The old shoe fit question

Just had my LBS size me to a new set of Sidi Dominators. The long and short
of it is that he wedged me in to a set of shoes where my toes are allllll
cramped up in the front of the shoe. All of my toes are pressed up against
the front of the shoe....and the guy at my LBS insists that this is a
correct fit. OK, I know that cyclings shoes need to be a little tight...but
this cant be right....can it? I went to another LBS and tried a full size up
and Im much more comfortable. Much more room for the toes...my big toe isnt
even touching the front of the shoe, and when I grab the back or walk in the
shoes, there is barely any heel movement...virtually none....and much less
than the AXOs Im ditching.

So...the question is....how much room in the front are you supposed to have?
Should there be any "wiggle room" or are cycling shoes to be fit very tight?

RkFast wrote:
Just had my LBS size me to a new set of Sidi Dominators. The long and short
of it is that he wedged me in to a set of shoes where my toes are allllll
cramped up in the front of the shoe. All of my toes are pressed up against
the front of the shoe....and the guy at my LBS insists that this is a
correct fit. OK, I know that cyclings shoes need to be a little tight...but
this cant be right....can it? I went to another LBS and tried a full size up
and Im much more comfortable. Much more room for the toes...my big toe isnt
even touching the front of the shoe, and when I grab the back or walk in the
shoes, there is barely any heel movement...virtually none....and much less
than the AXOs Im ditching.

So...the question is....how much room in the front are you supposed to have?

More than the first shop told you. I think they wanted to make a sale.
Don't buy shoes that aren't comfortable when you buy them. Life is
too short to suffer so.

Mark Janeba

From: "RkFast"


insists that this is a
correct fit. OK, I know that cyclings shoes need to be a little tight...but
this cant be right....can it? I went to another LBS and tried a full size up
and Im much more comfortable. Much more room for the toes...my big toe isnt
even touching the front of the shoe, and when I grab the back or walk in the
shoes, there is barely any heel movement...virtually none....and much less
than the AXOs Im ditching.

So...the question is....how much room in the front are you supposed to have?
Should there be any "wiggle room" or are cycling shoes to be fit very tight?

No. Not tight. Unless you want bunions, don't wear tight shoes. Yeah, the heel
can't pop out, but no toe touching for sure, and for that matter, not
compressed side-to-side, either. For me, Sidi Genius work well. The buckle
"locates" the foot, my heel stays in, and the velcro lets me adjust for
comfortably loose without flopping around. The old "tight shoes" thing comes
from the days of stretchy leather. Even then, jamming the big toe against the
end of the shoe can give you serious foot problems. Worked for me and it didn't
take long, either. --Tom Paterson

RkFast wrote:

Just had my LBS size me to a new set of Sidi Dominators. The long and short
of it is that he wedged me in to a set of shoes where my toes are allllll
cramped up in the front of the shoe. All of my toes are pressed up against
the front of the shoe....and the guy at my LBS insists that this is a
correct fit. OK, I know that cyclings shoes need to be a little tight...but
this cant be right....can it? I went to another LBS and tried a full size up
and Im much more comfortable. Much more room for the toes...my big toe isnt
even touching the front of the shoe, and when I grab the back or walk in the
shoes, there is barely any heel movement...virtually none....and much less
than the AXOs Im ditching.

So...the question is....how much room in the front are you supposed to have?
Should there be any "wiggle room" or are cycling shoes to be fit very tight?


At one time, our sport used shoes of thin leather with
leather soles. They stretched a lot in the first few rides.

Modern shoes, notably SiDi, are made of Lorica, not cows.
That material is impervious to water, doesn't pick up smells
and works very well, especially with modern clipless
systems. They don't stretch at all.

Buy your shoes to fit. Not "a little tight". To fit.

Bike shoes are cut much rounder in the toe than dress shoes
in both planes so they look funny when correctly sized.
Women especially note that cycling shoes look big in the
toe. That cut ensures you won't have any pressure on your
toenails while riding.

(The insole may be swapped with an orthotic if you want)

Also note SiDi makes half-sizes (up to 44+) and widths. They
don't cost any more in narrow or wide.
--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

So...the question is....how much room in the front are you supposed to
have?
Should there be any "wiggle room" or are cycling shoes to be fit very
tight?

I've gone over this with our staff many times, and still, once in a while, a
customer escapes with shoes that I feel are too tight. The rule of thumb is
this-

If you (the customer) even think there's a possibility that they might be
too small, they ARE too small.

Your toes should never be touching the end of the shoe, because you tend to
push forward when you pedal, and having bruised toes on a long ride isn't
fun. When you're checking the shoes out, stand up and walk around in them
for a bit. This will flatten out your foot a bit, lengthening it and making
fit issues a bit more obvious. In general, I would always trade off a bit
of looseness in the heel for a bit of room at the toe.

One more thing that comes up from time to time. Customers often don't
realize that the buckled strap on the Sidi is a primary contributor to how
loose they feel in the heel. If you leave it fairly loose, the heel will
also be loose. In many instances, a customer can cinch up that strap a fair
amount, without any negative impact on fit in that area, and have it feel
better in the back. They just don't know to try.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
http://www.ChainReactionBicycles.com


"RkFast" wrote in message
. ..
Just had my LBS size me to a new set of Sidi Dominators. The long and
short
of it is that he wedged me in to a set of shoes where my toes are allllll
cramped up in the front of the shoe. All of my toes are pressed up against
the front of the shoe....and the guy at my LBS insists that this is a
correct fit. OK, I know that cyclings shoes need to be a little
tight...but
this cant be right....can it? I went to another LBS and tried a full size
up
and Im much more comfortable. Much more room for the toes...my big toe
isnt
even touching the front of the shoe, and when I grab the back or walk in
the
shoes, there is barely any heel movement...virtually none....and much less
than the AXOs Im ditching.

So...the question is....how much room in the front are you supposed to
have?
Should there be any "wiggle room" or are cycling shoes to be fit very
tight?

Can any company's cleats (correct term?) be added to any bike shoe or do you
purchase the bike pedal shaft attachment after deciding which bike shoe fits
best? Thanks.

RkFast wrote:

Just had my LBS size me to a new set of Sidi Dominators. The long and short
of it is that he wedged me in to a set of shoes where my toes are allllll
cramped up in the front of the shoe. All of my toes are pressed up against
the front of the shoe....and the guy at my LBS insists that this is a
correct fit. OK, I know that cyclings shoes need to be a little tight...but
this cant be right....can it? I went to another LBS and tried a full size up
and Im much more comfortable. Much more room for the toes...my big toe isnt
even touching the front of the shoe, and when I grab the back or walk in the
shoes, there is barely any heel movement...virtually none....and much less
than the AXOs Im ditching.

So...the question is....how much room in the front are you supposed to have?
Should there be any "wiggle room" or are cycling shoes to be fit very tight?


Sidis are a slightly different fit to other brands. However, these
sound too tight - and I have 3 pairs of Sidis, which I've used for years.

"SmartyPants" wrote in
:
Can any company's cleats (correct term?) be added to any bike shoe or do
you purchase the bike pedal shaft attachment after deciding which bike
shoe fits best? Thanks.

No, cleats come in a few different bolt patterns that must match the mount on
your shoes. However, a 2-bolt MTB shoe will work with 2-bolt cleats used by
most MTB pedals.

From: "Mike Jacoubowsky"

One more thing that comes up from time to time. Customers often don't
realize that the buckled strap on the Sidi is a primary contributor to how
loose they feel in the heel. If you leave it fairly loose, the heel will
also be loose. In many instances, a customer can cinch up that strap a fair
amount, without any negative impact on fit in that area, and have it feel
better in the back. They just don't know to try.

FWIW, that's why Sidi's work for me and I can still ride. I usually snug the
ratchet up a notch or two during a ride, but whatever, the notches are pretty
close together so each click is a fairly small adjustment. My heels popped
right out of the Mega size I tried on but a half-size (reputed to be wider than
whole sizes) fits my wide toe area very well. There, I run the shoe loose,
contrary to the "old wisdom". Works great even with my very tender feet.

Repeating, don't wear tight shoes, and especially don't wear shoes that your
toes touch the inside ends of. Taking out a bone spur is not a fun deal, and
you don't go back to "normal". --TP

I personally like a 'snug fit' with my cycling shoe. (I own 2 pair o
Sedi Genius 4's and alternate them between rides allowing each to dr
out). At the start of a ride the buckles and straps are extremel
loose, yet I still get a crowded/tight feel with them on. As I ride,
will gradually tighten down the straps and buckles until I get th
glove like fit I desire. My guess is that most shops fitting me woul
consider my shoes too small (10½ EE feet, Sidi 44 Mega shoe) but thi
had worked for me


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