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Cycle shoes for Ironman, Olympic and Sprint

Hi.

 I am having a real nightmare with triathlon cycle shoes and getting right ones for the job. I have slightly wide feet (for running I need 2E width shoes) and have been putting up with painful shoes on the bike for too long. I did the Ironman France last year in a pair of Specialised ‘Expert’ shoes. The fit of these shoes was generally good except after an hour or so they felt like they were crushing my feet. I carried on using these shoes for this season until a month ago when I decided on a better-fitting pair ready for the 2017 Ironman France – a more comfortable pair would make the 180km bike so much more enjoyable.

 I bought a pair of Shimano TR9 – (although the size was good, the width was way too narrow so these had to be sent back); I then searched online for a supplier of a pair of ‘wide-fit’ TR9 shoes but Shimano don’t distribute to the UK (just typical)… I then purchased a pair of Northwave ‘Tribute’ triathlon shoes from Wiggle after reading that Northwave shoes are generally a wider-fit and these seemed to fit like a glove; toes could move freely but not too much, feet felt secure. I then did a couple of 40-50 mile rides in these and things took a turn for the worse. As with the Specialised shoes, my feet felt like they were being crushed across the width of the foot. Loosening the Velcro straps doesn’t ease it. Suspecting it might be the angle of my foot on the cleats, I purchase some internal wedges to adjust my varus tilt. This, if anything, may have delayed the foot discomfort for ten minutes or so but not a solution by any means. Having used the Northwave shoes I was unable to return them so had no option but to wear these for the Ironman – and after the first 20km it was unbearably painful and had to endure this pain for the remaining 160km.

My predicament is knowing what to do next. How do I find a pair of suitable cycle shoes which will be comfortable on long distance endurance rides when you can’t send them back after you’ve used them? (and you don’t know they’re unsuitable until you have put the miles in???).

Any help much appreciated

Leigh

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