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Ache/crampiness on outsides of feet...shoes too narrow?


zoom-zoom2010-07-29 07:36:28 +0000
I have wide feet...not so much my heels (they are actually a hair on the narrow side), but definitely the front half. Think of a duck's feet. If I had webbed toes I'd be a freaky-good swimmer.

I have found that after about 2 hours the outside of my feet start to hurt--particularly on my larger/wider foot. The area is generally right around the peroneal tendon. Here you can see photos of my feet (I recently sprained my left ankle and my left ankle and foot are pretty swollen, but you can see how paddle-like both of my feet are):

click...kinda big to embed:

My shoes are Sidi Dominator 5s, size 40 (I typically wear from a 7.5-8.5 wides when I can find them, depending upon manufacturer...at least for running shoes). Length is good, but I have always thought they were a hair narrow...though I know they aren't supposed to fit like running shoes. I have the 2 velcro straps across the forefoot about as loose as they can go and still stay put. The upper doesn't feel terrible, but what seems to be the issue is the plastic sole piece. It feels like the outer edge is cutting along the underside of the lateral edges of my feet.

After today's 71 miler this area is actually pretty red and swollen on my right foot--even on the top of my foot.

I otherwise like the shoe and the length is good. I'm thinking I probably should have gone with the men's version, though, as I wear a D width in running shoes and D is a men's medium (women's mediums are Bs) and am thinking I may go ahead and order a pair of the same shoe in a men's model (assuming the heel fit wouldn't be too loose). Or maybe look at a different brand entirely. If I did that, can anyone recommend a shoe that would be similar to a size 40 Sidi Dominator, only wider through the forefoot?

Thanks, ladies!
zoom-zoom2010-07-29 07:36:28 +0000
To add...a related question. Since I am currently using MTB shoes with my road bike. I am content (and adept) with SPD pedals, but this does limit my shoe selection. Hubby thinks I should stick with SPDs--he is a MUCH more experienced cyclist and I am FAR faster clipping in from stops with my current pedal set-up. He is of the mind that by switching to a true road shoe and changing to a non-SPD pedal that I may end up unhappy.

Is there any major benefit to honest-to-goodness road shoes/pedals vs. MTB shoes and SPDs? Eventually I would like to dabble with cyclocross, so it seems like having the same type of shoe/pedal on all of the bikes in my "stable" might be a good idea. Yes? No?
softthings2010-07-29 07:36:28 +0000
i just switched to mens shoes. i had the womens' specialized torch shoe and now i have the mens elite shoe. i think i am going to like it better. i have wide feet and my boyfriend told me mens' shoes are wider than womens'. i don't have room to move my feet around in the show when i am really digging in. i usually get cramped, tingly feet. so, mens' shoes might be an option for you. hth.
zoom-zoom2010-07-29 07:36:28 +0000
Yeah, men's shoes are a definite possibility, though I'm not sure that heel fit will be good, as men have wider heels. I really wish there were wide-width women's-specific cycling shoes.
Ambikes2010-07-29 07:36:28 +0000
I have duck feet too! I ALWAYS have problems finding running shoes that don't give me pinky toe blisters. I had that problem with hiking boots also, until I got a pair of Garmonts (which I highly recommend if you're ever in the market for hiking boots).

I've found that Shimano shoes tend to have a wider toe box than the other brands my LBS carries (Specialized and Adidas, I think). I have two different Shimano models, and one is definitely a little wider through the forefoot than the other, so it might depend on the particular shoe model also.

Lots of people use MTB pedals on road bikes. My riding partner has Speedplay Frogs on both of her bikes. I ride SPDs on the MTB and Look Keos on the road bike, but only because I have problems with numb toes after a couple of hours on the SPDs. The larger platform of the Looks keeps my feet much happier.
OakLeaf2010-07-29 07:36:28 +0000
partial hijack ...

I can't help you with cycling shoes - my Spec Torch shoes are narrow but acceptable to me, with the buckle positioned in the tighter position and cinched all the way tight.

But for running shoes, try the Nike Zoom Triax Structure 13. Seriously, Nike. I was like, "What?" when the salesman brought them out, but they have a VERY square and wide toe box, plus the overlay is set farther back than in many shoes, so they don't irritate my incipient tailor's bunions, yet with the proper lacing my heels don't slip, either. They come in women's Wide, which is what I wear.
zoom-zoom2010-07-29 07:36:28 +0000
Oak, I wear a Nike running shoe (Run Avant+...now replaced by the Lunarfly+). Yep, they fit better than current wide-width NBs. NB messed up their entire product line about a year-and-a-half ago. I used to wear their wides, now they no longer fit.

I have a friend with a wide foot who just got Shimano shoes, so I'm definitely looking at those. I wish there were more places near me that carried lots of shoes to try on.

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