# Shoes with a WIDE toe box?



## FishMan473 (Jan 2, 2003)

I have duck feet and I'm looking for some new shoes with a really wide toe box. They will be used for on and off-road touring, day trips that involve a long ride and some hiking and longer around-town that might be 20-30 miles of pedaling and a bunch of walking around running errands, meeting people etc. 

The fact is they will probably get the most miles in the latter use, so I would like them to look fairly 'normal' with laces and/or velcro rather than a ratchet system (which I always break anyway), though a stiff sole and pedaling efficiency are more important to me then walk-ability (though it needs to be more walkable than my XC race shoes).

In a perfect world someone makes a wide-toed shoe with a carbon sole, laces and one velco strap, but, I'm sure this is a case where beggars can't be choosers, so I'd like to hear about any shoe suitable for bikepacking that has an extremely wide toe box.

Thanks,


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## bsieb (Aug 23, 2003)

I have found Pearl Izumi shoes fit my wide peasant farmer feet well. Zappos usually has the bigger sizes in stock.


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## FishMan473 (Jan 2, 2003)

I dunno, I tried on a X-Alp Seek V at a local shop and even a shoe that was 1 size too long was not wide enough for my toes. The shimano casual shoe (CT-40?) was wider in the toe, but not quite what I was hoping for either. 

I used to wear Specialized shoes but they seem to have gotten narrow in the past couple of years.


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## ridemtn (Aug 25, 2009)

I've tried several brands, and my Sidi shoes definitely have the largest toe box, actually huge imo, too big for me personally, otherwise I like their shoes a lot.


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## rifraf (Dec 22, 2012)

I have oddball feet with high arch and wide at the front and narrow at the rear so find shoe shopping a nightmare even for every day shoes, let alone cycling specific shoes.
I've been told Carnac MTB shoes are wide at the front but havnt tried any.
What I did find was that although not particularly high arched, the Northwave Drifter (gortex) was definitely a wide fitting shoe which covered enough of my bases to buy.
I'm on my second pair and love them.
wiggle.com.au | Northwave Drifter GTX (Gore-Tex) MTB Shoes | Offroad Shoes
Hope this helps


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## FishMan473 (Jan 2, 2003)

I've been to 4 bike shops now, sadly not much shoe selection even in our biggest shops... here is what I have found:

Shimano: too narrow

Bontrager: Shape might be good for my big toe box, but out of two shops carrying them, neither had any MTB or casual shoes, just road shoes

Sidi: I can say from past experience that the "Mega" wide shoes still pinch to a sharp point at the front... my toes don't do that.

Specialized: These used to be pretty wide, then 2-3 years ago they changed their construction. They now offer wide models, unfortunately the current wide models are narrower than their old standard models! They are also _at least_ 1/2 size smaller then they used to be, which may be my real problem. The Rime, is not available in wide sizes. The Tahoe is pretty wide just the way it is. Unfortunately I have a pair of these, they are cheap construction and have a very flexy sole which leaves me with foot pain when I ride more than 15 miles.

Lake: The MX100 looks like exactly what I'm looking for... but it appears its one of the few shoes they make that is NOT available in wide sizes :-/ The MX167 might suit my needs for off-road touring (bikepacking), but will look odd for around-town riding and road touring. Looks less hikeable than the MX100 too.

I'll look into the Northwaves and I'm also trying to find useful information on Pearl Izumi's website.... why is this so hard?


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## AZ (Apr 14, 2009)

Bont: These are available in wide and custom widths.
BONT | Cycling shoes, Custom made, Aerodynamic light weight bike shoes

Garneau: Wider than most.
http://search.yahoo.com/r/_ylt=A0oG...EXP=1373058616/**http://www.louisgarneau.com/

Specialized: Mine are wide and come in wider widths.
Specialized Bicycle Components


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## LBIkid (Mar 16, 2007)

I have pretty wide feet myself and can squeeze into a pair of shimanos for bike duty, but no way can I wear them when off the bike. I feel your pain, literally, but maybe the best solution is to pack a pair of lightweight trail runners or the like and switch shoes when off the bike.

Regardless of width, it's tough to find a rigid sole bike shoe that can double as a townie/hiker.


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## StJoeRider (May 30, 2013)

I too would love to try a clip in system but I yet to find a shoe that matches 
the Ultra's I wear 365. They are a thin barefoot shoe with zero drop and a 
wide toe box designed to let your feet naturally splay. To often I see, 
especially women, that have nasty hammer toe from wearing damage 
causing restrictive shoes. 

So for now I'll wear my Ultra's everywhere and use Crampon pedals until 
some one makes a thin zero drop wide toe box shoe for biking. And please 
don't tell me your feet need support. Hog wash! it's a muscle. 
Use it or loose it.


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## FishMan473 (Jan 2, 2003)

StJoe, I think we're thinking along the same lines. As a long time cyclist, though, I can really appreciate the increased power and control out of stiff soles. I just wish they made a stiff sole that was plenty wide so my toes could spread out. I had foot pain while cycling for years, now I've figured out why: my toes don't like to be pinched together. Now that my toes have gotten used to my minimalist shoes and new wide hiking boots, its getting to the point that I'm having a hard time wearing any of my cycling shoes. Yet I can't find MTB shoes anywhere with wide toe boxes to replace them. The only options so far have been special order/ order online... not sure I can return (certainly not without paying return shipping).

I'm going to take a road trip to try on some Lake shoes in the wide sizes in a couple weeks, I may try my luck ordering the PI X-Roads online. A local shop sells Bont, I'll probably get a pair of those over the winter to replace my road and performance MTB shoes.


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## viewsion (May 29, 2006)

I wore wide lakes for years, but got a pair of bont commuters about a year ago and the difference is night and day. The lakes look like pointy dress shoes next to the bonts. I can now ride all day with no numbness or pain.

They are very stiff though, any significant hike-a-bike would not be very comfortable.


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## FishMan473 (Jan 2, 2003)

The thing about those Bont commuter shoes is that they look like they belong commuting in the Tron universe. No way am I going to wear those around town running errands or meeting clients for site visits. And I could only imagine a Deliverance-like situation on my next bike tour: "you gotz purdy shoes". Bont looks like a good option for performance shoes, but they need to come up with something that looks a little mor normal for casual use.


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## Jack Burns (Nov 18, 2005)

Nashbar Ragster sandals are my favorite for my wide feet. I have to cut into the sole and trim the outside edge a bit for the footbed to accomodate my bones behind the little toes. Love these. Certain Carnacs have worked for me as well.


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## kingsqueak (Jul 21, 2013)

My Garneau Montana have a pretty roomy toe box. Look at Keen too


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## Stockli Boy (Feb 3, 2012)

My EEEs with narrow heels have been happy in Mavic, and I think they now have a high-volume version too. My riding buddy has A-width feet and we wear the same model of Mavic MTB shoe, his with about 1" of strap hanging off the side and mine with 1" of exposed velcro on top, but we have both found the shoes to be pretty good for $120. Sidi Dominator Megas actually were not as comfortable for me since the ratchet buckle was on hard plastic and located lower on the show, where it bit into my foot. The Mavics use a rubbery mount that is closer to the cuff.


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## BradHarper (Oct 29, 2013)

check out Riivo. we build custom cycling shoes. wide or narrow, low or high volume it does not matter they are 100% custom to your feet.

www.riivo.com

Brad


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## FishMan473 (Jan 2, 2003)

In the end I ordered 2 pairs of Mavic Alpine and 1 pair of Keen Springwater. All my other shoes are a size 9, the Mavics in size 10 are the best fit. They are still not wide enough, and clearly a size too long, but I think maybe I can get a local cobbler to stretch them wider and I'll just deal with the fact that they're too long.

Keen at size 10 was actually a little small, in that they were about the right length but not wide enough. Also, the armored tip was not very roomy, a very low height too it, which made it feel confining to my toes. Maybe a 10.5 would have worked, but because it was very heavy, and I wasn't sure a larger one would be better than the Mavic's, I sent them back.


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## rifraf (Dec 22, 2012)

FishMan473 said:


> In the end I ordered 2 pairs of Mavic Alpine and 1 pair of Keen Springwater. All my other shoes are a size 9, the Mavics in size 10 are the best fit. They are still not wide enough, and clearly a size too long, but I think maybe I can get a local cobbler to stretch them wider and I'll just deal with the fact that they're too long.
> 
> Keen at size 10 was actually a little small, in that they were about the right length but not wide enough. Also, the armored tip was not very roomy, a very low height too it, which made it feel confining to my toes. Maybe a 10.5 would have worked, but because it was very heavy, and I wasn't sure a larger one would be better than the Mavic's, I sent them back.


What was your impressions of the Northwave Drifter?
Did you find any to try?


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## FishMan473 (Jan 2, 2003)

You know, I think I dismissed them out-of-hand because they had gore-tex... not that that made any sense. Looks like a good option, but hard to find in the US... I need to be able to easily return them if they don't fit.


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## Hurkinite (Jul 20, 2012)

5 10 Impacts are nice and wide and not bad to walk in. I actually wear mine to work because it is easier than taking an extra pair of shoes for my after work ride.


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## Blingerific (Oct 28, 2013)

After Axo stopped making MTB shoes I went to 661. When they stopped making MTB shoes I found 5.10 to be the best fit. Like the 661 shoes I now use 5.10 shoes for both riding and street shoes, they fit my 'club' feet fairly well and are a decent price from the likes of Wiggle/CRC.


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