Lake vs Sidi sizing?
 

anybody have both and can tell me how Lake sizing compares to Sidi? Nobody stocks any Sidi road shoes in my area to try on.One dealer had a Lake road shoe in 45.5 that fit but was the Cx332 which is out of my price range. Anybody no how a Lake 45.5 road shoe correlates to a Sidi size road shoe. Interested in the Sidi Alba mega. I wear Keen size 45 and Specialized recon 2.0 in 45.5

I don't know how the brands compare, but the Lake fitting guide is fairly accurate. I sized mine from that guide and they fit. They also have a matrix that you could cross over to the CX332.

https://www.lakecycling.com/pages/size-guide

I know what size Lake fits but I want Sidi's so that is why I want to know if anyone has both and can tell me what size Size Sidi correlates with a 45.5 lake, A 45 Lake 218 was too small. using Lakes guide it says I should wear a 45 but not the case.

My understanding of Lake's and my experience with Sidi lends me to believe the Sidi's are going to be a more narrow fit in the toe box, even with standard width Lake's. I just bought a new pair of road shoes, hence the recent research. I could be wrong, never tried Lake's, but I did look into them quite a bit. FWIW, I did my 1st ride with my new Bontrager's this morning and they definitely have more room in the toe box than the Sidi's. In retrospect, my Sidi's, from about 12 years or so ago, were probably a bit narrow for me, and I am a "standard", not a wide, in most sizing charts. Hope that helps a little.

Probably not helpful, but I splurged on lake 238 in wide (less expensive than the 332) and am very happy with them...especially the wide for my fred flintstone feet

another chase of you get what you pay for.... IIRC the lakes fit better than even wide Sidis for me

No experience with Lake, but my Sidi's are notably more snung and narrow than shoes of the same size from Fizik and Giro.
My

I have both lake and Sidi. I wear a 44.5 in lake cx403 and 45.5 full size up in Sidi ergo 5 mega.

Buy a full size up in Sidi

I have old Lake shoes from 10 years ago and Sidi from about 4 years ago - agree with other comments about Sidi being narrower. I went .5 size larger, about right when wearing thin biking socks, a bit too snug when I'm wearing normal human being athletic type socks.

thank you

I have slightly narrow feet and wear Sidi exclusively as they are a great fit, Never found a pair of Lakes that was a good fit -- always too wide.

Keep in mind that advice causes different problems. Sizing up to an incorrect length in order to try to get the width or toe box to fit will push the cleat location too far forwards relative to your foot, which causes a host of different problems.

the shoes are the same size physically just numbered differently.

How sure of that are you? The reason I'm pushing back a little is that the length of the last (shoe size) is typically the only thing that's relatively constant between brands because it has a specific definition. How wide, how much volume, shape, all of that changes with each company's lasts and what they want the shoe to feel like, but size is easily relatable directly to physical length.

Sidis have changed a lot the last few years. I have narrow feet and used to buy their 45S Genius shoe. The S designation equates to narrow in Italian.

No longer do they make the narrow lasted “S” shoes, so my recent pair of Sidi Genius 10 shoes had to be 45.5.

well according to some here that have had both and two other well known mail order shops who have employees that wear both brands are telling me that a Lake 45.5 and a Sidi Mega 46.5 fit very much the same.

Lake shoes tend to be wider than Sidi. I’ve owned Sidi’s extra wide shoes and Lake’s extra wide shoes. The Sidis are noticeable narrower than the Lakes…close to 3/4” narrower. I have tailor’s bunions on both feet that rested exactly on the outer edge of the sole on the Sidi. They were extremely uncomfortable after just a few minutes. They were so uncomfortable that I paid full price and overnight shipping for a pair of Lake extra wide mountain bike shoes while at my daughter’s house in Tucson so that I could go ride.

The Lake’s wider foot bed is far more comfortable.

yes. I am comparing standard lake width to Sidi mega width. I have no bunions or oddities on my feet and they are not overly wide I just like a bit of extra width. Kind of like why I prefer Keens and Topos shoes over Oboz or merrils.

If you know that the Lake CX332 fit, look for a lower priced Lake that's using the same last (CX Competition Last).

They have your size 218s in White (*so* pro!) on their Outlet section for $99 - https://www.lakecycling.com/collecti...46847678153044

They also have your size in the black lace-up CX-1, again for $99 - https://www.lakecycling.com/collecti...41053765107866

Except I want Sidi's not Lake. :) CX332 is the race last and none of those outlet shoes would work :).

So a) why bother discussing Lakes and b) how do you know that you want them if you don't even know that they fit?

I don't think that there's a lot of Lake/Sidi cross-pollination; Lake is primarily known for having a wider toe box whereas Sidi are known for being narrower. Even Sidi Mega are not wide - they're high volume - so primarily different target audiences.

If you think you're set on Sidi, and you don't have any dealers in your area, buy some from an online outfit with free returns/shipping; either buy a few sizes at once (in the hopes of getting it over with), or buy what you think is the most likely size and be prepared to do the exchange game over the next two or three weeks.

well I said in my first post I was able to try on a pair of lakes in 45.5 and they fit but I want Sidi and there is not any Sidi's in my town to try on. As far as how do I know I want them is I had a pair that I bought in the late 80's and I like them...the soles finally fell off sometime around 2000. My foot has changed sizes since then tho and I like how they look and well I guess that is all :). I hate buying online and then having to return. I know crazy but just don't like doing the return thing.

I didn't like the idea of doing the delivery/return thing, either, but I got tired of not having properly fitting shoes, so I took a couple of weeks and got it done.

No one here has your feet, so no one here can ensure a proper fit; even with a glowing testimony, you'd still need to be prepared to do the delivery/return thing. Just do it and get it over with or move on to something that you can try in person.

Trek RSL vs Sidi Mega vs Lake CX333 Wide vs CX242 Wide
 

I have very wide feet, ~294mm long and ~118mm wide when I trace my foot and measure. My toes are a bit on the short side so the ball of my foot is relatively far "forward" which means most of my foot would fit a size 13/13.5 better but short toes would leave a lot of room at the end. I also have a very high instep and very high arch, narrow heel.

My current shoes are an older pair of Sidi Ergo Mega circa 2008. They have stretched nicely and fit my feet very comfortably. My vague recollection is that they were a bit snug when new but I went with them because of sponsorship at the time. The heel is loose a loose fit. Durability has been outstanding! I recently replaced the top straps and the velcro just separated from the vinyl strap portion. Impressive durability.


Current comparison search:

1) Trek RSL size 45.5: I need to try a size 46. A bit tight to put my foot into them, they require at least one hand, probably both hands, to put them on because it is designed like a sock instead of a shoe with a tongue. The top Boa has a well designed strap which prevented the wires from creating pressure points during my brief fitting. Heel cup is a nice size for me. A little bit of pressure on the little toe side but that is likely because of the shoe being a half size (or more?) too small. Definitely not as wide as the widest of the Lake shoes but very stretchy upper would likely accommodate my foot in the correct size. Fairly noticeable upward curve of the sole at the toes. Feels light weight. Very nice design and quality look shoe. Wearing the shoe while editing this post and it already feels more comfortable on my foot. The end of the toe box has a rubber-like "bumper guard" which is forcing my toes inward a bit and might be an issue long-term in this smaller size- or not. With my short toes it means my foot is wider then normal where the toe box typically begins to narrow. With longer toes the shape would probably be fine. The lower (toe) Boa wire don't create pressure points either. This is a really well designed shoe.

2) Lake CX333 Wide, size 46. A wee bit too short. I measured my foot at 293mm and a 46 is supposed to fit 293mm. Width was slightly too narrow compared to the comfort of my stretched out Sidis but much wider then the Trek RSL. Also not quite as wide as the CX242 Wide. Material was ugly on the white ones, looked like wrinkly plastic film that could tear easily. Probably wouldn't, but that was the appearance. A little concerned about pressure from the top Boa wires across the top of my foot because the tongue seems to be very thin, especially compared to the old Sidi which is a wide strap and well padded tongue. The same shoe in black must be made from different material (I think black is leather) as it looked much nicer/more durable. Again, may just be appearance of durability. Race Last is ~114mm wide in size 46.

3) Lake CX242 Wide, size 46. See #2 re size. I ordered a 46.5 to try. The material seems better but may just be appearance. Shoe seems to be much better ventilated- MUCH better. Not that the other looked hot, this just has a lot of mesh to it, like the Trek RSR to some degree. Width was noticeably wider then the CX333 and was very close in comfort to the old Sidis. I wouldn't hesitate to wear these, new, for a long ride once I have the right length. Competition Last is 118mm wide in size 46.

4) Sidi Ergo 5 Mega: According to Sidi the Mega width only adds 4mm. I'm guessing it was the same in the older version? The buckle system is unfortunate on these shoes. I like to snug them up before a sprint, nice and tight, then release the pressure. That seems, from what I have seen and read, to not be "easy" compared to the Boa system or the older Sidi lift-to-ratchet buckle. That old buckle was a bit on the sucky side with full finger gloves. New one looks worse in that situation. If they had gone with Boa or something other then what they have I would consider trying them on.

Lake size chart for reference. I wish all manufacturers could be so informative.
lakecycling.com/pages/sizing-chart