VT to CA

Hung up the trusty Zeta Carbons (I hate ratchets) when I recieved a gift certificate to a local shop and decided to pull the trigger on some Shimano R151's they had on sale.

The guy measured my foot, told me that Shimano's ran big, and said I'd need some 43's, which I thought was odd since my foot is a 10.5 US.

Anyway, they didn't have a 43 in that store, but had it in their Pasadena (like 20 miles away) location, so they did a store exchange and I picked them up the next day.

I got there right at closing time, so I didn't even get to try them on- the guy basically handed them to me as he was locking the doors.

Got them home, and I'm swimming in them! Again, I'm a 10.5 US, and these are supposedly Euro 43's, or US 9's. In fact, these are easily US 11.5's...

I know that shoe size interpretations vary slightly by company- in the cycling world and in the regular shoe world. Some shoes by half a size, a few makers by even a full size. But this is ridiculous.

A 43 should never run two and half sizes big. That's ********, and smacks to me of poor quality control rather than a fussy sizing chart...

botto 

you probably have a pair of the wides because they don't run that big.

Ih8lucky13

That sounds odd, I wear a size 9 and Shimano 42 fits me perfectly.

vpiuva

I generally wear 11.5 dress shoes and 12 in tennies (except stupid Adidas @ 13) and my 3 year old Shimano shoes are a snug 47. Maybe they're adjusting shoe sizes with the yen/dollar exchange rate?

twahl

That's real odd. I wear a 9-1/2 and my Shimano 44s fit well. I could maybe squeeze into 43s. They are the R-098s (I think) but you would think that within the manufacturer, they would be pretty consistant.

TallRider

I'm wearing a 48 in Shimano MT-20D shoes (spd-compatible low-key shoes) and 47 in Shimano SH-R130 performance road shoes.

cslone

I wear a 12 US shoe and a 46 in both pair of my Shimano's. That is spot on.

damocles1

Shimano shoe sizes are pretty comparable to everyone else. You probably got the wide shoe, or they are mislabeled.
I wear a 46 in everything except Specialized. Shimano also just don't fit some people. If you are used to Sidi shoes with their soft uppers, you won't like the 151s. I wore mine for about a month and went right back to Diadora.

VT to CA

Hmmm... you guys all seem pretty happy with the fit. Something fishy must be going on with this pair... I don't think they're wides, because my foot is pretty narrow, and these fit okay side to side... perhaps, as some have said, they're mislabled. I'm gonna go back to the store and see what's going on...

oilman_15106

Brings up a question. Does Shimano make their own shoes or sub them out?

Proximo

Something's definitely not right. I'm a US 10.5 and the EU 45 Shimano RA-80s fit me perfectly.

GPB

Specialized are goofy too...I wear 10.5/11 US but 46 in the Specialized. Funny thing...when I was trying them on...one was tight and the other fit fine. I asked the LBS guy about it and he said...oh...one foot is larger than the other one. I said...I seriously doubt that...since I would have noticed that before with other shoes. He said...no...it's common. I said...how about you let me try another pair? He grabbed another pair and they worked great. Silly. Anyhow...a 46 is something along the lines of a 13/14 US...which would be huge on me. And...LOVE the shoes.

ryanspeer

My Nike running shoes are 10.5, dress shoes are 10.5, etc., and MY Shimano R151's (size 44) fit me perfectly. Sounds like you probably have an extra-wide pair like botto suggests, or a mis-labelled pair. My M220's (SPD mountain shoes) are size 44 and also fit perfectly. My ancient Shimano SPD shoes from 13 years ago are size 44 and also fit perfectly. If anything, this shows me that Shimano shoes are really consistent.

All that aside, one manufacturer will always differ even just a little bit from the next manufacturer.

krazyderek

size 10 here, and my trusty old shimano's are 43.

The Weak Link

I agree. WTF?

Coyote2

I wear an 11.5 US and a 46 Euro pretty consistently, and I have a pair of 46 Shimano 151s which fit perfectly. They seem to be perfectly sized.

slacker00

I've got 10.5(45) Shimanos & they fit like a 10.5(45). Just another data point for your study.

Besides bicycling shoes, I think shoes in general can run funny on sizing. It doesn't really seem to matter about the brand. It's just the way shoes seem to be in general.

bob_s

I wear 10.5 - 11 depending on brand and my Shimanos are 47 & they fit great. When I tried on bike shoes this spring each manufacture was different and not by just a small margin. You need to try them before buying that is what my LBS said and they were right.

Paul Barnard

Read the "Made in **********???" label. There's the answer to your WTF.

classic1

I have Shimano shoes and Sidi Zetas. For what its worth I fit a 44 in Shimano and 45 in Sidi.

thewalrus

I thought USA 10.5 was larger in euro sizing? I wear a 10.5 USA running shoe (Salomon) but my Shimano M181 mountain shoes are size 44.5. Fit perfect.

Ahaz

I will add my vote that something's messed up with your shoes. I own the same size in Sidi and Shimano, and both fit me well.