shoes

angiek said:

I just wanted to know what a womens size 7.5 would be. im looking at a pair of NIKE ALTEA CARBON-FIBER ROAD SHOES SIZE 38 on ebay. the seller said that it is a 7.5 in womens. but my nike running shoes say 38.5? Are cycling shoes different?
thanks
angie

Cycling shoes in theory convert from european to US sizes just like any other shoes. The problem is that fit varies from brand to brand and in some cases between models. I typically wear a 45 but have one pair of 43.5 cycling shoes and another that are marked 46 and they both fit great. It sure makes buying shoes on ebay a tricky proposition. I'd try to find a place to try on a pair of the same model if you can. If the price is good enough on ebay you can always take the risk but you might have to turn around and sell them again if the fit isn't right. Sports footwear is just something I don't buy online unless I've worn the same model and size before.

Good luck,
Dave

daveryanwyoming said:

The problem is that fit varies from brand to brand and in some cases between models.

Hence the importance to get to know one good brand and shop within their range. Some brands are very consistent within their range.

When I was recently looking for some shoes, I found a web site someplace that basically summarized the Euro size to US and UK sizes for 10 or so of the most common brands. For my US-13 size, the Euro translations for various brands were anywhere in the range of 46, 47, or 48.

I ended up trying on shoes from Shimano, Sidi, Pearl Izumi, Specialized, Diadora, and Nike.

In most cases the "official" translation from the company was accurate, even if each company was different.

Shimano said 48=13, and a 48 fit just right
Pearl Izumi said 47=13, and a 47 fit right
Sidi said 48=13 (I think), and a 48 fit right.

But Specialized said that 46=13, whereas it was actually the 48 that fit (which they called a 14).

I can't recall what the deal was with the Nike that I tried on, because I ruled it out right away for having an elastic piece across the top of the shoe (instead of a regular tongue) that made it almost impossible to get the shoe on (my arches are somewhat high, I guess).

Bottom line is that you can believe "most" of the shoe companies' own size conversion charts, but not always, and so it is definitely better if you can try on at least a representative shoe from the company.

Thank you so much for the help. I dont live in an area that has a cycling shop that carries more than one brand of shoe! 🙂 So all the info helps. It looks like ill just have to try them when i recieve them. I just took up the sport this summer and need all the advice i can get!