Help for Shoe Sizing for Clipless Pedals.

A lot more than just length may dicate whether or not you find a shoe comfortable i.e. width, arch height, heel width, etc. You may get some replies but it will still be difficult to tell 100%. If at all possible try finding at least the brand in a local bike shop if not the exact model and try them on, or you may just have to spend the extra shipping fee in returning the item for a replacement size up or size down (make sure they accept returns and don't walk around in them on a bare floor). If there is another reason you are unable to return them it could be a gamble. Better to pay a few extra $$ for that option.

Good luck!

Hi !
Thanks for replying !
I am going to try a pair of Vittoria shoes so i should get a general idea.

Some sites will let you return shoes but you have to read their return policy carefully. They generally wont accept a shoe return if you installed cleats, which marks up the bottom. I don't have experience with the shoes you mention, but in my experience Sidi shoes fit true to size. I wear a 12 US street shoe and a 47 Reg in Sidi. Sent from my HTC Incredible using TapaTalk.

Quoted post said:

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

I plan to purchase spd pedals and mtb shoes for my bike. Since here in india the choices are very limited I have to order online.

I am very confused as to the actual size of the shoe, that I should buy, I will be buying Shimano or Northwave. The deals are quite good, but the sizing is very important.

I have measured my foot size and it is 10 inches in length.
My Fila sport shoes show the following sizes:

us uk eur
8 7 41

Could you please guide me as to what size should I go for Shimano and Northwave shoes.

Of course, there is very little continuity in shoe sizing ...

IMO, "running" shoe size is different from OTHER shoe size because the fabric (?) material is generally more flexible than you will find on most cycling shoes UNLESS you are getting a fabric-or-suede "touring" shoe ...

When new, the uppers on most Shimano cycling shoes are stiff ... VERY stiff (this can be remedied, BTW) ...

FWIW. In the past, when I wore a size 8 (US), I had a pair of size 42 Detto Pietro shoes & concurrenty a pair of size 43 Puma cycling shoes ...

More recenty (10+ years ago), I had a pair of a size 43 Shimano (fabric) touing shoes ... I thought a pair of size 43 Shimano MTB shoes would work ... but, they seemed to be about the size of (or, smaller than!?!) the size 42 Detto Pietro shoes!

I had (still have) a pair of size 43.5 Shimano Road shoes which are so worn that they still seem to fit (I use them on the rare occasions when I am using my mag trainer), but I now wear a size 44 Shimano and/or a size 45 SIDI ... and, a new pair of size 43.5 Shimano Road shoe would not fit me, now.

That's a long way of saying -- excluding the UK & Euro size of our FILA shoes & if you cannot try on an actual pair of shoes (remember to bring a clean pair of the type of socks which you plan to use with the shoes) -- that based on a size 8 (US) I think you should opt for a size 43 or size 43.5 (non-fabric/non-suede) SHIMANO shoe ... you can generally snug up a shoe which is a half-or-probably-a-whole size too large (e.g., wear a thicker sock ...), but it's difficult to stretch a shoe which is too small.

Length is the most important issue. You do not want your toes hitting the end of the shoe.

@ alfeng,
Could you pls let me know your actual foot length, although there are other factors involved.
@ an old guy, certainly agree with this, but online shopping is a real gamble if you cannot return it.

Do you have any problem buying shoes that fit? Are all your shoes the same size as in size 8? Do you need to try on several pairs when out shopping?

Myself I have no problems buying shoes all my shoes are 10.5 US. All my cycling shoes are size 44.5.

Quoted post said:

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

@ alfeng,
Could you pls let me know your actual foot length, although there are other factors involved.

While wearing a cotton sock, I measure the length of my foot as 10.25 inches (size 44 Shimano / size 45 SIDI).

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by An old Guy [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

Length is the most important issue.

My wife assures me it is width.

She has flat feet.

Go to a local shoe store and have your feet measured. Determine if your feet are 10.5 EEE or whatever. Check online for shoes you like and see if they come in your size. After you have done this and before you pull the trigger read a few reviews. Most reviewers will list fitting complaints as the shoe was too wide or narrow. You should then have enough information needed to make a reasonable purchase.

Quoted post said:

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

Do you have any problem buying shoes that fit? Are all your shoes the same size as in size 8? Do you need to try on several pairs when out shopping?

Myself I have no problems buying shoes all my shoes are 10.5 US. All my cycling shoes are size 44.5.

Hi ! Yes unfortunately that is the case, I have a pair of Reebok that are US 9, two pairs of woodlands one is 40 and the other is 41.

Now what gets me a little confused is a friend of mine just purchased a pair of Shimano R087 SPD-SL Road Shoes in size 42 from an online site from the US, his size is as per the following

Foot size 9.6 inches OR 24.5 CM.

This is what he had to say :

"Infact Size 42 Shimano says "US 8.3 / EU 42/ 26.5 cm " as per the labeling on my shoes.

Goes along with this shimano size guide too: http://site.cellbikes.com.au/userfiles/ ... 0guide.jpg
Just my luck not to relate my size with cm sizing as well. 🙁
I should have gotten size 39/ 40 max.
2 size too large..
Yes, the shoe feels too large and I did try the insole approach but the problem was the width at the broadest part of the foot, where it felt too loose inspite of the added insole. 🙁

I guess if your feet are sized 10 inches ~ 25.5 cm, the size 41 would work fine as per the Shimano chart. End

I am buying mtb shoes and these are road, don't know if that makes a difference ! I was very seriously working towards a size 42. Just a hunch 🙂

Go to a bike store and actually try on shoes. The variation in how shoes fit for a given size is great enough between manufacturers and even models that buying on size alone can be difficult. For instance, Shimano's lower end road shoes do not have the same last shape at a given size as their top end road shoes. Some shoes are wide, while some ain't. Some shoes are wide in different places. Some shoes on some people are just cruel shoes. I changed shoes about a year and a half ago and went through all of this. I had Shimano road shoes, and their last shape had changed. No matter what shoe of theirs I tried, it didn't work. I tried on many brands--Northwave, Sidi, Shimano, Bontrager, DMT, Louis Garneau, and Specialized--before finding a pair that coddled my feet just right. That would have been an expensive proposition if I had tried that online. YMMV.

Quoted post said:

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

Hi ! Yes unfortunately that is the case, I have a pair of Reebok that are US 9, two pairs of woodlands one is 40 and the other is 41.

Now what gets me a little confused is a friend of mine just purchased a pair of Shimano R087 SPD-SL Road Shoes in size 42 from an online site from the US, his size is as per the following

Foot size 9.6 inches OR 24.5 CM.

This is what he had to say :

"Infact Size 42 Shimano says "US 8.3 / EU 42/ 26.5 cm " as per the labeling on my shoes.

Goes along with this shimano size guide too: http://site.cellbikes.com.au/userfiles/ ... 0guide.jpg
Just my luck not to relate my size with cm sizing as well. 🙁
I should have gotten size 39/ 40 max.
2 size too large..
Yes, the shoe feels too large and I did try the insole approach but the problem was the width at the broadest part of the foot, where it felt too loose inspite of the added insole. 🙁

I guess if your feet are sized 10 inches ~ 25.5 cm, the size 41 would work fine as per the Shimano chart. End

I am buying mtb shoes and these are road, don't know if that makes a difference ! I was very seriously working towards a size 42. Just a hunch 🙂

FYI. If you send a very careful tracing of your both your bare foot + a tracing of your foot with the sock which you intend to wear then the mail-order retailer from whom you buy the shoe can probably ensure a pretty good fit ... or, hopefully, they may suggest that you opt for a brand which they don't carry if they don't think that the shoes which they carry will fit you ... let them know how snug-or-loose you want the shoe to feel.

• as alienator noted, there is nothing like an actual fitting to state the obvious, a person's foot size varies with the time of day -- typically, larger after a day's work than when you wake up ... so, what fits well early in the morning may not feel as comfortable later ... and, that is one reason that some people note that their cycling shoes are uncomfortable after a given period of time.
  

[*] I was going to say that there isn't a difference between the last used for Shimano's MTB & Road shoes, but what I perceived to have once been true may no longer be the case
[*] BTW, if you have a truly narrow foot, then there are shoes which are made on lasts for women's shoes ...

.
FWIW. While a size 42 Shimano may be a better width for you, I can't imagine a size 42 Shimano being comfortable due to its length unless you like your shoe to fit like a rock climber's "boot" ... just a hunch.

Bought the 42 Shimano, mtb shoe. the fitting is ok, I happen to try a 43 Shimano as well and it was very loose, longer I must say. It is a snug fit and I am unable to wear thick socks , is this an issue?

Quoted post said:

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

Bought the 42 Shimano, mtb shoe. the fitting is ok, I happen to try a 43 Shimano as well and it was very loose, longer I must say. It is a snug fit and I am unable to wear thick socks , is this an issue?

FWIW. It is only an issue if you want to wear thick socks ...

It's not that I want to say "I told you so" ...

• but, I did tell you to "(remember to bring a clean pair of the type of socks which you plan to use with the shoes)" ...
  
  

So, if you prefer to wear thick socks when you are riding then (IMO) the size 42 Shimano shoes are-and-will-be an issue for you ... if you prefer a thin sock, then you may be good-to-go.

FYI. I learned a long time ago that there is a reason that different shoes are STYLED differently ...

• to over-simplify it, running shoes have no lateral support ...
  
• however, a tennis-or-basketball will have lateral support (i.e., supportive "foxing"😉 ...
  
• some shoes have "high" tops ... some shoes were/(are) 3/4 high ...
  

[*] some shoes are "low" cut ...
[*] et cetera

How snug a shoe can-or-should fit depends on the material the upper is made with AND the sport activity ...

• how loose was "very loose"?
  
• where did you feel it was it loose?
  

IMO, it does not matter if a cycling shoe is marginally too long if your heel does not move any more with the slightly larger shoe than with the slightly smaller shoe ... and, even if your heel floats a bit, THAT can be adjusted.

So (as I said before), I think you should opt for a size 43 ... (etc..)