Asking for a female friend - any recommendations for wide fitting mtb shoes please? For cleats not flats. She’s struggling to find any. TIA.
Shimano do wide fit in some models but they aren't that wide
Lake do a range of wider shoes but she'll need deep pockets
It’s pretty desolate. I squeeze my 4E (male) feet into a pair of Freeriders but I’d love something wider.
I struggle with this so can only comment on the "male" models/ sizing
Shimano XC9 is what I went for (not 902 as they are narrower)
Shimano wide are not for sale in the UK
Lake standard are not wide at all IMO. They are what I would call a "high volume" shoe. Massive at the heel and ankle area but not wide by the toes. Lake wide are similar just wider at the toes. I have smaller heels and mid foot so these really don't work for me.
Bont are a good one to try out but the ones I have have too much of a pronounced arch area for me to be comfortable. People with mid to high arches will be much happier
Some recent threads on similar, eg
https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/are-there-any-spd-shoes-as-wide-as-freeriders/
https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/clipless-and-wide-feet/
There might be other ideas in there?
For my wide feet, shimano AM9s have worked quite well, and shimano XC701 in the wide fitting also.
The Shimano MW7 winter boots are nice and wide at the forefoot. Not tried their non-winter kit though, I use an oversized pair of Specialized something-or-other in the summer with an insole to bulk out the volume but keep the width..
Depends on the shape of the foot. Shimano and Sidi do wide fit versions but they are only wide in the middle and still narrow at the end so only suitable for shoe shaped feet. Not foot shaped feet.
My feet are short and wide with a big toes that points straight forward and not inwards. 245mm x 105mm and foot shaped.
I found Specialized pretty good but had to get the width stretched to make them fit. Took 4 weeks but seemed to work and they have stayed stretched. They are still too long for me though but better than others I tried.
Good point on where the width is.
I had my feet measured by a fancy 3D laser scanner and have 258mm long feet by 110mm width (widest forefoot point). Coupled with narrow heels and ankles.
Lake (supposedly the go to for wide feet) can't provide XC race shoes even in extra wide which will fit me and the only ones that are on the limit for width if I size up are giant in the heel and slip off (competition last- wide)
Impressive that Lake provide so much information at least
LAKECYCLING.COM My wife (with wide natural hobbit feet since her pregnancy) has just about got away with sizing up some Shimano AM7, but it’s not perfect. Prior to that she was ok with AM9s and DX shoes in her usual size
They’re synthetic material so not sure if shoe stretchers will work but weMll give it a go.
Personally I think I’ll end up buying some better stapes shoes and having them resolved in Stealth Rubber (flat pedal rider here) which my Freeriders (half a size up) die.
Come on shoe manufacturers, there’s got to be a market for making foot shaped shoes.
SALTDOGCYCLING.COM specialise in fitting cycling shoes for those with awkward feet. It can be done remotely - no need to visit.
Like I said, Bont are the closest to foot shaped shoes if you can find some that work for you
They’re synthetic material so not sure if shoe stretchers will work but weMll give it a go.
They will stretch if you take your time. My Recon 3's are synthetic are show stretchers worked to stretch small areas at a time using attachments for bunions. left them out in the sun first then left the stretcher in for a few days. Repeated over a month and it did stretch.
I wonder if its possible to make a shoe stretcher the exact shape of ones foot. I'd happily pay someone to do it. It would have to be a strong and smooth material though.
Thanks for all the suggestions& advice - all really helpful!
Lake standard are not wide at all IMO. They are what I would call a “high volume” shoe. Massive at the heel and ankle area but not wide by the toes. Lake wide are similar just wider at the toes. I have smaller heels and mid foot so these really don’t work for me.
That's interesting - kept seeing Lake described as 'wide' but my experience was as above - baggy heel but narrow toes.
Shimano MW7's are really high volume and great boots. The ME7s are a completely different fit bizarely despite the shimano guide showing them as the same.
Any one got Northwave shoes?
I've got some old Shimano wide fit shoes but don't want to pay Lake prices to replace them.
I ordered a few Northwave XC shoes and found them quite similar to Lake Standard width- too narrow at the toes for me and huge heels
Northwave are a similar shape to Sidi. Very narrow at the toes. Definitely not for wide feet.
thanks
No one makes wide MTB shoes in flat or clipped.
I have very broad flat toes / forefoot and can just about get away with Lake's Competitive Wide last but its not 100% perfect. The issue is that the toe box of most SPD shoes is shaped for the classic sloping foot shape (I think its called an Egyptian foot?), whereas there's more choice for people with flatter toes in Five Ten style flats.
If you size up to get the toe room then the shoe won't fit in other areas and that can lead to injury. Keep the size the same and I get toe run on my smallest two toes, which is obviously annoying.
These guys do custom shoes but they ain't cheap.