd also recommend Mavic Road Pros - there were some great deals about this year as they've been replaced by the Ksyriums. I also have some Mavic Zxelliums - apparently "higher end" than my Road Pros but I still prefer the Pro's....
    Titus Silk Road Ti rigid 29er - Scott Solace 10 disc - Kinesis Crosslight Pro6 disc - Scott CR1 SL - Pinnacle Arkose X 650b - Pinnacle Arkose singlespeed - Specialized Singlecross...& an Ernie Ball Musicman Stingray 4 string...
  • BelgianBeerGeekBelgianBeerGeek Posts: 5,226
    You have a decent budget and are the same size as me. To (sort of) add to the above, I have found Specialized shoes to be narrow, but try some, that might have been resolved?
    Good luck, I have found the hunt for decent shoes to be the hardest of all bike purchases.
    Ecrasez l’infame
  • JesseDJesseD Posts: 1,961
    Aesthetically the Mavic ultimately don't do it for me, not a fan of the black mesh bit, understand they do it as it will get dirty quickly but maybe grey or silver would have been better?

    Never had Spesh shoes, almost bought some sworks one a while back but couldn't get on with the sizing, maybe should try again.
    Obsessed is a word used by the lazy to describe the dedicated!
  • giropaulgiropaul Posts: 414
    I use Shimano In both the models you have, and some others - all 43 Wide. They all fit pretty much identically.
    Check under the tongue, it doesn't say W does it ? If it does, you may have got a wide fit pair, which could explain the difference.
  • JesseDJesseD Posts: 1,961
    Just checked and it say SH-R171W which I presume is the wide version, I ordered the standard ones and the order sheet confirms this!

    Back they go!

    Thanks giropaul
    Obsessed is a word used by the lazy to describe the dedicated!
  • StillGoingStillGoing Posts: 5,207
    mct88 wrote:
    Northwave Extreme 3s (the 3 strap velcro not boa ones) can be picked up at a good price. And in white!

    I got some last month, I love them - but aesthetically, with white shoes any fabric ventilation covering gets smattered and stained up if you get caught out in the rain without overshoes. They're now crisp white vinyl with brown fabric panels!

    You can get the NW Extreme 2 boa fastener ones for not much more if you shop around. Very comfy shoes with 3 or 4 hole fixing for cleats.
    I ride a bike. Doesn't make me green or a tree hugger. I drive a car too.
  • JesseDJesseD Posts: 1,961
    Emailed Evans where I bought the shoes from, but haven't had a response which is too be expected as I only did it last night, however I thought I would Google the shoe model number and now I am not sure SH-R171W is the code for the wide model as it just brings up the standard one?

    Anyone able to confirm the model number for the wide version, is it SH-R171W or is there something else that will indicate it?
    Obsessed is a word used by the lazy to describe the dedicated!
  • diamonddogdiamonddog Posts: 3,426
    Looks like that code is just a ref for the colour -W white or L black on the Shimano site.
    Link here - http://www.shimano-lifestylegear.com/gl ... ontentsPro
  • giropaulgiropaul Posts: 414
    edited July 2016
    All my wide fits have WE at the end of the code

    Edit : it's the E bit, not the W it seems
  • giropaulgiropaul Posts: 414
    OK, back to the easiest one, does it say (size) E on the footbed? E equals wide fit.
  • JesseDJesseD Posts: 1,961
    giropaul - will check when I get in but a bit more googling has found that the boxes for the shoes in wide have WIDE written on them, mine doesn't so it looks like they are the right shoes but just too wide for me. The R320's I have which were heat moulded to my feet have been amazing, just seems that if I buy Shimano I need to get heat mouldable ones as standard ones wont do.

    Looks like these are going back and the search starts again.
    Obsessed is a word used by the lazy to describe the dedicated!
  • shing83shing83 Posts: 61
    The Shimano RP9 come in White as well and they are great and heatmouldable like the R321. I think they're in your price range. I got them in black for £140 about 6 months ago, and they've been great. I am selling them, through no fault of the shoes themselves but the fact that I just prefer SPD shoes which allow me to more easily walk around when off the bike.
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