In the category of Best Cycling Shoes

YouTube- Jesse James - Shoes

go dhb!

You cannot even imagine how happy you have made me by posting up some Jesse James. I saved my pocket money for ages to go and buy one of their singles when I was younger. Ahhhh those were the days.

quoc pham are hot. i can't believe i missed the nominations :(

Ooooho Damn they are nice!

SIDI Genius

I voted Sidi Dominator but the other half of my riding is in Vans. They are clearly the thinking man's plimsoll.

Sorry to dig up an old thread instead of starting a new "Wide shoes" one, but if anyone has wide feet and is having trouble finding shoes that fit: Lake.

I got some second hand, but effectively unused so they haven't stretched or anything, Lake CX237 Wide, and they are the widest cycling shoes I have ever tried. I imagine any of the Lake "wide" shoes will be very similar. Apparently they also do some "extra wide".

https://lakecycling.com/products/cx-237-wide?variant=29781253641

I have them, they are great

I had some lake 332 wide. Didn’t like the shape. They put pressure on the outside of my foot. First became apparent in a turbo session and in the end it was every time I ride.

I can't seem to find my ideal cycling shoe to replace my battered Giro Empires.

I have narrow feet (so Sidi or Empires are good), want a fairly mid sole cleat position (so Sidi's aren't great) and want something I can adjust on the fly/would be quick for multi-sport transitions (so not Empires again).

I think the best option might be some Factor Techlace, but it looks like Giro have already abandoned the tech and not sure i like the looks/shininess.

Is there something I'm not considering?

Is this the best thread for shoe discussion? I've decided it's finally time to replace my knackered Giro Privateers. Is there a go to brand or model for MTB shoes for commuting/ general riding? Doesn't need to be good at actual MTBing because I do very little of it and am shit at it anyway.
I guess I could spend about £120 for something that's going to last. Needs to be vegan friendly so no leather etc. Ideally black and fairly discreet.

Sidi Dragons are vegan friendly and last donkeys years.
Replaceable soles too for even more longevity.

Whether you can find any for within your budget...

Oooft, they look good but I definitely can't stretch to £260! Would rather not go second hand for shoes.

Now that Giro aren’t making guns anymore...the giro republic might be a good shout

Shimano XC-5 are comfy for my pasty shaped feet. I got them in grey because cheaper, but black is probably preferable, plain and discreet. Non-leather. Around £100 in the usual places

To put this into perspective; a normal pair of mtb shoes last me at best 2 years, they’re used for mtb’ing, bike packing, gravel riding and knocking around in.

I’ve had my current Dragons for 6+ years, they’ve need a new ratchet and new pair of soles in that time (although I should probably replace the soles again).
The spares are readily available so they really do last donkeys.
If you were to be convinced, make sure you get the matt lorica style as the finish doesn’t scratch/scuff up.

They're discontinued now, & the new version looks horrible IMO. Liked my first pair so much I grabbed another pair when they started to die! They size as pretty wide for Shimano shoes too.

After the six-year riding hiatus, my feet had grown/spread due to running, and getting into my old Sidi Dragon 2s is do-able, but not ideal. Plus the material/foam inside the heel cup is torn to shreds – possibly because they were always a half size too small.

Anyway, as you mentioned, they last for thousands and thousands of miles/kms, and are otherwise as good as new. I'd bought a spare set of replaceable sole bits, but hadn't got around to needing them…

…so they're yours for free if you want them (the sole bits – I'm keeping the shoes!). At whatever point in time. Just give me a nudge whenever.

Meanwhile, getting back into indoor cycling, I ended up buying a pair of lace-up Lakes from Sigma. Just needed a thin 'volume insole' added underneath the existing ones to take up the slack for my narrow feet. MX1G, I think. They seem fine. Leather, mind. I had a pair of Lakes decades ago which were good too.

Thank you kindly, I’ll check the state of mine when I get home this evening.

This inside of mine is hardly pristine, I wouldn’t necessarily like to be down wind of them.

I'm sure they're built to last but I just don't have that kind of money to spend unfortunately!

Are any other Sidi models worth looking at? The Trace 2 is within my price range.

You used to be able to get SIDIs for under £100, just not from the main importer into Britain. I wrote about it here:

https://www.lfgss.com/comments/13160525/

Obviously, since that was four years ago, the info may be outdated, but it's worth trying to find the Giaus. I'm very happy with them.

They seem to be discontinued, my brief search didn't show them in stock anywhere!

this might help...

https://bikesy.co.uk/s/sidi/

I just got a pair of fizik terra x5. I have quite a slim foot and they fit really snug and comfy. Might look in to getting a new insole. Will see how the stock sole develops.

I wouldn't necessarily assume that more expensive shoes will last longer.

Turns out I bought my current Shimano xc31 shoes in 2016. I don't wear them everyday, but probably most weekends at least once on average, if not more. They've done a couple of seasons of cross too as well as the regular road riding and a bit of touring.

Anyway, I'm surprised how old they are! The toe box doesn't show much sign of wear and I'm pretty careless.

Short version: big fan of mid to low end Shimano shoes here