Wide Shoes for Flat Pedals

[Little Jim]

I've got wide feet and over the past year my not-particularly-wide Specialized shoes started causing a lot of pain in my left foot (which is slightly wider than my right one).  On hot days it was like riding with my foot in a very tight vice and I would end up with a numb toe for a day or so after a long ride.  So earlier this year I bought a pair of Lake wide fit shoes (and a big thumbs up to Richard at Salt Dog who was great to deal with).  The shoes easily cost more than twice what I have ever paid for shoes before so I was a bit hesitant about doing so but now my only regret is not buying them years ago.  They are great.

I also do a bit of cross country riding so I am now looking for a new pair of shoes for flat pedals.  My current Specialized Tahoe shoes are coming to the end of their life and are not a great fit in any case.  Lake do a pair of trainers which are not easily available in the UK and in any case are not done in their "wide" fit.  I don't use SPDs so I need shoes for flat pedals. Any recommendations what to look at please?

[Butterfly]

I now wear my Altberg Extra Wide fit walking boots for everything. They are the only thing I've found wide enough for my feet and they are still a size up. They are brilliant - good grip, supportive (I use a Sole insole), don't aggravate my plantar fasciitis and help with my wobbly knees. Stiff enough for cycling, flexible enough for walking.

[Frank9755]

Have you tried 5-10s?  I don't think they do wide fittings but the toe boxes on mine are pretty roomy. 

[mike]

same for Keen - their walking shoes & boots are very spacious..

[Little Jim]

Thank you for the replies.  I was wanting something trainer-like rather than a walking shoe.  I will have a look at the 5-10s and see if I can get any more details about them which will be tricky and I think they are mail order only.

[De Sisti]

same for Keen - their walking shoes & boots are very spacious..

+1

[De Sisti]

I now wear my Altberg Extra Wide fit walking boots for everything.

I've made an appointment to visit their factory (next week) the get (properly) sized up
for some walking boots.
 
Thanks for the tip.

[Frank9755]

Thank you for the replies.  I was wanting something trainer-like rather than a walking shoe.  I will have a look at the 5-10s and see if I can get any more details about them which will be tricky and I think they are mail order only.

They are in some cycling shops,  but I'm not sure how shoe shopping / trying on works nowadays.

If not 5-10s, there are loads of equivalents from other brands, eg Northwave, shimano, etc.  Search for shoes for flat pedals and you'll get lots of lists. Someone must have had a similar need for width.

[Cudzoziemiec]

I have 5-10s and I'd say they're wideish rather than really wide. I don't have wide feet. Mine I use with SPDs but, like lots of (but maybe not most) SPD shoes, you could easily use them flat – the cleat is entirely recessed within the sole, and you won't be taking out the little plastic cover anyway.

[Little Jim]

I will try and get hold of five-ten's customer services and see what they have to say.  Five-ten do seem to come up a lot in the few threads about wide mtb shoes I've found on other sites, but it might just be that they are what most of the cool kids wear.

I managed to find some wide walking boots last year at Cotswolds Outdoors.  The chap there was brilliant.  I think they had some Keen boots which were wide but I ended up with some Meindle boots which are perfect.  They will not last as long as a pair of Altberg boots as they are not leather but after a fairly strenuous day in the Lakes last Autumn I commented to Mrs LJ that I could not remember ever finishing a long walk and my feet feeling that good at the end of it.

[PhilO]

Keen seem to have narrowed their lasts in the last or two. I've gone through a few pairs, and they don't seem to fit as well as they used to.   

I have feet that are very wide at the toe end and find Altra running shoes to be the best fit of any footwear I've found to date. Most running-specific models won't be much use for cycling with their padded soles, but the 'Grafton' model might work well:  https://www.altrarunning.eu/se/grafton.html

Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be listed on the UK site any more, so it might be difficult to track down.

[Paul H]

My most comfortable and best gripping flat pedal shoes are safety trainers. I don't have particularly wide feet, but these are wider than the Pearl Izumi and Five Ten shoes I've had. Mine are Dickies, which have been discontinued, but I suspect all such shoes will have a generous fitting and there's probably a better chance to see and try them locally than there is for cycling shoes.  They don't look that different from MTB style shoes, about the same weight, composite toe protection, the best anti-slip soles of any shoes I've owned, a comparable price and likely to last longer.

[Little Jim]

i had actually been wondering about safety trainers, they have really good toe protection for a start and the soles tend to be a bit stiffer due to the mid-sole plates, but they can be a bit bulky.  I recently managed to find some safety boots for work which fit me really well so I will have a look at their trainers, but I don't think they did the trainers in a wide fitting.

[morbihan]

Feet like a duck here. I was using trail runners and flats but have found on very long rides the relatively soft soles were causing issues.A bit of chaffing on the top outside too.
Ive gravitated to Shimano Spd sandals now but don't bother clipping in. The stiff sole and velcro strap combo has worked out to be the most comfortable cycling/walking shoe I've ever used.