If the shoe fits

If The Shoe Fits – Wear It

Cycling Shoes & Your Feet
Time for some foot love with technical editor David Jack

Email David for advice

About David

David has been involved with the worlds leading cycling footwear brands for many years, now heading up the team at RXM CUSTOM, where they specialise in matching feet to shoes. All feet are different, most shoes are different, don’t guess they are right, let us help you know they are right.

David has worked within the cycling industry for Lake and others and knows a thing about shoes for cyclists… and their feet! These days he works at RXM Custom, where they fit riders of all abilities, and have possibly the largest range of sizes, shapes and fits available in the U. Along with his team at RXM they specialise in custom moulding and custom shoe colours, to get the matching look for team colours or your favourite bike. This level of expertise is what David brings to the Pedalnorth team, as our feet and shoe specialist editor, bringing useful bogs and articles to give our readers some foot love.

Here’s a few starter tips from the foot guru himself

Wide Fitting Shoes

So, you have wide feet, or possibly relatively normal width feet but trying to put them in narrow shoes. All shoes are made on a Last, the mould that forms the shape of the shoe. Some shoe brands have their own design and shape of Last but these will differ from one brand to the next. Also, some brands just use whatever Last the factory they currently use have available.

In other words, the width of all Bike shoes can vary immensely; there is no specific size for a standard width. What does this mean in real terms for you the cycling consumer? Basically, you may not need an ‘official’ wide fit shoe; you may just need one wider than the one you are currently trying.

If you get shoes too wide for you, then you’re in danger of having to over tighten them to stop them from moving. This overtightening can lead to pain and numbness and can distort the body of the shoe. Get your feet properly measured and get advice on the shoe for you. If you click the link at the foot of this article, I can give you some personal advice and measure you at RXM.

The Right Size & Shape

It’s easy to understand what a shoe that’s too small or too large might feel like on our feet. We’ve all tried on different shoes, especially as children, just to see how they feel. However, on these occasions, you were not going to wear them for several hours and by trying to put large amounts of power through them. They weren’t shoes for cycling, and yet that’s a whole new world for your feet.

Firstly, and most obviously, it’s important to have the right size and shape; otherwise it is very likely to lead to pain and discomfort. This is just not right, or indeed acceptable. You can avoid this with a correct foot measurement and shoe matching. Please, avoid those huge discount offers online, because the financial gain will probably lead to foot pain.

Secondly an incorrect size, especially too big a size shoe can lead to large amounts of power loss. Again, a correct matching of your unique feet with shoes for you will ensure that all of the power that you produce can be transferred into the pedals.

Before you have a Bike Fit

The best Bike Fitters will spend at least the first third of your bike fit assessing: your Feet, Shoes, Cleat position and pedals. In this assessment, they may find that you have the incorrect size or shape shoes. If they are a good fitter, they’ll advise you to change the shoes before you complete the fit.

So, let’s hope you have a good fitter; but will they have the shoes you need available from stock. If not, you may have to abandon the fit and reschedule after having to hunt around for the correct shoes. Worse still, your fitter does not take the time to assess your shoes and carries on with the fit regardless, possibly rendering it worthless or even dangerous.

Give me a call first if you like, or my team at RXM and let’s give you a full and proper foot measurement; and, if you have incorrect shoes, then we can help you with the right ones. When you go for your Bike Fit you’ll know from the start that your fitter is going to find all the right measurements for your fit.

Custom Moulding

All good bike shoes will have a strong and firm heal counter. These are sometimes formed unseen inside the heal and other times formed on the outside of the heal. They have two functions: firstly, to stop the heal of the shoe breaking down from constant unclipping from the pedals. And secondly, to help hold the back of your foot firmly in the heal of the shoe. This stops any movement of the foot forwards or sideways and stop heal lift. All of which can lead to fatigue, discomfort and power loss.

With Lake Custom Moulding shoes, the heal is totally mouldable to take up the unique shape of your heal. This makes your shoes fit exactly, with no heal movement, leading to total comfort and maximum power transfer. It’s definitely a shoe that I can recommend for the cyclist who wants to ride better and more comfortably.

Custom Insoles

Fully customisable insoles have been designed to offer cyclists a unique experience, by improving performance through reduced susceptibility to fatigue and increased comfort and precision. Their construction helps to stabilise the heel, keep the midfoot in place, distribute load optimising the power transfer from foot to pedal, reduce vibration and protect joints from microtrauma.

The pro riders have used them for years and they’re now available to all. It’s definitely something that will benefit you as a cyclist.

Read Our Blogs

click here

If The Shoe Fits – Wear It

Cycling Shoes & Your Feet

About David

Wide Fitting Shoes

The Right Size & Shape

Before you have a Bike Fit

Custom Moulding

Custom Insoles

Related Content

Is this the best gravel bike brand in the world

3T Bikes at Cycle Store Zurich 2024 UCI World Championships

Buying a bike that fits you properly

Choosing the best road and offroad cycling shoes

LINKS

KIT PARTNER

EVENTS

Bike Packing

Contact Us

Gravel Bikes

Bikemonger

Tech Partner

Partners

TECH PARTNER

MTB Partner

Travel

Life Cycle E-Mag

Join the Revolution