I was thinking NW. Some models are hard to find. Plus if I wanted speedplay, I’d need an adapter as they come with the hole. Any good show is an option as I have the three hole adapter also.
I have Sidi Dominators for SPD and Sidi Genius 7 for Speedplay. (Also a pair of commuting shoes that could pass as regular shoes.) Super comfortable shoes.
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Where I am, I have a specialized shop that carries specialized and a trek shop that carries bontrager. I could search spots in Portland, see what they have.
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Shoes are really personal and should last a long time so I think it’s a good place to splurge. My last pair of Sidi Mtb shoes lasted a decade and I only ended up replacing them because years of wet riding led to them smelling so bad. I feel Sidi is falling behind on technology as they are just really heavy compared to other high end shoes.
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I’vd got the same issue with my Fizik cyclocross shoes. I’ve got wide feet and big ankles. Wondering about just trimming a couple mm off the tongue.
I’m interested in those and the Fizik Infinito R1? General comments on the fit?
Anyone have experience with Fizik Infinito R1?
I bought a used pair of S-works road shoes a couple years back and I fell in love.
That being said I am willing to try other shoes but i will not compromise on quality, S-works spoiled me from being able to tolerate a less than top level shoe.
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Those are great shoes for sure. I was bummed trying the 7 on earlier this year however. I have some weird bone spurs on my left foot from my 20 something years of ski racing. One of the BOA’s fell right over one of them and it was a no go.
Yup. So comfy and durable…but heavy and come on, Sidi, your dial thingies are so complicated compared with ALL other shoes.
However, comfort and stiffness are always being utilised 100% on every ride; I might adjust tension a half dozen times so the annoyance factor is high but very limited compared to the oh-so-good factor.
(And weight…negligible. Unless you’re doing super long & steep climbs for cash and/or glory!)
Hi viz yellow is all the rage. so you’re good.
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IMO, a good mid range to top end shoe is worth it if it’s in the budget. Plus, it’s usually easy to get a good shoe at a good price because these companies usually are updating their shoes every year and the previous years shoes usually go on sale. I purchased the pearl izumi pro leader 3 (pearl’s former top end shoe) when they put the previous seasons “limited edition” color on sale for usually 50-60% off at competitive cyclist/back country. The most important thing though is to make sure your feet are comfortable. Unhappy feet will lead to unhappy riding really quickly.
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How are these? Both stand alone and compared to other brands? I’ve always had them on my list.
Foot and person specific, but for Speedplay specific shoes I have had good luck with Sidi. They fit me well and have been the go to brand since early 1980s.
Recently tried the Northwave Extreme with their Splay adapter. The Northwaves are nice shoes. Like the single BOA dial, the adapter plate works well and the arch support system is solid. On most shoes I swap out the insoles but didn’t feel the need with the Northwaves.
Gaerne makes a nice shoe with Speedplay soles but distribution is spotty in the USA.
FWIW, there really isn’t a need to go with Speedplay specific soles. At least I can’t tell a difference in feel, power, etc, between specific soles and the generic adapters included with the cleats.
Absolutely irrelevant, but these were my first pair of Sidi cycling shoes.
-Mark
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I havnt tried the R1 but in general Fizik are normally a narrow fit and Northwave are a wider fit plus half a size larger than most.
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They are my favorite shoe that I’ve used thus far (bought an extra pair after I crashed on my old ones). There are a couple things to know about them. 1) they are stiff. There is just the insole (which comes with a couple of arch and forefoot inserts), the carbon plate, then your cleat. It allows for a low shoe stack and let’s you feel really connected to the bike. Some people didn’t like how stiff they felt, but I love them. 2) the upper is pretty thin and flexible. It makes for a great summer shoe and makes it incredibly comfortable. It’s very slipper like and it kind molds around your foot. However, if you crash or scrape up against something hard enough they will probably tear. Compared to other good shoes I’ve used (Shimano rc7, a pair or good lakes and bonts) they are my favorite and I’ll likely end up with the version 4 at some point.
S-Works 7s !!! ($400)
For me, they have been unbelievably great!!!
I rode with SiDi, both their road and MTB shoes, for about a dozen years (endurance type riding). When I started picking up the pace, I realized how sloppy they were (I have a somewhat narrow foot). So I switched to Giro Trans (~$200) for road. They were very good (3 years) until I needed a new pair. Giro cheapened the boot material - they are ok for endurance riding, but terrible (!!!) for hard riding/racing.
Last summer, I bit the bullet and bought the S-Works 7. Great fit. The BOAs are great. And the power transfer is fantastic. It took zero rides to be fully adjusted to them.
Being an “analytical nut case”, the math I did for myself was this: Is having a great shoe worth $0.02- $0.03/mile? Q.E.D.
[btw] For MTB (I’m not a racer) I have gone in a different direction:
Loaded Precision AMX Signature Pedals with 5-10 FreeRider shoes - a fantastic combo!
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I like it!
For me a $500 shoe might work out to be $1/hr in the first year. Still worth it.
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+1 on Gaerne.
Someone once told me that shoes should feel like gloves for your feet. It took me many tries to find the right pair for me. I am not sure if I have unusual feet, but I do need a larger toebox. The Gaerne were the ones for me. I have a pair of road and mtn shoes by them. I had to travel a bit of distance (from San Jose to Menlo Park) to find a shop that carries them, but it was totally worth it because I had struck out on all of the other brands I had tried.
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Just picked up a pair of SIDI Shot that I’ve been lusting for, at the Performance Bike clearance. Got them for $200 
They are ridiculously stiff, and I love the heel hold! Length wise, they are a perfect fit (I wear a size 48, and it’s tough to find shoes!), but they have a tiny bit of vertical bulk in the toe box. It’s not something I noticed trying them on in the store, but definitely feel it on the bike. Have you found that they’ve broken in or adapted to your foot in any way?
I’m considering replacing the insoles with something that has more bulk, to build up that vertical space in the toe box.
My other shoe is a Louis Garneau Course Air Lite, and honestly, it’s a fantastic shoe! Fits like a glove, and is very light. It’s not as stiff as the SIDI. The downside is that the materials have broken down significantly over the course of one riding season (hence the purchase of new shoes). If durability weren’t an issue, I probably wouldn’t have bought another pair of shoes.
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