Good evening, I may be in the market for new shoes in the coming weeks. I'm looking at either the Mavic Cosmic Ultimate or the S-Works 7. This past weekend at the Trek Across Maine, I took note of what shoes folks were wearing and it seemed like a lot were using Specialized. So any of y'all using those two brands? Looking at comfort and fit, i.e. if you are a U.S. 10 does the size 10 fit or did you have to go up or down etc. And while I appreciate that some folks may have other suggestions, I am specifically looking into these two. Hell, if I had the money to burn, I'd even consider those Mavic Comete $999 shoes that Phil Gaimon featured in one of his recent videos. Thanks

I wear 10 USA but for cycling shoes I always need larger. Eu size 46 or 46.5 no matter which brand, Sidi, Pearl or Bontrager. Which equates to Size 11-11.5 for USA. SIDI are my favorites but I also like the Pearl Izumi Pro models. However Specialized shoes ar always highly rated. I know little about he Mavic brand.

Make sure you try on which ever you are considering. I have normal medium width feet, and used Specialized S-works shoes for years. Then I bought a pair a couple years ago, they felt a touch snug, but I thought they were built around the same last (what makes the form of the shoes at the factory) and discovered the hard way that some person at their factory had changed the sizing of their manufacturing lasts. I ended up with a neuroma in one foot because of it. I discussed this with my LBS and apparently I wasn't the only one! The shoes were exchanged for the next year's shoes which were definitely a bit wider or closer to the normal width. They were OK but not normal medium width. I'd say some kid with narrow feet got a job working on lasts!

  I bought a pair of Shimano (their top end) shoes and the width is more normal, not a wide set but correct to size and they are fine. Be aware that with Shimano shoes have the toe box rounded off vs 'square' and some folks will need a half size bigger because of this. My solution was a heat gun and my hand shaping the inside toe area, and it literally took one minute.

All in all, simply make ABSOLUTELY sure The brand and size of your shoes fit correctly, and you'll have great riding and enjoyment. Even more critical if you're doing upper level riding (XC mountain biking) that has a lot of varying pressure on your feet.

It would be nice if all the manufacturers would make sizes and widths true to size.

Good luck!

Jeff

 

Thanks Jeff, I learned the hard way about shoe size variation even within the same brand the hard way. I went from Nike Lance 2s to Sidi Genius and then eventually to the Sidi Ergo 3 Carbon Speedplay sole. I alway swore a 44 - even with the Genuis. And then on rides over 50 miles and multiple long ride days in a row it felt like I had a spike going thru my foot - even with a solid bike fit done. Turned out my Ergo 3s were one size too small, so I had to go up a size, but didn't bother to have the cleat positioning adjusted properly. But now I am at the point where my Ergo's are looking a bit beat up and next year I'll either go to the Wire Speedplay sole or the Specialized S-Works. My one issue is that if I go Specialized then I have to have my entire bike fit adjusted because of the adapter plate that will be required. But that's in the future, first I am going to try and see if having the cleat position checked will solve some of my issues. That check will also coincide with my bike fit on my brand spankin' new 2018 S3 I am getting....

Here’s your answer to standard manufacturing. https://www.racked.com/2014/10/20/7572785/shoe-sizing