Long Distance Competition/Ultracycling, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling - Shoe selection

Thanks so far for everyone's help, I got some great pedal feedback from this thread (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=560077). I am now looking at shoes (specifically for commuting on rural roads and longer distance cycling). What makes a good shoe for longer distances? Assuming an in-store fit, how to you 'test' a potential shoe? Are loaners even possible or do you just get a pair and hope for the best?

My latest shoe purchase I bought a size larger. I just figured out (AFTER riding a double century last weekend) that I can comfortably feet 2 insoles in there. I really need the wiggle room for my toes. As long as my heel isn't slipping around, I'd go as large as possible.

I think the needs for commuting are almost exclusive to long distance. In my case, I commute into a dense city - where I constantly clip in and out of my pedals at stop lights. Additionally I walk a lot in the city, so MTB style shoes with tread is almost a necessity as is an easy to engage/disengage cleat system.

For long distance, I often go 20 or 30 miles without unclipping from my pedals, so a 3 bolt road system is fine. The only downside there is road shoes are still a bit awkward to walk around, but the shimano road cleats aren't too bad for waddling around convenience stores and coffee shops.

Performance Bike has a 30 day return policy. I rode 600 miles in the last 27 days - and in theory I could return these this week :)

Smurf, thanks for the info r.e. shoe size. My commute is rural so I end up unclipping maybe 1-2 times (on an 8 mile commute). I am going to be going with larger platform clipless pedals (CrankBro Acid, Time Control Z, etc.).

I know REI also has a great return policy on gear (don't like it, return it).

So, is a more flexible "comfortable" shoe OK on a bigger platform pedal or would it be recommended to stick with a more road / stiff shoe?

As a point of reference, I recently finished my first 200k ride using BMX platform pedals and running shoes and my feet were definitely hurting toward the end. I'm hoping that going clipless will a) improve efficiency and b) help with foot pain.

You're going to get more power/efficiency from a stiffer sole, but you want to balance that with comfort. I think if you went from platform BMX pedals and sneakers to stiff soled road shoes and a solid cleat engagement, it'd seem like your bike lost 10 lbs. Anything will be an improvement in my experience. I started with performance "sport" shoes, that looked like Vans skateboard shoes but drilled for 2 hole MTB cleats. Those soles ripped apart in 5 months, and over time I've moved to progressively stiffer shoes and tighter cleat/pedal engagements.

Functionally I am a fan of egg beater pedals, but I've had a number of service/warranty issues with them. They do require quite a bit of regular maintenance. Their customer care is pretty decent, but I am not a fan of replacing bearing and cleats annually for pedals.

They are easy to get in and out of for sure, but if you're rural and don't have to unclip in less than 500ms because a city bus cut you off in an intersection, consider a more traditional road pedal.

Most people I know ride on generic SPD style cleats. Shimano and most of the major house brands make them. You can get started with those very cheaply.

I ride on Speedplay x-cleat road pedals mostly, and used those on the Shenandoah 1200. I don't think that the size of the platform makes any difference if the sole of the shoe is stiff. I use the high-end Shimano shoes which fit me well as I have a wide foot. They have a stiff carbon platform and are wonderfully lightweight, as are the pedals.

I just completed the Lake Ontario Lap 1000 and for that I switched to my Speedplay frog pedals and Shimano shoes. I did that because I expected a lot of walking across the Thousand Islands Bridge between the U.S. and Canada at Kingston. It was a good decision. The pedals and shoes are heavier than the road shoes, but in this case they were necessary.

My latest shoe purchase I bought a size larger. I just figured out (AFTER riding a double century last weekend) that I can comfortably feet 2 insoles in there. I really need the wiggle room for my toes. As long as my heel isn't slipping around, I'd go as large as possible.

+1, except I don't put in 2 insoles. Go LARGE. I normally wear a size 9.5 wide but have an 11 in my cycling shoe. I recently bought a size 10 sandal which claimed to have a "wide fit", and it did fit pretty well, but I could tell it was a little more cramped in the toe box than my size 11 shoe. For up to 40 mile rides it was fine. But I wore them on a century last Sat. and at mile 55 and mile 90 I had to stop and take off the sandals because my feet were really hurting because they really are too small. They are going on ebay at the end of the week. Too bad, because the sandals were nice and cool compared to shoes.

My opinion bucks typical trends because I have a different riding style. But I really prefer the softest shoe I can find for riding, I normally wear water shoes with the softest sole I can find. Far more comfortable than anything else I've tried.
I'm not a short distance rider or commuter, this weekend alone saw two 95 mile rides, with 45-60 mile rides daily being normal. The only drawbacks to the trip were that I used my new bike that had shorter cranks than I'm used too, and my tire compound was too soft and seemed to have a lot of drag, which combined added an hour to the rides.

Ken.

I like a rather snug fit for summer use. I hate it when my feel flop around in my shoes, losing power. I like the sensation of being directly connected to the pedals. Very stiff soles. SPD pedals. MTB shoe. Very important that the shoe hold your heel tightly and comfortably. I use shorter shoes than my street shoes. Pedaling doesn't push my toes forward like walking does. Sidi Dominator is a good standard. Shimano can be good - they use a slightly different last. I had some cheapie Specialized shoes that lasted a long time and were OK. Winter socks may be quite a bit thicker and need a larger shoe - but most can be snugged down for summer. So try the shoe with your own socks.