Captain John

So what can I replace my narrow Sidi shoes with? I don't have wide feet and there are a lot of Mega shoes but no narrow ??

canklecat

I have very narrow feet, so that's way too familiar. I wear an 11, sometimes 10.5, usually A or B width at most, depending on the shoe.

Scott shoes fit me really well. I'm going on three years with Scott Road Pro shoes, no problems. Unfortunately that model was discontinued but I'm hoping Scott still has the last to make similar shoes. Only problem with my Road Pro shoes is they're really summer shoes -- lots of tough mesh fabric on top, metal mesh on the soles -- so it's hard to keep 'em warm in winter even with full shoe covers and tricks like aluminum foil over my socks.

I can wear Fizik with the addition of a second insole. I use ProFoot Miracle insoles to fill the space and soften the pressure so there's no hotfoot. I have the Fizik Tempo Power Strap somethingorother. Nothing fancy, but better for cool and wet weather. Mostly solid faux-leather top (with small vent holes), no sole vents. Easy to keep warm in winter, and surprisingly not a sweatbox in summer. Good value for well under $100.

In walking and running shoes, adidas fit me best. They seem to run narrower. Ditto the RBX knockoffs that are surprisingly good values. But adidas has a pretty good reputation for not exploiting employees and the prices are reasonable so that's what I usually get.

datlas 

I also have very narrow feet...Love Sidi narrow.

Looks like they phased out their narrow “S” shoes a few years ago. I manage with their regular width (which still run narrow relative to other brands) with the straps pulled tight. Do NOT get Mega, definitely too wide.

You could also look for NOS or gently used narrow sized on ScamBay, but from my searches these are rare.

noodle soup

You might try Mavic shoes. I have a few pairs of Mavic, and a couple of pairs of Sidi(normal D width). The Mavics run narrower(and a little shorter) than Sidi.

Iride01 

Pearl Izumi's fit my narrow feet reasonably. They might could be a little narrower, but locally they were the narrowest I could find at the time among the other local offerings. Especially since I'm using SPD on a road bike and then the narrower local options of Sidi and others were only in SPD-SL offerings. How does Specialized run?

nomadmax 

I use Giro road shoes and they fit my narrow feet pretty well.

JohnJ80

Why don't you just replace them with another set of Sidi's in the same size? Sidi hasn't changed their foot lasts for many many years.

Some hints and tricks:

1. If the shoe is too loose, you can add a thicker insole to take up volume. This also pushes you up higher in the shoe which is narrower. I have one foot that is smaller than the other and where the heel cup is slightly different. In those, I got some shoe wedges from Amazon (there is a version that comes in 1/8" increments) and I put those under the heel. This also helped.
2. On Sidi's, the half sizes are the same size sole as the lower integer size but with a fuller upper. So if you take a 41.5, try a 41.
3. You should get insoles anyhow. The insoles that Sidi supplies are junk and always have been. Fiddling with different insoles can have a very significant effect on overall fit. A good place to start is with the Specialized insoles since you can get them in three different arches.

But, if you wore Sidi's before and they fit, the same size from Sidi should fit just fine.

J.

datlas 

The problem is that Sidi ELIMINATED the NARROW sizes from their products a few years ago. See my posting above.

JohnJ80

Then try the insole tricks. Sidi's run narrow to begin with and you should be able to fix that with the insoles. The difference from narrow to regular is surprisingly little. Go look at a shoe fit device (i.e. Brannock device) and you'll see. I'd be quite surprised if you couldn't fix this with insoles and a judicious sock choice. By lifting your foot slightly higher in the shoe with the insole, you decrease the volume and the width. Some of the higher end Sidi's also have a mechanism to adjust the heel cup width. Between both of those, you ought to be able to make this work. You can also add material under the insole in particular places if you need to adjust the fit.

I have a background in fitting alpine racing ski boots which is a more precise fit (by quite a bit) than with bike shoes. When I fit both my bike shoes and ski boots, I get it dialed in with both the insoles and the sock choice. Those socks are then the only socks I will use so I buy several pairs of them. I do the same thing with my bike shoes - insoles and socks and then don't deviate. When it comes to fit like this, 1mm is actually a big difference so that's why insoles and socks can be really important in making the fit work.

The reason I suggested the Specialized insoles is that they are pretty good to begin with and there are three arch supports to choose from. If you want to get more adjustability, then SOLE makes heat moldable ones that come in a variety of thicknesses from very thin to quite thick. You can get the thickness right to get the narrow fit/volume issue handled then you can take a heat gun and hand mold the arches (main and metatarsal arch) support just how you like them. For example, I have high arches and need good metatarsal support so I point heat the insoles and work them to the desired shape with my hands a tool. Using their suggestion to heat mold doesn't get it there for me but could be worth a try especially if you have flat feet.

So, again, start with the Sidi's presuming the rest of the fit was good for you and work from there. It will take some experimentation, but it's very doable.

J.

datlas 

Good suggestions.

It's still frustrating for those of us with very narrow feet that Sidi stopped making narrow sized shoes and now only make regular and wide/mega.

JohnJ80

Sure. But they probably stopped that because you can solve it easily with insoles. They put crap insoles in their shoes to start, almost like they expect one to go get their own insoles anyhow.

I feel your pain. I am pretty picky on shoe fit and I *always* have trouble getting fit in bike shoes. But once I go through the insole/sock exercise and get the fit dialed, then they really fit well and I can wear them for hours and hours of riding. it's worth the time.

Captain John

Thanks for all the input, good to know that there are others with this issue.

datlas 

One other consideration: https://www.atwistedspoke.com/northw...cycling-shoes/

noodle soup

that's BS. Throwing in thick insoles, moves the foot away from the pedal spindle. An insole helps the fit, but it adds a different issue.

JohnJ80

no it’s not. We’re talking a millimeter or so here. And if the fit isn’t any good it’s very difficult to be fast or go far. If you’re out of the range of what manufacturers produce you have to work with what’s available.

canklecat

Not all insoles are thick. I keep mentioning the ProFoot Miracles because besides being comfortable they're very thin and lightweight, yet resilient. And cheap, at less than $10. That particular insole hasn't changed my bike fit enough to cause problems.

It's not gel or memory foam, and semi-rigid only around the arch. Easy to trim to fit using scissors.

After a few months of regular use the material compresses just enough under pressure areas that I'll move the old insoles from the looser fitting Fizik shoes to either my Scott Road Pro cycling shoes, or my adidas running and walking shoes, which need only a tiny bit of help with the thin socks I wear in summer.

I have a bunch of other insoles in the closet but rarely use them, other than with my 50 year old Herman Survivor hiking boots. I think that's where my original Fizik insoles are now.

nomadmax 

I have low volume feet and use insoles to make up for it. BUT, I cut the insoles down and use them on the TOPS of my feet so I don't compromise my bike fit or add compressible material between my foot and the pedal. I've been doing this since the 80s when I started using Look pedals, it wasn't necessary when I used Campy SL pedals/clips and double Binda toe straps. There's a solution to most problems, I try to find ones that don't create another one.

thehammerdog

i have smallish high arched feet 9.5 us sidis fit perfectly like slippers..

Captain John

Thanks for all the input, I like the idea of half the insert I had thought of that but was not sure it would work...

ls01

Try some Louis Garneau shoes. I just sold a pair of standard size 48 carbon soled road shoes because I couldn't wear them. Way to tight. I wear shimano without any problems, (I have 3 pairs)
Others I spoke to have said Garneau run narrow.