Opinion on shoe longevity

[dekindy]

I have a pair of Diadora Speedracer R Carbon shoes that are 5 years old. They have approximately 18,000 miles on them.

I also have a new in box pair that the only difference is the color.

Decided to experiment and try both on to see if I could feel any obvious differences. No difference felt.

However I did notice one thing. There are two holes to hold the buckle. The old pair of shoes, I have the buckle in the hole that would accommodate the widest possible foot, the hole farthest from the tongue of the shoe. When the plastic buckle strap is tightened I can put two fingers on the end that has gone through the buckle. On the new shoes the strap will not even catch the buckle. I had to move the buckle to the nearer hole and even then the strap just barely sticks out past the buckle.

I cannot feel any difference in fit and cannot see any difference in the shoes. The uppers are not supposed to stretch but only a little, aren't they? Do you think because they are a different color they were made a little differently? Not a big problem but wondering if I would have more comfort with the newer shoes? Realize I can only answer that by wearing them but do not want to use them if I don't have to. I may get tired of this style shoe or want to try something newer so would sell the NIB shoes as mint.

[ShaneAtSilca]

New pair in box is also 5 years old? I can't imagine a manufacturing difference due to color, but a 5 year gap could see some tweaks. But who knows.

I suppose my thought is unless you are getting discomfort with the current shoes, why break out a new pair?

I just tried to figure out how old my road shoes are, and couldn't. I think I got them in '01 after starting to work at a shop for the first time, so I might be amazed by a new pair of shoes... but I kind of like rolling around with at least a couple pieces of kit that keep moving from bike to bike.

[christian]

My Sidi Dominators are like 100 years old.

[eddief]

they last forever. I search ebay for high end models from a few years back and then put away one pair for good keeping. Seems once you know your size and what fits, makes on the web shopping easier.

[ShaneAtSilca]

I've got a pair of dominators with much lower mileage/saddle time than my genius's that I think will have to be replaced before the road shoes because the tread is wearing down so far. I'm sure the road shoes will out last them at this point.

[dekindy]

[QUOTE=ShaneAtSilca;1569748]
New pair in box is also 5 years old?
Yes, purchased them because they fit so well and I had tried on a lot of shoes.

I can't imagine a manufacturing difference due to color, but a 5 year gap could see some tweaks.
They were offered in different colors. Purchased the white/red ones at LBS on closeout but that was the last pair the LBS had. They fit so well that I searched online and found them on closeout and an even cheaper price. I had to settle for black on the second pair but was lucky to find any at all.QUOTE]

Looks like I will keep wearing the Diadora's until they wear out and then get the others out of the box. Sure can't beat the price. Combined cost of both pairs on closeout cost less than a new pair of Sidi's that I was considering(5years ago and even less now) and are just as comfortable.

[Helicomatic]

I just retired a pair of Diadoras that were nearly twenty years old. Even then only because they got oddly noisy.

[Bob Ross]

I bought a pair of Specialized shoes in 2006. Sometime about 4 years later I started experiencing problems that I attributed to those shoes -- felt like the soles had gotten too flexy, I wasn't getting the support or solid pedaling platform that I'd come to expect from them -- so I retired them, and started the long and frustrating process of finding a replacement.

Fast-forward four more years: Those original 2006 shoes are still in my closet, getting used any time I ride in the rain, or any time i want a shoe that's offers a bit more room above the arch, or any time I want a shoe that's really easy to get in/out of, or (and this is the ironic part) any time I want a shoe with a sole that's just a little flexy. It's actually pretty handy to have those sort of alternatives available.

And they're apparently holding up just fine, eight years on.

[csm]

Sidi dominators..... Over 10 years of use... Replacing the footbeds this season. Figure they're good for another 10 years.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD