On Friday, June 5, 2026 at 4:45:25 PM UTC-5 [email protected] wrote: The next step is the new pair of Shimano SPD shoes with very roomy toe box and, one hopes, an ever stiffer sole than the Specializeds. They’re sitting on my counter waiting me to do something with them.
After that, insoles, including those with bumps under the metatarals; and thence to Bonts or Lakes. I feel your pain, sort of - my foot issue is different from yours. Mine is tailor's bunions (bunionettes) on both feet, a bit worse on my left. I went from Dromarti to Shimano to Lake over the course of 2 years, and that's when I gave up on cleated shoes and went to Lems and Clem Smith pedals. I still have the Lake MX-1 shoes in wide and still use them with my Rivendell Road/Eggbeater pedals. (I also still have the Dromarti and Shimano, size 42.5, still for sale...) Lake Cycling recently put on their IG a picture of various lacing styles for different types of feet. For wide forefeet, they suggest running the laces straight up a couple of eyelets before starting to cross over. I did that on mine and did a 40 mile (2 1/4 hours) ride with no issues. Typically I wouldn't have issues until more like 4 hours, so probably not a full test, but the Lakes are definitely easier on my feet than the Shimanos. Also, I just ordered a new pair of Lems and ordered 1/2 size bigger than before. I'd been thinking my shoes have been feeling a bit tighter and sure enough, when I stood on the insoles I found my toes are getting uncomfortably close to the front. Crazy how much my feet have lengthened and widened in the last 10 years. I'm finding socks make a big difference, too. It's hard to find socks that don't squash my toes together. I can understand a reluctance to go with flat pedals. It's all about the mating of the pedal and the shoe, and the only way to find combos that work is to try them. I'm reminded of the setup Grant had, made by Pino Morroni, with Campy pedals and machined delrin blocks bolted to the shoe bottoms. The blocks were a very precise fit into the pedal cages, and the feeling was unlike anything else I've ever ridden. The shoes were absolutely locked to the pedals in every axis, no movement at all. I loved the sensation, but of course only tried it on a short ride. I expect that on any kind of a long ride you better have the alignment perfect. For very long rides I have found it to be a big benefit to move my feet around on the pedals, fore-aft, side-side, and rotation. With a good sole-pedal connection, I never feel like I'm giving up anything in power (I don't have much, anyway). Ted Durant Milwaukee, WI USA -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/0c969d41-f1c2-4746-a7d7-7f101d402ec5n%40googlegroups.com.
