| |
Be particular about how any prospective shoe fits. A
well fitting shoe should be snug at the heel and across
the instep with enough room in the toe box to allow you
to wiggle your toes. If you have unusually wide feet,
don't be tempted to go for the next size up to gain
width. Doing so will solve the width problem but create
another issue. Every shoe size increase is
approximately six millimetres of shoe length and a bit
of extra width. What a size increase means is that the
cleat mounting holes move approximately four millimetres
further forward as measured from the heel. Many people,
who go up a size to gain necessary width, create a
situation where it may not be possible for them to gain
a good cleat position in that larger size.
If you are a wide footed rider, both Shimano and Sidi
make several extra width models. If that doesn’t do the
trick, consider a custom shoe from someone like Sabre
Boots. If you have ‘normal’ width feet there are still
fitting problems that can arise. If you have an
unusually high arch, you may not be able to get the
Velcro straps or ratchet strap to fully engage. Again,
some manufacturers make ratchet straps that can either
be adjusted for length or have a choice of strap
mounting positions that effectively lengthens or
shortens the reach of the strap. Conversely, a low arch
or very narrow foot may also create fitting problems.
Here too, ratchet strap locations can be altered to suit
in some models of shoe.
The basic requirement of a well fitting shoe is that
your foot should be held comfortably, but securely. When
forcing a gear while riding off the saddle, there
shouldn’t be any vertical slop between foot and shoe.
When pushing a big gear while riding on the seat, there
should be no tendency for the foot to slide forward in
the shoe on the down stroke or be pulled backwards in
the shoe across the bottom of the stroke. To sum up, a
well fitting shoe should be secure around the heel,
secure around the instep and cause no lateral
compression of the toes at the metatarsal joints. These
are the base of the knuckles of the toes.
|
