Road shoes

[Parrot of Doom]

What are considered good quality £50-£100 road shoes these days? I still ride in my £20 Caratti 1990 shoes but they're getting a bit uncomfortable of late, and I'm sick of the vents letting cold wet water in!

I have a particularly high instep, feet are about size 10-11.

[itsnotarace]

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/specialized/bg...

Would love a pair of Sidi's though

[neilski]

Sidi Genius. They probably cost a bit compared to a lot of other brands but you can't beat Sidi IMO.

£100 from Chain Reaction....

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?Par...

[Beardy10]

Aren't Sidi's quite a narrow fit ? I'd try a few brands and see what works best for you.

[mrandy]

I use DMT now I never got on with sidis as they are very narrow

[Parrot of Doom]

If they're narrow they probably won't fit my feet. I'd like to take advantage of online prices but I think I really need to try before I buy.

I know Evans are expensive, do Decathlon do any decent road shoes?

[Nevin]

Parrot of Doom said:

If they're narrow they probably won't fit my feet. I'd like to take advantage of online prices but I think I really need to try before I buy.

I know Evans are expensive, do Decathlon do any decent road shoes?

They aren't "that" narrow but if you need something wider look for anything Sidi with the words "Mega" next to it. This is their wide fitting range and is a pretty generous fit.

[Parrot of Doom]

fk me, Evans cycles are a pile of wk. I went in to see what road shoes they have. On their 4-shelf rack, they had about 9 shoes, only half of which had a price tag. All were Shimano or Specialised, no other brands.

I don't know if its just the shop near the Trafford Centre in Manchester, or a more general thing, but it is incredibly badly-managed. Just last week I queued for 10 minutes to pay in cash for a £5 bottle of oil, and when I got to the counter (after queuing behind people who mostly weren't even buying things) the bloke who served me wasn't even allowed to access the cash from the till - he had to get someone else to do it.

Its no wonder that online shops like CRC do so well, with nuggets like this running bike shops.

[Rouleur]

Shimano shoes are great and really good value. I've also had a pair of North Wave MTB shoes for many years and I'd recommend the brand.

Try Edinburgh Cycles, they do Shimano and Specialized

[Parrot of Doom]

Thanks but they don't sell SIDI shoes, particularly the wide shoes that SIDI make. I might pop in there once in a while though, anything is better than bloody Evans.

I've asked SIDI if they can send me some kind of sizing chart, so I can measure my feet and choose the best fit. Other than that, anyone know if CRC will accept exchanges on shoes that don't fit?

[neilski]

Parrot of Doom said:

Thanks but they don't sell SIDI shoes, particularly the wide shoes that SIDI make. I might pop in there once in a while though, anything is better than bloody Evans.

I've asked SIDI if they can send me some kind of sizing chart, so I can measure my feet and choose the best fit. Other than that, anyone know if CRC will accept exchanges on shoes that don't fit?

Sidi sizing is pretty accurate I'd say so you should be fine ordering whatever size you normally take. If you decide to buy a pair of Shimano, you'll need to buy at least one size bigger, might even be two in the bigger sizes. Best to try before you buy with them.

CRC's returns policy is brilliant if you need to change something because it's the wrong size, just don't wear them outside or remove any tags and you'll be fine.

[okgo]

What is wrong with some RO76/86 Shimano's?

Seem to be pretty decent to me.

[Mr Will]

Parrot of Doom said:

...I know Evans are expensive...

I know Evans have their faults, but they will price-match anything with very little fuss. They are also quite happy to get things in which are on their website but not in store if you phone them up in advance.

[Zippee]

I've got a pair of these - http://www.evanscycles.com/products/shimano/r105-r... Shimano R105's very comfortable, full carbon sole and a wide enough fit for my fat feet.

Evans don't always have the best staff but some of their shops are good - bit pot luck TBH.

[Parrot of Doom]

neilski said:

Parrot of Doom said:

Thanks but they don't sell SIDI shoes, particularly the wide shoes that SIDI make. I might pop in there once in a while though, anything is better than bloody Evans.

I've asked SIDI if they can send me some kind of sizing chart, so I can measure my feet and choose the best fit. Other than that, anyone know if CRC will accept exchanges on shoes that don't fit?

Sidi sizing is pretty accurate I'd say so you should be fine ordering whatever size you normally take. If you decide to buy a pair of Shimano, you'll need to buy at least one size bigger, might even be two in the bigger sizes. Best to try before you buy with them.

CRC's returns policy is brilliant if you need to change something because it's the wrong size, just don't wear them outside or remove any tags and you'll be fine.

That's great, I think I'll order some tomorrow then.

To the other posters, I really do have a large instep, its a pain choosing normal shoes let alone cycling shoes, so the wide SIDI shoes sound great.

[Parrot of Doom]

I eventually found a place in Wilmslow called Royles, excellent service, cheaper than the online price too. I've had 20 years from the old ones, I shall expect 50 from these

[Rouleur]

Royles is easily the best shop in the area, I would have suggested it but your profile says you're in Manchester... Those will last you forever anyway

[CVP]

I popped into Royles with a mate who is looking to get into cycling. Some real bike porn in there. The staff were also very genrous with their time with Andrew and he's a complete beginner so was looking at the cheapest end of their sales. I liked their attitude and prices seemed competitive too.

[Parrot of Doom]

Yep, the bloke who served me knew his stuff, and was more than happy with my usual moronic line of questioning. I'll definitely be going back, Evans can go eat a bucket of dicks.

[CooperS]

Beardy10 said:

Aren't Sidi's quite a narrow fit ? I'd try a few brands and see what works best for you.

No not at all i've got wide size 8 half feet and i find my dragons really comfy