VittorioQWERTY

hello, I was looking to buy some new cyclings shoes, I am a decent rider and I was looking for a step up, my first choice where shimano rc5's, they have 1 boa dial carbon/nilon sole and around 100 euros. The second choice are the specialized torch3 which normally are super expensive but is now on sale for 130 euros, with two boa dials and a full carbon sole they look to be the best option, The last choice are the Fizik tempo overcurve r5, they are similar to Shimano's rc5 with one boa dial and are slightly lighter for 100 euros, i have an EU 42 size, does anyone know what the best option in terms of fit and performacne is?

jnbrown

Can you try them on? Fit and comfort are going to be important.
I have Gaerne G.STL and love them. Not cheap though but they last a long time.

Eric F 

It's hard to give a recommendation for shoes. Like saddles, what fits great for one person might be awful for someone else, and finding the right fit for you is critical for comfort and performance. Sidi makes amazing shoes, but they just don't work with the shape of my narrow foot. I'm currently using Bont shoes. The heat-moldable carbon fiber tub the shoe is built around has been excellent for me. All that said, I know a lot of people who are very happy with their Shimano shoes.

Steve B.

Full or partial carbon soles can improve foot comfort on long rides. I HAD to go to a partial carbon sole to reduce pain on the outer toe joint. I would be heading to a local bike shop that has a good shoe selection and trying on shoes. You cannot mail order shoes that you cannot try on, well you can, but you crap shoot it and buy 2 or 3 pairs in different sizes, then return what doesn't fit. PITA. I just buy shoes local.

Fredo76

Based on previous experiences with SPEED brand shoes from China, I would feel confident about fit and quality with any of these shoes from eBay. No affiliation.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/225493041248
https://www.ebay.com/itm/354088162642
https://www.ebay.com/itm/204261093123

I just ordered my old racing size (46), and they fit like a glove, so to speak.

PoorInRichfield

If you want a pair of shoes that you can't buy locally to try on, I recommend looking for online stores that offer free returns. Buy the shoes you want to try, return the ones that don't fit right. I personally have had great customer service from https://bikeshoes.com/ when buying Lake shoes. Some Amazon sellers also have free return shipping.

Camilo

The best judge is your feet. What we like in terms of fit is irrelevant. Performance is all about fit. I happen to like Sidi.

rsbob 

I would highly recommend dual BOA regardless of manufacture. It is important that if you feet swell in the heat, like most people, you can loosen the BOAs selectively to reduce pressure areas. With a single, if your forefoot starts getting hot or develops pain, you have to loosen the entire shoe. Ask me how I know. Plus you can custom tailor the fit of the shoes with duals.

I have a single BOA pair of Specialized for late Fall, Winter, early Spring when my feet don’t swell and a different dual BOA air conditioned pair of Specialized for the rest of the year. Works great,. But if I had to own one pair, it would be the duals.

blacknbluebikes 

Make sure you have plenty of room in the toebox.

McFlyRides

Yep, PITA. But that's what I ended up doing in 2021 when I was in the market. I'm in a decent sized city but just not able to find anything local that worked. I bought and returned several pairs before I settled on the Shimano XC9. I tried the specialized offerings, the Shimano XC3, XC5, XC7 and the Lake MX238. For my foot the XC9 was perfect.