Anyone have a wide toe box cycling shoe recommendation? I run in Altras and am looking for something with a similar fit for cycling. Thanks!
Also a fan of Altras and I recently learned of Lake cycling shoes. They make both standard and wide sizes, but both styles have roomy toe boxes, I just picked up a pair and so far, I’m a big fan.
You might also want to consider a pair of Rocket7’s. KC can make sure your fit is perfect. I just met up with him 2 weeks ago while in Boulder and had my 18 year old training shoes with 140,000 km redone with a new upper. Carbon soles were still fine. Best shoes on the planet. He is working on a very exciting project right now, that will be released to the public in the next few months.
Bont in wide and with the Kangaroo leather. Expensive, but insanely comfortable. My brother suffered in uncomfortable cycling shoes for years until he tried these. Maybe worth looking into.
Bont in wide and with the Kangaroo leather. Expensive, but insanely comfortable. My brother suffered in uncomfortable cycling shoes for years until he tried these. Maybe worth looking into.
+1 - even without going too the wide shoe.
In a similar quest I’ve purchased to try on close to 20 pairs of cycling shoes in the past year. Only 1-2 pairs fit with some compromise.
Many of them could work for someone depending on the other foot characteristics(equal feet? Small or larger size? Heel width, height of arch, pronation, feet rotation, volume, toes style-roman,greek,egyptian…) and general desires(cold/hot weather, ventilation/wrapping, color, upper material, pricing, stack height, plate adjustments, plate compatib., aeroness, socks or not, sock thickness,speed of change, durability, sole stiffness,…)
Can you describe yours a bit?
Lake shoes are known for being exceptionally wide. I have a pair for my gravel bike and they are the most comfortable I’ve worn.
Lake CX332 wide were having the most narrow toebox out of the shoes I’ve tried(similar to the Sphyre 902-903 regular in my size). The pointy toebox was squeezing my toes.
Similarly, some Bont models/size can be very uncomfortable, Zero+ short height for my larger toes, Vaypor at the top end limit of width for the size are like a vice device for the bunion.
The latest specialized shoes have an increased toe toebox width, and their shoes were already not bad. I’d definitely look into those.
SIDI MEGA is … GIANT in width, almost too much. Good shoe though. Helped me getting rid of a nasty Mortons Neuroma
Anyone have a wide toe box cycling shoe recommendation? I run in Altras and am looking for something with a similar fit for cycling. Thanks!
Bont - I’ve just purchased a wide fit for the first time and am super happy with them. They have a foot chart you can print out and size your foot on it to make sure you get the right fit. I also had some emails backwards and forwards with the rep to make sure I had the right sizing and he was super helpful. Considering it was an online purchase I was a bit nervous about it but they are perfect.
Anyone have a wide toe box cycling shoe recommendation? I run in Altras and am looking for something with a similar fit for cycling. Thanks!
Your options are custom - this will typically give you the best fit & comes with the greatest cost. Brands include R7, D2, Bont does custom as a reasonable cost imo
Bont & Lake - one of them makes shoes for the other, both have wide widths and models with wide(r) toe boxes
Shimano makes some shoes in wide widths
Garneau has a few models with generous toe boxes, or did, not sure about their latest releases
Sidi mega width - probably the easiest shoe to find to try on
Specialized has wide models
Several other brands have models that come in wide but are harder to find including Northwave, Giro, Fizik, five ten.
These next three used to have wide models although I’m not sure they are still in the cycling shoe game: Adidas, Bontrager & Pearl Izumi
Hope that helps
I’d say my one complaint about Bont is they are very flat - almost no arch support. Sure it’s not a running shoe. But for me, it causes some bad pressure points.
I still ride with them but I replaced the stock inserts with a different set.
I’d say my one complaint about Bont is they are very flat - almost no arch support. Sure it’s not a running shoe. But for me, it causes some bad pressure points.
I still ride with them but I replaced the stock inserts with a different set.
I’ve got very high arches, they don’t even touch the ground. When I tried on shoes I found that from the same brand, some models filled in some of that space and some models did not.
Like running shoes, the arch in cycling shoes is going to hit everyone different. Those with high arch feet will often need/want an insole for their cycling shoes even if they do not use one or want to use one in their running shoes.
Arches in shoes, cycling or running, are a ymmv thing
I’d say my one complaint about Bont is they are very flat - almost no arch support. Sure it’s not a running shoe. But for me, it causes some bad pressure points.
I still ride with them but I replaced the stock inserts with a different set.
I’ve got very high arches, they don’t even touch the ground. When I tried on shoes I found that from the same brand, some models filled in some of that space and some models did not.
Like running shoes, the arch in cycling shoes is going to hit everyone different. Those with high arch feet will often need/want an insole for their cycling shoes even if they do not use one or want to use one in their running shoes.
Arches in shoes, cycling or running, are a ymmv thing
This is common with Bont - I’ve had the Sub-8, one of their road shoes (I forget) and the Zero+. All flat as a board. I like the shoes - for the toebox reasons mentioned in this thread, just need the inserts.
i use BONT with G8 insole - this combo did wonders for my metatarsalagia
.
+1 for Lake. I started wearing them about 3-4 years ago and have been super happy with the fit and width.
Lake
They actually use a proper wide last to form the shoe - whereas many ‘wide’ shoes use the same last as normal and just stick a bit more material in the upper.
For me, the problem with many shoes - and x10 on bike shoes, is how the corner across from the outside edge of ball of the foot and little toe is cropped / tapered. Shoes that taper to a point a lot just kill my feet (that’s where Altra run shoes are brilliant for not doing that). The Lakes are the best I’ve had by a long way. I’m using the CX238 and MX238 (one 3-bolt cleat for road, one 2-bolt for mtb spd). Both in their wide fit. I have to go 1.5 or even 2 sizes bigger in other bike shoes - eg my Lake CX238 are sized 44.5 (euro) whereas Specialized trail mtb SPDs shoes are a 46, and the winter Shimano goretex winter cycling boots are a coco-the-clown 47 in order to be wide enough.
Anyone use the Lake CX20R lace-up?
A wide version, reasonably priced, and ability to lace up to my doctor’s advice has these near the top of my own list of shoes to try.
I have tried both Bont and Lake. I have settled with Bont and am now on my third pair. The reasons for preferring Bont:
-
I have very wide feet and “high volume†feet. I tried the wide Bonts and they were simply not wide enough. But Bont do a semi custom option which for me was a game changer.
-
Semi custom means you can access some wider than standard fittings. They do a high volume option as well. If one foot is wider than the other you can get a double wide on one foot and a single wide on the other.
-
Semi custom (not to be confused with the very expensive full custom option) also means you can play with the combo of colours through a configurator - this gives a very nice end result. Not sure I’d pay a lot extra for this part, but it is a very nice bonus on top of getting shoes that really fit. But be aware ordering “semi custom†takes approx 6 weeks from ordering to delivery.
-
I tried Lake, I could get something that fitted reasonably well - but I found their leather aged very badly and quickly looked very scuffed and worn. Lasted approx 18months before I was forced to change them. By contrast the Bonts last forever - the uppers are incredibly scratch resistant and stay looking like new forever - I am getting approx 3-4 years out of mine with daily use at approx 15-20k kms every year.
-
My only criticism of Bont is the heat moulding - this is pure marketing, it does nothing. I tried everything on two separate pairs including pushing the temperature up significantly (after consultations with Bont) - but for me it did nothing - so don’t be seduced by this piece of marketing. Lucky for me they are super comfortable without any moulding.