Need road shoe with soft wider toe box
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Need road shoe with soft wider toe box
I have Specialized Torch 2.0 shoes that fit me fine. However I have a cyst on my left big toe that has grown bigger recently and it rubs painfully against the shoe side. It will be fixed surgically but for various reasons I want to wait until later this year, so I have been looking at shoes with a wider toe box and or soft mesh material on top. I would imagine this will be helpful even after the surgery while the toe heals. So meanwhile I want to continue riding.
A friend has GiroProlight Techlace shoes and they certainly accommodated the toe better than my Spec shoes. But I don't care for the bright red color and lace system. Would prefer Boa. The solution is not a generally wide shoe because they would be too loose. Any other suggestions?
A friend has GiroProlight Techlace shoes and they certainly accommodated the toe better than my Spec shoes. But I don't care for the bright red color and lace system. Would prefer Boa. The solution is not a generally wide shoe because they would be too loose. Any other suggestions?
#2
Over the hill
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 24,365
Bikes: Giant Defy, Giant Revolt
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 995 Post(s)
Liked 1,203 Times
in
689 Posts
I don't know if these will do the trick for you or not, but Shimano offers wide versions of their shoes (which are already known to be a bit wider than their competitors). I started to develop something (bunion? irritation?) on my left big toe from wearing too narrow of cycling shoes, and the RP4E did the trick for me. They have 2 velcro straps and 1 BOA, but the RC3 or RC300 is all BOA. Those and other Shimano models are all black.
__________________
It's like riding a bicycle
It's like riding a bicycle
#4
Thread Killer
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Posts: 12,427
Bikes: 15 Kinesis Racelight 4S, 76 Motebecane Gran Jubilée, 17 Dedacciai Gladiatore2, 12 Breezer Venturi, 09 Dahon Mariner, 12 Mercier Nano, 95 DeKerf Team SL, 19 Tern Rally, 21 Breezer Doppler Cafe+, 19 T-Lab X3, 91 Serotta CII, 23 3T Strada
Mentioned: 30 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3129 Post(s)
Liked 1,696 Times
in
1,026 Posts
Bont is well known for their wider, anatomical toe box, and the Riot+ model has that, with their heat-moldable tub sole and a very supple, soft material on the upper. You can get them direct from Bont: https://shop.bontcycling.com/collections/road
A few weeks ago while on a ride stop, another rider asked me about my Riot+, noting the outer material around the toe looked soft, I guess because he saw me wriggling my toes. He noticed because his toes, he told me, were uncomfortably constrained in most shoes. FWIW.
A few weeks ago while on a ride stop, another rider asked me about my Riot+, noting the outer material around the toe looked soft, I guess because he saw me wriggling my toes. He noticed because his toes, he told me, were uncomfortably constrained in most shoes. FWIW.
#5
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 7,839
Mentioned: 38 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6934 Post(s)
Liked 10,935 Times
in
4,671 Posts
I have Specialized Torch 2.0 shoes that fit me fine. However I have a cyst on my left big toe that has grown bigger recently and it rubs painfully against the shoe side. It will be fixed surgically but for various reasons I want to wait until later this year, so I have been looking at shoes with a wider toe box and or soft mesh material on top. I would imagine this will be helpful even after the surgery while the toe heals. So meanwhile I want to continue riding.
A friend has GiroProlight Techlace shoes and they certainly accommodated the toe better than my Spec shoes. But I don't care for the bright red color and lace system. Would prefer Boa. The solution is not a generally wide shoe because they would be too loose. Any other suggestions?
A friend has GiroProlight Techlace shoes and they certainly accommodated the toe better than my Spec shoes. But I don't care for the bright red color and lace system. Would prefer Boa. The solution is not a generally wide shoe because they would be too loose. Any other suggestions?
If it's Hammer Toe, you might as well get the surgery now. And forget about riding your bike during the recovery - you'll be wearing a boot.
If it is actually a cyst, well, that's a new one for me. Haven't heard of that. Should be pretty easy to remove, though, right?
As for the shoes: Spesh has some of the largest, most comfortable toe boxes I've found. I don't know if you'll do any better than what you've got.
#6
Newbie
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 54
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 28 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 33 Times
in
12 Posts
I have the same issue. Lake makes a wide and an extra wide, I believe. I bought a set of wides, but they were so wide that the rubber toe cap edge would catch on my crank arm every time I’d unclip. After two rides, it started ripping off. I had them professionally repaired, but it would just happen again. I considered that poor design. Lake, however, didn’t really care.
I ended up selling those and picking up a pair of S Works 7 wides, which I’m in love with. They’re not quite as wide as the Lakes, but certainly wide enough. They feel lighter and stiffer and are better made as well.
I ended up selling those and picking up a pair of S Works 7 wides, which I’m in love with. They’re not quite as wide as the Lakes, but certainly wide enough. They feel lighter and stiffer and are better made as well.
#7
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 4,764
Mentioned: 28 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1975 Post(s)
Liked 232 Times
in
173 Posts
I have the same issue. Lake makes a wide and an extra wide, I believe. I bought a set of wides, but they were so wide that the rubber toe cap edge would catch on my crank arm every time I’d unclip. After two rides, it started ripping off. I had them professionally repaired, but it would just happen again. I considered that poor design. Lake, however, didn’t really care.
I ended up selling those and picking up a pair of S Works 7 wides, which I’m in love with. They’re not quite as wide as the Lakes, but certainly wide enough. They feel lighter and stiffer and are better made as well.
I ended up selling those and picking up a pair of S Works 7 wides, which I’m in love with. They’re not quite as wide as the Lakes, but certainly wide enough. They feel lighter and stiffer and are better made as well.
#8
Newbie
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 54
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 28 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 33 Times
in
12 Posts
I’ll attach this pic to really drive home the point. It just so happened that where my cleat was situated, unclipping was causing the toe cap to catch the corner of my crank arm and pulled it away.
#9
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 4,764
Mentioned: 28 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1975 Post(s)
Liked 232 Times
in
173 Posts
I guess my question is how you decided on cleat position? At least on my pair of lakes it feels more like the added width is on the outside of the last, so my inner foot position and clearance remained unchanged compared to my narrower shoes
#10
Senior Member
I have Specialized Torch 2.0 shoes that fit me fine. However I have a cyst on my left big toe that has grown bigger recently and it rubs painfully against the shoe side. It will be fixed surgically but for various reasons I want to wait until later this year, so I have been looking at shoes with a wider toe box and or soft mesh material on top. I would imagine this will be helpful even after the surgery while the toe heals. So meanwhile I want to continue riding.
A friend has GiroProlight Techlace shoes and they certainly accommodated the toe better than my Spec shoes. But I don't care for the bright red color and lace system. Would prefer Boa. The solution is not a generally wide shoe because they would be too loose. Any other suggestions?
A friend has GiroProlight Techlace shoes and they certainly accommodated the toe better than my Spec shoes. But I don't care for the bright red color and lace system. Would prefer Boa. The solution is not a generally wide shoe because they would be too loose. Any other suggestions?
Wouldn't help, he already has the Torch 2.0 wide. It's the same width as the 7.
Last edited by zymphad; 07-16-21 at 06:39 PM.