What road shoes do you recommend?

I went to this shop near my house, the georgetown bicycle pro shop. I was looking for shoes there and next door at revolution cycles. I need to upgrade. I'm interested in the Sidi shoes or the Nike Poggio's. What do you guys think about the genius 4's? can somoene compare them to the genius 5's? Do you recommend any differnet kinds? like vittoria's? thanks for the feedback.

 

I tried a pair of Time shoes once and didn't like them too much. Something about the interior makeup felt like it was always rubbing on my foot. Used Sidi for a long time--very high quality shoes assuming they fit. I ran into fit issues with them over the past year or so, and couldn't find anything that seemed "perfect" when shopping again. I also was able to find similarly priced shoes that had carbon soles--so there is a definite trade off. Never tried Nike's before. I'm currently using Specialized Carbon Pro's and find them to be very comfortable--much like wearing sneakers with a stiff sole, wider toe box than Sidi, and they seem more comfortable all around to me. I am quite happy with them, and they also cost less than the Sidi G5's (and G4's, unless you get a closeout deal or something).

 

thanks for the input man. my foot is pretty narrow so i don't need to go with wider accomodations. I hate finding shoes. It seems as if whatever you do, cycling, running, snowboarding, whatever, there is always such complications with footwear.

 

I really like the new Carnacs. The Helium 100 with the carbon sole, or something similar will be my next shoe. The M5 333 would be really nice too, though I've never tried those.

 

I own a pair of Diadora Team Racers. I absolutely love 'em. My last pair of shoes were some Northwave Aerators. They seemd to fit a little lose around my toes and they cost me an arm and a leg at that. But all in all they were pretty nice as well.

 

I rode a pair of Sidi for 4 years and they are just starting to wear out.

I got a pair of LAKE shoes which I really like. I wouldn't normally buy these but I got them through my team. They are really comfortable and I am able to get the tight since they have laces and velcro straps.

http://www.lakecycling.com/road.html

I got the CX 305 White....they look pretty good also.

They seem to be stiff and I don't get a numb foot...or not yet.

I have only had them a few months so I can't say if they hold up over time.

 

I can not compare much because I was not able to try much brands here in Czech Republic with my 47 size foot. I have ordered sidi energies from totalcycling eventualy and I am satisfied. They have these tecno buckles which I like a lot for microadjusment and operativeness while riding and the main buckle or whatever is made from alloy, not plastic like on genius. Totalcycling was selling 2004 models of both energy and genius for interesting prices some two months ago. I think many people buy it from them in USA, VAT deduction makes it interesting even with shipping charges...

 

One thing is clear, buying shoes online is risky. Sidies are known to be narrower and with sizing which does not correspond to majority of other brands. I have 46 for most of my other shoes but sidi 46 was too small...
There was some info concerning that on sidiusa.com or whatevere their site is...
Good luck...

 

Try women's shoes...in masculine colors of course. I also have narrow feet, and when I ran I found that women's shoes usually were perfect...in masculine colors. Can be a problem if you have skis for feet though.

 

Sidi

 

Been riding my new Nike Lance for a month now and they are so comfortable. Bit pricey but would highly recommend them.

 

I have just started riding Specialized Pro Carbons - they are very comfortable and stiff. I really like them a lot especially compared to my older shoes which were a little to narrow for me and also had a very rigid structure/top (they were Shimano R151s).

The specialized remind me of DMT RSX Ultimax shoes but with more width!

 

At least try on some Sidi shoes before you decide. I have not tried all the others mentioned, but I just can't imagine more comfortable shoes than my Sidi Energy. I have short, wide feet, and my size 41's are incredibly comfortable. Good luck.

 

I recommend Specialized. I've owned the Sidi G3 Mega and though the 46's were just wide enough for my size 11.5 EE feet, I still got hot spots from them. They didn't spread out the pressure enough with my Campy Pro-Fit's. I also haven't seen Sidi improve the Genius line in any significant way since I bought those shoes 5 years ago.

The Specialized Comp Road's in 46 are more comfortable with better arch support, wider in the toe box, not loose in the heel like the G3's were, and the soles are plenty stiff. The ratchet buckle works well, and no hot foot syndrome. They're also a better price/value, ($110. in the US) than Sidi Genius 4/5 Mega's and Zeta Mega's.

Only negative is the Spec's don't have a replaceable heel tab like Sidi's, but they have toe tabs which Sidi's do not.