Road Cycling - Biking shoes in wide width

Hi All

I have been a serious rider for seven years. I have never used biking shoes/clipless pedals, etc., but would like to do so. I notice with century plus rides especially, my feet are taking a beating.

Here's my dilemna. I wear orthotics in my shoes due to problems with plantar fascitis (heel spurs) and other ankle problems. My feet are a normal width, but I need wide width shoes to fit the orthotics into. Any suggestions re. biking shoes? Any company that sells wider widths, or, just runs wide?

Thanks for the help!

Mary Ann

Sidi makes most of their shoes in a mega size for men(I do not know about womens). I have the mega sized road shoes and I love them. Go to sidi.com to check them out and I would suggest your LBS so you can try them on and exchange them if need be as the prices are comparitable with mail order.

Cowgirl,
Buy a size or size and a half larger than your normal shoe size. For example, I wear a 36 Sidi (women's) but I went to a 37 and 1/2 to accomodate my full length orthodotic. By going to a larger size you should be able to find a shoe that is wide enough.
Kathi

Thank you, Kathi and dws5b. Good advice.

Mary Ann

Why in the world do bicycle shoe companies (even Nike) insist on using metric sizes in the US? I'm not saying that the US system of sizing shoes is better than the metric system, but it is the system we use here. Most of the shoes sold in this country are made somewhere else (usually in a n Asian sweatshop, but that's another rant). The only other shoe that I know of that's sized metrically is Birkenstock.

If you ask me, There is something of a corporate poser mentality in all this.

Well,
Sidi, Vittoria, and Carnac are all EUROPEAN manufactures
which is why shoes are sized metric.

Makes sense to me.

Marty

Originally posted by lotek
Well,
Sidi, Vittoria, and Carnac are all EUROPEAN manufactures
which is why shoes are sized metric.

Makes sense to me.

Marty

Gucci is European too but the use standard sizing. Nike is American and the only thing they size metrically is their cycling shoes. Performance, Nashbar, Supergo is an American conglomerate and they size their shoes metrically even in the domestic market.

Their are many. many European and Asian companies selling goods in the US and they pretty much all use US sizing. Why are cycling shoes different?

If this is just a tradition, something to make American cyclists feel a kinship with their brethern across the sea, fine. I'm just curious.

Actually I don't have a clue as to why they do this,
other than a suspicion that more cycling apparel is
sold in Europe than in the U.S. so they cater to the
greater market.
Of course I don't know if this is true or not,
but it makes a certain sense to me.
Now, I don't want to get into the whole
metric/imperial debate, but it sure would be
easier if the whole world used one standard
(and it ain't gonna be imperial!).
I believe that Nike use metric, US and UK sizing (maybe
japanese also) on their shoe boxes.

Marty