GrainBrain

Quick update that I traced and measured my foot; it's 281mm big toe to back heel, and 114mm at the widest.

Hello all, I wear a US size 11.5 EE width shoe. I was wondering if anyone had some suggestions and I was wondering what you all are wearing? Also at the bottom of my post I have my current shoes and a big problem I have with them.

I need something SPD compatible that's preferably well ventilated and decently walkable for dry sunny days. Seems alot of "gravel" shoes are meant for some CX or MTB portaging. I prefer to stay under $200 USD.

I currently have a set of five ten hellcats I've been using, yes a heavy DH shoe but nice for cool weather. I got them cheap on sale, but I'm running into a nasty problem with them. They cause some sort of weird pressure point ontop of my right foot just down from my pinky toe. I don't know if it's nerve pain or what but if I'm not careful with my pedaling form and lace tightness within 20 miles I have a pain problem. As it is I can make it to about 50 miles before it becomes uncomfortable and sometimes very painful. Just the other day I did 140 miles, it was painful at 60 but I tried keeping the laces over my toes looser and pushed my foot hard to the inside left of the shoe. When I got home and pulled off my shoes, my pinky toe area felt like someone was literally cutting it off. Just intense waves of pain. I can't really feel any thing inside the shoe causing this so I just attribute it to being maybe a little too long and a touch narrow? I just got these shoes last December, before that it was sneakers and flats and I never, ever had this sort of problem. Maybe related, I had started jogging alot more last August thru the winter. Could I maybe have a stress fracture and not know it?

Thank you all for any insights!

jfranci3

https://lakecycling.com/collections/extra-wide

FYI - I tried a pair of Shimano 45 and 45 Wides - they didn't feel much wider. Sizing up made a big difference.

You probably want a shoe with a softer tongue or a shoe you can wear with cranking it down - maybe some textured socks (shimano sphyre socks)

jack pot 

off point but FWIW i went to platforms ... I wear chaco Z1 or Z2 11 1/2 W with hiking socks ( injinis or Vtoes w the Z2s) ... my old feet feel years & years better ... from now on any shoe cycling or otherwise will be a last resort

Steve B.

I’m using Shimano XC7’s, wide on an 11.5 EEEE foot. Reasonably comfortable. I use in winter, the Lake MXZ303 Wides. They are less comfortable nor as wide than Shimano’s, IMO.

Nightdiver

I've been using some Shimano super ventilated shoes from their commuter line. I find them to feel just as wide as Sidi mega sizes and far more comfy for walking around. Pretty inexpensive too.

GrainBrain

I've done some research and know of lakes, on sale they're tempting but hard to justify price when I'm just a weekend warrior. I will be buying these through my lbs as I need to try on shoes, I'll take a look at the socks. Maybe you mistyped but were you suggesting that with grippy socks I wouldn't need to tighten the shoe laces as much? What Shimano shoe were you wearing? Curious you saw a better fit sizing up then sizing wide, but not surprising feet are so different person to person!
The problem I had with flats was knee pain, with SPD it's really helped to keep my knee mechanics correct. Plus I like the positive retention on gravel.
Thanks for the input that's really helpful, I'll have to confirm but Shimano just offers a "wide" and not any specific "E" sizing right? What's the exact size of your shoe (euro size)?

I've heard sidi is really narrow to begin with, but I'm glad you chimed in with those commuter shoes. My riding style is more touring and not portaging or running with the bike. What kind of Shimano shoe are you wearing I'd love to know!

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Marylander

I'm also 2E and wear specialized sport mtb shoes. I've got 2 different submodels and they both fit me fine. One of the pairs has 3 velcro straps (the other has 2) so they give a lot of sizing flexibility.

shoota 

Lake is pretty much always the answer in these cases.

Nightdiver

I have the CT46 and CT71. The CT46 is the super ventilated one, borderline water shoe style. Both fit about the same, and both are really comfy on and off the bike. I've had Lakes in the past and they are nice too. Sidi megas seem to be model dependent as some have felt tight and others have felt plenty wide.

Steve B.

[QUOTE=GrainBrain;21454758

Thanks for the input that's really helpful, I'll have to confirm but Shimano just offers a "wide" and not any specific "E" sizing right? What's the exact size of your shoe (euro size)?

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My Shimano XC7's are 46 Wide. My Lakes are 47 Wides, which I got a size larger to handle a winter weight sock. You have to specifically look for the wide version for Shimano and Lake as they make these models in medium widths as well. XC7's are expensive currently but that's as it's a current model in the Shimano lineup even though my versions are about 4 years old, paid $180.

mtnroads

I have all kinds of feet problems, a neuroma in one foot and metatarsalgia (ball of foot pain) in both. Probably from years of trail running and too tight cycling shoes decades ago. Any tightness across the ball of my foot makes it worse, so I need shoes that are wide in the forefoot. It got so bad that the "hot foot" would set in after 20 miles or so, which became really limiting. After years of trying Shimano, Sidi Megas, Bontrager, etc, I finally forked over the money and bought a pair of Lakes (CX237 Wide) a couple years ago and it was a godsend. I can bike relatively pain free again.

The damage is done so I'm not suddenly doing 100k but I can bike for 25-30 miles, or double that with a lunch break and rarely get any pain at all. Good enough for me at this point. They are the only truly wide cycling shoes I've found, and the shape of the last and quality of the shoe are excellent. The standard fit is wider than Sidi Megas and the Wide is even wider. I just bought a second pair (CX241 Wide) and they are even more comfortable. They use real leather and it molds to your foot unlike all the synthetic crap.

Baldy1953

I had some Shimano wide shoes. Went to the LBS ( a specialized dealer). He got me a pair of specialized shoes and they fit well. They are wide also. Might look into that.

sdmc530

Agree, if you search around you can find a deal too. They are good shoes for wide feet. Only thing I can afford that fit me.

GrainBrain

Thanks for all the replies! Still doing research, thought I'd add that I'm considering arch supports also. I wear them in my work boots and it really helped with my knees. At the redwing boot store I stood on their foot pressure pad, most of my weight was on my heels. Also my jogging shoes are Mizuno's wave forms that have a heel - toe drop.

jp911

Another vote for Lake. They have a few models under $200. I found that the normal width works for my feet (I need EE in running shoes), but they also offer most of their shoes in wide sizes.

aaronmcd

Anyone tried the Giro high volume shoes? My road shoes are Sidi Mega (high volume) and they work fairly well for my wide feet - I usually size up several sizes to get enough width, and I only had to size up a tad with Sidi Mega. But Sidi is hella expensive. Giro has some cheaper options.

Lemond1985

If I had $200 to play around with, I would go on Ebay and look at lightly-used SPD-compatible shoes in brands that run wide and see what's available. I could make educated guesses on 3-4 pairs of $40-50 shoes of various brands, and I'm sure at least one of them would fit extremely well. They even have Carnac shoes over there, and that company has been out of business for quite a few years.

I got some really nice Diadoras recently over there, for around $50, brand new as far as I could tell. Not a brand I would normally shop for, but the shoe fit all my requirements, was in my size, and was a great price, so I grabbed 'em.

GrainBrain

That was a good idea and I did just that yesterday, will continue to watch out. Didn't see anything in the wide width I really need, which is a bummer. Just two results, one was used five times and he was asking for close to retail.

I updated the top post with my measured size, plus I got my high arches. So I was poking around Lakes website and they have a really detailed sizing page, which is awesome and would help alleviate some of the premium they command. It's a bummer I can't find something like the mx241 with it's moldable insoles. Oof the price is an eye watering $350 retail!

dwmckee

For a wide boxy toe section go with Keen shows as they are extremely comfortable and yet are well fitting. I have been wearing a pair of Dromartis myself for the past 6 years and I an really happy with them.

Lemond1985

I bought some Diadoras, which due to odd sizing ended up being about a size larger than Shimano shoes in the same size. But what I did was use a second insole, which made them about a size smaller, but preserved all the width of the larger size.

So if they're cheap, maybe consider getting something a size too big and adding a 2nd insole.

Smitty2k1

I'm not sure exactly what causes my foot problems - I've always associated it with a wide forefoot (toe box) but I probably need to go see a podiatrist when this lockdown is lifted.

Cycling, my toes go numb after as little as 10 miles. Both feet, starts in the middle toes and spreads. Getting off the bike for a few minutes helps, but the numbness returns once I'm back on the bike. Started with flat shoes (Five Tens) that were at least a size too big to account for my wider foot, tried saddles thinking it was maybe pinching some nerves or blood vessels in my pelvis, moved on to SPD shoes with wide sizes. I tried Bont Riot+ MTB (size 42.5 wide), felt comfortable but got numb toes. Next tried Shimano XC7 (size 42 wide), VERY comfortable, but again numb toes. Next, found some Lake MX218 (size 42 wide) which are not as comfortable but seem to alleviate my numb toe issues! I *think* the Lakes allow the cleats to go further back on the shoe, and maybe that's part of the solution, but I'm not positive. What I do know is that clipping in is 10x as hard in the Lakes as it was the Bont or Shimano, I just can never seem to find the cleats! I'm also struggling with front and inner knee pain now with the Lakes, which makes me think of cleat position as well.

Steve B.

I've had and loved Diadora's as well, as good a fit as the Shimano's I've used. Unfortunately on of the shoes the plastic crossing strap that buckles, broke. I had no luck with the LBS I purchased from - they were like "We don't sell Diadora any more, sorry". No help at all, no thought about a US distributor, but then again they are morons is why I don't shop there. I also had zero luck trying to communicate with the Italian company as well. Too bad, nice shoes otherwise.

Lemond1985

Pain to the front of the knee is a textbook example of "saddle too low". I doubt it's the cleats. Maybe since the cleat is further back now, you're not extending your leg as much, causing pain to the front of the knee. I would raise my saddle 1/4" or so, and see if that helps.

I love cleats all the way back too, and would probably buy a given shoe if I knew the cleats went further back than other brands. These "toe peddlers", who ARE these people? I must be more of a "heel peddler".

I suspect maybe it's easier and cheaper for shoe manufacturers to build shoes where the cleat don't go very far back, but that's just rank speculation.

SapInMyBlood

I've had very similar issues and have also tried very similar shoes. Bont Riot MTB+ mouldable hurt up high, the shimano wides were never wide enough .. but I got a pair of Lakes that actually fit my feet back in Canada. Except now in Australia my feet have swollen half a size and they're on the verge again

Go get a proper bike fit with someone who knows what they're doing ... I'm partial to the Retul system.

Oh and PS one of the biggest differences for me was getting set up with a ++ metatarsal foot bed by Specialized ... the Retul system highlighted this issue and it was remedied with a $45 part. Absolutely brilliant, I take them out and put them in my trail runners when I go out now.

Lake will get my money for the future of cycling shoes

Smitty2k1

Thanks! Tried a bike fit on my previous bike when I used flats. Didn't help much. Probably going to go in for other with my current bike and spds once life gets a little more normal.

I do run icebug slim insoles with the metatarsal support in my Lakes. Not really sure if it helps or not but today I did almost 2.5 hours non stop for 40 miles with no toe numbness so that's one less thing to worry about (for now).