Modifying shoe width?

[oldguy00]

My feet are 'blessed' with a wide mid-foot, and narrow heel. So almost every shoe tends to put bad pressure on the outside of my foot. Really wide shoes end up being loose in the heel.

Has anyone ever tried widening a cycling shoe via something like a shoe horn, one of the ones that comes with 'nubs' that you can stick onto the sides, etc?

Thx

[El Chaba]

All of the synthetic materials in modern shoes are resistant to stretching-by design. So, it's a tall order to make a meaningful difference. Sometimes you *think* you've made a difference, but the shoe slowly resumes it's original volume over a few days. The old trick used to stretch leather shoes by inserting a shoe tree and submerging in water is useless. However.....I have had some success at getting extra volume by inserting the shoe tree, expanding it a fair amount beyond the desired outcome 9be careful not to destroy the shoe and it will take some trial and error)...I then leave the shoe inside my car parked in the sun in the summer....After a few days of this treatment, you usually wind up with additional volume

[merckxman]

If your heel is coming out here is a trick I learned:
make a wedge about 2 1/2-3 inches long and shape it to the heel. The wedge should slope from the rear to the front, in other words the thick part would be right against the heel. Place the wedge under the liner that comes with the shoe. For a wedge you can start with a shoe insert sold in stores (pharmacy ) and chop it.

[Hakkalugi]

I have the same issue and have tried about every “wide” shoe available. My feet are EEE wide, no arch, and high instep- I make Fred Flintstone look dainty. I wear flip-flops all year, every day because I tend to split regular shoes down the side within a few months. My heels are narrow enough that even the wider Specialized mtb shoes cause blisters on short hike-a-bikes.

I’ve had good luck with Gaerne double-Boa and, surprisingly (because they are labeled ‘narrow’) Giro lace-ups. When the laces are adjusted and tied, the loops are pretty small, so the Lace Garage is purely decorative. Ironically, shoes that tend to be narrow fit my heel, so the challenge becomes finding one that opens enough in the forefoot.

Sidi Megas never fit me because the buckle pinched my foot on the side. I also have a pair of Keen lace-up commuter shoes which are serviceable. I’ve been told Shimano and Lake run wide as wel, but I haven’t tried them. Also, custom orthotics are critical in my view, they hold my flippers in the correct position and eliminate (mostly) soreness during rides.

[peanutgallery]

Bring your shoes to a good ski boot fitter, he can move the spot on your toes out. They can use an old school punch or a neat little tool that nordica released last year called a crocodile. I do it for folks all the time

If you heat the synthetic material you can stretch it a bit by cooling it while it's under pressure. That's how it retains shape. That nordica took has a bit shaped like a metatarsal and it won't mess with the other side of your shoe.

I would use a heel wedge as a last resort. An insole might be a better option. All about foot shape and maximizing volume first

[shoota]

I’ve been told Shimano and Lake run wide as well, but I haven’t tried them.

I have both brands in wide and, yes, they are wide. As far as width goes it's like this:
shimano wide > lake wide > lake extra wide (they have a new super wide shoe now)
https://lakecycling.com/products/mx-332-extra-wide?variant=2388180697097

In my opinion you can't do much better than Lake for wide cycling shoes.

[Davist]

I've had luck with the neighborhood cobbler with cycling shoes, repairs, mods and everything. Unfortunately a dying breed. If you do have one/know of one it's worth a trip for advice most likely..

[Lewis Moon]

I've used these (https://www.amazon.com/Pedag-Stop-Padded-Leather-Grips/dp/B008S9O67I/ref=br_lf_m_2qvesgsa2w5s6aq_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&s=hpc&th=1) with good results.

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71dLRfVRxjL._SX522_.jpg

[redir]

You might want to look into the shoes that mold into your foot. They use heat and the shoe shrinks right to your anatomy. Though that seems to mostly be in the toe box area. I got a pair of Shimano shoes a couple years ago like that and they are by far the best shoes I've ever owned. Fit literally like a glove.

[Veloo]

Yes, I've tried it. I have wide front and narrow heels.
I bought one of these types of shoe stretchers decades ago. They come with the extra nubs for focused spots. DO NOT buy the ones with plastic parts - they're garbage. I got a set and threw them out after the plastic parts broke.
https://www.footfitter.com/footfitter-1-3-inch-high-heel-shoe-stretcher

For the synthetics, I had to apply heat to get the material to stretch. I've tried using a paint stripping heat gun and burn a hole in a pair of Spec MTB shoes - the mesh area melted. The heat gun is just too much heat and too little control. You don't need 600 degrees to get the synthetics soft enough.

I splurged on a Dyson hair dryer for the wife and tried that on the highest setting on my Scott BOA MTB shoes and it did soften the material so that I was able to stretch it a bit.
Oh yeah, I also soaked the area that I was stretching with isopropyl alcohol which was a recommendation here on another thread. The areas I was stretching didn't have holes so I just poured a bit into that area then shoved in the stretcher and turned on the heat.

With the Dyson I didn't have to hold the dryer and wave it back and forth. The heat on the highest setting was enough to soften but not burn.

The Scotts were cheap and they seemed to have a half decent fit in the shop but when I brought it home, I decided I wanted a bit more room.

[Kingfisher]

I had same issue last summer and bought shoe expanders from amazon for my sidis and they worked well

[DRZRM]

Rather than widening the forefoot, you should look into a shoe where you can narrow the heel. I believe the high end Lakes (cx402, blindingly expensive, but can often be found on good sales) come in wide, and still have a heat adjustable heel. The Shimano's also did a heat adjustable thing for a while, but I'm not sure they still do. I'd go to a shop that sells then and has a heating oven, or get a friend to help, it is hard to properly "heat adjust" the fit of your own shoes while you are wearing them, but when they get it right (they can be bakes more than once) they are be perfect...well assuming the fit is close in the first place I guess. I ride a pair of CX401s (last model of this shoe) that were fitted to me at Belmont Wheel Works north of Boston (they had the Shimano oven) and they are perfect...like custom. I picked up a spare set on sale for when my first pair die, I love them. Might solve your issue.

[Lewis Moon]

Rather than widening the forefoot, you should look into a shoe where you can narrow the heel. I believe the high end Lakes (cx402, blindingly expensive, but can often be found on good sales) come in wide, and still have a heat adjustable heel. The Shimano's also did a heat adjustable thing for a while, but I'm not sure they still do. I'd go to a shop that sells then and has a heating oven, or get a friend to help, it is hard to properly "heat adjust" the fit of your own shoes while you are wearing them, but when they get it right (they can be bakes more than once) they are be perfect...well assuming the fit is close in the first place I guess. I ride a pair of CX401s (last model of this shoe) that were fitted to me at Belmont Wheel Works north of Boston (they had the Shimano oven) and they are perfect...like custom. I picked up a spare set on sale for when my first pair die, I love them. Might solve your issue.
Watch out on any shoe that has a rigid sole and "moldable" heel cup (cough cough...Lakes). Heating the shoe and then trying to squeeze the heel cup to actually fit a narrow heel can lead to an ugly delamination of the sole (soul). Please don't ask me how I know.

[peanutgallery]

You can put volume in, you can't take it out

[FlashUNC]

Bont is the answer.

[pasadena]

Your Canadian brothers at Louis Garneau have cycling shoes with an expanding area for wider feet
https://garneau.com/int/en/course-air-lite-ii-cycling-shoes/color/white-019-127

or you can just cut up your shoes
https://www.instagram.com/p/BeuNuZeltMs/?taken-by=thedarkinstall

[saf-t]

Yes, I've tried it. I have wide front and narrow heels.
I bought one of these types of shoe stretchers decades ago. They come with the extra nubs for focused spots. DO NOT buy the ones with plastic parts - they're garbage. I got a set and threw them out after the plastic parts broke.
https://www.footfitter.com/footfitter-1-3-inch-high-heel-shoe-stretcher

For the synthetics, I had to apply heat to get the material to stretch. I've tried using a paint stripping heat gun and burn a hole in a pair of Spec MTB shoes - the mesh area melted. The heat gun is just too much heat and too little control. You don't need 600 degrees to get the synthetics soft enough.

I splurged on a Dyson hair dryer for the wife and tried that on the highest setting on my Scott BOA MTB shoes and it did soften the material so that I was able to stretch it a bit.
Oh yeah, I also soaked the area that I was stretching with isopropyl alcohol which was a recommendation here on another thread. The areas I was stretching didn't have holes so I just poured a bit into that area then shoved in the stretcher and turned on the heat.

With the Dyson I didn't have to hold the dryer and wave it back and forth. The heat on the highest setting was enough to soften but not burn.

The Scotts were cheap and they seemed to have a half decent fit in the shop but when I brought it home, I decided I wanted a bit more room.

Same issue, same successful resolution using a hair dryer and shoe stretcher. Takes a while though- expect to spend a little time before you're done. And as another data point, I've been using one with the plastic nubs w/o any problems for years.