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It’s pretty common (especially in hot weather) you might want to adjust the tightness a bit whilst riding and in winter/rain when you have overshoes on being able to adjust them as you’re riding is much less faff.
I do this most rides once my feet get up to temperature. The Northwave Boa copy has a nifty feature where one press on the top of the lever unlocks the dial by a single click.
Just coming back on this as I had the model of my Torch ones wrong. The 2 and 3 hurt my forefoot on the uppers, as others have noted. It’s the Torch 1’s that I have 2 pairs of and find very comfortable!
If I needed another pair now, I'd be looking at mid range - prices have shot up - I know my Spesh's were £150, but that was 17 or so years ago. I'd probably pay similar.
Fit is important with any shoe. I bought all my pairs from a shop, except the Shimano MW7 winter boots, as I already had a pair of 'summer' Shimano MTB shoes with the same sole - they were perfect.
If it's road shoes, I'd say spend as much money as you need to find good fitting adjustable shoes. I think because you sit and spin, they can be a focus of discomfort if you get it wrong, and being about to tension and de-tension them is a plus.
Don't need to be ultra stiff though, they can be just as uncomfy.
Not sure if the carbon sole is as extensive as some shoes, but these look good at the discounted price...
https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/shimano-rc5-road-shoes-2021/
Or the RC7 will be stiffer, and come in standard or wide fit, so the std might be good for you OP.
A few sizes cheap here...
https://www.sigmasports.com/item/Shimano/RC7-SPD-SL-Road-Shoes/
I'd go straight to Shimano if I needed new road shoes.
Being comfortable is more important than having a nice bike. I'd rather ride a vitus in full rapha than a colnago in planet X. The only exception is cheap saddles.
The same, by and large, extends to shoes. Except they have the potential to solve shitty knee problems.
Spend money on your contact points.
After years of sore feet I upgraded my Bont Riots to a pair of wide fit Lake CX332 shoes and G8 insoles. My feet still hurt. Maybe a little less. Not convinced they were worth it.
I’ve always found that sore feet and hot spots was more down to cleat position and swelling of the feet due to getting warm.
Back when I were a lad (only 2 or 3 years ago…) I’d be regularly doing 100 mile rides, and every now and then 200 mile rides.
I would use very expensive shoes and I’d still get hot spots. Boa’s helped as it was nice and easy to relax the shoe once my feet would swell due to the heat.
But it didn’t matter if I wore my uber expensive shoes (Bontrager XXX, Sidi Wire, Rapha, SWorks) or my cheaper shoes (Giro Techlace, a cheaper Bontrager I can’t remember the name)
For me, they all caused hot spots and discomfort on long rides until I sorted out my cleat position.
I still wear silly expensive shoes, but purely for aesthetic reasons.
The boa really helps me with being able to loosen the shoe, my feet do swell after a while.
The SWorks were probably the best shoe, but only for the very reason that they are stupidly light. I didn’t find them any more comfortable or longer lasting than any of my other shoes. I also didn’t like how they looked. The Bontrager XXX in white probably my favourite aesthetically. Current pair are a set of Rapha knit shoes, probably cost me about £230, so not overly expensive, but they’re no more comfortable than my cheap Bontrager I use when it’s wet. (I think Rapha shoes are made by Giro by could be wrong, pretty sure the original Rapha shoe was)
I’ve tried everything with my cleats. Bike Richmond on YouTube recommend getting them as far back as possible. I’ve tried shimano ultegra pedals vs speedplay to see if more float helps. I have had too wide and just right shoes, and even shoes that were a little narrow in the past. Nothing really worked. I’ve always assumed it was swelling and hot spots after an hour of riding. But it doesn’t seem to be. Wondering if I need better metatarsal support. It’s way less of a problem in cheap 5tens on flats on my MTB.
I've got some Sidi Ergo 2 carbon that must be over 10 years old. They look tired now but still going strong.
IMO go and get fitted for shoes, it’s made the biggest difference for me in terms of comfort and performance - I’ve had all sorts of shoes -Sidi, NW, Specialized, Shimano, Lake and the best I’ve got are the Lake - bloody expensive (for me) but they fit much better than others I’ve had.
i originally had spesh comp road shoes, very old now and i still use them on my indoor bike, they were and are great. however in a winter sale a few years back i saw a very good deal on some sworks road shoes, first ride out i went minutes faster up a long local hill without trying, so yes i would say better is better.
I prefer high end XC shoes for road. Shimano XC7, carbon sole, twin BOAs, and I can still walk to the café
