lasauge 

I've replaced the shoes I use for daily commuting numerous times over the past years, but I've had the same pair of fair weather road cycling shoes for something like 10 years/40k miles now and they're looking pretty ratty. Strictly speaking I don't need to replace them right away as they're still working well (no tears or holes in the uppers, carbon reinforced soles still working great), but I am thinking about replacing them in the near future. Any suggestions about what to get if I want my next pair to last 10 years? I've always stuck to Shimano shoes for the most part and been very happy with them, but know that Sidi have a great reputation so I'm considering them as well (though their model line confuses me). Thoughts and opinions would be appreciated!

79pmooney

You might want to look into Lakes. I haven't bought any of their upper shoes so no carbon soles but I regularly get lots of miles out of their cheaper shoes (which I buy because they fit my feet very well). I started buying them as Performance house brand shoes around 2002, not knowing the manufacturer, 10 years, lots of rainy rides and many thousands of miles is the norm for me. My two newest have most nearly the mileage of my two customs. One has most of 20,000 fix gear miles and five week long Cycle Oregons. That pair is doing just fine.

I've never had to do any repairs other than replacing Velcro straps. Yes, my first two pairs died of the bolt holes final giving up after who knows how many cleat replacements on shoes that had seen many winters, rain, walking, etc. but by that time they were beyond disreputable and the real leather very stretched.

WhyFi

Shoe fit is rather personal. Rather than suggest certain brands, I'd suggest that you look for certain features.

Look for replaceable (and available!) wear points like heel and/or toe pads. Replacement Boa dials are widely available and not brand-specific, whereas ratcheting buckles may be specific and less common. Laces are certainly going to be available forever more. Some shoes still rely on Velcro closures - I would tend to avoid those if I were looking for a long-term shoe. I would also favor carbon fiber soles rather than something like nylon.

DaveSSS 

If lowest cost per mile is your objective, cheaper shoes may be a better deal than more expensive ones. Expensive shoes these days are primarily aimed at stiffness and low weight, not longevity. Sidi shoes are very high quality and the brand I've bought most often. Try to find them on sale, for the best deal. I have paid dearly for custom made D2 shoes (now Lamson). They worked fine, but cost $700 back in 2008 and now cost $1200.

I just bought a pair of Fizik Overcurve R5 shoes for about $120, that retail for $150. They fit perfectly and at that price, they don't have to last forever to be a decent value. FWIW, they weigh about 30 grams less than my custom D2 shoes from 12 years ago. I had to search a bit for a valid size chart. I normally wear an 8.5 US, or 42.5 EU in a Sidi, but with the Fizik, a 41 EU is an 8.25 and a 41.5 EU is an 8.75, so I tried a 41 and got lucky with fit. The insoles are a perfect match to my custom D2 shoes.

Steve B.

I was going also recommend shoes with Boa dials. They are replaceable, unlike the broken proprietary and unreplacable buckle on my otherwise good condition Diadora’s.

Princess_Allez

Specialized Sworks7 have an upper made from dyneema, which is extremely scuff resistant. I should have a bunch of toe overlap marks by now, but surprisingly none!

Koyote

I have a pair of Shimano shoes that are about 15 years old and have probably been ridden close to 50k miles, and the velcro straps still work fine. On my two-year old MTB shoes, though, I have now replaced the BOAs twice. Granted, that's a cheap and easy repair, but still...

InvertedMP 

The Lakes CX238 hold up remarkably well.

WhyFi

Everything has a lifespan, so my comment was mostly centered on replaceability with that in mind. Kudos for your Velcro straps for withstanding the test of time (though I do wonder if the straps in question are secondary, lower straps or if they're the primary retention at the top), but others will experience wear and tear that will make them ineffective well before that point and replacing them is enough work that it's often viewed as not being worthwhile.

Koyote

Each shoe has three Velcro straps… No other retention method. Granted, it’s a sample size of one pair. But still.

WhyFi

Yup.

DaveSSS 

The velcro on my custom made shoes isn't as grippy as it used to be. The shoes have about 4.5 years of use, but they were made 12 years ago. I left cycling for 8 years, so everything I owned got a long nap.

Bob Ross

I finally just threw out the Specialized shoes that I bought when I first transitioned to clipless pedals ~15 years ago. I've bought some other brand shoes since then and based on how they're wearing out I have no illusions that any of them will last 15 years. So I'm almost certain that my next pair of cycling shoes will be Specialized again.

Koyote

There are all kinds of methods for cleaning and restoring old velcro. If you haven't tried any of them, just use google for lots of info.

If you have tried these methods and not had any luck, perhaps a cobbler could put on new straps for you.

JohnJ80

Shoe fit is personal so it depends on the lasts the given supplier uses.

My biggest gripe with MTB style shoes and specifically with the SPD pedals is that the stability on the pedal in large part depends on the tread of the shoe adjacent to the cleat. If that tread wears enough - and it doesn't take much - the stability of the shoe on the pedal suffers. There are shoes, such as some from Sidi that have replaceable treads. This is a big feature in my experience.

J.

Psimet2001 

Lake, Shimano, Specialized, Sidi.

They all have their finer points though so find the pair that fits.

Bob Ross

^^^This ...but, I will add some cautionary advice, also from my experience: If you buy shoes with replaceable treads, but some spare sets of replacement treads at the same time when you buy the shoes. Don't just assume that the replacement treads will still be available sometime down the road when you finally need them.

They won't.