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Home > Forum > Triathlon Forum > wide feet, skinny wallet (first post!)

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wide feet, skinny wallet (first post!)
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10001
Oct 24, 04 16:00
Post #1 of 14 (2993 views)
hi all, just discovered this forum, recommended by the proprietor of a tri store (i think he was tired of me calling for advice). i'm 25, preparing now for the 2005 nyc triathlon after 23 years of sedentary living and two of weightloss & fitness training. my goal for next year is to just to finish and be proud of my time- I intend to sign up for Team in Training in the spring to get practice in group riding/swimming... in 2006, however, you can all eat my dust! ;)

towards this end, i've recently made an excellent trade for a new (to me) bike- it'll be my first with clipless pedals. i'm pretty broke- not starving, exactly, but i have to save up for most nonessential purchases.

i wear size 11 (45) shoes. my sneakers, which are comfortable & were fit by someone knowledgeable, are New Balance, width EEEE. I do own several pairs of fairly comfortable shoes that are only designated "wide."

LBS x4 today all said the only option were Sidi's, which I don't think I can afford... but at Nashbar I found the "Nashbar Shadow Wide" ($40) and the "Lake CX 220 Xtreme" ($90). $90 is about the limit of my budget (figure $100 absolute tops with tax/shipping/etc)- can anyone offer advice for or against either of these models (or others at this price point- <b>wait & save your pennies is not a recommendation i'll find helpful.</b>

I've read some reviews of both, but they're all basically positive, no real criteria upon which to decide. Maybe I'm just looking for an excuse to be a brand whore & buy the Lakes (I also like the pictures of 'em better), but for $50 savings i could buy groceries for a week and a USAT membership (or lots of other cool gear)...

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Last edited by: aetherchild: Oct 24, 04 16:02
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Re: wide feet, skinny wallet (first post!) [aetherchild] [ In reply to ]
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Tom Demerly
Oct 24, 04 16:21
Post #2 of 14 (2976 views)
Welcome on board aetherchild,

Excellent question well-researched my friend. You did your homework on shoe models/styles/fits: Good job.

I agree with you on the Lakes. They are a good value and tremendously underrated. It is a solid shoe for a very fair price. They do tend to run quite wide also.

I own a triathlon store that sells Shimano, Lake, Sidi and a couple other shoe brands. I think your tendency toward Lake is a good one.

Good luck with that!
Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com
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Re: wide feet, skinny wallet (first post!) [aetherchild] [ In reply to ]
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Herschel34
Oct 24, 04 17:23
Post #3 of 14 (2950 views)
as a triathlete you are bound by law to like expensive and cool looking gear. but the truth is you don't need it. in most cases, the $50 something works as well as the $150 something and so on. i'm still using the pedals on my tri bike that i took off of my mountain bike 6 years ago. work on your fitness and when you're 10 minutes from qualifying for kona, buy the really good piece of gear that will put you over the top.

a long way of saying, get the nashbar shoes. and good luck with triathlon - it becomes obsessive and that's ok.
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Re: wide feet, skinny wallet (first post!) [Herschel34] [ In reply to ]
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10001
Oct 27, 04 19:04
Post #4 of 14 (2891 views)
it turns out you were both right. my financial situation forced me to order the Nashbar shoes... and there are stickers inside proclaiming them manufactured by Lake!

today was my first time clipping in to any pedals, ever, so any opinions I may have aren't that well informed. i found them to be very well made & extremely well ventilated (it may be a problem in the coming months).

unfortunately, "wide" is maybe an EE. the ankle & top strap are fine, but my right foot experienced serious discomfort after 10mi. not so much that i needed to stop, but definitely pain. i will need to bring them to a shoemaker for stretching.

thanks again, all 'round.

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Re: wide feet, skinny wallet (first post!) [aetherchild] [ In reply to ]
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Mito Chondria
Oct 27, 04 21:11
Post #5 of 14 (2871 views)
all I can say, don't save too much when it comes to shoes. Depending on how much you ride you wear them many hours a week. It is important to be comfortable. I also have wide feet and it cost me a good amount of money to get the shoes that perfectly fit me. Yes, they cost 200+$$ but the Shimano 215E are worth every penny.

Remember, it's cheaper to buy a pair of shoes for $150 than it is to buy a $50 shoe and later have to buy another $150 shoes that is comfortable. At the same time it is a waste to buy the $150 shoe IF the cheaper one fits you just as well. When it comes to shoes, I have one rule. Try the shoes on first and then look at the price tag. What is $70 more when you wear a shoe for 3+ years?



good luck,



d
�The greater danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.� -Michelangelo

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Re: wide feet, skinny wallet (first post!) [aetherchild] [ In reply to ]
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10001
Nov 3, 04 16:12
Post #6 of 14 (2833 views)
I know it's probably bad form to follow up aging posts, but I feel a certain obligation to those other folks on the Internet who may be searching for wide bike shoes. Maybe this thread will bring some relief to the other size EEEE non-millionaires.

Picked up the Nashbar/Lake shoes from the shoemaker today, where I had paid to have them stretched. He charged $5 and assured me that they would break in even more with time. They are better (no longer pinch), but I am not convinced that they will be comfortable on very long rides (will find out this weekend). I believe that if they had been all leather, he would have been able to stretch them further. Still, combined with thin running socks, they should do just fine through the winter, as I'm saving my pennies for Sidi/custom shoes (the Shimano are not wide enough). I'm also going to try wearing them without socks... I feel like every millimeter helps, and they seem soft enough inside.

I did ask him about putting the soles onto another pair of shoes (sneakers). As expected, this is impossible since the process actually binds the materials together. Such is life.

There will be one more report to follow, after I've taken them out for some distance.

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Last edited by: aetherchild: Nov 3, 04 16:14
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Re: wide feet, skinny wallet (first post!) [aetherchild] [ In reply to ]
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cottell
Nov 3, 04 17:12
Post #7 of 14 (2808 views)
If you are going to be riding in NY with only thin running socks, I would recommend saving for a shoe or toe cover. A thin piece of cloth and a bit of leather just isn't enough during the winter months.

Jeromy
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Re: wide feet, skinny wallet (first post!) [cottell] [ In reply to ]
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10001
Nov 3, 04 21:32
Post #8 of 14 (2787 views)
in sneakers, i always just used a "vapor barrier" (ie: a plastic bag) over my socks with no probs. other than sweat accumulation, is there a reason not to do this in bike shoes?

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Re: wide feet, skinny wallet (first post!) [aetherchild] [ In reply to ]
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Allez
Nov 3, 04 21:38
Post #9 of 14 (2786 views)
So, how many times did you fall over the first time using the clipless? :)
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Re: wide feet, skinny wallet (first post!) [Allez] [ In reply to ]
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10001
Nov 3, 04 22:02
Post #10 of 14 (2780 views)
zero so far, but i have to admit taking the subway to the Greenway (bike/pedestrian-only path along the perimeter of Manhattan). not ready to brave traffic quite yet... ;)

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Last edited by: aetherchild: Nov 4, 04 8:18
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Re: wide feet, skinny wallet (first post!) [aetherchild] [ In reply to ]
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Allez
Nov 4, 04 7:55
Post #11 of 14 (2746 views)
Hey that's good!! I cannot even tell you how many times I just plopped right over when I first used clipless. Tons of bruises! I have no coordination on land, only in the water. I still try to avoid traffic on the bike too. It sounds like you are doing well though! good luck.

Meghan
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Re: wide feet, skinny wallet (first post!) [Allez] [ In reply to ]
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10001
Nov 4, 04 8:33
Post #12 of 14 (2734 views)
Well, we'll see what happens once I'm ready to try a running start. ;)

The pedals are Look, and after hearing so many horror stories about getting used to clipless, they are a pleasant surprise. I think this may have to do with the year or so I've ridden in pedals w/ clips & straps- it's a different movement, but I'm already used to thinking about my feet when I stop.

Got an excellent deal on socks at the NYC Marathon Expo. If any of you are in the area, it's worth checking out (though it was a little awkward how all the vendors kept wishing me "Good luck on Sunday!").

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Re: wide feet, skinny wallet (first post!) [aetherchild] [ In reply to ]
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cottell
Nov 4, 04 11:38
Post #13 of 14 (2716 views)
Sure, I've done that before as well. The only thing is that you need to cut a hole in the bag for the clips to fit in. If you want more insulation, buy some really cheap/ large socks and put these over the shoes (under or over the bag). If you want to reuse these, try glueing together the loose threads of the sock after you cut the hole for the cleats.

The toe and shoe covers have hole already cut out, and you do not have to worry about it tearing.

Jeromy
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Re: wide feet, skinny wallet (first post!) [aetherchild] [ In reply to ]
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10001
Nov 6, 04 7:15
Post #14 of 14 (2693 views)
Final followup, after spending most of yesterday on the bike: With thin socks, the shoes are fine (not perfect, but fine). The right foot has a bit of a hotspot at the widest part that goes away immediately upon removing the shoes, the left is comfortable. I believe it will go away with time (either the shoes will break in, or I'll develop a callus). I also needed to adjust my pedals- unless angled inwards, my right foot rubbed the crank.

Thanks for all the kind words and good advice! I'll be using a big old pair of socks as toe warmers for the time being. my roommate's a seamstress, so reinforcing the edges of the hole will only cost me some dish-washing/vacuuming/etc.

And, y'know, maybe Santa will leave some Sidi Mega's under the tree this year.

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