David:

I have worn all those & have a similiar sized foot: Sidi 46 (barefoot), Carnac 45, Shimano 46. I would also try Pearl Izumi 45 or the new Specialized Tri shoe in 45 designed by Peter Reid.

-Tim

Thanks Tim! ....so, which do you like the best and why?

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David
* Ironman for Life! (Blog) * IM Everyday Hero Video * Daggett Shuler Law *
Disclaimer: I have personal and professional relationships with many athletes, vendors, and organizations in the triathlon world.

I agree with Tim, I don't wear the Trs7 but I just sold a new pair on Ebay. I have a 45 Shimano TR01 which I wear barefoot. I just moved to Sidi T1 carbons and got 45s but wish I had gotten some 46s instead. They break in very well though and the 45s are just fine now but definetely no room for socks. The TRS7s I had were 45s and a bit roomy for me. The new carnacs fit huge if I remember right and I think I fit like a 44 plus they are really really wide. I fit a 45 in the Specialized tri shoes and a 44/44.5 in Pearl Izumi (I have their mtn bike shoes). Good luck.

I have had Sidi T1's & carnacs. Just got a pair of the shimano's & love them. VERY easy to get in & out of in transition, breathe great & plenty of toe wiggle room. Dave

yeah the new TR02 shimanos are a winner on all accounts. The TR01s had some weak points but the TR02s seem near perfect, are super light, plush on the inside, lightning fast and easy to get in and out of (faster than my Sidis although I'm getting better with practice) and the price is mid-range. sweet shoes and a great deal.

New Carnacs are huge in the toe box not at all like the old ones. Try the others if you like your old fit.

David:

I am wearing the Pearl Izumi carbon soled tri shoes. They are extremely comfortable barefoot. I have used them on numerous long rides & in IMAZ as well as several HIMs. I have not had any hotspots, blisters & my feet have stayed cool. I have long feet with a D width. I currently wear the Specialized road shoe (very similiar to the tri shoe). I also have a pair of the Specialized tri shoes I got for $130 (usually $150). They fit great and I was planning on making them my next tri shoes, but haven't taken them out of the box yet as I like the Pearl Izumi's so much. I hadn't really thought about selling them, but as I am not using them, if you are interested I will sell them to you for what I paid + shipping. PM me if interested.

-Tim

David,

I've used both Shimano shoes, both rock, using TR1 now because of a better ebay deal. Both are better, in my opinion, than either SIDI or Carnac. Nike just came out with a Tri shoe, The T-speed I think, which has a single strap that opens out, heel loop, full carbon sole, and looks to be a legitimate prayer in the tri shoe market. Nike has no immediate plans to jump into the tri market, according to a VP buddy of mine (their HQ are local) but if Lance jumps back into tri's that may change :-)

PS - wore your old QR sleeveless 2 weeks ago in an Oly. NO neck chafing!! Nice...

I agree with Tim as well. I've had the Shimano TR-01s for several thousand miles and they are fine, but just a little "cheap", but very light and the right price. I had previously used Carnacs and didn't like them. You can easily go barefoot in the Shimanos, but I've had a little lateral foot pain when doing so for some reason.

The new Specialized Tri shoe looks awesome (I tried one on in my LBS as I bought some new Specialized Road bike shoes - the cool silver ones with reflective silver carbon bottoms and thumbwheel closure). I would have bought them, but didn't want to explain to the boss about spending $500 on bike shoes (when I have 2 perfectly useable ones at home to boot).

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Fatigue is biochemical, not biomechanical.
- Andrew Coggan, PhD

David, I'm the wrong person to ask as I used to own a shoe store and have a definite shoe fetish (12 pair of cycling shoes, half of which are tri). I used to have a pair of the Carnacs, the TRS-5 perhaps? They were heavy and didn't fit quite right. Also, have a pair of the Shimano TR01's and I second rroof's comment, they're good but cheap. At least they "feel" cheap as compared to Sidi's that I've owned in the past that seemingly hug your foot and feel "like buttah"...ie the real leather feel as opposed to the synthetic leather feel (if anyone out there is reading this and wants to buy a new pair of TR01's at a discount, PM me, sz 41.5). IMO, Shimano runs pretty true to size whereas Time, Carnacs & Northwaves run a little large and Nike runs a lil' small. It's been my experience that Sidi and DMT are either true to size or small depending on the model.

The two shoes that I'm wearing at present are the Specialized Tri-Vent and the Diadora Tailwind. Both seem to run true to size and are very comfy. I highly recommend the Specialized and I, for one, believe the marketing behind their BodyGeometry product. The varus wedge actually does seem to make a difference and my knees feel as if they track more correctly in them. They're definitely a racing shoe however as they're exceedingly well ventilated...so much so there's no way I'd use them in the winter, BRRRRR. As far as pedals, I rode Speedplay for the last 7 years and am in the process of going back to Shimano. I just didn't feel like I could get the Speedplay cleat far enough back so that it felt as if it was on the ball of my foot, otherwise I liked them and would still be on them.

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Michael in Fresno
"Do you spend time with your family? Good. Because a man that doesn't spend time with his family can never be a real man" V. Corleone

I've ridden in Carnarcs and now have the Shimano TR02. Most comfortable shoe I've ever worn, even bare foot. And very easy to get into/out of. Can't for the life of me figure out why Carnac continues to put the strap on their shoes so it opens into the cranks.

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I wanna go fast!

So Tai,

Have you decided between the Sidi and the Shimanos? I can't believe how many shoes some folks on this board have! Maybe their appoach is better than ie just buy one of each brand and see which ones you like best! I thought i was being wise and trying to narrow it down 1st. I am about to pull the trigger on T1 Carbons, so any imput appreciated. Oh, on fitting, the Carnac 45 fit me just right without socks, so it appears I weould be 46 in Sidi - you concur?

Thanks,

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David
* Ironman for Life! (Blog) * IM Everyday Hero Video * Daggett Shuler Law *
Disclaimer: I have personal and professional relationships with many athletes, vendors, and organizations in the triathlon world.

Hey Dave, well I bought the Sidis as I tend to like shoes with a leather interior versus a softer mesh lining like the Shimanos. Also I had the Shimano TR01s at the time and although I liked the TR02s a lot the Sidis looked more exciting. At first the Sidis were kind of a pain as they were harder to get into and tended to pinch the top of my foot on first tightening them. Also, I changed pedals from Speedplays to Shimano Ultegras and between changing the shoes to Sidis and the pedals i had a 1cm change in stack height! Couldn't figure out what felt so funny at first, had to raise my saddle 1cm to get back to normal. In the end I love my Sidis now that they've broken in. They just grab your foot and like no other. You can't go wrong with either shoe, the Shimanos are a bit more plush, that's about the difference to me. Faster entry exit as well but I am very very happy with my T1 carbons. And yes go carbon it's worth it.

Sounds like you'd go 45.5 or 46 to me, good luck

question: do the same brand shoes size the same through their different models?

I'd like to know if a shimano tr02 in size 46 fits me better than the 46.5 that i have now, and if trying on a shimano road shoe in size 46 would help me or mislead me. I'm assuming that my local LBS won't have the tr02 in stock.

also, is the tr02 indeed wider than the tr01? it feels that way to me, all throughout the foot. but then i was using a size 47 tr01 which was a little big, so i got a 46.5 tr02 and it feels even bigger(!) is it just me or did the sizes change too?

sizes seemed the same for me lenth wise between the TR01 and the TR02. The TR01 felt wider and had more volume than the TR02s in my opinion. I have a mid-range width foot but could never get the TR01 strap to tighten down well which was as much because of the velcro transition from hook to loop on the strap as the shoe volume. Different production runs may change in size though, this is true with any company but it rarely varies much. Usually different models in the same brand fit the same, usually... It's tough to mail order shoes.