Sincitycycler

I have these $75 Specialized bike shoes and my feet start to burn after about 2 hours.

Yes I, wear cool-max sox.

I know from the golf shoe biz that the cheap shoes have man-made uppers -i.e. vinyl- that don't breath well, while the more expensive shoes were made of calfskin leather.

Can anybody recommend very cool riding shoes? I don't mind spending the $$, i just want good quality. I live in the desert and right now it's a very balmy 90 degrees and it's only going to get warmer...

MrAmazin17

I ride DMT Ultimax RSX's, and ive had limited shoe experience (only Sidi Titans before), but i wouldnt wear another shoe now. If i could afford it, I would buy enough Ultimax's to last me a lifetime. I would get some hot foot with my old Sidi's (note- they didnt have a carbon sole) and they had a lorica upper. i believe the DMTs have a lorica upper too though. So the difference seems to be elsewhere. Outside of not getting hot foot anymore, the shoes grip my foot and heel a lot better and it led to better pedaling efficiency.

Also, they are airy and have mucho mesh side panels for ventilation. Im sure its not as bad as where you are, but when Sacramento gets close to oven hot 100's it seems fine.

Give them a try, but again, i have limited experience with shoes. Maybe some others will pipe in with some other recommedations.

One last note- I have narrow feet, which mesh well with the DMTs, ive heard complaints from wide -footed people.

dno

I really wanted to the DMT's to work for me (really are a great shoe), but they were too narrow for me, so I ended up Shimano's which for my feet seem wide with lots of ventilation - I have the R151 versus R215 as I think that the three 3 straps feels better on the feet than the R215's ratchet system, plus you are paying about $70 more for a ratched bucket - as that is the only difference between the 151 and 215's.

I used to use cheaper Pearl Izumi's and did get hot feet after about 2 hours riding, now the Shimano's I do not get that - just lots of power with the carbon soles!!

flyingasics

I get hot spots after awhile too. I have some 100$ Sidis, and I think I have worn down the already flimsy inserts. I'm not sure if its the heat, crappy inserts or the smaller surface are of my SPD clipless pedals that gives me the hot spots.

Avalanche325

Hot spots are not because your shoes are not breathing. It is because they are flexing too much.

You actually want man made uppers on a cycling shoe. Leather stretches and allows your foot to move around in the shoe. That is real bad on a bike.

sorebutt

Better fitting shoes will help. Try to ride with the tow first straps lose so the toes will have room to wiggle and the widest part of the foot have a little room to move. If this helps, your shoes are too tight..

I ended up buying Mega (wide) shoes and the problem is now gone.. Remember that the foot swells during the ride, and you may need to loosen the shoes as you ride..

ggg300

my buddy had this problem...

he had his shoe too tight
he got inserts for the shoes from rite-aid that keep the two nerves apart
problem gone....cost $10.00 bucks

fsor

I'm with avalanche on this..I use frogs and shimano mtb shoes (M038?) on two of my bikes. The shoes are very well ventilated and fit me well. I start to feel a burn after about 70mi or so. Sidi genius 5 and zeros have eliminated the problem. I think the mtb shoes are actually more ventilated than the sidis...the sidis are much stiffer, however.

Matt Gaunt

I use Nike Lance shoes (carbon sole, leather upper) which breath very well. I never experience hot spots but feet quickly suffer if you have low blood sugar. Extremities like the feet, especially when kept in one place will start to feel strange if you have low sugar levels so make sure you have plenty of sweet stuff in you before a long ride.

Other than that, I agree with these guys, try the shoe loosening business, that may work for you and if not, just play about with how tight each fastener is when you ride. You will find a comfortable position!

meme

Probably not. I personally think it's a very bad idea to have a hard sole. It's good to have the front part of the shoe made hard, but the part that doesn't interface with the pedals should be flexible, especially at the arch area. With that said, it took me like 5 cleat positioning adjustments before I found a comfortable position. My problem is more an issue with the angle of my feet relatie to the pedal. I think if the non-pedal interface of cycling shoes were flexible, I don't think I would have this problem in the first place (never had problems using toe clips).

SanDiegoSteve

There are thousands of theories...

I go with a good insert on my VERY stiff shoe. This helps with the road buzz.

Second, don't get your show too tight. Your feet will swell over time, so I start pretty loose.

stealthbiker

I use relatively inexpensive shoes and don't have any problems. One feature I like (at least in the warm weather) are ventilation holes in the bottom. This helps with air flow through the shoe and around the foot. If heat (as opposed to blood flow) is really the problem this might help. Noticed from your pics that your shoes don't seem to have any bottom vents. Might be something to look for.

luv2cruz

I have Shimano R130 carbon soled shoes, my feet don't get hot even after 4 hours. Much better than my old Specialized shoes. I also believe that the heat comes from the foot moving in the shoe, my Shimanos fit much better than my old shoes. They have vent holes in the sole, too.

Richard Arthur

Give Body Glide a try on your feet.

cyclezealot

Body Glide sounds like a fresh idea...One bike has SPD pedals..those definitely give one hot spots the fastest...
My road bikes are Look...Better...but, what I have a difficult time explaining...Over the years , I have collected three sets of Look style shoes...PI, Diodara, and Time...PI causes lots of pain..next most comfortable...Time . and most comfortable are Diadora. all carbon soles..inserts look about the same...
I think the earlier suggestion...start off with the shoes a little loose...Diadora is the roomest for me.