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Road Shoe Advice

by SilverMerlin
Sat, Nov 01, 2014 17:49
7

I am about to get a Planet X RT58 and will be going for the bike fit soon 1 . For the fit I will need some shoes. I just wondered if anyone could offer some advice about a good pair of three bolt shoes? I will hopefully be using the bike a fair amount and want a comfortable well specced shoe that does not get painful when cycling for hours. I plan to do some sportives next summer.

My budget is around the £100 to £130 range. I have looked at the Shimano RT170 which I can get for around £115 online:
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/shimano-r170-spd-sl-road-cycling-shoes/

However they looks like they are going to be replaced by the RT171 at the end of November (although I will need the shoes for the bike fit before then).

Could anyone offer any advice on a good quality road shoe that fits my needs and my budget?

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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7 comments

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SilverMerlin | 9 years ago
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Thanks for all the helpful advice. I tried a few pairs on at various bike shops over the weekend all different brands, sizes and prices. Nothing really felt right. Most had an inflexible, plasticky upper.

On Saturday night I noticed on the Evans Cycles website that the Giro Empires were available for around £160. I reserved a pair and tried them on at a local store the next day and they were by far the best fit. The upper is quite supple yet the sole is very stiff. I also like the lace up system as this allows for small changes to be made to the fit. They also look good and I should be able to easily fit an overshoe over them when the weather starts getting colder. You can also change the amount of arch support as different inserts are provided. All in all a bit more flexibility in altering the shoe to fit my feet which you don't seem to get with others.Bit more than I ideally wanted to pay, but hopefully a good choice.

Very impressed by them but still have not tried them actually cycling at the moment which is obviously key. I think they normally cost around the £220 mark so £160 is pretty reasonable. I also received a £20 gift voucher.

All I need now is a bike! But should get my Planet X RT58 within a week or so. Not long to wait now.

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mobydick64 | 9 years ago
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You will pay more at your LBS than online, but in the long term will save money by not buying shoes online that dont fit. i must have bought 8 - 9 pairs to find the right ones for me.

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trikeman | 9 years ago
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Hi, hope this helps.
I changed shoes like cycling shorts for a while trying to get the best fit and long distance comfort, had shoe fits etc, had £300 S-Works jobbies, Bonts, Sidi's and still couldn't find something that met the bill.
However, I bought a pair of these and have not looked back since - Funkier FLR F-35 Road Bike Cycling Shoes, they cost me all of £29.95 from eBay (new) and are fabulous to wear, like slippers with mega adjustments for width and security. Stiff enough (maybe not for Cav) and extremely comfortable - but there again I ride carbon only saddles which most don't, so as with saddles - it's a very personal thing as we are all different. I agree with the above that trying them on before purchase is wise, however they can feel comfortable standing in a shop but after 50 miles on the saddle the same shoes can feel like your Wife's high heels and cramping you to stop and yell at them.

Please don't think 'the more you pay, the better' either....... Some may shun at my choice, but only to ridicule the low price or defend their high price ones - been there but would choose these over any of the high price ones I've had.

Regards,

Trikeman. 3

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Jimmy Ray Will | 9 years ago
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This is a tricky one... in an ideal world you would go get your feet fitted/reviewed, then get appropriate shoes, and then have your bike fit.

Getting shoes and then making them fit is not perfect... but what most of us will do.

The problem I have with shoes is that what feels comfy is not always what is best for you mid/long term.

I remember using DMT's a few years back and being plagued with tendonitis. The shoes always felt nice, but they didn't support my arches enough and accordingly I developed problems.

So... what I'd recommend considering is....

- Are your feet wide or narrow
- Similarly, are they low volume or high volume
- Are they big or small (by and larger, larger feet will need more support than small feet)
- Do you have pronounced arches or flat feet?
- Do your arches collapse under load or are they stable
- I'd also look at the angle of your forefoot, but this is one that will be corrected by the fitter, so not to worry about too much!

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SamShaw | 9 years ago
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Have a look at Bont shoes. Riots fit well in your budget - I got a pair this year and they're by far the comfiest cycling shoes I have, the support they offer takes a bit of getting used to but you'll miss it when you switch back to other cycling shoes. http://road.cc/content/review/95149-bont-riot-shoes

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therevokid | 9 years ago
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go to a good lbs and try them on ... a good fit is vital 1
all feet are different shapes and so are the shoes ... shimano are narrow, giro have
high arch support, some you may need to go up a size ........

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fustuarium replied to therevokid | 9 years ago
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therevokid wrote:

go to a good lbs and try them on ... a good fit is vital 1
all feet are different shapes and so are the shoes ... shimano are narrow, giro have
high arch support, some you may need to go up a size ........

I'd echo this. I went from MTB to road shoes this summer. I went to four different local bike shops and tried on nearly every pair they had before finding ones that fitted (£115 Mavic Pros). I tried on some that were twice that price and some that were half that price. Once I'd found some that fitted, a quick search on my phone whilst in the shop to read reviews and confirm they're weren't utter dogs.

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