Specialized or Northwave

[Chris]

The Specialized Pro RD shoe got a good review on PezCyclingNews. I have been using the Shimano R-220 shoe for about a month now but the toe box is just too small for me. I have a narrow heel so I will miss the snug heel of the Shimano, but I have to find a replacement. I have heard that the Specialized shoes are a little roomier in the toe box and I remember Northwave being the same. Both are in the same price range. Any opinions.

Anyone want a good deal on some lightly used r-220s in a 44.5?

[wasfast]

The Northwave Aerators have LOTS of ventilation which is either good or bad depending on where you live. The last is wider as is the toebox in general terms.

I have 3 different pairs of Specialized shoes that span the last 6 years. The carbon soled shoes are noticeably stiffer.

I have wide feet and a tall arch. Sidi and other similar Italian shoes don't fit my feet at all. Specialized also give you 3 different insoles for custom arch adjustment.

Whether you need the varus tilt or not may require shims in the case of "not".

[chuckred]

...but the toe box is just too small for me. I have a narrow heel >>>so I will miss the snug heel of the Shimano, but I have to find a replacement. I have heard that the Specialized shoes are a little roomier in the toe box ... Any opinions.



My feet have the same problems as yours - wide in front, narrow in back...
I have 2 pair of road and 2 of mtn. Specialized and am very pleased.

That having been said, fit isn't something opinions are much use for....

I have broken one buckle on the mtn bike shoe - easily replaced for a few bucks.

[Spicoli]

I can no longer wear any shoes other than Specialized......They have that magic fit for me, but I do know some folks cannot get over the bumpy insole thing? It did wonders for me and have never had dead feet or hotspots since getting my first pair 3-4years ago!

[don'TreadOnMe]

I'm 100% w/Spicoli on this one.
Spec. Pro Roads are super nice for production shoes.
'Course you've gotta try'em out.

[Pete Serotta]

Specialized have been my favorite over the past three years..... Nothing bad to say about them

[Charles M]

Just to play devils... The new Bontrager shoes are pretty nice in the same department and have ventilation that is one better than the Northwave which is better than the specialized.

As for lumping Sidi in with other brands... They have narrow, standard and Mega fittings and offer the largest fit spectrum available for stock shoes.

[Elefantino]

I wish all feet were alike. My two aren't. And thus I think I've bought more shores than bikes over the last few years.

If at first you don't succeed...

[Charles M]

If that were the case, I would look very hard at D2... D2SHOE.COM

Custom shoes are the best cycling purchase I have ever made.

[maunahaole]

Try them on. Go with what fits.

[Marco]

I have both road and mountain and they rock.

[quattro]

I just purchased a pair of the 2009 Specialized Pro, in white I might add, and after two rides I am very happy and so are my feet. I am changing form a pair of S-Works with the boa closure. The new Pro model is much roomier in the toe box andfits the heel very nice as well, you can really rachet the top strap down so there is no slippage and no pain over the top of your feet, very nice!

[TonyMo]

I have been using Specialized S Works with Sidas footbeds for about 4 years and I have no complaints except for the fact that I cannot tighten them quite as much as I would like or my feet go numb. Otherwise very comfortable, light and user friendly. Since they are coming to the end of their lives I was looking at the new thermo molding Shimano R-310. Has anybody tried them? Before the Specialied I had a pair of Sidi and found them to tight at the front.

[palincss]

My feet have the same problems as yours - wide in front, narrow in back...

Sidi Mega? My feet are narrow in the heel, wide in front, too, and I fit very nicely in Sidi Dominators, 45 Mega.

[Moontrane]

The Specialized Pro RD shoe got a good review on PezCyclingNews. I have been using the Shimano R-220 shoe for about a month now but the toe box is just too small for me. I have a narrow heel so I will miss the snug heel of the Shimano, but I have to find a replacement. I have heard that the Specialized shoes are a little roomier in the toe box and I remember Northwave being the same. Both are in the same price range. Any opinions.

Anyone want a good deal on some lightly used r-220s in a 44.5?


Spec shoes didn’t work for me for a number of reasons, mostly due to the built-in varus tilt. The toe-box was larger than my Sidi and DMT’s. They held on to my narrow heels quite nicely, though.

The Northwaves I currently use (2006 or 2007) have the tallest toe-box of any shoes I’ve used, and this is key to accommodating my custom orthotics. If I used the stock Northwave insole my feet would flop around in the shoe. They are also wider than standard Sidis and my DMT Ultimax. Though I haven’t tried them on, I understand that the new Northwaves have a more Euro (think Sidi) toe-box, which would probably make them useless for me.
Northwaves grip my narrow heels quite nicely, too.

There are NIB Northwaves of the previous design on ebay quite often.

[Dekonick]

If that were the case, I would look very hard at D2... D2SHOE.COM

Custom shoes are the best cycling purchase I have ever made.

+1 - Don will take care of you.

[jasond]

I picked up a pair of Northwave Aerlite ABS and I have to say the toe box is fairly big. I've successfully stopped the numbness in my left foot but have since developed numbness in my right foot after 10 miles. I wondering if the shoes just need some break in time since I've only been out on them for 50 or so miles.

They do have a lot of ventilation which here in the Northeast can be bad although I suppose anyone could just buy some winter booties. The heel has this cool thing, but might seem gimmicky to some, the heel material grips your sock. If you rub your finger in one direction (down towards the sole) the material is smooth but when rubbed in the reverse direction the material has some resistance to hold your heel in place. The only problem I see with this, here's the gimmicky part, is that it will only hold the sock material from going some where however your heel is not attached to the sock. With that said my heel stays in place quite well so maybe it works. :confused:

So far I like them well except for the numbness. They're very well made and seem to be very high quality.

[dekindy]

If that were the case, I would look very hard at D2... D2SHOE.COM

Custom shoes are the best cycling purchase I have ever made.

How are they regarding ventilation?