Full-Tilt Guide to Cycling Shoe Fit [Sizing Chart for ALL Male/Female Brands]
So you have that special shoe that you’ve been looking for picked out online, but of course, just like cycling jerseys‘, understanding shoe fit can be a difficult ordeal. Figuring out what size cycling shoes do I need can be an a bit much.
Not only are some brands made to size up or down, but also if you’re from the states, you have to understand European conversions as well.
Are they in millimeters or centimeters? What even is a millimeter in comparison to an inch? Should you wear socks with cycling shoes for the perfect fit?
What size cycling shoes do I need? How snug should they be? There are a lot of questions around cycling shoes, and we are here to answer them all for you.
By the end of this article you should know exactly what shoe you will be buying and the size of it for the perfect fit. If you don’t know what shoe you will be buying we also have the perfect suggestions for you.
You will understand the difference between a BOA system and a lace system and the primary advantages.
You will understand the difference between snug and too tight. And finally you will also understand how to maintain up your shoe. They will last 10+ years if done correctly.
Invest in your knowledge:
These pieces of reading may be interesting to you:
- How much does a bike fitting cost?
- Guide to Cold Cycling: All the Accessories you Need to Stay Warm (Especially your toes)
- Best Cycling Insoles for Numb Toes [Morton’s Neuroma]
How should your cycling shoes fit?
For a complete size chart for male and female shoe sizes for all cycling shoe brands, press here.
Cycling shoes should fit comfortably snug. The energy transfer from your legs to your pedal through to your drivetrain is important and must be done efficiently.
When wearing tennis shoes, there is more room for the foot to wiggle. Cycling shoes in comparison ought to feel like a thicker layer of sock with a smooth grip throughout from the ankle to the toes.
The toes should have enough room to breath while the body of the foot should feel locked into place. Boa systems make this a lot easier to do in practice.
Should my toes be touching the toe box in my cycling shoes?
What is most important is that you feel that the toe can breath while riding. Most specifically, this means about 2 millimeters of space between your toe and the end of the toe box in the cycling shoe.
Cycling shoe toe boxes can be hard, and some may not like the feeling of their toe touching the end. However, there are many that enjoy it because it feels (and this may be the case) that their shoe now has a better power transfer from the foot to the pedal.
What is most important is how you feel when you put on the cycling shoe. Typically, if you feel this is better, then it is not a problem. The shoe will break in as well and provide more room.
Many cyclists with Morton’s Toe (When their second toe is larger than their big toe) do not enjoy this feeling because it is uncomfortable and that toe does not have as much padding in the front as the big toe.
What is a BOA system cycling shoe?
I was initially very hesitant to move to a BOA system while riding. It looked complicated, and I couldn’t believe that such small wires would hold place, or even be tight enough to lock my foot into the shoe.
I waited for about one year into cycling to move to a BOA system and it was one year too long. The BOA system is made to be able to truly allow your foot to feel snug against the shoe.
BOA systems, unlike laces do not slowly come loose (or need to be double knotted. You simply turn the wheel and the shoe will be tightened. You are able to push down on the boa system and the BOA then releases.
It really does feel like a small Boa constrictor is hugging you gently around your foot. The other added plus is that you can make small adjustments to the shoe while you are riding.
Should cycling shoes be snug?
Yes, cycling shoes should be snug. It should feel like you are wearing a second sock on top of your foot.
Be aware that your toes should have breathing room to move about comfortably.
The energy is needed to transfer efficiently through the shoe to the pedal and will not be able to do so if your shoe is not snug.
Keep in mind that when you are buying a cycling shoe initially and it feels tight, there will be some time for the shoe to break in. The break in process for a cycling shoe is slightly different than any other shoe.
When you are breaking in a pair a running shoes, your shoes will crease around the toes, the padding will morph to your foot and the top mesh will loosen slightly.
Cycling shoes will be different.
When you are breaking in cycling shoes, you will not be creasing the toes (ideally). The break in process happens at the top of the shoe, and the front of the shoe. The upper will slightly stretch during pedal strokes to give the foot more room.
Keep this in mind when buying a cycling shoe brand new. They may feel tight initially, though the cycling shoe will space out after your first couple of rides.
Should you wear socks with cycling shoes?
Wearing socks with cycling shoes is your choice although it is recommended. Maintenance will be far more difficult and extending the life of your shoe will be more laborious if you do not wear socks with cycling shoes.
Many that we cycle with will typically wear socks with their cycling shoes or even wool socks when the weather cools down along with neoprene toe covers to keep warm when it gets cooler.
On the other hand, you are also decreasing the amount of layers that the energy from your muscle needs to transfer through to reach the pedals. We go more in depth on the difference in choice in this complete guide here.
Regardless of your choice, make sure that you choose to wear your socks that you will (or will not ride in) when trying on your cycling shoes. The shoes will break in over time and will feel far more loose than when you tried them on in the store.
Can a Cycling shoe last for a very long time?
Cycling shoes will keep for over 10 years if you treat them well. The reason being is that they do not take the same amount of pressure and wear that tennis shoes take.
Cycling is a low impact sport, and that is true as well with the shoes. The seams are made to last as they are not being worked through constant impact on the ground.
To learn more about how to take care of your cycling shoes, follow on here.
To learn more about how to keep your cycling shoes clean, follow here.
What size cycling shoes do I need?
We went out and found all of the brand’s conversion charts and combined them here for you so you can answer what size cycling shoes do I need most effectively.
Our suggestion is to always doublecheck the reviews to make sure that you are sizing up or down for the specific shoe. From time to time specific shoes within the brand do run small.
Full Cycling Brand Men’s and Women’s Shoe Chart
These size charts are useful for shoe sizes when you are trying to understand what shoe size you should get. Personally, this may be your best guide. A cycling friend used the guide recently, and second guessed the chart and chose to size up. After the shoe finally broke in, it ended up being far too large for him and he had to go back to the size that the chart originally suggested. For the most part these are true to this size based off of the chart.
Men’s Cycling Brand Shoe Chart
This is a chart for men’s cycling shoes. Based off of research, this is useful if you are shopping for a shoe size and looking for where to begin. It is typically best to try the shoes on before buying, though if buying online, this chart is largely true to size.
Women’s Cycling Brand Shoe Chart
Use this guide to pick the shoes that you are looking for to ride on the weekends. THis is true to size and will be useful if you are looking to go to a store and try your shoes on, or if you are looking to buy them online. If you are looking to buy your shoes online, then do not size up or size down according to the chart. These will be the shoes that will be typically true to your size, converted.
My Closet Reviews
I went in my closet and picked out my favorite three cycling shoes right now. I began with the Louis Garneau Multi Flex’s and eventually upgraded. The fi’zi:k BOA makes my feet feel very happy and I am happy to speak to all of these shoes for you.
Best Overall Cycling Shoe
fi’zi:k Tempo R5 Overcurve Cycling Shoe
There is nothing like biking in a with a good Boa system shoe. It will change the way that you think about cycling. I like the fi’zi:k’s because they’re light and in comparison to the other shoes, they just feel like the wrap and hug around your feet.
They have all of the comfort of my past shoes, but without the extra padding. The shoe is white so you may need to give it extra care to keep them clean
– but for the price that I paid for them and the feature packing addition of the Boa system, I will keep these for a long time to come.
Best Cycling Shoe for the Complete Beginner
Shimano SH-RC100 Entry Road Shoe
The Shimano RC-100 was my first road cycling shoe. I loved it because it was my first transition from tennis shoes to cycling cleats.
They’re light and have a secure Velcro strap that does not wear over time. It does run small so I went one size larger than the rest. Outside of that, the shoes are very simple and no nonsense.
The straps will get you in and out of the shoe and the Shimano quality means that you will have to choose to buy another pair before any wear and tear comes to it.
Best Cycling Shoe for Commuters
Louis Garneau Multi Air Flex II
The Louis Garneau’s are excellent shoes for the all around cyclist. If you need to find yourself on a mountaintop, on a road bike or commuting, these are the shoes for you.
They have the option to be clipped in, though the comfort level for a shoe at this price point is why it gets major accolades. This shoe feels comfortable and breaths very well.
They are walkable so that you are able to get walk into work very easily with your bike, and most important: the shoe straps. The shoe straps make it very easy to get in and out of the shoe so that you can switch into the work shoes that you have in your backpack.
My one concern with these shoes when I tried them out is that there is more give in the sole and that the shoes run a bit narrow for the size.
Though being equipped with this knowledge makes it easier to know that you should make it a point to size one size larger to make them have a more comfortable fit.
Of course, for this price point the give in the sole is to be expected and you are still able to keep the shoes up and make them last for years to come.
Conclusion
In this article you should have learned all that you need to know about cycling shoes. You should now have 3 great suggestions for shoes and you should also know how your cycling shoe of choice should fit. You should know the answer to what size cycling shoes do I need? You should also know how the difference between a Velcro, boa and lace system for shoes.
