Low Volume(?) road shoes

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clipsed
Posts: 77
Joined: Wed Feb 04, 2015 12:48 pm

by clipsed

Hi All,

I currently use Shimano R321's in 45EU which fit me great for length, and width, but the i cant seem to get them tight enough across the straps. The ratchet is on the tightest tooth on the strap yet my feet still move around.. i need to wear thick winter socks to keep them in place.

Any shoe suggestions for something that could get a tighter fit across the top without getting too narrow? I did try the new S-Phyre shoes on briefly and i felt with the boa i could get the shoe a LOT tighter than the straps.

by Weenie


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kgt
Posts: 8749
Joined: Sun Jun 18, 2006 10:29 am
Location: Athens, Greece

by kgt

Italian manufacturers are supposed to make shoes for narrow feet. IME that is true for Sidi and Gaerne. Vittoria, DMT and NW use slightly wider forms (again, according to ME).

clipsed
Posts: 77
Joined: Wed Feb 04, 2015 12:48 pm

by clipsed

Hi KGT, thanks for the reply. By low volume i mean i think the thickness of my foot is low, not sure what to call this..

My feet are not narrow, but i always have a lot of space around the top buckle/straps across my foot. I have tried some narrower shoes and my feet were killing me on the sides.

jever98
Posts: 1172
Joined: Wed Feb 18, 2009 12:02 pm
Location: Seattle

by jever98

I have the same problem, though bigger feet... Went custom in the end (Riivo).
----
No longer in the industry

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jekyll man
Posts: 1570
Joined: Wed Apr 25, 2007 10:23 am
Location: Pack filler

by jekyll man

I have the same problem, but found sworks with boas, and Giro's to be best, at least for me.
Official cafe stop tester

mattr
Posts: 4671
Joined: Fri May 25, 2007 6:43 pm
Location: The Grim North.

by mattr

http://luck-bike.es/en/

For custom stuff.
Mate has a couple of pairs, seems to be happy with them (mid foot position cleats)

sungod
Posts: 1702
Joined: Fri Dec 24, 2010 9:37 pm

by sungod

might be worth trying bont - i find they have less vertical space in the toe box vs. other shoes, it leaves much less slack to be taken up when tightening

velomane
Posts: 243
Joined: Sun Jun 27, 2004 1:44 am
Location: Winnipeg, Canada

by velomane

clipsed,

I can't help you with any specific shoe or brand, though you should know that what you have is a low instep. My feet are the same way so I just content myself with having to use insoles to lift my feet within the shoe.

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BRM
Posts: 817
Joined: Sun Mar 16, 2014 3:43 pm

by BRM

clipsed wrote:Hi KGT, thanks for the reply. By low volume i mean i think the thickness of my foot is low, not sure what to call this..

My feet are not narrow, but i always have a lot of space around the top buckle/straps across my foot. I have tried some narrower shoes and my feet were killing me on the sides.


Did you try this particular shoe a 1/2 size down?

Shoe manufacturers make shoes for average feet, and sadly for a lot of people this is not satisfying.
I think you complain about the 'instep' (your feet have at the top a low slope)
Thicker Insoles has effect on this but dont forget this has effect on the total fit of the shoe. So also on the width. Which you maby dont like.
Besides that thicker insoles have influence on the heel-cup fit. Most times not a positive but a negative effect. What it means for your personal situation you need to find out your self by experimenting.

Many people dont understand how to choose a shoe. You first should look to the heel-cup. Too wide and your foot will slip, even when the rest of the shoe is a good match, a too wide heel-cup Always will cause problems. With a matching heel-cup your foot stays in place, even when you have straps a little loose. For sprinters or on a track you want your shoes tight, but for normal training or Leisure rides you're better off with straps that are not ubertight. But as said its important that the heel-cup holds your foot in place. (Imo most shoes are also too low on the sides for a supportive fit, Sidi does it better than most others)

When the instep of your current shoes is too high. Its because of the upper total shape doesn't match. Not easy to make changes in that.
But you can experiment if a refurbished shoe-tongue will work for you. Put extra material under the tongue to see if this has enough effect. (experiment not only with padding the exact width of current tongue but also with a tad wider maybe) When this works, let the tongue be refurbished by a shoemaker (by adding extra padding under the tonque)

DJT21
Posts: 381
Joined: Sun Mar 27, 2011 7:35 pm

by DJT21

Get some decent insoles. Failing that, put something under your current insole to take up some volume.

PrimO
Posts: 144
Joined: Thu Nov 20, 2014 8:49 pm

by PrimO

I had the same problem and changed to Diadora shoes which fit me perfectly every time. I have 4 different pairs of them now and they all fit the exact same.

AJS914
Posts: 5392
Joined: Tue Jan 28, 2014 6:52 pm

by AJS914

You could try a footbed. I like Sole. I use the active thin but they also make a medium and thick.

https://secure.yoursole.com/us/mens/foo ... ive-thick/

clipsed
Posts: 77
Joined: Wed Feb 04, 2015 12:48 pm

by clipsed

BRM wrote:
clipsed wrote:Hi KGT, thanks for the reply. By low volume i mean i think the thickness of my foot is low, not sure what to call this..

My feet are not narrow, but i always have a lot of space around the top buckle/straps across my foot. I have tried some narrower shoes and my feet were killing me on the sides.


Did you try this particular shoe a 1/2 size down?

Shoe manufacturers make shoes for average feet, and sadly for a lot of people this is not satisfying.
I think you complain about the 'instep' (your feet have at the top a low slope)
Thicker Insoles has effect on this but dont forget this has effect on the total fit of the shoe. So also on the width. Which you maby dont like.
Besides that thicker insoles have influence on the heel-cup fit. Most times not a positive but a negative effect. What it means for your personal situation you need to find out your self by experimenting.

Many people dont understand how to choose a shoe. You first should look to the heel-cup. Too wide and your foot will slip, even when the rest of the shoe is a good match, a too wide heel-cup Always will cause problems. With a matching heel-cup your foot stays in place, even when you have straps a little loose. For sprinters or on a track you want your shoes tight, but for normal training or Leisure rides you're better off with straps that are not ubertight. But as said its important that the heel-cup holds your foot in place. (Imo most shoes are also too low on the sides for a supportive fit, Sidi does it better than most others)

When the instep of your current shoes is too high. Its because of the upper total shape doesn't match. Not easy to make changes in that.
But you can experiment if a refurbished shoe-tongue will work for you. Put extra material under the tongue to see if this has enough effect. (experiment not only with padding the exact width of current tongue but also with a tad wider maybe) When this works, let the tongue be refurbished by a shoemaker (by adding extra padding under the tonque)


Hi mate thanks for the length reply - i did try the size 1/2 down overnight (wearing on carpet etc.) but my toes were just too long and i returned for a 1/2 size up. The heel cup is a good point, with my shoe fully tightened, i can slide one finger down EACH side of my foot. My foot squirms a lot in sprints (1400-1500w).I have a medium hight heel and found the medium size arch support from shimano works well, the high arch hurts my foot.

Another good point is that my shoe inserts could have dramatically flattened over time.. perhaps i need to get new ones!

Could an option be getting a perfectly flat insole from an old crappy shoe, and putting it under my moulded shimano inserts to add 1/2 mm of volume?

racingcondor
Posts: 194
Joined: Fri Aug 27, 2010 4:22 pm

by racingcondor

I have the same issue and found Giro fit me perfectly (with a varus wedge under each insole, done that for years).

One of the big benefits of the Giro system is the excellent insoles.

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

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greentimgreen
Posts: 224
Joined: Thu Jul 24, 2014 8:36 am

by greentimgreen

I am also blessed with slender feet. I wear Rapha GT shoes and had them on the tightest ratchet tooth, but then found out on closer inspection that the ratchet actually has two fastening positions.

If you unscrew it, you can position it differently so that it is tighter on slim feet. Not sure if Shimano is the same, but it's worth a look.
2014 Parlee Z-Zero DADi2 & ENVE (6.2kg)
2015 Colnago C60 RSWH Campag Chorus & Mavic SLR (c.7kg)

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