Long Distance Competition/Ultracycling, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling - Wide shoes?

I have suffered with numb toes on longer (150-200 miles) hilly rides for years. I have tried many fixes and not had anything eliminate the problem. I have heard that a wider toe box may help. I want to try this but how do I without shelling out $200 plus?
Any ideas?

Thank you

Have you already moved your cleats back as far as possible on your existing shoes (towards the middle of your foot)?

Look, why suffer from numb toes just because you are cheap. I mean really, aren't your feet worth more than $200? They will cost a lot more than that if you really mess them up. Plus, all these fixes you've tried over the years have probably added up to over $200. So here is a fix that will almost certainly work but will cost about $800. Get a pair of custom D2 Shoes (http://www.d2shoe.com/). If they don't fix it first try, they will work with you to tweak things until the problem is solved. Why suffer? Go for it.

I also can suffer numb toes on longer rides. I use Shimano SPD shoes and pedals, the hard road type shoes though not the sneaker looking ones. Anyhow I have enough room around the toes and tend to find that one of my sets of pedals doesn't support the shoe at all so all my effort goes through the little cleat. The other two suport more of the shoe and I have a lot less problems.

Just a thought.

Yes, I have moved by cleats back as far as possible, I have had a professional bike fit, I have changed saddles, shorts, socks and riding position. I am not cheap but I don't want to throw money away either. The Sidi shoes (with aftermarket heat moldable insoles) I have now were purchased to help with this problem (replaced softer Shimanos with SPD). I don't want to end up with numb toes and a closet full of shoes. Does anyone n ow of a manufacturer that will let you try the shoes?

Thank you

Go to an authorized Trek retailer who carries Bontrager shoes. Bontrager has a shoe comfort guarantee for either 30 or 90 days (I forget the details)... if you don't like them for any reason you may return them.

I resisted buying expensive road shoes for years for the exact same reason as you. Hell $200 is a lot of money. But I have wide feet... like a duck. But then I finally tried the Bontrager shoes.

Wow. That's all I can say. Their top of the line Race X-Lite shoe is very adjustable and it has tons of room in the toe box. Hot spots... gone. Numb toes... gone. Feet overheating in Georgia summers... no more. And they sure look snazzy in white.

Best $230 you can spend... wish I had done it years ago.

I think the, Lake CX165 Wide, shoe, may be your answer. You can pick them up for about $90; sometimes less, if you catch a sale. You might also want to try cycling sandals.

I normally wear an 8-1/2 EEE, so finding a cycling shoe, most of which run very narrow, is damn near impossible. Sure I'd love to have a pair of Sidi Mega's, but not for $300. I've gotten good service and comfort from my Lake's for the past several cycling seasons.

If you go this route and still get no releif, than it probably confirms what others are saying about cleat positioning - which can cause "hot foot".

If you tend to stand a lot going up hills, and/or mash rather than spin, as I do, make sure you have a wide platform pedal. I started with Speedplays, but after experiencing serious foot pains following long hilly rides, I finally switched to Shimano SPD's. That helped a bit, too.

I've had one of the lower-end Lake road shoes (ca. $100) in a wide size for a couple of years now--great shoes.

Thank you for the ideas. I think I will try the Bontrager's if they do indeed have the trial program.
Thanks again

The Lake MX101's come in a Wide