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Wide Cycling Shoes

My cycling is blighted by my feet going to sleep because the footbox of my shoes is too tight. I have short (size 41) feet that are wide at the toes. Like a Hobbit but not as hairy.

I am wearing cheap Shimano R32 SPDs because I didn't want to spend too much on my first pair of shoes. I want to move over to SPD SL shoes because I think they will offer me a larger surface to press down on maybe stop my feet from falling to sleep. But it might be the width of my shoes. It feels very tight against my little toes and my feet fall asleep. So I'm not sure whether it's the cleats and their small surface area or the narrow shoes.

The only wide shoe I can find is a Shimano R088 wide version but that only starts in a size 42.

If you're 100 per cent sure you have very wide feet and have had problems with shoes before changing models would you mind letting me know what shoes you've moved to? I don't want to spend more than £75 and I'm not bothered how inflexible they are. I just want some comfort on my bike.

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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41 comments

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Deeferdonk | 5 years ago
0 likes

Obvious spammer is obvious.

 

( But also  - any shoe is a cycling shoe if you have flat pedals- have done 100+ miles wearing converse. You don't have to waddle around like Albert Steptoe in tap shoes when you stop for coffee and/or toilet)

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Yorkshire wallet | 5 years ago
4 likes

Pitbull, click on the link, it's just shitty styled shoes for American tourists that wear polo shirts, cargo shorts and long socks. Nothing to do with cycling. The poster isn't trying to help cyclists, there are no cycling shoes or inserts for cycling.

 

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Beecho replied to Yorkshire wallet | 5 years ago
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Yorkshire wallet wrote:

Pitbull, click on the link, it's just shitty styled shoes for American tourists that wear polo shirts, cargo shorts and long socks. 

I wear all of these things! Just not necessarily at the same time.

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Yorkshire wallet | 5 years ago
3 likes

It's an american company for fat people with bad knees and feet, clearly they don't realise this is mainly a UK based site. I doubt they'll get any buyers.

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csorthofeet | 5 years ago
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I have the most hard to satisfy feet and  they're wide. I've recently had knee replacements on both knees so the right shoes make all the difference. My uncle suggested I try Orthofeet shoes after he had great success with them. So i did. I am very, very happy with these shoes!!! Now I'm looking for some cool summer shoes to wear on my cruise! Any suggestions?

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don simon fbpe replied to csorthofeet | 5 years ago
3 likes

csorthofeet wrote:

I have the most hard to satisfy feet and  they're wide. I've recently had knee replacements on both knees so the right shoes make all the difference. My uncle suggested I try Orthofeet shoes after he had great success with them. So i did. I am very, very happy with these shoes!!! Now I'm looking for some cool summer shoes to wear on my cruise! Any suggestions?

You have no shame, do you? Free advertising is taking the piss out of a site that depends on paid advertising.  This is theft from the site owners and you should be banned. All of which makes you a bit scumlike.

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Pitbull Steelers replied to don simon fbpe | 5 years ago
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don simon wrote:

csorthofeet wrote:

I have the most hard to satisfy feet and  they're wide. I've recently had knee replacements on both knees so the right shoes make all the difference. My uncle suggested I try Orthofeet shoes after he had great success with them. So i did. I am very, very happy with these shoes!!! Now I'm looking for some cool summer shoes to wear on my cruise! Any suggestions?

You have no shame, do you? Free advertising is taking the piss out of a site that depends on paid advertising.  This is theft from the site owners and you should be banned. All of which makes you a bit scumlike.

Unbelievable, how on earth is he scumlike for making a simple suggestion that could help numerous other riders ! It beggars belief the way your brain actually thinks and going from some of the posts you put on here i think you are the one who should be banned.

Time after time people suggest companies or makers on other posts, do you want all of them banned as well.

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don simon fbpe replied to Pitbull Steelers | 5 years ago
2 likes
Pitbull Steelers wrote:

don simon wrote:

csorthofeet wrote:

I have the most hard to satisfy feet and  they're wide. I've recently had knee replacements on both knees so the right shoes make all the difference. My uncle suggested I try Orthofeet shoes after he had great success with them. So i did. I am very, very happy with these shoes!!! Now I'm looking for some cool summer shoes to wear on my cruise! Any suggestions?

You have no shame, do you? Free advertising is taking the piss out of a site that depends on paid advertising.  This is theft from the site owners and you should be banned. All of which makes you a bit scumlike.

Unbelievable, how on earth is he scumlike for making a simple suggestion that could help numerous other riders ! It beggars belief the way your brain actually thinks and going from some of the posts you put on here i think you are the one who should be banned.

Time after time people suggest companies or makers on other posts, do you want all of them banned as well.

Is csorthofeet genuinely offering good advice about orthofeet products, or launching a free advertisingg campaign? If you're gullible enough to believe that this is genuine, then knock yourself out. Yesterday they were being given away by a friedly podiatrist and today it's on the advice of a friendly uncle. Also the poster's name is a teeny weeny bit of a huge fucking giveaway!
But hey Pitbullsteeler, keep coming for me, it really makes you look silly, not reading or understanding what you're posting is not very intellectual, is it?

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csorthofeet | 5 years ago
0 likes

WIDE & X-WIDE SHOES

These shoes are amazing! I have already ordered a pair of running shoes for work. I wore these shoes all day, and had no foot pain. I have plantar fasciitis, metatarsalgia and neuropathy, and had no pain all day. The arch support is perfect, much more comfortable than my $400 orthotics. When they came in the mail, I immediately tried them on, couldn't believe when I stood up--it was heaven! I am a nurse. I have been telling everybody I work with about these shoes.

https://www.orthofeet.com/collections/wide
https://www.orthofeet.com

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part_robot | 8 years ago
1 like

I'm blessed with triangular Hobbit feet and went through almost every shoe on the market before finding my saviour; Bont Vaypor+ Wide. They are probably the widest shoes around... although even then I had to put them in the oven a few times and force them wider with a really strong shoe stretcher. 

The big issue with the them (apart from looking pretty, uh, utilitarian) is the price; £250! You can occasionally find them in odd sizes down to £150 though if you look around. Whilst that's a lot of money, it's certainly better to spend that then get Morton's Neuroma like my friend did.

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Rick99 | 8 years ago
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From my ski boot research I have what are deemed 'English' feet. High arch , normal heel and wide flat toes. Tripod flippers .....

My experience is :

Giro wide are fine except give you heel slip even in the non wide versions unless you have 'American' rectangular feet.

Specialized are nice and roomy in the toe box but don't particular cater for high arches and my view is that a single boa means that it's difficult to give some room over the arch in isolation . The high arch green inserts made a huge difference. Well worth £20.

Lake aren't wide as they used to be any more , they do in indeed have that mad carbon upstand on the soles with some of their race models;, so if they aren't wide enough they are really really uncomfortable . The competition last is more forgiving but not much . The wide models are almost impossible to get hold of in shops and I couldn't face the order 4 send back 3 plan. The U.K. Distributor doesn't even bother importing the wide versions of most of their models which is weird considering the ski boot national foot type characterisation I've come across. Lovely shoes though... Northwave fit me. They are pretty wide . Have 3 straps buckled etc or 2 Boas and they are AVAILABLE !

 

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griffly16 | 8 years ago
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I couldn't get on with Shimano or Specialized so eventually (after trying quite a few pairs - thanks Evans and Wiggle for their return policies!) I've gone for Giro Trans E70 HV (High volume). These are great for me, but not cheap.

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kaizoku0506 | 8 years ago
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Specialized shoes do come in Wide (E and EE), but there is more to think about here. I fought numb and painful feet for years before I finally developed a morton's neuroma that I couldn't ignore any longer and went in for a professional fitting. In my case, the repetitive stress of having an ill-fitted shoe led irritation and inflammation of a nerve between the third and fourth metatarsal. This translated into numb feet while cycling, pain that lasted for nearly a month while walking, and a popping sensation every time I took a step.

What I found was that, while my shoe width was correct, my insoles were not. They had been fitted to the shoe rather than my foot. This lead to my arches collapsing when I rode - flattening my feet, and putting unnecessary pressure on the ball of my foot. Furthermore, specialized shoes make the assumption that riders' toes slope outward while mine were actually neutral. All of this was solved with new insoles and a few wedges, but the difference was tremendous!

During the fitting, we also found out that I was riding the wrong pedals (or at least the wrong spindles) for my body. I have always ridden SPD-SL pedals and until just a few weeks ago had a SPD-SL Dura Ace pedal set on my Tarmac. These pedals have incredibly short spindle length which put my feet / ankles well inside my knees instead of directly below them (I suspect this could be the source of reoccurring knee pain). I'm currently testing a set of SpeedPlay Zeros to see if they feel any better.

My first few bikes, I did everything online and as cheap as possible. It wasn't until I upgraded to the Tarmac that I bothered with fittings at all. Still, I made a few assumptions about the fit of my shoes and pedals. In the end, it has cost me a lot of pain and a few lasting injuries! While you can certainly do trial and error, you really are better off finding a reputable bike shop with a trained fitter (or a pediatrist who works with cyclists) and have them help you out.

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jiberjaber | 8 years ago
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I think everyone's feet are different so as an example, I was trying Specialized shoes last week, ranging from 46 to 45 as having made the jump from SPD to SPD-SL last week, I discovered my '1-size-up to get it to fit a wider foot' size 46 Shimano shoes didn't allow enough movement on the SPD-SL compared to the SPD so I cant get the right cleat position for my fit.

That's the issue with sizing up, you run the risk of the cleat holes not being in the right range of adjustment.

What I did find was that a 45E Shimano shoe fits like a glove, unfortunately its white, so not too keen on it at the moment... presently pondering still so interested in the suggestions coming up in here  1

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stevie63 | 8 years ago
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Unfortunately I found that Shimano Wide are no wider than Specialized standard which means that they are no good for me which is a shame as Shimano are the only company that make different width shoes at a low price point.

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crikey | 8 years ago
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Shimano R171W

The W means wide, and has meant I can buy shoes in the correct size rather than buying a size up.

//images.cyclingtips.com.au/content/uploads/2014/12/2N4A8277.jpg)

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darrenleroy | 9 years ago
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So I took the shoes to the cobblers and they stretched them out for 24 hours and there is a difference. I took the bike up to Bala on the train and they were definitely more comfortable. The conditions weren't, however...

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ronin replied to darrenleroy | 8 years ago
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So, a happy ending of sorts, but for some of us the quest continues...  102

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SaltDogCycling | 9 years ago
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Recommend staying away from Specialized and Sidi if you have wide feet, as they tend to be a bit of a narrow fit. Lake and Northwave are wider fitting brands.

Lake do make a wide fit shoe for SPD cleats the Lake MX160 which come in size EU42 to EU50

http://goo.gl/2jrxGP

Lake are fairly true to size so if you wear a EU42 in your trainers and everyday shoes a EU42 should fit in Lake, In Northwave you are best going up a size from what you normally wear in the larger sizes EU43 and up.

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DanTe | 9 years ago
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You can buy Specialized footbeds and they are very good. I never realised how high my arches were until it was pointed out. The Sp BG footbed turned my feet flatter and alleviated a very similar problem to what the first poster mentioned as my toes were getting rolled to the edge of the shoe.
I have mega wide Norfolk inbred feet and Sidi Mega's fit really well once they've given a bit..

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rnick | 9 years ago
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I've a similar problem and for many years used shimano mtb shoes....until hotshot pain with the small spd pedals became a big problem. I've bought some specialized comp spd sl which do the trick. The shop spent 20 minutes sorting the fit, insole, cleat so great service from the harrogate concept store....I also picked up the 105 pedals and a set of rollers so spent a little more than planned  1

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njkacher | 9 years ago
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I've found Bontrager to be pretty roomy in the forefoot - tried a pair of Specialized Pro that felt too tight in the toe box, but the Bontrager RL of the same size were prefect. I've also had Northwaves that fit well, but the Bontrager ones seem better quality (lighter, more durable), although some of that might be down to the specific model.

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Swami Dave | 9 years ago
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OK, they're £100 but Bont's Riot may help. Massively wide toe box and the arch *can* be bent out with their heat-moulding. Giro's HV (high volume) series are plenty wide too.

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Manchestercyclist | 9 years ago
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Northwave are fairly wide, and a good price too in my opinion

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BonerFide | 9 years ago
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I share your pain (literally!!), or at least I did. I have very wide feet, with a wide and high arch. I've tried every single manufacturer I can think of and I have two pairs of Lake in 45 Wide - CX170 for winter and CX236 for best, which are about the best I can find, albeit with a replacement insole because the ones they come with are awful. These both might be hard to get hold of now though and Lake's latest shoes aren't right for me, not because of the width of the toebox which is still great, but because of the width of my arch area - they have a lovely piece of immovable carbon fibre that digs into the inside of my arch a treat. I thought Bont might have been the answer and again, nice wide toebox, but again the same issue with a wide arch and carbon digging in and they're expensive. Unfortunately with the Bonts (and any mouldable shoe I've seen), the arch area is pretty much immovable, so that won't help. Giro ACC weren't bad actually, but weren't quite right for me. Forget Sidi Mega - if they're wide I'll eat my bike. Specialized just weren't wide enough for me, but wider than many. Shimano were pretty good, but the mouldable ones were megabucks. Mavic, Northwave, Fizik, Time, Spiuk, Suplest and DHB all tried and rejected, but it really depends on how truly wide your feet are. Nike used to do great SPD shoes, but they're not available anymore and I don't use SPD's anymore either.

Basically, you need to find a helpful/co-operative shop/website and try different shoes until you find the ones that are right for you. Unfortunately, nobody offers low end shoes in wide, so getting them for under £70 might be a challenge.

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darrenleroy | 9 years ago
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I've finally found a pair of Shimano shoes that do a size 41 in a wide fit:

http://www.rosebikes.co.uk/article/shimano-sh-r088-e-road-shoes-extra-wi...

SHIMANO SH-R088 E road shoes extra-wide
£ 72.57 £ 84.66

On the Wiggle site they didn't go down to a 41. Why is it so flipping hard just to buy a pair of shoes????

The R0-75 shoes seem to be unavailable at the moment.

I'm not going to get the R0-88s in time for visiting my new LBS (to fit some new bars to replace the hideous ergo ones that are anything but) so in the meantime I've taken my SPD Shimano shoes to the cobblers to see if he can stretch them out for me enough that I can ride on Saturday.

Then I'm going to get the R0-88s, fit my SPD-SL pedals and see if that helps. Cheers for the advice, everyone.

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pcaley | 9 years ago
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I have very wide feet so always have difficulty finding any shoes. I can get my feet into some styles of size 6 extra wide from Clarks, but found Shimano RO75 size 42 cycling shoes were wide enough. Don't worry if the shoes are a little long at the front as it won't matter when either cycling or walking in them. I am in the market for a new pair this year and will likely go for RO88 wide fit shoes. Don't forget to wear thin socks. If using overshoes get ones with a velcro closure under the sole so as not to add unwanted tightness.

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PonteD | 9 years ago
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Take up climbing! squeezing your feet into impossibly tight shoes several hours a week really starts to deform them nicely. My only problem is that if I take a break my feet "relax" and the whole painful process starts again.

I consider my feet to be fairly wide and as an adult I'm still stuck with shopping at Clarks for my work shoes. As for on the bike, my first pair of shimano's were a little tight, but the MW81's I have at the moment are just fine. They were a little tight to begin with, but have since stretched to fit rather comfortably.

There was a similar thread a few weeks ago on this same topic. I think the OP in that case wound up with some Lake shoes. Other than binding your feet or surgery to remove a toe, the only other advice I have is get to a few shops and try on as many pairs as you feel you need to.

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truffy | 9 years ago
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I have wide feet and heard that SIDI are narrow. But the half sizes are wider. So I have 44.5 shoes and they're fine (wider than a 44, not as long as a 45).

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therevokid | 9 years ago
0 likes

I'm slightly bigger @ 43, but paddle shaped !.
I've found northwave and spiuk have markedly wider toe boxes than
just about all the others I've tried.

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