Shoe Fitters

ibr17xvii

Looking for somewhere that would do me a shoe fitting service that would involve measuring my feet properly & looking at arch height etc in NW England.

I seem to be unable to buy a pair of shoes that I'm comfortable in as don't if it's just me but they feel totally different on & off the bike. I try a pair on, walk around my house in them for a bit, they feel fine but as soon as I get some cleats on & take them out they seem to feel totally different. By then it's obviously too late to return them. I'm probably on my 3rd or 4th pair of shoes & I still don't seem to have it right.

Would like to find someone that would go to town on my feet (so to speak) & then either make a recommendation of a shoe (& possibly an insole) or sell it me there & then.

Any help or recommendations would be gratefully received.

cougie

https://www.bike-science.com/pages/shoe-fitting

Call these guys - they have a place in Derby ?

pilot_pete

Just get a shoe that is the correct size (not too tight/ loose at the toes) and have some custom foot beds made. No point walking around the house in a cycle shoe (especially a road shoe) as they are not designed for comfortable walking.

Especially if you are buying quality cycle shoes, many tend to come with a crap insole as they assume most people will get a custom foot bed moulded to their particular foot. I have Sidas footbeds that are several years old and have been swapped from shoe to shoe and they are supremely comfortable.

PP

ibr17xvii

cougie wrote:

https://www.bike-science.com/pages/shoe-fitting

Call these guys - they have a place in Derby ?

Bit further than I wanted to travel ideally but cheers for the suggestion. What they do seems exactly what I'm looking for.

ibr17xvii

Pilot Pete wrote:

Just get a shoe that is the correct size (not too tight/ loose at the toes) and have some custom foot beds made. No point walking around the house in a cycle shoe (especially a road shoe) as they are not designed for comfortable walking.

Especially if you are buying quality cycle shoes, many tend to come with a crap insole as they assume most people will get a custom foot bed moulded to their particular foot. I have Sidas footbeds that are several years old and have been swapped from shoe to shoe and they are supremely comfortable.

PP

That was another course of action to be considered as well. I have some Bonts that the insole is so flimsy you can literally feel the cleat bolt screws on your foot. I know the Bonts have a thin sole anyway but that to me seems a bit mental. Just got some Gaerne shoes & they are the same.

Any recommendation as to where to go for a custom insole?

wongataa

Places that do proper ski boot fitting should be able to do them.

ibr17xvii

wongataa wrote:

Places that do proper ski boot fitting should be able to do them.

Sidas themselves are based in Kendal which isn't all that far from where I am so I guess they would do it on site.

Slightly concerned that if I have my shoes wrong then it will be a waste of time which is why I'm not sure if a full shoe fitting would be better.

ibr17xvii

Pilot Pete wrote:

Just get a shoe that is the correct size (not too tight/ loose at the toes) and have some custom foot beds made. No point walking around the house in a cycle shoe (especially a road shoe) as they are not designed for comfortable walking.

Especially if you are buying quality cycle shoes, many tend to come with a crap insole as they assume most people will get a custom foot bed moulded to their particular foot. I have Sidas footbeds that are several years old and have been swapped from shoe to shoe and they are supremely comfortable.

PP

This is the bit I'm really struggling with. Something that seems so simple I'm finding it impossible to get right.

Got some Gaerne shoes that once I have the cleats on & take them out on the road now feel too big after feeling fine in the house. Like you say walking around the house with them is no good but not sure how else I'm supposed to test them.

I hate any kind of new shoes at the best of times but this is really leaving me stumped.

sungod

you're not giving any specific detail of what the problem is, uncomfortable/too large in what way?

hot spots? too long? too wide? heel lift? etc.

if, say, you over pronate, seems likely you'll need footbeds to correct, do you over pronate?

imposter2.0

ibr17xvii wrote:

This is the bit I'm really struggling with. Something that seems so simple I'm finding it impossible to get right.

Got some Gaerne shoes that once I have the cleats on & take them out on the road now feel too big after feeling fine in the house. Like you say walking around the house with them is no good but not sure how else I'm supposed to test them.

I hate any kind of new shoes at the best of times but this is really leaving me stumped.

You also haven't said if there is anything particularly unusual about your feet? Give the issues you are having, I'm assuming there is, but it would be worthwhile knowing what the specific issues are..

pilot_pete

I’ve never found it overly complicated. It’s just like wearing/ fitting normal shoes. I try the shoe on, make sure my toes aren’t too bunched up at the front or slopping around like a clowns. I check the width isn’t sloppy similarly, or pinching me too tightly. I push my foot fully forward in the shoes to make sure there is no excessive gap at the heel. I want snug, comfortable, but not tight.

I do this with my footbeds fitted in place of the supplied flimsy insoles. I try the adjustments, such as the wire Boa dials/ Velcro to ensure I can get a descent ‘tightness’, adjust the heel cup (which you can do with some Sidi shoes) then pull down on the heel to see if my foot tries to slip out of the shoe. If I can’t adjust to stop that then the shoe is not right for me. I now stick with Sidi shoes as I can achieve that easily and comfortably with that brand so why change? I can buy them online as I know what size fits me like a glove.

It’s as simple as that really. When you say it feels like they are too big once you are on the bike, is that your heel trying to slip out of the shoe on the upstroke of the pedal? Tighten the shoes a bit more and if it still happens or you have to have them done up uncomfortably tight to prevent it I suspect your shoe choice (and especially the heel cup) is not suited to your foot.

As others have said, more specifics about your feet and a better description of how the shoes feel too big when on the bike would help.

PP

ibr17xvii

Thanks for the replies. Here goes:

My left foot more often than not feels comfortable on the bike. I've tried a fair few shoe / footbed combinations & it doesn't seem too much of an issue once get used to it. However I always get pins & needles in my toes & a fairly numb foot anything over approx 50 miles. This will temporarily go away either when I stop or if I unclip for 10-15 seconds & then reappear a few miles later. This has always happened no matter what I've done & I guess I've learnt to put up with it.

Right foot also suffers from the same pins & needle / numbness problem. However I don't seem to be able to get the same comfort on my right foot. I usually don't like shoes to be too tight so I err on the side of going bigger. This normally means that unless I tighten them really tight my foot is moving about, as is my heel & the arch support feels totally in the wrong place.

If I go smaller then obviously they feel too tight & my pins & needles problem worsens.

I don't seem to be able to get a shoe that gives me enough room but not too much so my foot is sliding about & the arch is in the right place but then not too tight that it's constrictive & uncomfortable. On the bike I normally feel my feet are moving around excessively, my heels the same & the arch support on my right foot seems all the over the place. I guess it will though with ill fitting shoes. It's costing me an arm & a leg trying all these different brands!

I should point out I've never had any kind of bike fit, shoe fit or anything along those lines so I've no idea about measurements or particularly something like arch support hence my OP. I've done home made measurements on my feet & tried to see what kind of arches I have but this hasn't really made that much difference.

sungod

for pins and needles/numbness try footbeds with a metatarsal button/bump in them, specialized bg ones for instance

if your feet are moving around in the shoes then the shoes are too big, having to over tighten to compensate will just exacerbate the problem with numbness

these shoes you find too small, are they too short? or are they too narrow? may be that you need a wide or narrow fit in the correct size for your foot length

imo static assessment of arches is no use, best to do it dynamically, couple of simple tests...
- stand barefoot on one leg facing a mirror, bend that knee to lower yourself down as far as you can then straighten again, if your knee tends to rotate inwards as you lower then you might need extra arch support
- as you pedal, do your knees move in a vertical plane parallel to the frame, or do they move side to side each revolution, the latter may mean you need more arch support

again, specialized bg footbeds might be an option, if there's a specialized concept store nearby they can help with selection

ibr17xvii

sungod wrote:

for pins and needles/numbness try footbeds with a metatarsal button/bump in them, specialized bg ones for instance

if your feet are moving around in the shoes then the shoes are too big, having to over tighten to compensate will just exacerbate the problem with numbness

these shoes you find too small, are they too short? or are they too narrow? may be that you need a wide or narrow fit in the correct size for your foot length

imo static assessment of arches is no use, best to do it dynamically, couple of simple tests...
- stand barefoot on one leg facing a mirror, bend that knee to lower yourself down as far as you can then straighten again, if your knee tends to rotate inwards as you lower then you might need extra arch support
- as you pedal, do your knees move in a vertical plane parallel to the frame, or do they move side to side each revolution, the latter may mean you need more arch support

again, specialized bg footbeds might be an option, if there's a specialized concept store nearby they can help with selection

Spookily the Specialized footbeds were next on my list to try!

The shoes that I find too small are usually too tight further up if that makes sense, I tend to find my toes are squashed up. Plenty of room going forward so my toes aren't at the end or anything like that but I can't stand my toes getting scruched together.

When I measured my feet I don't think they came out particularly wide but I have tried some wider fitting shoes such as Bonts cos of my toe situation. I found those probably the best of what I've used comfort wise but still probably a bit on the big side as my feet were moving about.

Obviously they can be heat moulded as well but I'm a wee bit loathe to go down that route in case they aren't any better & then obviously they're not as saleable.

sungod

most shoes have pretty thin insoles, adding a better insole especially if it has additional arch support will use up some volume, which makes the shoe a bit snugger

moulding can make a huge difference to the fit of bonts, mine would be way too loose around the heel if i didn't mould them, if done correctly moulding them is not irreversible

ibr17xvii

sungod wrote:

most shoes have pretty thin insoles, adding a better insole especially if it has additional arch support will use up some volume, which makes the shoe a bit snugger

moulding can make a huge difference to the fit of bonts, mine would be way too loose around the heel if i didn't mould them, if done correctly moulding them is not irreversible

Nearly all the insoles I've had that come with shoes are scarily thin but I think I need to concentrate on getting the shoe fit right 1st before I look at insoles.

Still would like to get my feet measured & assessed properly but there doesn't seem to be anywhere reasonably local to me that will do it.