How long for new cycling shoe break in?
 

I've been riding on a pair of Exustar mountain shoes with SPD's for quite a few years. I found a set of Shimano R540 pedals on a killer sale so I bought a pair of PI Attack road shoes on Nashbar on sale for $60 to pair them. When I got them, I found them to be quite uncomfortable. My feet are pretty narrow and thin, but long.

I wear a size 46-47 in length, but in width and heighth I'm more like a 45. The PI's fit perfect in length, but In order for the PI's to fit snugly I had to cinch the 2 bottom velcro straps all the way down and the ratchet pretty far down. But when I got on my bike and pedaled, I immediately noticed a lot of extra space still in the sides of the shoe (so much that the material was folding) and a ton of pressure points around my ankle and the top of my foot.

This led me to go by my local Specialized store. I ended up walking out with a size 47 pair of their BG Elite road shoes. The length fit was again near perfect, a tad big, but the 46 was definitely too small. The width and height were definitely better than the PI's and I was able to fit them snug without having to cinch everything down as much as the PI's. There's very little extra space and the overall feels good. However, again, once I got on the bike, I noticed a fair amount of pressure points around the front of my ankle on the top of my foot.

My question has to do with shoe break in. How much break in will occur and how long does it take for a new pair of shoes to break in? And also, I'm pretty sure the PI's aren't going to work but what are your thoughts on that much extra space in a shoe? I want to get what's going to be better in the long run, but spending twice as much is a little hard to swallow :rolleyes:

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

I don't think you should ever own or wear any kind of shoes that aren't comfortable the first time you wear them. That *especially* includes shoes used for sports (cycling, running, hiking).

My advice: keep shopping.

I've never had to break in a pair of road shoes. I returned a couple of pairs of shoes when they hurt my feet after the first ride. I finally found some Sidis that worked for me right from the start.

Leather shoes will break in over the course of a several rides, and you can hasten the process with water or various kinds of leather goop. Most synthetics (all, as far as i know, but I'm leaving some wiggle room) won't change. What you have is what you may have forever... but I'm basing this on a story I read five or six years ago, so somebody else may have more recent information.

Those were my shoes last summer. I had the same issues - they never got better. In fact, they got worse as wearing thin summer socks introduced chafing caused by the lining of the shoes as well. They are now my winter shoes - they work fine with thick wool socks. Good luck in your search - you're really going to need to try on some shoes to find the right pair.

I did some googling before buying a pair of PI PRO road shoes, and from what I could find the general consensus seems to be that they run short in length and tend to be wide or have more volume. I have to cinch the straps down well on mine too, but I don't think they really have done any "break in" over time. I will tend to use thicker socks in these than what I use in the other pair of road shoes I have.

Good advice, thanks all. I saw a couple threads on shoes for wide feet, but does anyone have any takes on shoes for narrow/thin feet, but long?

jdott: Which pair did you ride, the PI's or the Specialized? What do you ride on now?

I can move the ratcheting point on my shimanos. I had to because otherwise I ratcheted it so far down the strap that I had to shove a finger into the shoe and bulge the area out so I could work the disengagement mechanism. I dont have a lot of foot volume either so I do have to crank down on the velcro straps but adjusting the ratchet point made things more comfortable. Also be very sure the tongue of the shoe is completely flat against your foot, if its folded up anywhere, ay yay yay will you hurt :(

I've been riding on my pearl izumi pro's for a year. They have not broken in and still feel the same as when i first got them

Sidi

This might be a shot in the dark, but try removing the insoles and replacing them with an insert like Sofsol's. See if that changes the contour of your foot enough to relieve the pressure on the top. If you go to a Sports Authority or Dick's they'll have a fairly large selection of insoles to try out. Take your cycling shoes and socks with you.

road cycling shoes wont break-in much, especially if they are all synthetic material. they are designed to be very stiff, and supportive.

proper fit for a cycling shoe is very snug, with very little motion of your foot relative to the shoe. i second the advice to get some better footbeds or insoles. a lot of people have good luck with heat moldable insoles. they will contour to your foot shape, and should improve your foot's positioning within the shoe itself.

The only brand of shoe anyone who calls himself a cyclist would wear is Sidi - there is no other.

Okay, that was a joke... maybe.;)

Regarding narrower shoes, try Specialized - everyone I tried on was very narrow. Adidas was always known for making narrow running shoes, but I think their rep for cycling shoes is maybe not so strong - might be worth checking them out if you can find anyone local who carries them.

+1 on instant comfort. Knowing they'll break in should just mean you'll need to snug them up a little. Shouldn't rely on the break in to make them bearable. GL

I broke out a new pair of shoes last week. Took two rides with two cleat adjustments and two strap adjustments to get the shoes comfortable.

I went by my local Performance and tried on a couple pairs of shoes (Scattante Carbons & Sidi Genius 5.5). I do have to say that the Sidi's were by far the most comfortable cycling shoe I've tried on. However...there is that tiny issue of price :-( . So, after another trip to the Specialized store, I think i've determined the pair I had were just a tad big and therefore needed to be cranked down tighter. I ordered a half size smaller, so we'll see how they work.

The Pearl Izumi's were just plain painful, so back they go. I think the smaller sized Specialized Elites are going to work. Should be in on Thursday so we'll see.

Carbon soles won't (hopefully) change over time. I don't want my cycling shoes to change. There is a reason I get them without flex. Means finding a pair that fits right is a PITA, but once I do, they last. Replace the pair you got with something that fits!

Comfy out the box is the way to go; from there, good for at least a few hours, and, as the insole conforms, good all day.

Note that the same shoe model will vary depending on where it was made! I passed on sp'lized carbon road shoes, too narrow; however, across town the same shoe, made in a different place (model year -1 also) fit good. Many thousand miles later, they are starting to look used.

Next time, SIDI, I don't care how much it costs. Write down the sizing when at a try them on yourself store like Pissformance.