johngwheeler

I currently have some Shimano RC7 road shoes in size 44, fitted with Speedplay Zero cleats.

I've had some comfort problems with these, both in terms of support and foot numbness after about an hour's riding.

However, I have a couple of problems with my feet - so the shoes may not be to blame! Firstly, I have a 5mm leg length difference which causes pronation of the right foot that has led to developing a bunion over the years (big toe grows inwards at angle towards the other toes). This isn't so severe that it causes a lot of rubbing of the enlarged big toe joint, but does mean my right foot is wider than the left one.

I also have fairly flat feet - not completely fallen arches, but partially. This is largely fixed by wearing orthotics, which also correct the leg-length difference when walking, and make cycling more comfortable by providing more arch support.

However, I am still troubled by sore / numb feet after about an hour, which becomes decidedly uncomfortable after 2 hours. The numbness recovers quickly if stop and take the shoes off for a minute or two.

I'm wondering whether this is simply because the shoes are too small (my street and work shoes are the same nominal size), or because the RC7s are too stiff in the upper part? I am able to waggle my toes with the shoes on, and the discomfort / numbness is mainly in the ball of the foot.

I'm reluctant to buy the same shoe in a size 45, if it is actually the design of the shoe that is causing my problem rather the size.

I'd be interested in hearing your experience with road shoes, particularly if you have wide & flat feet like mine.

Thanks!

beanbag

I have feet that are wide (at the front) and flat. I like shimano shoes because they have versions that are wide at the toes, and not just in the middle.

In the past, two things have given me ball-of-foot pain.
One is just how the sole's height / insole's thickness drops down from the arch towards the toes, creating a little valley at the ball of the foot.
Two, try moving your cleat back a bit.

The thing that I find in common is that both excessive valley and cleat too far forwards creates a toes-pointing-up foot shape, which makes the ball of the foot stick out by more.

chaadster

It’s hard to diagnose anything from the description, but I do think of Shimano shoes as being generally narrow. I wonder if Bont might work well for you; they have width measurements and a tub construction which may give extra support and stability to feet which need it.

I use Bonts with an aftermarket arch supporting insole, and love them.

San Pedro

Shimano also make a wide version of some shoes. I wear 44 wide, and I think they fit my wide feet about as good as any shoe ever has.

topflightpro

If your feet are that off of normal, I suggest going custom or semicustom.

I have two pair of Riivo semi-custom shoes with the custom orthotic. They are wonderful. Yes, they were expensive, but totally worth it given how much I ride and my desire for comfort. Also, if you pay with PayPal Credit, you get 6 months same as cash to pay for them.

WhyFi

Specialized are moderately wide and have various levels of arch support with separate insoles (which also have some metatarsal bump or whatever to help prevent numbness/discomfort in the area that you're describing).

topslop1

I purchased a lot of wide shoes.

Sidi megas in a half size too big length wise were the only ones that really worked out for me.

And with the cash I spent trying to find - I'd go custom too. So another vote for that.

robbyville

I don't have particularly wide feed but am incredibly flat footed and have run the gamut with shoes/pedals, and numbness.

I would look at the Bont's if you can but ultimately the shoes that worked best for me amongst the probably 15 pairs I tried and more than that over the years have been the Specialized S works. It's also the only shoe that I gladly paid full retail for. Their adjustability is really awesome. Their insoles are quite good although obviously you would want to bring yours with you since they also correct you leg length differential.

Personally, I would check out their shoes and insoles and perhaps look at shimming for your leg length. On the numbness, depending on location I would wonder if you've ever had your cleats properly adjusted? That worked wonders for me, although I should also say that Speedplay pedals didn't work well for me and my flat feet, I went back to my Shimano Dura Ace pedals which have a wider platform and seemed to work better for me.

Hope this helps a bit and good luck!

cydewaze

Story of my life - big, wide, flat feet, BUT normal heels, so I can't ride wide shoes because they make them wide all the way through the entire length of the shoe.

I've had OK luck with Spesh BG comps, and now I ride Northwaves. No shoe has ever been perfect for me, but the NWs are close, and I really like the native 4-bolt setup for Speedplays.

topflightpro

I'm in a similar boat, with normal heels and super wide forefoot. Semicustom has been fantastic.

I went through multiple pairs of wide Specialized, wide Lake, wide Shimano, Sidi regular and Mega, and I tried out Fizik, Northwave, Diadora, and Giro. None are anywhere near as comfortable as my Riivos.

cydewaze

I'll eventually either be in that boat, or bunion surgery. Not sure which. Even the Northwaves give me numbness after a few hours, unless I loosen the instep retention all the way, but then what's the point of the boa up there?

My Bontrager MTB shoes have been a little better, but road has always been where I've had the problems, maybe because there's less variety of movement. The road Bontys didn't seem at all wide enough, so I went with the NWs.

Those customs look nice, but jumping from $129 for a shoe to $1000+ is quite a leap that would likely cause divorce proceedings.

redlude97

you didn't specify if you were using the wide version of the rc7 already or not.

bonz50

Lake cycling shoes. very nice, especially for those of us with big and wide 'uns

generalkdi

Diadoras are pretty Narrow, so look elsewhere. (I have JetRacers and now Vortex pro 2)

Someone I know having an issue with his shoes width ended up with Specialized. I never tried them tho.

DoubleTap

After much trial and error, the Lake CX237 wide solved all my foot issues. They're even better for my feet than the $950 custom shoes I had made.

jordanair45

Go to a specialized store and get a pair of wide shoes. They sell multiple inserts for your problem. IDK if they offer BG fit for your shoes, but if they do, I'd recommend it

aplcr0331

I must have pretty normal feet, I love the RC7 shoes. Super comfy, stiff, no hotspots or anything (after getting my cleats adjusted a bit). Great shoes, it sounds like you might need custom shoes/orthotics to get your fit just right.


Good luck.

Bob Ross

^^^This. My feet are way too wide to fit stock (non-Mega) SIDIs but they fit perfectly in every identically sized Specialized shoe I've ever tried. I own two pairs.

RushFan2112

Take a look at the Bontrager XXX as they work well for my wide feet. I can't speak to the other shoes in the Bontrager line, but the XXX seems to be reasonably wide.

Samuel D

I have a wide forefoot, narrow heel, and shallow foot. Think duck. Shimano shoes are terrible for this foot shape. For a start, even the wide-fit models (E) are downright narrow across the ball. And if your feet tend to go numb at the big-toe and/or ball, as mine do, you may find that the toe-up stance of Shimano shoes makes this worse. I think our feet need approximately flat shoes, like the ground we have walked on for millennia.

I tried a few shoes and ended up with a Northwave pair, which happily are well-made and affordable too. They solved my problem. Give them a try.

Make sure also to get a big enough size (definitely bigger than your street shoes), position the cleat rearward, don’t tighten the shoes much, and keep your feet warm at all times. Standing up for ten seconds every few minutes while pedalling also promotes circulation and helps my feet not get numb on long rides where they otherwise might.

tangerineowl

As your discomfort is the ball of your foot, I'd see a pro about that issue.

Apart from that, a couple of comments:-
Lake CX237 - great for wide front foot, but you need a fat/normal heel (narrow heel; you'll get lift).
Pearl Izumi - almost as wide as Lake at the front. Narrower/taller heel than Lake.
S-works - latest models are rather flat and wide at front with narrow enough heel.
Bont - I've heard good things about them (wide front), but have read that for a flatter-foot, they are not ideal due to their bathtub shape.

xodondum

I tried a Lake pair, it rubbed against the joint in my toe, so no go.

inspclouseau

The valley you mention may be resolved by different insoles/orthotics. I had normal arches, which eventually fell after weight, age, and preferring to be barefoot took their toll. I was fitted with Prostep by my podiatrist. The run shop suggested superfeet. Each brand places the support in a slightly different position. Prostep worked for me superfeet, not so much. I also found Prostep purchased from the doc was far superior than off the shelf from a run shop.

I have all the problems, including foot shape described in this thread, and the orthotics resolved them about 90% of the way - refreshed every few months. That last 10% needs a slightly wider toe box than what my shimanos give me.

IK_biker

Another useless thread, where not a single poster bothered to quantify what is meant by "wide" feet.
The Brannock device does quantify foot widths pretty well, yet owners of perceived wide feet are either unaware of what category of "wide" theirs fall into, or for some reason believe that the word "wide" means a single well defined thing.

Here's an example of informed and meaningful discussion on the subject:

https://www.bikeforums.net/general-c...-you-wear.html

Cheers!

unionmade

I'd recommend trying on some Lake's too. I don't have particularly flat feet, but mine are very wide. I tried Shimano wides, Sidi Megas, Northwave, and Spec before finding Lakes. To me, they seemed to be the widest of the bunch.