Nathan_S

Hi folks,

I'm pretty new to cycling, I have a Trek 7.2FX with clipless Shimano pedals. I bought a $80 pair of cycling shoes on Amazon (search Tommaso Montagna 100 Men's Mountain Bike MTB Spin Cycling Shoe Compatible with SPD Cleats Black on Amazon, I'm not allowed to post links) and although I am new to this, after using them for about 125 miles they feel quite heavy. From what I can tell on youtube, better shoes are lighter and can make a difference in terms of the effort once is putting in while pedaling.

I'm a 'order it once' kind of guy so I'd like to invest in a good pair of shoes that will be light and comfortable. I think I'd prefer the mountain bike style shoes that allow you to walk while not stepping on the cleat.

GCN on youtube mentioned fizik shoes--are they good? Can anyone help with recommendations? Don't want to completely break the bank, but as I mentioned, willing to invest in a good pair of comfortable and light shoes. They have to support the shimano style cleats. I've searched through past posts but am not finding any definitive advice.

Thanks in advance.

Nathan

Mulberry20

You should approach bike shoes from known manufacturers like you approach underwear, fit is by far the most important criteria because quality is generally equal across major brands. The difference in price basically comes down to materials like carbon soles and high tech latching systems.

My advice is this, if SIDI shoes feel great, buy those. Mine are 15 years old and going strong. I probably have spent $25 on replacing the top strap once. If SIDI don't feel great, try GIRO, Shimano, FIZIK, etc. Even people that don't wear SIDI will likely admit they are the best made.

Also, shop clearance racks you can find shoes marked down 50% or more.

I don't think the weight matters as much as the stiffness of the sole. Good shoes are the difference between fun and misery, so going cheap is not a good idea.

Nathan_S

Thanks that makes sense, but let me ask the question slightly differently. I'm in northern NJ and stores are not really open yet, so I can't go out and try on all different types of shoes to see what works best right now.

If I were going to order one pair of shoes online, is there a recommendation? Are fizik sort of top of the line? Someone else? I would probably start with the best and go from there.
Thanks in advance.

Nathan

PoorInRichfield

Do not go for "top of the line" in shoes... your wallet will hate you and they're just not worth.

I highly recommend looking for online shoe sources that offer free shipping both ways. There are quite a few shoes on Amazon that offer free return shipping. Even if the seller doesn't offer free return shipping, you can return an Amazon purchase at a Kohl's Department Store or participating UPS Store for a free return. I haven't ordered from the following site, but they look promising and have free returns: https://bikeshoes.com/

Most of the major brands (Fizik, Giro, Specialized, Bontrager, Sidi, Lake, etc.) offer nice shoes, the issue is whether they fit your foot or not. If you have a relatively narrow foot in a medium size, the world is your oyster... pick a shoe that tickles-your-fancy and order it.

powermatt99

In 2011 I paid very good money for a pair of Lake road shoes that fit me perfectly. I’m glad I did. Never had hot spots or footwear related issues. They are finally showing their age and are due to be retired.

Find what gives you a great fit in your price range and enjoy. I wouldn’t order online unless they have a great return policy.

Mulberry20

OP, what size and width are your feet? Can you deal with a crazy color like yellow? If you have either small feet or large feet, you could score up shoes on clearance for a song. If you are a size 10 I doubt you can.

All of the brands mentioned have great shoes. The “best” won’t matter if your feet hurt.

IMO SIDI makes superior shoes across the whole line while the others range from ok to fantastic. No stinkers.

Steve B.

They feel heavy compared to what ?, and No, better shoes are not necessarily lighter and in most cases, the weight of the shoe is kind of irrelevant if the shoe fits and you can ride all day in them.

I just spent near $200 on a pair of Shimano SPD shoes as they fit and have a stiff sole which I need for my old feet. Shimano doesn’t even list the weight and I guess I could weigh them but I’ve never paid attention to shoe weight so won’t start now.

woodcraft

Various brands are pretty comparable across price points IMO.

Sidi tend to be quality but heavier. Giro has good exchange/fit policy. Fizik, Specialized, Lake, Shimano, Garneau all have fans.

Some folks order a couple of sizes & keep the best fitting ones. Different brands fit differently so find a brand that goes with your foot.

I sprung for $$$ ones, but first found same but older used ones for $25 to check the fit. They're actually fine but a bit heavier.

Stores often don't have much stock/selection, so going & trying on doesn't really work that well.

Biketiresdirect has pretty good selection & some on sale.

Bosco215

I owned a pair of Giro shoes when I first started riding. They were more commuter style and started to tear. When looking for new ones I tried the cheapest Fizik at a LBS and they were great. I've since bought 2 more pairs of Fizik shoes, one for the road and the Terra x5 for my gravel bike. The Terra's are very comfortable to walk in when I have to dismount.

Miele Man

I don't know what type of pedals you have but I like these shoes I bought. THey work with MTB style cleats or with pedals and toe-clips. I use them with pedals and toe-clips and treat the show as an old-school touring shoe. I find them fairly lightweight but very comfortable on or off the bike.



There's a section on the sole that can be removed to uncover the cleat holes if you want to use MTB cleats.

Cheers

Toespeas

so first you need to nail down your sizing , i wear a wide so it took me a while to find the right pair of shoes , i went with shimano r7s a road shoe , but i think it comes in MTB too in the XC7 , great shoes i use them for everything .
as far as price goes try to stay under 300 , i have bought lake boots and shoes for as much as 246 and they are not light or stiff but they are good for winter and snow , so you also have to add in what will you be doing with these shoes , you could get some race quality shoes but not like them because they are not water resistant of insulated .
dont just think you need one pair , if you have two or even three pairs it will decrease the wear and tear and you can use each pair for its specific purpose , if you want to go on a more performance demanding ride , use your stiff and light race level shoes , if you go to the market just take some commuters .
i wouldn't use spin class shoes outdoors , but its a good start , i started with pearl izumi and i hated them until i found shimano rc7s in wide .
over all i would look at shimano , lake , bontrager , maybe sidi or giro ( fizik are narrow and over priced )

leob1

If there is one thing I'd advise to NOT buy online are shoes. I've done, got lucky once, not so lucky the second time. For the best fit you should go to a few shops and try on shoes from different manufacturers to find the on that fits you best. There will be differences in sizes .from manufacturer to manufacturer, a size 43 from one will not fit the same as a 43 from another. In northern NJ you should have lots of shop options and as things open up it should get easier. And as mentioned above, the mid range will probably be you best option.

Sy Reene

Or buy 4-5 different pairs of shoes from different manufacturers, from an online source that allows returns (eg. competitive cyclist). Yes, you may have to pay return shipping cost on the 3-4 pairs you end up not going with (as one shipment), but saves you a lot of aggravation of hitting lots of stores (in my area, typically a given store is married to only 1-2 brands, so not much selection.. and forget about finding much in a size 48+). If you talk to one of their sales reps before ordering, you may even be able to negotiate free return shipping if they know what your plan is.

bruce19

I'd recommend shopping at https://www.competitivecyclist.com/?...AP1A&gclsrc=ds. They tend to have good sales and if you need to return them for size or anything really, the shipping is free. They've been very good to me.

Boatdriver

In addition to the sizing/weight/quality issues raised above, consider what you plan to do off the bike in them. As miele_man mentioned above, those shoes are good for off-bike. I like to ride somewhere, and then walk around. The lightest shoes probably suck for walking. I like the style that miele_man shows. May be heavier than some, but walking for a coffee, bear, or to smell flowers is much easier in something with a walking sole.

wipekitty

IMO: Size is key. You want something wide enough to accommodate potential foot swelling on hot/longer rides, something narrow enough that your heel doesn't slip around and get blisters, and something long enough that your toes are not boxed in. You probably know how narrow/wide your foot is from experiences with normal shoes, and a measuring tape and size chart will help with the rest.

Some brands tend to run narrow, wide, big, and small; a good way to get a feel for this is to read reviews in which people specifically talk about size. For example, I have very narrow feet. So, if I read a bunch of negative reviews where people complain that the shoe is too narrow - that's the one for me.

A few of the common brands have already been listed here: Lake (known for being a bit wider), Sidi, Fizik (generally known for being a bit narrow), Shimano, Giro, Specialized, and Bontrager are common in the US.

vane171

That's also something I am shopping for, I have toe clip bike and now also SPD pedals. Since I am also from ON, Toronto specifically, where did you shop for the shoes? Or could you be more specific what Bontrager shoe line is that?

Miele Man

Those are Bontrager SSR Multisport shoes.

I got them at a bicycle shop in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada. The shop is Grand River Cycles. They seems to have another similar shoe, the Bontrager Solstice Road Shoe.

There website is here. https://www.grandrivercycle.com/

I got my shoes as a walk-in customer not an online order.

Cheers

RiceAWay

Fit is the most important thing followed by the stiffness of the sole. Higher end shoes commonly have carbon fiber soles which are lighter while being the most rigid. I've found that the most noticeable different between top end shoes like Sidi is a high quality leather. If the shoe actual fits you that is nice but the higher quality doesn't make up for a poor fit. I have large feet that need a wider toe-box so I use Lake shoes. MTB shoes are NORMALLY stiff enough and you don't have to worry about it. Road shoes are different.

As for weight? How would you tell on a bike? You might be able to tell walking around but I can't tell any difference on a bike and I've had some pretty clunky shoes. Aside from Lake, I have found Pearl Izumi to make very good MTB shoes. Also I prefer the snap straps rather than cable straps or those wire mechanisms that never seem to be able to fit the show properly.

vane171

Thanks, tomorrow I will check out Sweet Pete's cycle shop here in town, someone gave me that tip on another thread and it looks to be a large outlet, hopefully they have shoes on display. I was in Gears shop which also has pretty big sales floor but the shoes they have are all inside boxes and only stock fraction of what they have online (at least the outlet near me). Also want to check out just reopened Mountain Coop. With your tip, at least I have something specific to look for.

With my wider foot, I need to try the shoes out. BTW I bought cleats already, the SM-SH51 single release ones, and was surprised how heavy they are. Not being weight freak paying premium price to shave off grams but still it surprised me.

Same here, also need wider shoes in the toe box. Also since I use the shoes three seasons, that helps to keep your toes from freezing if the shoe is not a tight fit. Thanks for the tips as to brands. All else equal, I'd buy Bontrager shoes if I can since the bike I got is a Trek and has Bontrager parts on it, including cranks.

70sSanO

So, your shoes don’t hurt and your feet don’t get numb, or hot but they feel heavy. I don’t suppose you weighed them for a reference point. Lighter shoes and heavier pedals are still grams of weight.

I think you should spend money on a good pair of shoes, but as a new rider with 125 miles under your belt, you might want to check out some shoes and keep putting miles on the ones you have. Then when you go to an LBS you will have a better idea of what you want.

It is also possible that the selection and inventory at the stores may be down right now.

John

Ross520

Those are likely your legs feeling heavy.
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Now don't get me wrong... lighter, stiffer shoes can make a difference, but not as much as you might think.

I'd put that money into coaching or a professional fit rather than shoes, especially being that the ones you have already have are comfortable. It can be really difficult to find a pair that fits properly, whether they be $40, or a $400. You have something that works (remember the old saying?), I'd leave it for the time being.