Road shoes - in the market and looking for advice/opinions

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perwjensen
Posts: 92
Joined: Mon Apr 04, 2016 2:09 am

by perwjensen

I'm looking to get a high end carbon sole road shoe in the ~$500 range. Would love to hear opinions on the followings shoes;

1. Suplest Edge 3 Pro
2. Lake CX402
3. Bontrager XXX
4. Sidi Wire Carbon

Kindly comment on fit and comfort for longer rides (2 - 3 hours).

Which of these would you recommend when disregarding their price 9although they all are quite expensive)?
If anyone has experience across some of these please comment on any noticeable differences?
Any reason to stay away from any of these?
Durability?
Anything else you would like to add?

Thank you in advance.

eaglejackson
Posts: 259
Joined: Wed Aug 27, 2014 5:26 am
Location: PNW

by eaglejackson

I can't speak to the Suplest or Lake. A friend of mine who's a very strong rider on Mallorca has the Bontrager XXX and recommended them to me as the best cycling shoes he's ever had, coming off the Specialized S-Works 6 shoes. I bought them. I loved everything about them EXCEPT they were just a little too wide for me, so I returned them. The leather was super soft, the heel hold was good and comfortable, the BOAs worked well, the soles super stiff. I wanted to like them but they were just too wide. I have more of a Sidi shaped foot and wear Sidi road shoes now. My next pair of shoes might be the Wires or the Shots. They are not as light as some of the others but Sidi does seem to have their lasts totally dialed in.

by Weenie


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silvalis
Posts: 765
Joined: Mon Sep 07, 2015 1:02 am
Location: Aus

by silvalis

On Lake 402's (and similar shoes with a molded carbon heel cup), go try them on, make sure your heel fits in there without pain. Your leeway is a lot less than with standard leather heel cups.
Chasse patate

uraqt
Posts: 1108
Joined: Mon Apr 03, 2006 8:53 am

by uraqt

I have said this many times, : )

Get the Sidi, take care of them they should be the last shoe you own!

C

slick1
Posts: 213
Joined: Wed Nov 30, 2005 1:35 am

by slick1

I have the Lake 402 wide. Perfect shoe in my opinion. I have had approx 15 pairs of different shoes over my riding years and none of the others have been this comfortable. I've ridden them in social rides, road races, grits and a 300km ride in hot weather. I thought the swollen feet in the moulded sole would have been an issue but they were fine.

The ONLY thing I don't like about them is if I want to back off the laces while riding I need to pull the boa out to release tension. Not really a reason not to buy them though.

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sp3000
Posts: 180
Joined: Thu Aug 21, 2014 7:12 am
Location: Sydney

by sp3000

What pedals will you be using? If speedplay then sidi 4 speedplay specific are great. Fit is everything, I tried Lake and they were horrible, heat molded or not, just terrible on my feet. Sidi is perfect and they just get better with age. Any bike shoe should be comfortable from day 1, and just getting better as it breaks in, if there is any discomfort from the moment you put them on it is very unlikely to get better!

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

by kgt

Fit and comfort are personal things so no one knows what is the best for you. In terms of manufacturing quality I agree that Sidis are the best.

3Pio
Posts: 1577
Joined: Wed Mar 09, 2016 7:13 pm

by 3Pio

kgt wrote:Fit and comfort are personal things so no one knows what is the best for you. In terms of manufacturing quality I agree that Sidis are the best.

How u rang based on quality Specialized,Gaerne and SIDI?

And how u define quality? Long lasting? Fit? Lightweight but still comfortable?

And im interested.. How many km's ur shoes last before u need to replace them with new one?

On mine S-Works 5 until now i have around 9000 km (which is not that much). Based on condition in this moment, i guess they will last around 20000-30000 km
Last edited by 3Pio on Mon May 08, 2017 2:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.

JackRussellRacing
Posts: 243
Joined: Thu Nov 03, 2016 4:32 pm
Location: USA

by JackRussellRacing

Sidi Road Shot 2017. Amazingly comfortable, great BOA location, plenty stiff. I've put about 700 miles on them so far, and just love them.... almost tempted to buy another pair and keep them as backups. The price however, is tough to swallow.

1415chris
Posts: 1433
Joined: Sat Apr 18, 2009 8:59 am
Location: Surrey UK

by 1415chris

Fit is very good, indeed, if that is your shoe type. In fact is the same as Wire, very snug, but comfy.
I find their new closure system very awkward, worse than the Wire's one. Both well behind BOA functionality.

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

by BRM

You don't choose cyclingshoes from a folder.
So many different feet, so many different shoes.
What fits one is a crisis for another.
Everyone should know now. :?

Why dont you mention your current shoes and how they fit, to have a startingpoint?

Opinions are allover this forum and the internet.
Search topics about these shoes when you want to know more.
Basic research you can do yourself.

Even more important:
It's a waste of time looking to shoes that are no match with your feet anyway.

You first need to figure out which shoes fit your feet and only then make a shortlist.
Go to stores and try.

And why does it need to be in the 500 range?
More expensive is not directly Always better or more durable.
Sidi Wire Carbon cost here around 270 euro and maybe I can get them even for less.
When you want to do extra long time with your shoes.
Don't take white shoes, choose black and a fabric that doesnt show each little scratch.
(White shoes not only become filthy easily but a white shoe exist from different materials that discolor unequally)

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

by kgt

3Pio wrote:
kgt wrote:Fit and comfort are personal things so no one knows what is the best for you. In terms of manufacturing quality I agree that Sidis are the best.

How u rang based on quality Specialized,Gaerne and SIDI?
And how u define quality? Long lasting? Fit? Lightweight but still comfortable?
And im interested.. How many km's ur shoes last before u need to replace them with new one?
On mine S-Works 5 until now i have around 9000 km (which is not that much). Based on condition in this moment, i guess they will last around 20000-30000 km


I relate quality to how well made a shoe is. This is related to design, technologies, materials used, stitching etc. etc. IME Sidis are at the top. I personally use Gaerne now and I find them very well made as well. So, no, I don't think an s-works pair is as well made. IMHO a well made shoe lasts for 5 years, at least, so 20,000-30,000 kms in 5 years is not that much. A Sidi could last 2-3 times more. That does not mean that a contemporary consumer will ever need anything better than a pair of s-works since he will probably replace his shoes in a couple of years no matter what.

Similarly I believe that DA is a higher quality groupset than a Sram Red and a Colnago is a higher quality frame than a Cervelo. This does not mean that a cyclist who replaces his frame every other season and his groupset every 2-3 years will ever 'see' or need this extra quality.

3Pio
Posts: 1577
Joined: Wed Mar 09, 2016 7:13 pm

by 3Pio

Actually i prefer to have things with enough quality that i dont have to replace often (if its possible to buy once and keep as much as posible, perfect :) ). If quality and ergonomics come in same pack then BINGO (and lightweight extra :) ).

For shoes i have problem with my feet, because i have wide feet in the middle (just behind he Toes), but narrow ankle in same time. So specialized S-Works i have now are ok, except when is very hot and i ride long (like 150-200km), so i feel pain from sides.

Still enough comfortable fit to be able to ride long rides without too much problems (and after break in period of 1000 km).


One of the reason i was interested in Gaerne shoes was becouse i read that they are ok for wide feet, and they had them on stock in my sizes,so i wanted to have option after i worn out my S-Works that i can actually tried on my feet. (I would never order shoes without beeing able to try them).

If S-Works keep the same size/shape on new model i would probably dont bother at all, and just buy new one when i need to (i guess i can ride shoes i own, at least one more season).

But I Read that new model is different shape, so trying to find alternative before i actually need, just to be ready when i need to :) And I did not buy Specialized because of brand or something.. It was only nice shoes that i was able to try them, and they fit good enough and that why i use bought them. (And this days i found out that they are one of the lightest. I never ever think about the weight of shoes before :) )

Also i tried SIDI Wire in Italy, but they just did not suit my feet (very narrow shoes for my wide feet).

Just to mention that friend who ride with me had WIRE until few weeks, and he have a lot of pain in the big Toe part. After few months torture, he got the new SHOT and half size bigger, so he say that now everything fine. Still i prefer shoes with BOA vs SIDI propriety system.

wingguy
Posts: 4318
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2012 11:43 pm

by wingguy

perwjensen wrote:Anything else you would like to add?

Fit is paramount! They're all good shoes, but they've got to be good for your feet.

perwjensen
Posts: 92
Joined: Mon Apr 04, 2016 2:09 am

by perwjensen

Thank you to all for your thoughts and advice on this perhaps more personal taste/ergo topic.

I have a entry point shoe from Specialized, can't recall the model off hand. It has been a fine shoe, except on 3+ hr rides I do get numb spots on top of my arch. This is something that I feel is really hard to determine in a LBS trying shoes on for a few minutes.

Also, comments on initial fit having to be great even for a moulding shoe is very helpful. Didn't think much about that prior.

One concern for me are possibly the BOA wires perhaps creating pressure points, but I haven't heard any comments on that here. Is that any concern at all?

I'll be off the the LBS's around here and definitely try them on my own feet.

Thanks again.

by Weenie


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