Bargain shoes?

bonk_king

I came across a deal on wiggle today regarding DHB Aeron Lab Carbon road shoes. RRP is £180 but they are on offer for £40, a huge saving.

I've looked at a couple of reviews and they seem very favourable so i've pulled the trigger and bought a pair.

As anyone else seen this deal, or already has a pair? Are they as good as what the reviews say?

pangolin

They're discussed a little on the last page here

https://forum.bikeradar.com/discussion/comment/21014302#Comment_21014302

Think most of the recent dhb shoes have qc issues with the bolts but you may be fine

wobblebob

bonk_king said:

I came across a deal on wiggle today regarding DHB Aeron Lab Carbon road shoes. RRP is £180 but they are on offer for £40, a huge saving.

I've looked at a couple of reviews and they seem very favourable so i've pulled the trigger and bought a pair.

As anyone else seen this deal, or already has a pair? Are they as good as what the reviews say?

33 reviews with 12 of them getting a 1 star rating and a 2.8/5 overall doesn't seem that favourable to me

super_davo

I bought them at £40. Cleat bolts aside, they are a nice pair of shoes but never worth £180.

I think £100 would be fair.

Not the most breathable, and the ATOP dials are notably worse than the Boas I have on my Fiziks. But nice carbon sole, the golfball finish looks really good and the heel grips really well.

super_davo

wobblebob said:

bonk_king said:

I came across a deal on wiggle today regarding DHB Aeron Lab Carbon road shoes. RRP is £180 but they are on offer for £40, a huge saving.

I've looked at a couple of reviews and they seem very favourable so i've pulled the trigger and bought a pair.

As anyone else seen this deal, or already has a pair? Are they as good as what the reviews say?

33 reviews with 12 of them getting a 1 star rating and a 2.8/5 overall doesn't seem that favourable to me

But virtually all those are because of cleat bolts. Which you can work around, as per the other thread.

I would not want to work around those issues on a £180 pair of shoes, so I get the reason for the feedback, but if you do you've got a great pair of shoes for £40.

bonk_king

I know cycling shoes can go for silly money and £180 is no where near the top end. But even so I'd have thought the cleats should be hassle free at that price point.

I'll just have to see how I get on with them. At the end of the day I bet several riders have forked out the full £180! Ouch!

MidlandsGrimpeur2

For £40 I would say they are worth a go. If you do get a pair with cleat issues then surely you can send them back for a refund anyway?

bonk_king

I can happily report that I've had no issues with cleat attachment whatsoever.

They seem a good pair of shoes, very comfy, and yes, the golf ball surface look is quite a nice finish, but as mentioned £180 seems a bit steep, good job I got them for £40!!

One thing I will say though, and this was also picked up on in one of the reviews I read. The tongue seems a little long and when you have both fasteners tightened up the top of the tongue digs into your skin where your foot bends.

In fact it became quite uncomfortable after an hour or so. I slackened off the top fastener to alleviate the pressure and it worked a treat. Maybe in time the tongue will soften and loosen up a bit more.

pblakeney

bonk_king said:

...
One thing I will say though, and this was also picked up on in one of the reviews I read. The tongue seems a little long and when you have both fasteners tightened up the top of the tongue digs into your skin where your foot bends.
...

Some Sidi models used to have this issue. The solution was to cut a series of slits so the tongue would splay out. They did have indentations for this though so it could have been intentional.

joeyhalloran

Wrong thread!

andyrr

I’m still tempted to buy a pair of the DHBs, lace up or Aerons - did you also size down for your pair?

bonk_king

andyrr said:

I’m still tempted to buy a pair of the DHBs, lace up or Aerons - did you also size down for your pair?

It:s funny you should mention the sizing. I opted for my usual size 9. When they came i thought they looked big, and sure enough when I put them side by side with my current size 9 road shoes they looked bigger! I thought I'd cocked up.

But when I tried them on they were fine. The slightly more roomier DHB's are ok with me anyway as there won't be any issues wearing thicker socks when it's colder.

charlie_potatoes

andyrr said:

I’m still tempted to buy a pair of the DHBs, lace up or Aerons - did you also size down for your pair?

I bought a pair of the Dorica Carbon sole for 30 big ones. I wore them for the first time today. I went one size down and the fit is really good they look a little chunkier than my Giro empires and probably can accommodate a thicker sock. They only weigh 227grams (size 42). I was careful tightening the cleats and they seemed to cope okay with my new 16Nm pedals.