I asked this a while ago on a gravel FB group and got a dozen people saying 'Shimano' but unfortunately Shimano just don't fit me.
I definitely like a broader toe-box but not sure I can stretch to a pair of Lakes unfortunately.
I have the Specialized S-Works Recon Lace which is almost perfect (and crazy light!) but I'm beginning to fear the heel cup is just too narrow for me.
Soo... what's left? I see loads of adverts for Quoc but I don't love the Gravel chic pastel styling very much. Udog look interesting, the Distanza in particular, but they look heavy and over-padded, I like a shoe that can splash through rivers without soaking up half a kilo in water!
I noticed some nice looking Trek shoes which I think are just differently branded Bontrager, or maybe Northwave?
What are people using for long and/or mixed terrain rides in the hills?
Ta
I don't know if you'd consider them to be mid priced but how about Giro Privateer Laces?
I reckon this is proper STW 'recommend what you have' territory
Mrs FD is looking for some shoes in similar vain to op and there appears to be very limited supply of most stuff at the min
Five Ten Kestrel Boa have a roomy toe box, too roomy for me actually
I have Fizik X1 Infinito. Light, comfortable, stiff enough but still walkable, plenty of toe room. Big discount when I bought them. Discontinued now but I expect newer Fiziks are good too.
have the S-works recon with Boa and velcro. Comfy toebox and heel cup works for me (shimano were all too narrow round the toe and instep). They are great for long days, less good for off the bike steep tracks, and would let in a pint each if i did a stream crossing in them
How much is "mid price" these days...? Asking as genuinely lost track of the expense of some stuff, as well as not knowing the OP"s expectations... Anyway...
Northwave are SUPER tight in the toe box in general... I say this as someone for whom Shimano shoes are usually a little baggy, as for someone with a size 10 foot, mine are remarkably slim and dainty compared to most! 😂
I've got some Fizik Vento Overcurve X3's that I really like. They're quite a generous fit without being baggy on me. They're not as racy as my previous favourite Lake MX331's, but they're stiff enough and also really comfortable for longer rides too. Decent sized toe box too...
I’ve got shimano xc7 in a wide fit which I find perfect for my wide feet. I find that so many wide fit shoes also have a wide heel which makes the fit sloppy. I did have to buy my shoes from Germany though
I recently bought some Fizik Terra Atlas shoes (£120), I have pretty wide feet but they're nice and roomy - I've only ridden in them a few times so far but they seem comfy.
Haven't tried them myself yet but the few reviews I could find for the Rivelo SPD shoes on Sport Pursuit said they have a wide toe box. Will likely get myself some soon to try out!
I agree that Northwave are too narrow. I know that Lake are expensive but they do come up on sale. I've been very happy with mine.
I was considering 'up to' £150 as mid-price.
I re-read some of the reviews for the UDog Distanza and actually they sound pretty good, my local shop carries them (along with Lake) so I'll pop in this afternoon.
The Trek Foray looks good (as in, the shape looks relatively broad at the toe box) and I like the styling. As noted above though there seems to be quite limited stock of everything at the moment!
My old shoes were Giro (not the Privateer though) and I never loved them to be honest, something weird about the shape meant they never felt very stable on the pedal. Might just have been my weird setup though (I run cleats as far back as possible).
The alternative is to persist with the Recons, I read a few comments suggesting they take a while to break in around the heel cup which might explain why I thought they were too narrow around the heel...
The Sworks recon lace is built upon the last for the torch which is their road shoe.
I found the recon line below that a very different fit, much better for me. Although as I look now I am referring to the 2020 model with the toe flex plate that made it better for any hike a bike you may have to do.
I have the Recon lace too amd found them tough around the heel. I spent half an hour with a hair dryer warming up the heel and rolling it around with my fingers to try loosen it up, and it worked for me. Maybe worth a go.
I have the Recon lace too amd found them tough around the heel. I spent half an hour with a hair dryer warming up the heel and rolling it around with my fingers to try loosen it up, and it worked for me. Maybe worth a go.
I had seen this advice elsewhere! I gave it a shot but perhaps didn't persist long enough. Were you attempting to 'shape' the heel cup or just flexing the material to loosen it off?
my goto for the past decade here has been the Spesh Recon as I have a wide forefoot on the right due past surgeries and it is nice and roomy yet good on my slim heel.
However I bought a new pair of Recon 2's last month, happily popped cleats on and went for a ride, only to find my right forefoot getting numb and a bit constricted. It turns out they have changed the last for the new (2024 I think and on, models).
Couldn't return as used, so sold to someone for a bargain..
I tried the Recon 3, same issue, returned. I bought the Recon 1, it seems decent in the house, but jury still out on Boa setup which doesn't balance well, so may return. The Spesh road ones remain a great fit for me.
I took advantage of a free Lake fitting offer at my LBS on Sunday as the guys were in Glasgow for the GB Tour and got sized for Lake MX239 gravel, which feel great so far in the house test, so will almost definitely get cleats fitted shortly (once I get the shields for the carbon soles, as using Time ATC pedals). I am holding off as I have also ordered a pair of Rapha Pro Powerweave to see how they compare.
I would say however that the Lake and Rapha ones, at £300 plus are not at a price level I feel comfortable with, hence hanging onto the Recon 1's for now (they were £100). Unfortunately I am a bit of an oddity with one normal foot and one that is a bit misshapen due past injuries.
I found the S-Works Recon and Recon 3.0's (earlier version) to be a bit different in fit - not drastically so, but the S-Works definitely felt a better fit for me.
I also found the boa laces on the 3.0s to dig into the top of my feet - but I seem to be the only person who's had that problem.
I definitely like a broader toe-box but not sure I can stretch to a pair of Lakes unfortunately.
I got a pair of Crank Brothers shoes recently (can't remember which model, but lace-up and SPD compatible). I don't consider myself wide footed but these are narrow so I'd suggest avoid mail order CB unless they could be returned if they don't work for you...
I bought them at least two years ago, but I started wearing a camo coloured pair of DHB Dorica MTBs earlier this spring, cost me ~£35 iirc and great so far.
I also found the boa laces on the 3.0s to dig into the top of my feet - but I seem to be the only person who's had that problem
I've had this, but a different Specialized shoe. I got halfway through the ride and it was so bad I had to completely loosen off the Boa. Returned them.
All the Spesh shoes I've had or tried for a long time have had small issues like this and been made of hard materials needing a lot of breaking in. Most other brands are comfortable straight out of the box for me.
Got a pair of Pearl Izumis last year that I still haven't ridden. Can confirm fit is on the narrower side.
Bont are great for wide feet and their riot mtb or riot G can often be found in the £100-175 range.
(Stealth ad) I have some Bont Riot G, size 45 wide (Asian fit) to sell. Bought earlier this year, used on the turbo a couple of times, then outdoors once or twice before deciding that Lake fit me better. Shout if interested!
I received today a pair of Shimano XC7 MTB shoes and unfortunately they are going straight back. I don't think I have wide feet as the tops of shoes are often heavily pinched to get them to fit, but these were tight in the whole toe box area. Also under foot they felt really weird like my toes were being forced down on a slope, but the slope started in an uncomfortable place!?
The hunt continues for racey MTB / gravel shoes after my current pair of Northwave which I got from Wiggle pulled apart on a seam. They were also slightly tight in the width department, but not uncomfortably so. However, I think that contributed to them pulling apart at the seem. Expensive pair given how long I have had them as the Northwave warranty appears pretty woeful especially as I bought them from the old Wiggle. This is also in addition to the Northwave road shoes I recently wrote off too 😭
Fizik terra atlas are super comfy, still wearing these 2 years on
I tried Shimano but found they were too narrow/small. Picked up a never worn pair of Fizik Terra Atlas on eBay and they have been brilliant, most recently for three back to back days doing the wolf way, total of 430km and didn't give me any bother
got sized for Lake MX239 gravel,
I have the gx238, and have covered thousands of miles on and off road in them. I've been very pleased with them and there's very little sign of wear.
I am using first gen Recons too, thanks for the heads up about changes.
Prior to Recons one of my favourite shoes were Bontrager MTB shoes, can’t remember the model name but current line of Trek Foray and Bontrager Evoke shoes look similar but with added Boa closure. Soles fell apart quite fast but other than that they were quite good.
Yeah, I think my shortlist is UDog Distanza, Fizik Terra and Trek Foray.
The Fizik Terra had a not very complimentary review somewhere, I think due to the sole being 'a bit' flexible, but I'm not sure how sensitive I am to flexibility of sole, so long as the pedal isn't noticeably digging in I think I can live with a bit of flex, I'm not a sprinter...
Also I had some feedback from the Specialized Concept Store who I treated as a sort of Specialized UK surrogate since I couldn't find contact details for Specialized UK. Anyway, they re-iterated that the S-Works Recon Lace was very stiff and took time to break in. Unfortunately not much use considering my 'A' event (as in, the only event I've trained for this year) is at the weekend and after easily 10-15 hours in the Recons they're still uncomfortable. Time to dig out the ancient BG Comps then...
got sized for Lake MX239 gravel,
I have the gx238, and have covered thousands of miles on and off road in them. I've been very pleased with them and there's very little sign of wear.
Just to second this, I have mx238 (ostensibly the same as gx238 I think) and wear them year round* and they look pretty much brand new after 3.5 years. So whilst they are expensive, and they seem to have gone up by about a hundred quid since I got them, I'm anticipating about 10 years use out of them.
*with toe covers on for winter and most of spring/autumn.
The Fizik Terra had a not very complimentary review somewhere, I think due to the sole being 'a bit' flexible, but I'm not sure how sensitive I am to flexibility of sole,
They are not a stiff sole like a carbon one, so if all you want is ultimate power transfer over comfort they probably aren't what you need.
If you want just enough flex to be able to hike a bike and to walk into cafes without looking like you're doing a penguin impression they are spot on. I've never had hot spots or foot ache in them like I do in stiffer soled shoes
Not tried them but how about something like the DMT TK10 which looks like the right sort of thing, and in the right budget range?
I got a pair of Crank Brothers shoes recently (can't remember which model, but lace-up and SPD compatible). I don't consider myself wide footed but these are narrow so I'd suggest avoid mail order CB unless they could be returned if they don't work for you...
@vlad_the_invader that's odd. I've got some skate style (mallet and stamp) in both cleat and flat versions and they're high volume/wide toe. Best fitting shoes I've had in ages. but a bit bulky for the road bike. The review I've found of the candy says they're also wide in the toe. https://off.road.cc/content/review/shoes/crankbrothers-candy-lace-clip-in-shoes-review-15833
I'm sort of on the same quest here
The Fizik Terra had a not very complimentary review somewhere, I think due to the sole being 'a bit' flexible, but I'm not sure how sensitive I am to flexibility of sole, so long as the pedal isn't noticeably digging in I think I can live with a bit of flex, I'm not a sprinter...
Think they're the same outsole as the Terra Artica winter boots. If so I wouldn't say they're bad for stiffness. Seated pedalling they're stiff enough. Actually a good bit stiffer than the previous generation. They're stiffer than what Shimano consider to be a 5 on the stiffness index, but flexier than Specialized. Standing up there's a noticeable point of flex behind the cleat area that does create a slight hotspot for me. Not enough to be uncomfortable though.
The carbon Fiziks I mentioned originally have a really nice balance of stiffness and walkability
The Sworks recon lace is built upon the last for the torch which is their road shoe.
I found the recon line below that a very different fit, much better for me. Although as I look now I am referring to the 2020 model with the toe flex plate that made it better for any hike a bike you may have to do.
I was about to question whether the lower tier Recon uses the same lasting as the S-Works one. I have the cheapo, entry level 1.0 with Boa closure. I wouldn't buy that as there's limited scope to cinch it down in the toe area, but the 2.0 could be worth a look / try on.
Re the Fizik, I've not had any issues with them being too flexy but maybe it's not something I'm particularly sensitive to. I wear Terra Artica in the winter on both the gravel and road bikes and as such often get to spring with deore spd pedals on the road bike. Have happily done club rides in the regular terra shoes when I've not been bothered to swap back to the road pedals or not realised I had the "wrong pedals" on until heading out the door. Quick to change shoes than pedals! Again, not a sprinter but very comfy in my book
I was considering 'up to' £150 as mid-price.
😂🤣I'm well out of the loop, mid price for me would be about £70!!
I'm still using a pair of these from 2015 (!) and I've got pretty wide feet.
