Help with shoes

Quote:Originally Posted by alw041 [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]My wife has recently started road biking with me, and she would like to start clipping in. She wears a size 8 and according to all the EU/US charts she should wear a 38.5 EU. I wanted to confirm this with other women that wear a size 8. Also, I was looking at pearl izumi road shoes and it seems that they do not follow the same sizing. I have seen 3 different shoe sizing charts by pearl izumi and they all say an 8 is a different size (39, 39.5, 40). I need a little clarity.

Shoe LASTS vary from brand to brand ...

If you want Pearl Izumi shoes, then go to a shop which sell PI shoes & buy (at least) the first pair from them.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by alw041 [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

My wife ............She wears a size 8 and according to all the EU/US charts she should wear a 38.5 EU. .........I was looking at pearl izumi road shoes and it seems that they do not follow the same sizing. I have seen 3 different shoe sizing charts by pearl izumi and they all say an 8 is a different size (39, 39.5, 40). I need a little clarity.

The sizes are objective. There is no size - measurement coalition... never has been one with shoes... mens or womens.

Over the past eight or so years I've worn two 45s, two 45.5s, one 44.5, and one 46. You have to try them on.

I worked in a shoe shop for 11 years and I can honestly say shoe sizes mean very little. People would walk in and say they were a size 7 and walk out with a size 9. Trying them BOTH on is the only way to go and yes it might take a while but it is worth it as my boss always used to say, "you only get one pair of feet"

I haven't heard about Pearl Izumi. You might want to find out where the company and it will give you a clearer idea what size 8 means. In Europe and Asia 38 is a size 8 in most cases, whereas in the USA and Australia size 8 usually is 38,5 because women's feet tend to be slightly larger.
When in doubt, make sure that you can exchange the shoes if they don't fit. I once encountered a problem in a shop where they wouldn't take my shoes back the next day because they had a no-refund policy. They offered me an exchange, but my shoes were the last pair, and I didn't see another pair that I liked. So, I was stuck with a pair of shoes that were slightly too big. I never could wear them without putting on a thick pair of socks first.

Don't always go by size conversion charts. Each manufacturer for shoes go by slightly different measurements. Generally the best way to tell is to measure the soles lengthwise of the shoes you wear and the widest part all the way across and cross reference with the charts online. I've been buying and selling shoes online for a few years and there's 2 things that are a pain to purchase- shoes and pants because of the nuances and differences from company to company. On average I'm a size 8 as well, but I can also be a 7.5 according to Khol's Simply Vera or a 9 according to Carsons just to give you a perspective on how things can vary.