Goddamn it, where are the narrow cycling shoes?

//Goddamn it, where are the narrow cycling shoes?

Goddamn it, where are the narrow cycling shoes?

The last of the narrow cycling shoes.

Really, I don’t want to whine or complain. Over the years, I’ve spent thousands and thousand of extra dollars on custom road and mountain bikes frames. I’m resigned to it.

I accept that at 6’4″ with freaking long arms and legs, I was never made for a beautiful and affordable production bike. My wallet, cash and credit cards are spread on the table, take everything. I’m a pauper with two custom rigs.

However, I do reach a point of outrage when I can’t even find a pair of narrow, low volume cycling shoes. It it really too much to ask when there must be at least fifty brands out there and NOBODY makes a narrow shoe? Seriously? With all the miracles we hear about new production tools and processes, new business models and niche marketing, is there really not one company that’s willing to make a narrow shoe?

Sidi used to be my best friend. Sure, it was only one model, the base model Genius, if I recall correctly. It was plain old black, no snazzy colors, designer flash or Boa dials but the fit was fabulous. Now, Sidi has slammed the door on me, forgotten my name, thrust me out into the cold with no footwear. Why, Sidi, why?

Oh, they have several models that come in Mega Wide. Well, I’m so happy to hear those with chubby, fat, high volume feet are happy. Really, I actually feel discriminated against on some philosophical level. I’m sad and frustrated and bitter. The Italians have given me the cold shoulder with their shoe lasts.

Once upon a time, my other friend was Specialized. Yes, the Big Red S actually had a model or two that came in a narrow. Now, when I go to their website, I see page after page of beautiful and cool and techno shoes but zero in the narrow fit. And yes, they cater to the wide width people just like Sidi. Do we have an epidemic of overweight feet in this country? Is this like the opiate crisis?

I spend my time trolling the cycling forums looking for advice. Ohh, this shoe runs a little narrow, this one runs a little slimmer, “bought a Northwave shoe five years ago, it was narrow.” I’m in this sad little community of skinny-footed cyclists, all suffering from the indifference of the cycling shoe industry. Will they not hear our plight?

And yes, I could go ahead and drop some ridiculous amount of money on a custom shoe from Lake or a Bont. Like I said, I’m resigned to the custom bike price tag but I simply can’t drop $500 on cycling shoes.

So for now, I’ll put another year on the increasingly old school Sidi’s I bought years back when they cared about narrow feet. Now. nobody does.

By |2019-02-03T15:44:40-08:00August 1st, 2017|Uncategorized|15 Comments

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15 Comments

  1. The SuperStorm August 1, 2017 at 4:55 pm - Reply

    Matty, you can’t go wrong with a pair of SIDI’s.
    Comfy and tried and true.
    Have you plopped on a pair of Diadora’s?
    They did make narrow shoes. I have slightly wide feet and DIDi’s have always fit well.
    My 2.7% for the cause.

    • walshworld August 2, 2017 at 1:38 pm - Reply

      Yeah, but Sidi stopped making narrow. Fortunately, I have a pair of Sidis I got for review from a few years back that are narrow. Still haven’t put cleats on them. I also have a pair of the Mavic shoes that run narrow — but that’s with a fat superset inset and thick Defeet Wooly Booly socks. Matt

  2. Murph August 8, 2017 at 6:41 pm - Reply

    Silly question, but have you tried a women’s model? I believe you can find some of the lessor known climbers using them. I’m not sure if they’ll have the length, but I thought I’d give it a shot. Good luck.

    • walshworld August 9, 2017 at 4:53 pm - Reply

      Thanks Murph, I’m a 12.5 in US size so I’m guessing that’s too big for a woman’s shoe. Matt

  3. Jeff May 16, 2018 at 12:59 am - Reply

    I completely feel your pain. I too am 6’4″ and wear 12.5 narrow/low volume shoes. And to make it worse, my road shoes (older narrow Sidi) and my MTB shoes (older narrow Specialized) are starting to fall apart. I keep trying things on and ordering this and that … nothing fits.

    The only ones I’ve found so far are $400 S-Works road shoes in narrow. Have you found anything that works yet?

    • walshworld May 18, 2018 at 8:51 pm - Reply

      S-Works do run narrow. My trick is add in a Superfeet bed and I also take the footbed that comes with the shoe and cut it down and use it as a filler over the top of my foot to take up more volume. Lake seems to be doing narrow custom widths that are prob the same price as the $400 Specialized shoes. Best of luck!!!!Matt

  4. Andy September 8, 2018 at 12:13 pm - Reply

    Nice to meet you 6’4”-12.5 size shoe. My name is 6’3″-13.5 shoe. Sounds like we’ve had the same love affair and heart-breaking split with Sidi. For me, I grew-up riding Sidi, but eventually the feet spread to 13.5 and they no longer accommodated the length in a full carbon sole. I’ve gone to Giro and have been pretty happy. I’ve been riding their Empire ACC for the past two years. Its not Sidi, but its narrow and the 48 is 13.5. You can also find them on sale for well under $200.00. Good luck.

    • walshworld September 19, 2018 at 5:21 pm - Reply

      Thanks Andy, I have a pair of Giro’s and feel they still pretty wide. I will keep searching 🙂 Matt

  5. David Quick January 12, 2019 at 12:40 pm - Reply

    6’2″ – 13 narrowshoe here, use the Superfeet trick in all my shoes, but for cycling it just doesn’t cut it. And Goddamn it I wish you had an answer, when my search turned up your headline. Nice to know not alone though. Thank you, Anyone want to start a company?

  6. Josh February 21, 2019 at 2:37 pm - Reply

    Same boat with regard to large but narrow feet. The only running shoe that fits me is a New Balance 99x size 14 in 2A (extra narrow). I’d like to start using actual cycling shoes but haven’t yet found an option that fits well enough.

    • walshworld April 6, 2019 at 11:33 am - Reply

      Its a scandal Josh. I just don’t get it in this age of incredible manufacturing prowess that no company is willing ot make narrow cycling shoes. I guess I just have to buy a 3-D printer and make my own, huh? Best, Matt

  7. Mama July 8, 2019 at 7:40 pm - Reply

    It’s a girl problem too. My old leather Fiziks are falling apart, but everything made now is too wide. I get laughed at when I show up with Wooly Boolys to try on road shoes. They tell me to buy custom. HaHaHaHa. Giro comes close, but the retention system is lousy with a high instep. It’s true, as the population gained weight, feet got wider. We’ll only get narrow shoes again if everybody loses weight. I’m laughing now.

    • walshworld July 9, 2019 at 10:06 am - Reply

      Mama, I feel your pain. It just ain’t right. Just have to buy myself a 3D printer and make my own. Matt

  8. KC December 14, 2019 at 10:17 pm - Reply

    Yet another former Sidi owner here, searching the internet for something on narrow cycling shoes. My Dominator and Genius narrows are both falling apart after a solid 19 years. I’ve replaced the buckles, the velcro, and now the soles are delaminating from the uppers.
    The Giro Cylinder seems to fit decently in the store (I’m 13/14 A, 48 Euro). Nothing like the Sidi narrows, but close.
    Matt have you found anything better since this was published?

    • walshworld January 25, 2020 at 10:20 am - Reply

      Hi KC, thanks for writing in. I really haven’t. Just today I read a review on Lake shoes with the writer stating that Lake offers a range of fits — and then proceeds to mention wide and extra wide. Point being, no narrow. Considering how many shoes companies are out there, it seems odd that nobody wants to fill that obviously niche. Matt

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