Lake shoes wide feet

[Alexandrumarian]

I am loving my S-Works Ares.

They shouldn't really work with my fairly wide (105mm+) feet, but there is so much stretch in the fabric (which is still super strong), that they are very comfy.

Toe box is where this shoe really shines though. I have a developing hammer toe on one foot and this is the best shoe by a very long way for this (I have tried most).

I use them with G8 beds and they are really good. 5 1/2 hours and no real issues (i get a bit numb toes here and there, but that is a problem for me that is not specific to cycling).

What is your precise foot length and what size did u get. thanks

[Roadbiker10]

I am loving my S-Works Ares.

They shouldn't really work with my fairly wide (105mm+) feet, but there is so much stretch in the fabric (which is still super strong), that they are very comfy.

Toe box is where this shoe really shines though. I have a developing hammer toe on one foot and this is the best shoe by a very long way for this (I have tried most).

I use them with G8 beds and they are really good. 5 1/2 hours and no real issues (i get a bit numb toes here and there, but that is a problem for me that is not specific to cycling).

Interesting. Kind of like the Giro Prolight Techlace for me. They are the most narrow of all the shoes I had but yet they feel the best out of them. Even then they are still narrow for me but the best out of a bad bunch.

I have an opportunity to buy the Ares in my size almost new for just under 300 euros, and the guy lives near me so I should be able to try them on. I was never even interested because they look super narrow in the picture.

Which size are you? If your feet are longer than mine by a bit, maybe 105mm is not considered that wide. I am a 44 in Specialized.

This is the pic of the Ares for sale in 44, they look really narrow.

[Roadbiker10]

Hmmm... I have very similar foot size to yours. Mine are 270mm and 108mm wide.
And I'm going through similar process than you, finding a pair of shoes that would fit me without causing pain.

I'm long time user of Sidi Genius Mega, those were the best I was able to find 10 years ago... but they were never super comfortable, and they have started to fall apart after all these years.
But I guess they have deformed around my foot through the years, since I have tried a new pair of Sidi Mega, and they were impossible to wear...

Anyway, after some browsing on the web I found Lake and Bont, which were said to produce wider shoes.
Unfortunately I was unalbe to find them to try where I live.

Looking at the size charts, I should take Lake CX332 Wide 44, or Bont Wide 44.5.
Around the black friday I was able to order pair of Bont Vaypor S with a decent discount for 240€. So I went for that.
Also I was lured with the promise of heat moulding...
But... it was a huge mistake. Those shoes are far from wide.
From the box they were around 102mm wide (measured on the ouside)
Even with all the moulding, stretching and so on, I was unable to make them wide enough.
Measuring the outside width of the shoes I was able to get them to around 108mm, but this is still too narrow if your foot is 108mm.
As somebody already mentioned, the shape of the carbon footbed, that extends up the sides of the foot is really bad idea if you have wide feet.
They are unbearable to wear for longer periods. Usually I start to get foot pains after about 1 hour of riding in these shoes.
And what is worse, after a month heat moulding and trying with different insoles, cleat positions, wedges under cleats and inside the shoe... I started to get knee pain. And now the knee pain is present even when I wear my old shoes... :/

So I guess that is 250€ down the drain for me.

In the mean time I was able to test Lake CX176 Wide 44. Those were nice but heel grip is not ok for me, a few mm too wide (not much).
I also tried CX332 44 normal but those are way too narrow, but have very nice heel grip. So maybe wide CX332 would be OK for me, but you say they are also narrower than what Lake says, so similar story to bont??
I have read that CX201 is completely new last, that has very wide and comfortable forefoot, but also very wide heel (much wider than other CX2xx series).
So I guess I should look in the direction of CX332 wide, or even CX238 wide (but those should be 114mm so maybe too wide?).

I also had knee pain on the same side as my foot pain. It might have also been something originating from the foot. I have done physiotherapi and it went away thankfully. My foot pain is very bad unfortunately. I'm in alot of pain when walking also.

I have the CX201 and like I said, they are very comfortable, but the heel is also huge as you say. I am considering not returning the CX201 even though the heel is way to wide. Mainly to use while I am rehabing because they are so comfortable. Even though my right foot is 109 wide and the shoes 108, they have this meshlike material almost halfway which makes it so that your foot is not restricted. If only they hade a moldable heel, they would be great.

I'm not sure if the 332 wide are all the same width as mine but if they are then I would rather get the 332 extra wide if I was you. I asked this question this morning so we'll see if they answer. Maybe CX241 wide would work for you. I have considered them as well but am concerned the same way as you that they might be too wide. Then again, who knows what the actual width is. At least you would be able to mold the heel if it's wide. My first choice right now would be the 241 wide but I can't find them anywhere in wide.

[Roadbiker10]

Do you guys think it would be a bad idea to keep the cx201 even though the heel is too wide? I still don't get lift even if they are. I thought that I can use them while rehabing. Would it work to use them for long zone2 easy rides? I do 80% of my riding in z2 anyway. Is it only under power it is important to have the heel properly secured, or a general biomechanical for all riding?

I put the shoes inside some Crocs and tried pedaling a bit, they felt really comfortable. That's probably not the proper way to try shoes out though haha.

Here's the difference in heel width:

[Roadbiker10]

Does anyone know how long you have to return a product at Bike24? I emailed them but didn't get an answer. I thought to order the CX332 in extra wide and keep the CX332 wide until I get them so I can compare.

[parleez1]

I also had knee pain on the same side as my foot pain. It might have also been something originating from the foot. I have done physiotherapi and it went away thankfully. My foot pain is very bad unfortunately. I'm in alot of pain when walking also.

I have the CX201 and like I said, they are very comfortable, but the heel is also huge as you say. I am considering not returning the CX201 even though the heel is way to wide. Mainly to use while I am rehabing because they are so comfortable. Even though my right foot is 109 wide and the shoes 108, they have this meshlike material almost halfway which makes it so that your foot is not restricted. If only they hade a moldable heel, they would be great.

I'm not sure if the 332 wide are all the same width as mine but if they are then I would rather get the 332 extra wide if I was you. I asked this question this morning so we'll see if they answer. Maybe CX241 wide would work for you. I have considered them as well but am concerned the same way as you that they might be too wide. Then again, who knows what the actual width is. At least you would be able to mold the heel if it's wide. My first choice right now would be the 241 wide but I can't find them anywhere in wide.
[/quote]

I have been riding the cx241 wide for three seasons now, they are fantastic shoes. They fit like a glove, haven't had to mold the heel, once my foot is in the shoe, I tighten the upper Boa dial and they tighten up perfectly, I never touch the front dual, I leave it rather loose so no pressure on the tops of my toes, I have hammer toes, so it works great. I use custom orthotics that for in great as well. I believe they are available in the US through Competitive Cyclist or Backcountry. Good luck!

[tommyboyo]

I am loving my S-Works Ares.

They shouldn't really work with my fairly wide (105mm+) feet, but there is so much stretch in the fabric (which is still super strong), that they are very comfy.

Toe box is where this shoe really shines though. I have a developing hammer toe on one foot and this is the best shoe by a very long way for this (I have tried most).

I use them with G8 beds and they are really good. 5 1/2 hours and no real issues (i get a bit numb toes here and there, but that is a problem for me that is not specific to cycling).

What is your precise foot length and what size did u get. thanks

I am 278 length and 108 in width.

I run a 45 in spesh.

[tommyboyo]

I am loving my S-Works Ares.

They shouldn't really work with my fairly wide (105mm+) feet, but there is so much stretch in the fabric (which is still super strong), that they are very comfy.

Toe box is where this shoe really shines though. I have a developing hammer toe on one foot and this is the best shoe by a very long way for this (I have tried most).

I use them with G8 beds and they are really good. 5 1/2 hours and no real issues (i get a bit numb toes here and there, but that is a problem for me that is not specific to cycling).

Interesting. Kind of like the Giro Prolight Techlace for me. They are the most narrow of all the shoes I had but yet they feel the best out of them. Even then they are still narrow for me but the best out of a bad bunch.

I have an opportunity to buy the Ares in my size almost new for just under 300 euros, and the guy lives near me so I should be able to try them on. I was never even interested because they look super narrow in the picture.

Which size are you? If your feet are longer than mine by a bit, maybe 105mm is not considered that wide. I am a 44 in Specialized.

This is the pic of the Ares for sale in 44, they look really narrow.
BBFF636F-BF60-4C8B-9CAD-7ACCA974BEFB.png

They are not quite as narrow as they look in that picture!

Dude has the boas cranked as well!

[TobinHatesYou]

I have the Ares and they are, in fact, pretty narrow for a Specialized shoe.

[jlok]

Wow what an idiot I am. Should have read the Rc902 thread before I made the order. People complaining they are really narrow. Someone said the wide are only 1mm wider than the standard, is that true? No way these will work for me. I canceled the whole order but I think I am going to order a pair of RC 300E wide from a Swedish site I just found them on. They look quite wide on pictures. Does someone have them maybe?

That's me. I went to a shop and checked them side by side. Tried the wide version but hell there must be a mistake? It's not wide at all...... I remember that the RC7 wide was much wider and higher volume.

[JAMSXR]

I have a set of CX238, they felt okay but were a little too big, despite my measurements stacking up, and I had to wind them in quite bit to get a good fit... I've just recently had a bike fit, and came away with a set of CX332 wide with some G8 insoles and heel wedges. The fit is night and day, the CX332 totally envelope and secure my feet.

I wish I had waited for a professional fit before purchasing the 238s, you live and learn. I would highly recommend going to a specialist shoe fitter.

[Roadbiker10]

Wow what an idiot I am. Should have read the Rc902 thread before I made the order. People complaining they are really narrow. Someone said the wide are only 1mm wider than the standard, is that true? No way these will work for me. I canceled the whole order but I think I am going to order a pair of RC 300E wide from a Swedish site I just found them on. They look quite wide on pictures. Does someone have them maybe?

That's me. I went to a shop and checked them side by side. Tried the wide version but hell there must be a mistake? It's not wide at all...... I remember that the RC7 wide was much wider and higher volume.

Yeah, that's strange. Companies should be moving towards offering proper wide shoes and more importantly human shaped, instead of some pointy things that don't fit anyone. Shimano seems to be going the other direction. At least saddles have become wider and more comfortable.

Is it the RC 701 you are talking about or the older model? They have the 701 wide at bikecomponents for a good price but they are out except for the red color. I wonder how those are. I did try the regular 701 last year and I thought they felt pretty good but that was before I started having pain.

[Roadbiker10]

I have a set of CX238, they felt okay but were a little too big, despite my measurements stacking up, and I had to wind them in quite bit to get a good fit... I've just recently had a bike fit, and came away with a set of CX332 wide with some G8 insoles and heel wedges. The fit is night and day, the CX332 totally envelope and secure my feet.

I wish I had waited for a professional fit before purchasing the 238s, you live and learn. I would highly recommend going to a specialist shoe fitter.

That's interesting because I am in a similar situation to you right now. Do you know your foot width and length?
Also, did you happen to measure what the actual width of the different shoes were? You do have the 332 wide right now, so it would be interesting if you could measure them and see if they are the advertised width or same as mine and the other poster who's 332 wide match the width of mine. Which is 101-102.

What kind of shoe fitter did you see? I don't know of any bike shoe specialist fitters here in Sweden. Is it maybe a fitter for normal shoes? I would love to get that kind of help but don't know where to turn.

I will probably get a custom insole once I settle on which shoes I am gonna get. So I hope that helps at least.

I haven't decided yet if I am going to order the 332 extra wide. I actually tried mine a little bit on the bike. Found a way to do it by putting socks on the shoes. They did'n't feel that bad on the bike but who knows how it would be when actally riding. At least the high collar didn't seem to be a problem.

[Roadbiker10]

I have the Ares and they are, in fact, pretty narrow for a Specialized shoe.

That's a shame, thanks for the info.

[otnemem]

Here are some useful pictures comparing the 201 and 332 wide. Also insole comparison of the different shoes.
I know I always look for stuff like this so I think it will be useful for alot of people when searching for shoes.

Thanks for that. The Lake CX201 have a nearly perfect toebox shape, like Bont. I would like a two dial version especially for longer rides... Is there such a shoe outside Bont?

Most of the time people needing "wide shoes" only really need an anatomical toebox. Pointy and narrow toeboxes are the devil for foot problems - if not immediately, then almost cert3in the future.