shimano s-phyre sizing issues

[ivanooze]

so i've had the "special edition" blue R-321 shoes since they 1st came out paired with a set of custom insoles and i love them. The insoles take up allot of the empty space that has been created in the shoe due to the many miles of use on the shoe which i love (no more searching for watts when im in desperate need of them while climbing or sprinting).

-The R-321s also wide enough to give me good spacing on the lateral and medial parts of my feet. Now when i first got these shoes, i didnt see any indication that the sizing of the shoes was meant for wide feet i.e the EE size. They were the regular width which fit me perfectly.

-now lets back up to last year's interbike. I had the opportunity to be one of few people to buy the new S-phyre shoes. I got sized up, bought the shoes, and was on my way. I havent really used the shoes all that much since then, i believe i've probably only put 100 miles on them since i bought them. During the time that i did use them, i've been encountering a few issues.

-before we get into the issues i've had, I'd like to add that the person that fitted my cleats on my R-321s also fitted me on the s-phyres. I've never had any issues with the R-321s, they felt great during the time i used them (still using the 321s)

1. on my first ride with the shoes, i started feeling knee pain on my right side which forced me to cut the ride short. I rode them a few more times after but decided to hang them up.

2. i was going out to climb GMR to mt. baldy to try out some new insoles and decided to take both my s-phyres and 321s out. I put on the s-phyres and automatically took them off. the shoe felt so uncomfortable, i wasnt able to make it 1 mile in them before switching to my 321s.

-so my ultimate question is: what gives? is there a width difference between the s-phyres and 321s? or do i just have to suck it up and break them in? as mentioned above, my 321s dont have any special width sizing to them, they are the standard width as are the s-phyres.

-my guess is that the s-phyres are just a more narrow shoe which is what's causing the uncomfortable feeling. thought?

[simonov]

The S-Phyres are a lower volume shoe for sure. I also have both, but have the opposite problem. The S-Phyres are great and the 321s have taken years of experimenting to find the right insoles and socks combination to fill the volume so I can tighten them enough. But, now that I've figured it out, they're really good. I've also had the 320s, and I think those are still the best shoe Shimano's made.

[stien]

I have the new S-Phyres and loved them in the store, hated them on the bike for the first week or so. After adjusting my cleat position rearward and adding the higher arches that come with the stock insoles, it's back in love. YMMV, give them time and also double check your cleat setup if you're having knee pain.

Also I had to lower my seat (and slide it!) because the Phyres+Shimano pedals have a lower stack than the old Shimano+Look pedals I was using.

[Team Murray]

I have worn the top of line shimano shoes for the last 6 generations. I have settled on a size 44.5. But with the S-Phyre, I found that I needed a 44. I also found that it is a taller shoe than the 320, which I have 3 pairs. To make the S-Phyre kind of fit, I had to add a thin insole under the factory insole to take up the volume. In the end, I sold off 2 pairs of S-Phyres because they just didn't feel right.

[John H.]

As others have said, they are pretty different shoes.
R321 is a high volume shoe- I would say the opposite for the SPhyre.

I found the R321 to be sloppy on my foot.

But I know that he R321 work well for higher volume feet.