Good Fitting Cycling Shoes

Robert has not had cycling shoes with clips/cleats before; he wants to know the proper fitting, tight or loose? Your feet are very important to your cycling and we help Robert choose his new shoes

Question: What can you tell me about the proper fit for a cycle shoe? I have never had a cleat system, should it be snug like soccer shoes or have “toe nail” space like a running or tennis shoe? Etc.
Thanks. Robert Hale.

Hi Robert,
If you have not worn cycling shoes before then you will notice a big difference from whatever shoes your are wearing now, mostly the solid sole and the cleats holding you to the pedals are the biggest change. Look for a shoe with three straps over the top of the foot; this holds your foot in the right position in the shoe with the heel held back into the heel cup of the shoe.

Your toes should have enough room to “breath” so you can wiggle your toes in at the front of the shoe, you don’t want them pushing against the toe of the shoe, the secret is that the foot is held comfortably tight, so it doesn’t move around, it’s the straps that do the work in holding you in the correct place, they are adjustable, you see Pro cyclists tightening or loosening the straps as they race to get there feet comfortable.

Check the width of the shoes for your feet as you don’t want then crushed across the way, different manufacturers have different widths, this is very important as any discomfort will ruin your ride. Many shoes now are made with carbon soles, these are very hard, you need to have an insole to take some of the harshness of the sole away, so you have to allow for this with the size, unless you know your exact size for the shoe manufacturer your interested in buying, then it is not a god idea to buy mail order or on the internet. If you are going to buy this way try the shoes on at a local shop first and if you can make a saving, including the postage then order them.

When you fit the shoe plate it is very important to get it in the correct position, the knuckle of your foot has to be over the axle of the pedal, feel for the bone on the inside of your foot, just back from the big toe, that should be over the spindle.

Remember your points of contact with the bike are the most important, hands, bottom and feet, look after them and you should have a comfortable, pleasurable bike ride.

And here it comes a video contribution from one of our readers; Victor who runs bicyclelab.com, thanks Victor for this very nice video!