Advice needed on fit of Northwave Aerlite S.B.S.

[dekindy]

I tried on Northwave Aerlite S.B.S. and Aerlite 3 models. A 43 felt tight in the toebox and a 44 was too big. This was with stock insoles. I tried both sizes with the stock insole and my orthotic and then removed the stock insole and tried them with just my orthotic to see if the fit was better. The 43 felt the best with the orthotic and no stock insole. But it still seemed to slip a little in the heel unless I tighted the buckle tighter than I believe I could tolerate.

How do you tell by trying on a pair of cycling shoes whether or not you will have heel slip? My fitter says that I can tell how they will feel overall by slightly raising my heel from the ground but I don't know about heel slip. When I tried my Shimanos when I purchased them I was certain that there would be no heel slip and I guess I want that kind of feeling when I purchase my next pair of shoes.

Any idea how much they would conform to my foot after wearing them for awhile? They did not "feel" as good on my feet as my Shimanos and I wonder if my foot shape does not lend itself well to their design.

The Aerlite S.B.S. has a wooden insole that is supposed to gradually conform to my foot and I wonder how much it would conform and what difference that would make in the fit?

[Likes2ridefar]

Why not consider a different model or brand if neither is ideal?

[dekindy]

Why not consider a different model or brand if neither is ideal?

When I purchased my shoes 3 years ago the Shimano SH-R130B's were the only model that felt good in the store. Nothing else I tried on felt even close including other model Shimanos. They have proven to be comfortable riding shoes that have caused me no problems.

I wonder whether other riders that have well fitting shoes are able to find a clear cut winner when trying them on in the store. For instance I have not had experience riding Sidis. They have never felt good when trying them on in the store. My fitter advised me that I needed to wear them 10 or 15 minutes in the store for them to warm up enough to start conforming to my feet. Then I could better tell if they fit properly or not. I intend to do that now when trying on Sidi's.

I am looking for more hints like my fitter gave me about Sidi's. He also recommended lifting the heels off the ground slightly and that would give me a pretty good indication how they would feel when riding. He also says to find the shoe that best fits my foot shape and i am not sure how to do that.

[wasfast]

I wouldn't expect a shoe that was clearly uncomfortable in the store to somehow become comfortable on the bike. Feet vary tremendously. I'd love to ride in Sidi's, mostly out of coolness factor of Italian shoes but with wide feet and a high arch, not even close. I have 3 pairs of Specialized shoes that I really like. Slightly less bling but at the end of a long ride, comfort reigns supreme.

[totally_fixxate]

43.5?