# How tight should bike shoes fit?



## bad mechanic (Jun 21, 2006)

I've started shopping for new clipless shoes, and I'm having problems figuring out just how tight of a fit I should have. My original shoes are as snug as pair of comfortable climbing shoes. If they were any tighter, they would start being painful.

With my old shoes I can pull straight down on the heel and it doesn't move. At all.

So I bought a pair of nice Shimano M086L shoes on sale, and am pondering if I should take them back. Out of the box they fit my feet comfortably. If I pull hard straight down on the of the shoe, my heel will move slightly. If I knew the shoes would never stretch or loosen up, I probably wouldn't even think about it. 

Can I really expect anything better, considering how perfect my original shoes were? Is it even an issue?


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## shiggy (Dec 19, 1998)

bad mechanic said:


> I've started shopping for new clipless shoes, and I'm having problems figuring out just how tight of a fit I should have. My original shoes are as snug as pair of comfortable climbing shoes. If they were any tighter, they would start being painful.
> 
> With my old shoes I can pull straight down on the heel and it doesn't move. At all.
> 
> ...


It is personal (is there such a thing as a comfortable climbing shoe?). I use to have my shoes fit very snug. Now I like them "roomy." I move a bit, but not to the point of getting blisters or lacking control. THe comfort is better, especially late in a long day on the bike.


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## LyNx (Oct 26, 2004)

If you have to pull very hard I would say maybe try sme slightly thicker socks, if that doesn't solve it then it sounds like the heel cup is different than what you had before. AFAIK there are some pieces made that you can add into the heel area to help it fit snugger if you have narrow heels, but have never actually tried them, but should since I have very narrow heels. 

As to how snug, I think they should be tighter than normal shoes and as you say about as tight as a good hiking boot/shoe should be to give support and stop unwanted foot movement.


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## bad mechanic (Jun 21, 2006)

Normal climbing shoes are never comfortable, but I have a pair of old leather ones which are completely broken in to my foot and are like a second skin. I can wear those for a long time without pain.

Yeah, I wasn't really sure, since my only clipless shoes were super snug, but the shoes I wear when riding platforms are quite loose.


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## CougarTrek (Jan 27, 2007)

Funny.

Before I read your post my answer was going to be "tighter than your beat up sneakers and looser than climbing shoes".

Course my climbing shoes are the equivalent of oriental foot binding I'm convinced. Great to climb in but please lord don't make me wear them while I belay you!


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## Ride-beer-rinse-repeat (Mar 26, 2009)

Hey LyNx - what are you doing with my dog? :thumbsup:


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## LyNx (Oct 26, 2004)

LMAO  Very cool, now maybe you can shed some light on what breed(S) he has in him :???: I think he's got some Korgie and even one vet said but for his size Golden Retreiver (same long hair around the rump and neck), but really I have no clue, all I know is he's a good companion at home and on the trails and is pretty obidient for a "non trained" dog 



Ride-beer-rinse-repeat said:


> Hey LyNx - what are you doing with my dog? :thumbsup:


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## Ride-beer-rinse-repeat (Mar 26, 2009)

Not 100% sure, but we think he has a lot of Corgi with some Aus. Shepherd (def has the herding instinct, as he tends to nip your rump if your not moving fast enough for him). He's very smart (he turned 1 in March) and walks on leash well, fetches, and gets some decent air catching a frisbee. Only had one accident in the house the first week - been housebroken since. Sometimes chews the wrong thing, but otherwise a great, if energetic, dog. Now if I could get him to ignore squirrels, he could run along while I ride - I'm working on that.


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## LyNx (Oct 26, 2004)

*Thread jack :-D*

Haha  yup Corgi - my speeling suxz  Just took him out for his 2nd trail ride in 3 days and he's totally enjoying getting back out there. Seems to that he's figured out that if he listens I will take him out more, so he's really been listening and obeying really good of late. yeah, energy, if I could bottle what he has I wouldn't need to pay for electricty. Glad to hear I'm not the only one who has the ocassional "chew problem"  most recent thing is if I leave a cap out he chews off the damn button on top :madman: Not exactly sure how old my guy is, but guessing he'll turn 1 sometime in July/August - _found him on the side of the raod last October._ here he is enjoying our tunr around break.












Ride-beer-rinse-repeat said:


> Not 100% sure, but we think he has a lot of Corgi with some Aus. Shepherd (def has the herding instinct, as he tends to nip your rump if your not moving fast enough for him). He's very smart (he turned 1 in March) and walks on leash well, fetches, and gets some decent air catching a frisbee. Only had one accident in the house the first week - been housebroken since. Sometimes chews the wrong thing, but otherwise a great, if energetic, dog. Now if I could get him to ignore squirrels, he could run along while I ride - I'm working on that.


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## bad mechanic (Jun 21, 2006)

LyNx said:


> Haha  yup Corgi - my speeling suxz  Just took him out for his 2nd trail ride in 3 days and he's totally enjoying getting back out there. Seems to that he's figured out that if he listens I will take him out more, so he's really been listening and obeying really good of late. yeah, energy, if I could bottle what he has I wouldn't need to pay for electricty. Glad to hear I'm not the only one who has the ocassional "chew problem"  most recent thing is if I leave a cap out he chews off the damn button on top :madman: Not exactly sure how old my guy is, but guessing he'll turn 1 sometime in July/August - _found him on the side of the raod last October._ here he is enjoying our tunr around break


What the heck just happened?


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## sopwithcamel (Oct 2, 2007)

Make sure your shoes are comfortable. Your body won't proudce optimum power if your feet hurt. As a general room of thumb Shimano shoes have a narrower fit. Check out the Specilized shoes before you get your Shimano's dirty. Specilized has done a good job on their soft goods with their Body Geometry Technolgy.

http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/SBCEquipExperience.jsp?eid=342

Cheers,

Sopwithcamel


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## LyNx (Oct 26, 2004)

It's called a thread-jack  LMAO  sorry bout that 


bad mechanic said:


> What the heck just happened?


And yet I ABSOLUTELY HATE the SpecialED shoes, make my feet feel as if they're being made to roll outwards :madman: Got them when my Sidis sole had come off for the 2nd time and wanted a backup and they were cheap _(an appropriate description of them)_.

Bad mech, try on as many different brands of shoes as you can and then decide, but I will say that the Shimano were my first shoes, bought blind when I hadn't F'ing clue in hell about anything MTB and they have served me well for almost 5 years. Heck I've even now reverted to using them as my main shoes since the cleats on my Sidis are worn really bad _(unclip whenever they feel) _and stuck on to boot, so can't change them - _it's been nice to ride again without fear of becoming unclipped at the wrong moment_ 



sopwithcamel said:


> Make sure your shoes are comfortable. Your body won't proudce optimum power if your feet hurt. As a general room of thumb Shimano shoes have a narrower fit. Check out the Specilized shoes before you get your Shimano's dirty. Specilized has done a good job on their soft goods with their Body Geometry Technolgy.


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## Ride-beer-rinse-repeat (Mar 26, 2009)

OK - threadjack over. But admit it - you enjoyed the dog photos.  

As for my shoes - they actually fit a bit tight for standing and walking, almost ot the point of being uncomfortable (since feet grow about a size or so when you stand on them fully). Then I ususally strap them down pretty tight, too. That way when I'm pedaling, they feel nice and snug without rubbing and don't move around on my feet and cause me to waste energy. Plus a snug fit helps me feel more connected to the pedals and bike - good for technical stuff. I wear them with a light pair of wicking socks to prevent sweaty rubbing.

I have been using the Answer Speeders. I have a narrow foot and they fit well. I had a pair of Settes before that moved around on my foot and I never felt good in them - too sloppy.


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## bad mechanic (Jun 21, 2006)

mountain018 said:


> B4 tat u must be very comfortable with those shoes ............ comfortness of the shoes with automatically brings u the perfect shoes which can fit tightly ..............


I have no idea what you just said.


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## RaveOn (Dec 21, 2003)

bad mechanic said:


> If I knew the shoes would never stretch or loosen up, I probably wouldn't even think about it.


I too just bought a pair of M086L...to replace my (old) similar Shimano shoe. They are the only brand I buy because they fit me best. Shimano shoes don't really "stretch" but will conform or contour a little more over time (because they are generally stiffer than SIDI), just like a good pair of leather (street) shoes.

I push the plastic strap in to where they contour over my foot then ratchet 2 or 3 clicks. My heel doesn't move on me. I wear thin socks.

BTW: What size did you buy and what size street shoe do you wear?


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## bad mechanic (Jun 21, 2006)

RaveOn said:


> BTW: What size did you buy and what size street shoe do you wear?


I wear a 45 (10.5 US) and bought a 45. I tried on the 44, but my toes were touching the end of the shoe.

So far I've put about 20 miles on the shoes. I when with a thicker insole to take up a little extra volume and put more padding between the sole and my foot. Even so, on the upstroke the ball of my foot is lifting ever so slightly. My heel isn't moving at all. However, I suspect that without a crushingly tight shoe, this would happen with anything.


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## shiggy (Dec 19, 1998)

bad mechanic said:


> I have no idea what you just said.


That was a SPAMmer. All better now


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## Mighty Matt (Apr 22, 2009)

have you ever had a propper fitting ski boot? thats how my bike shoes fit. nice and snug.


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## bad mechanic (Jun 21, 2006)

Mighty Matt said:


> have you ever had a propper fitting ski boot? thats how my bike shoes fit. nice and snug.


Yes, but I don't think it really applies in my particular case. I'm a hardboot snowboarder, and my boots are two sizes smaller than my shoe size, and have had extensive work done to them to make them fit.


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