Shoe sizes?

[BearPear]

I ordered my first pair of bike shoes last week after deciding to take the clipless plunge! I am a regular size 5 and although I have read about shoes coming up small, the reviews I read of this particular shoe suggested it was an ok fit.

They arrived this morning and seem a little small lengthways. In my thinnest socks my toe is touching the ends - will this cause a problem when riding or would it be bearable? I still class myself as a newbie and the furthest distance I have done is 30 miles, my regular circuit is just 10 miles. The shoes were a bargain (£80 down to £23) and it seems a shame to send them back if I could manage in them.

 

[gavintc]

I would say that poor fitting cycle shoes (too small) would not be good on a longish ride. They will be fine for short rides (30mins) but any longer they will start to really hurt. I must agree that cycle shoe sizing seems to be completely unrelated to normal shoe sizing. I too have bought on line and ended up sending them back for a bigger size. Indeed, my wife missed a cracking deal with some high end carbon shoes reduced from 150 to 60. But, when they arrived, they were just too small - and the correct size was not at the same level of discount.

 

[Fran143]

I bought my first pain in similar circumstances, size 5 at reduced price to see if I could get used to them. I'd been told to go bigger and they were a wee tad tight initially. No problems with them now and haven't actually bothered to upgrade them....yet! Oh and they must give as I can get 2 pairs of socks on with em now.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

different makers use different lasts and they all come up different. I have shoes, normal and cycling, which fit fine in everything from a 10 to an 11 1/2 and a pair of rugby boots in a 12 that also fit fine! For me width is more of an issue then toe clearance as I find, unlike in impact sports, toe box clearance is less critical in cycling shoes

I tend to stick to Spesh cycling shoes simply because I know what size I am in thier world and thus can order online with minimal risk. But the first Spesh pair I bought ( a good few years ago) I got in a shop face-to-face in a sale.

 

[rich p]

I bought my first pain in similar circumstances, size 5 at reduced price to see if I could get used to them. I'd been told to go bigger and they were a wee tad tight initially. No problems with them now and haven't actually bothered to upgrade them....yet! Oh and they must give as I can get 2 pairs of socks on with em now.

Ouch

 

[threebikesmcginty]

I tend to stick to Spesh cycling shoes simply because I know what size I am in thier world and thus can order online with minimal risk.

That doesn't always work, the last pair of Time shoes I bought were too small and yet they were the same size as the previous pair and they fitted fine. Gah!

Back to the OP, if they're too snug your feet will get cold in this weather due to poor circulation.

 

[BearPear]

they aren't tight as I have slim feet, it's just the length that seems to be an issue. As Fran said, they will "give" with wear so maybe I should give them a go - the cost of return postage and the hassle kind of makes me think of trying them out.

Now to hunt for pedals, I'm thinking of the Shimano 520's! Clipless tumbles here I come!!

 

[redjedi]

I ordered my first pair of bike shoes last week after deciding to take the clipless plunge! I am a regular size 5 and although I have read about shoes coming up small, the reviews I read of this particular shoe suggested it was an ok fit.

They arrived this morning and seem a little small lengthways. In my thinnest socks my toe is touching the ends - will this cause a problem when riding or would it be bearable? I still class myself as a newbie and the furthest distance I have done is 30 miles, my regular circuit is just 10 miles. The shoes were a bargain (£80 down to £23) and it seems a shame to send them back if I could manage in them.

My current road shoes are like this. They are fine on short rides or commutes, but during the summer if I do anything over 40 miles or put some effort in my feet really start to hurt so I need to stop and take them off every few hours.

But I did get away with using them for a 18 months until this week when I used my Christmas Evans vouchers and ordered a new pair of Specialized shoes in the correct size.


What I have never understood is the difference in Euro/UK sizes manufacturers quote. Specialized say that my size 12s are a Euro size 46, others say 47. But I've always taken 12 to be 48 and I've never been let down yet. I tried the Specialized 46, no chance, 47 was a wearable but I wanted a perfect fit so got a 48 which is a 13.5

As to your question, perhaps you could try wearing them around the house for a few hours and see how they feel. You could always ride them for a few months and sell them on if they don't work for you.