Shoes

[Michelin]

I bought a pair of Sidi wire carbon shoes but am not getting on with them.I'm gutted after paying so much for them.I've tried them half a dozen times but my left foot aches whilst I'm using them. I get a pain on the left side of my left foot which is making things very uncomfortable. I tried an old pair of Shimano shoes I have the other day and it was fine but they are only entry level ones nowhere near the Sidi ones.I am now thinking of buying a pair of Shimano RC 701's as these seem to have good reviews and I quite like them and then off loading the Sidi's which is a shame because I really wanted them to work for me. Does anyone have any experience with the 701's. One thing I will prefer is the Boa dials instead of the Sidi ones. Any thoughts much appreciated

[fausto99]

How's about trying a shoe stretcher in combination with a hot air gun. Worked for me on my Shimano shoes. I was having trouble with my left toes complaining by the lunch stop until I eased out the little toe side of the left shoe. I guess my left foot is wider than my right.

[Des49]

I have a pair of Sidi WIre shoes too, been using them for training/racing for a few years, paid about half price in a sale. They really don't give or wear in like other shoes, these plastic uppers and ultra rigid soles do not stretch much. My feet are short and wide, not ideal Sidi shape, so I do rely on shoes to form around my feet. So I would give them a lot more time, or try the hot air trick as suggested. I was already a Sidi user but this was my first pair of ultra modern racing shoes, they still did take me by surprise on how uncompromising they were.

The other thing is that the dials are very effective, easy to just clamp down a bit too much and then this does make the foot ache. If the right size, shoes like this are snug and do not need to be dialled down too much, I use a shoe horn to put mine on.

I find Sidi shoes are made very well and do last better than anything else I have tried over decades, so do persist with them for my racing shoes. After a few years of extensive use my original Wires are disintegrating on the uppers by the crank and I have a spare pair waiting, which I picked up this year for £124!! One advantage of having small feet as the size 40 was nicely discounted.

But shoes and feet are almost like finding the right saddle, if these really are not compatible with your feet then you could be risking injury. Foot injuries are not good news, as I know from my running days.

[robc02]

I had similar problems with Sidi shoes a few years back, despite having managed OK with previous versions. Sometimes I could fiddle with the adjustments and get reasonably comfortable but it was a bit hit and miss. In the end I found that I got on much better with Specialized shoes and switched over to them.
Sid do, or did, make some of their models in a wide fitting. Maybe it is worth a look at those?

[NUKe]

You could change the insoles on the current shoes. Cheapest probably being Specialized which come in 3 are sizes. Through to a pair of custom Made at around 100 pounds.