Road Cycling - New shoes a tad narrow. Ideas?

Got some new road shoes and they're a tad narrow. They work pretty well for shorter distances, but I'm afraid that they'll be uncomfortable on longer rides when my feet start to swell some. Any idea how I could stretch them some? They're Lake CX125's

PS. I can wiggle my toes a bit, but I'm used to shoes where I can place my big toe on top of my 2nd toe. Should I expect this with road shoes?

Are they leather or synthetic? Leather shoes can be stretched slightly with the aid of a little washing-up liquid (dish-soap?) rubbed inside before the shoe is streched with ideally a proper wooden shoe stretcher (they expand via a screw thread) or whatever you can bodge from the tool shed.

Road shoes need to fit tight but not uncomfortably (tighter than walking shoes), but expect a break-in period, after that it should be ok. Note that they should not hurt in any circumstances, even during the break-in period.

"Action leather" which, I assume, is real. I peeled the sticker out of the shoe w/o paying attention :p

Note that they should not hurt in any circumstances They don't hurt, but they're kind of uncomfortable when I'm not on the bike, but not painfully so. They seem OK on the bike and I'm really just worried about if my feet swell on longer rides...

You might want to take them to your local cobble (shoe repair guy, I think that is what a "cobble" is...or a hat maker, but I think you get the picture) and they have a device that will stretch them for you. Should be less than five bucks.

Please note: Do this at your own risk.

I just feel that if they do not fit just right, it's money thrown away. I have had Shimano's cheapest and second most expensive road shoes and they have both been the most comfortable shoes of any sort I have worn. You need to find the brand that works for you. What's your width?

Rich

I think it's an E and the shoes are a D.

Too tight!


Idea? My idea is GO TO A LOCAL SHOP!!!! ONE THAT HAS A GUY THAT KNOWS SOMETHING ABOUT FITTING ROADIE SHOES (there are plenty that don't)!!! TRY THEM ON!!! SHOES ARE THE HARDEST PIECE OF CYCLING EQUIPMENT TO FIT RIGHT, INCLUDING THE BIKE!!! I paid approximately 30% extra for my current shoes, because I wanted an expert to help me get it right, and skip the pain of trial and error and bad decisions. And It's not much money when pro-rated over the number of times that I will use them.


Or are you the guy that lives 150 miles from east BF? :o

Another poster said the shoes should be tight, I'd put it differently... they shouldn't be loose. The sole should be the width of your foot (no wider), at the front. When you put them on, thump the back of your heel against the floor to make sure your foot is all the way back. Your toes should not be pinched at all. When you put them on and fasten them down, your foot shouldn't move around, and it shouldn't require tightening things so much that it limits circulation. My feet are slightly wider than an average American, but not so much that I need to find special sizes when buying normal shoes. Of the cycling shoes I've had experience with, Shimanos were fine, as were standard width Sidi's. The megas were too wide.

Even mail order, sometimes the sales people can help out, ask them. If they don't know, ask them if there is someone there who knows or can help.

As for the rant, here's mine: ;)

WHY SHOULD I GO TO A SHOP THAT SEELS A PAIR OF SHOES FOR $80 WHEN I CAN GET THEM ONLINE FOR $25?!?!?! Bike shops are cool, but I've always disliked excessive markups (which the LBS I have to drive 1+ hour to get to does). When I lived in VA, I had one nearby that had better prices, but I wasn't as big into cycling then :P but you're right about shoes. I've found they are much harder to fit than I ever imagined. :(

Anyway, the shoes fit snug and the sole is the width of the bottom of my feet (it seems). The only "problem" is that my toes are slightly big and kind of "splay" out. The shoes tends to compress them a bit. It's not uncomfortable around the balls of my feet, heel, etc, or even really the toes, just a sense that I should have more room. Hadn't thought to thump the back of my heel on the ground. Good idea. I don't really have to crank the straps down to keep them on. When all's said and done, they're gonna be a bit small and I know not to buy Lakes unless they're the wide version or I can get a 46.5. Nevertheless, I paid $25 for them and I'm betting I can get a good amount of use before I have to get a new pair, especially if they'll stretch just 5%. In that time, I can find a pair of shoes for what they're *worth*, not for what they're sold... (I'm the guy that screams about "American decadence" when I see an $80 pair of Nikes, so I have the same problem with cycling shoes...)

Sometimes you do get what you pay for. I certainly wouldn't buy anything where sizing is critical unless I could try it on first. Also, your LBS is entitled to make a living too. Just because he can't buy warehouse sized lots at deep discounts doesn't mean that you are being ripped off, and if it is a really good shop, they probably dispense very expensive wisdom at NO CHARGE. Try getting that from someplace hundreds of miles away. I'm all for saving dough where it makes sense to, but if you are experiencing discomfort from your cheap shoes, then you not only paid too much for them, but you will lose money in the end because you will eventually spend more money when you go to a shop to get fitted properly for your second pair. I have found that the money I save by buying the right thing once, using the discount I get from belonging to the Charles River Wheelmen, and not having to pay shipping usually balances with the discount prices available in the catalogs. Plus I walk out of the store full of free coffee, with the item(s) that I want, and have spent time in the company of other cyclists.

True, but an LBS for me means:

Drive for an hour and a half. Fight city traffic. Find a parking spot. Have someone follow me around when I'm looking at the expensive bikes because they're afraid I'll get fingerprints on them. Have 15 people ask me if they can help (when I need help, I'll ask) instead of letting me take it all in. Pay 9% tax (shipping for me is usually free since I use 10-20% coupons when I shop online). Watch the personnel flock to the poser who just drove up in a Mercedes. See a saddle bag for $15 when I know it's only worth $5 (construction issues, etc). And so on. Then I get to drive 1.5 hours back home...

I don't have anything against LBS's, but it's just not worth it most of the time. I checked out the prices at the nearest LBS the other week and found that I had saved $200 buying online (about 40%) in the past several months. It's just more cost-effective for me. As for coffee, I wish. The ones near me are more Local Bike *Stores* than shops. Kind of in it to move merchandise. There's a smaller one that's further away that's fun to visit, but the drive is the sticking point. Maybe if I lived in the big city, but then I wouldn't have country roads where I could do 60 miles on a Sunday monrning and only see 10 cars...

PS Let me add:

Being annoyed when I just want to talk about the 2003 USPS edition Trek, not buy it :P :(

Back to the shoes, I just put them on and they felt a bit less tight. I think after I wear them in, they may be OK. I'll take them on my Sunday training ride (50-60 miles) and then I'll have a good idea how they feel. The stiffer sole is pretty wierd already. I had mtb shoes and they had much mroe flex... :)

I think you got yourself a bad bike shop. Are there any other good bike shops in the same radius? What city are you near? I'm sure someone on BF can tell you about a good shop that would be more than happy to talk to you for hours about the 2003 USPS trek.

I'm fortunate that I have a good bike shop close to my house. Typcially, I will pay the same or less then what I would pay for an identical item ordered via the mail. (Of course, I do have to pay the sale's tax.) And that's at a very small shop which has very little local competition (but a lot of competition an hour or so away.) (I should say, they can't match the huge clearence specials or the off-brands offered by the mail-order shops.) Depending upon what I need, I will order do the mail order thing, so I am not one of those who is totally against the entire idea of mail order.

Definately, don't buy anything at a bike shop that is overpriced. Or items that are manufactured poorly. Actually, I haven't really seen anything of real poor quality in most LBS. And if they were there, the people steered me away from it. If you have seen something in one of the catalogs for less (but not clearence) try asking if they can match the price. Sometimes they can. Sometimes they can't.

Yes, it is a long drive that you don't want to make that often. Yes, the prices may be a little more than mail order prices. But, sometimes, you end up with the most expensive $55 savings you have ever spent.

I live an hour+ SE of Dallas, TX. Dallas has "Richardson Bike Mart" but it takes some doing to get to it. E TX doesn't have much of anything... :P

Carl, I asked you width because I also am an E. My Shimano RO 72Y pair are a wonderful fit (44-E). Some catalog might still have them on sale. I don't know if they're still available in the regular stock or if they have been replaced by the RO 73, which are the same price--about $70.

Good luck!

Rich

It sounds like you will have to either return the shoes for a half size larger, or you'll have to buy a new pair of shoes.

It is true just as you said- your feet will swell while exercising, so if the shoes are a bit narrow when you're putting them on during your inactive time, it will only become more uncomfortable for you during your rides.

:( Sorry, a new pair of shoes is going to be warranted in this case. :cry:

Koffee

Thanks Stinger. I'll keep that in mind for a future purchase.

Koffee: After riding about 15 miles, the shoes have loosend up a bit and feel better. I've got a 60 mile training ride Sunday, so I'll wait until then to pass judgment. If they survive that, I'll consider them good :)

From what you're saying, and if "action leather" isn't just another word for vinyl, I think ehenz hit the toenail on the head. If Sundays ride doesn't do it, Take them to a cobbler and get the toe box stretched.

P.S. to ehenz: I think a hat-maker is called a milliner.

A solution that has worked for me regarding shoe that are a little to tight is to take 2 hockey pucks and jam one in each toe box of your shoes, let them sit for a day, then check for fit. (Repeat if necessary until you get the desired fit).

can you return them to the mail order and get shimano's? shimano's tend to run wider from personal experience. road shoes are made to stay stiff (better power transfer) vs. street shoes, where wear will 'break them in'

I could send them back, but I got a REALLY good deal (for my wallet). Only $25. If they give me trouble on Sunday, I may return them, but I've found that the only real discomfort is OFF the bike, and that's when I put them on for the first time that day (morning when my feet are a bit swollen). When I ride home from work, they seem to fit just fine. I think with winter coming, I'll try to hold onto them since I'll switch back to my mtb shoes in a month or two. But yeah, if they give me toruble this weekend, I'll probably send them back and chalk the shipping up to "lesson learned" :)

You can't send them back and get the same pair in a bigger size for the same cost?

What is the brand of these shoes anyway?

Koffee

No. They are Lake CX125's and they were on clearance for sizes 41 & 46 for $25. To get 46.5, I jump to $90 :P

I think that for $25, they're gonna be A-OK :D