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I'm finding it hard to admit to myself but my trusty disco slippers are probably not going to last much longer. They've done fairly well considering I bought them in April 2010 and have probably covered 40,000km in them
They're fairly basic shimano XC shoes with velcro closings
Mine don't look as good as that, funnily.
Problem is they''re REALLY comfortable. I did buy some other shimano shoes (2nd hand off here), but didn't find them quite as comfortable - they're ever so slightly too tight
They were Shimano SH-M225S (still are, to be fair, they're on a shelf in the garage)
It's got to the point now though where I have to admit to myself, I do need to get new shoes. As I have tiny feet, I've had no success when dropping into local bike shops - I take size 41, and the range in most shops starts at 42.
I use the same shoes for MTB and road, I don't want laces but am happy to look at BOA systems.
What should I look at and were should I look? Happy to spend up to about £100, maybe a bit more if it's worth it. There's a Decathlon down the road in Stockport, or - I've just had a brainwave and called Bke Factory in Whaley Bridge, they have the Funkier FLR-55 in stock in my size
https://www.bikeradar.com/reviews/shoes/mountain-bike-shoes/flr-f-55-ii-shoes-review/
Any other suggestions please? Got anything hanging around in your garage? Do you need a pair of tight-fitting size 41 shoes for the cost of some postage?
Specialized recon, start at size 36 and only £85 (or £75 if you like the other colours)
The trouble with a lot of companies that design shoes, is that they switch factory every so often which means that the shoes that was once a perfect fit, it now not. For consistency, you need a company that run their own factory.
Depending on just how well you want them to fit, it's worth a drive over the Huthwaite to see David at RXM Custom. All they do is cycling shoes so they do it well.
I've previously just ordered off chainreaction and used free returns to get the right size. Also worth noting that often the insole can make a huge difference to fit. I have DMT shoes that had a rubbish insole but feel perfect with a half decent aftermarket set
Also worth noting that often the insole can make a huge difference to fit
Ah yes I should mention, I have 3/4 length orthotic insoles that I use to stop my arch collapsing (I think the problem is a block in the ankle?), so the insole in the shoe itself is not massively important. I also have quite narrrow feet, when I had my ski boots fitted at Rivinington Alpine I was told that in essence, only Full Tilt boots would give me the fit I needed given the high arch and narrow width. I'll keep RXM custom in mind if I don't find anything else
There is so much variation that you can only really try them on. Not many shops carry a lot of shoes in store so I went for the "buy a ton of shoes online and return them until finding one that seems perfect" approach (Shimano S-Phyre in the end which was way more than I wanted to spend but comfort is everything).
Generally speaking I found across a variety of models:
Shimano had wider forefoot, tighter rear foot (perfect for me as I want toe wiggle room but want them held nicely around the heel)
Bontrager had medium forefoot, wider heel/ rearfoot (toes a bit too snug and wide heel felt awful with tons of space)
Specialized had medium forefoot, tighter rear foot (nearly perfect but not enough toe space)
Giro had medium to tighter forefoot, medium rear foot (tight in the toes and a bit sloppy heels)
Bont had wide toe space, nice snug heels but mega high arch
Similar situation here, my Shimano MTB shoes are about 15 years old and approaching end of life. I have a pair of Specialized Defrosters with a few years left in them. Last year I retired my 15 year old Specialized road shoes and got some Spesh Torch which fit really nicely.
Summary - Spesh shoes seem to work well for me, as a result I'm considering a new pair of the Recons that trailwagger suggested above.
StartFitness often have a lot of Scott shoes heavily discounted so you might be able to pick up a pair at a very good discount and get much better shoes at a good price. I believe they are a very popular brand on the continent, less so here.