Where can I find wide cycling shoes? The best shoes for wide feet

Finding shoes that are comfortable enough to ride in all day long can be a nightmare for people with wide feet, so we’ve decided to round up the best wide cycling shoes that are currently available.

A couple of years ago, darrenleroy began a road.cc forum thread about wide cycling shoes because he was struggling to find any that didn’t make his feet ‘fall asleep’ while riding. Judging by the responses he got, getting comfortable shoes is a common problem for people with wider feet, and it’s no joke.

One option is to go to a bike fit specialist like Cyclefit where a technician will measure the length, width and arch length of your foot, your standing and seated arch height, and suggest the best shoes for you. They’ll give you the option of having your own custom footbed created.

If you don’t think that’s right for you and you just want to find some wide cycling shoes, here’s what’s available. There’s no substitute for trying shoes on before you buy them, of course, because what’s right for one person isn’t necessarily the best solution for someone else.

If you have wide feet and you’ve found something that works for you, please let us know in the comments section down below.

Bont

Now distributed by Raleigh, Bont shoes are interesting in that they’re built around a cycle-specific last that’s arguably closer to the shape of a foot than most others out there, hence their distinctive looks. We’ve always found Bonts to be fairly roomy in the toe box and we know of people who’ve needed a wide fit in some brands taking a standard fit Bont.

With Bonts the sole extends upwards around the side of your foot, creating a little tub. It’s common for brands to mould the sole upwards at the heel section, but less common towards the front of the foot. The idea is that this “ensures neutral positioning of the forefoot and alleviates common issues associated with over pronation and supination [such as knee injuries and hip and lower back pain].”

There’s only so much space between the sides of the shoe for your feet to fit into, but Bont soles are heat mouldable so you can give yourself a bit of extra room in tight areas, within reason.

Bont makes its shoes in stock, narrow and wide fits. There’s a simple way to find out the best size for you which involves tracing around your foot on a piece of paper and measuring the dimensions. You input your figures on Bont’s website and you’re given the right size.

If your feet are off the scale you can have Bont make you a pair of custom shoes.

Check out our recent review of the Bont Vaypor G here.

www.bontcycling.com

Bontrager

Bontrager doesn’t bring wide fit shoes into the UK anymore.

www.trekbikes.com

Giro

Giro offers several of its shoes in a ‘high volume’ (or HV) fit for foot widths from D-EE, if that means anything to you (personally, the last time I had my foot width measured was for a pair of Clarks Commandos in 1978).

UK importer Zyro Fisher only lists the the Empire HV road shoes (above, £274.99) and Cylinder HV+ mountain bike shoes (£114.99).

Check out our review of standard fit Giro Imperial shoes here.

www.giro.com

Lake

We’ve generally found Lake shoes to be roomy in the toe box, the front end being rounded rather than pointy (technical terms!), and fairly high volume.

If that’s not enough for you, Lake offers its entire road range in wide options, although it’s easier to get hold of some models than others in the UK.

UK distributor Moore Large stocks wide versions of the high-end CX 403 CFC (£410, above) and CX 402 (£399) (we've reviewed the standard model), the CX332 (£330), CX241 CFC (£280), CX238 (£250), CX218 (£190), CX241 (£280) and CX176 road shoes (£130) and the CX145 (£195) winter road boots. If you want something more walkable, there are wide versions of the MX332 (£330), MX238 (£250), MX218 (£190), MX176 (£130), and MX145 (£195) mountain bike shoes, and the MXZ304 winter boot (£260).

Lake dealers can order wide models from Moore Large at the start of the season for delivery with initial stock. The distributor can also get wide models from the Lake warehouse in Holland very quickly in season as and when required.

www.lakecycling.com

Northwave

Italy’s Northwave offers two models of shoe in a wide fit, one each for road and off-road. The Core Plus Wide (£109.99) shoes have a vented, carbon-reinforced sole and can be used with two-bolt or three-bolt cleats.

On the walkable side, there's the £109.99 Origin Plus, with Northwave's Speedlight 3D sole.

northwave.com

Shimano

Both of Shimano’s Road Competition level shoes, the S-Phyre RC9 (below, £319.99) and the RC7 (£179.99), shoes can accommodate wider feet pretty well, and if the standard fit isn’t broad enough you can go for a wide fit in both.

The RP3 (£99.99) is available in a wide fit option too.

www.shimano-lifestylegear.com

Sidi

You might have heard that Sidi shoes are small for any given size and that you should size up. We’ve not found that to be true in terms of length, but we have found the standard Sidi last to be narrow.

Standard Sidi shoes are based on a D width foot. Sidi offers what it calls a ‘Mega’ fit too, which is an EE to EEE width. It’s 4mm wider across the ball of the foot than a standard Sidi fit, the instep is higher and the heel cup is wider. The Ergo 5 (above, £260) and Genius 7 (£175) road shoes are both offered in Mega versions.

Check out our guide to the Sidi shoe range here.

www.sidi.com

Specialized

Specialized only carries its standard width shoes in the UK. It’s worth noting, though, that the toe box volume is pretty generous.

Your experience

If you have broader feet, could you help out by offering advice on which wide cycling shoes have worked (and not worked) for you? Let us know in the comments section.