Conference noted::bicycle

    Friend of mine has the Shimano and he says they are not really standing
    up that well to all the riding. Also he says they are the very worst
    fitting things he has even had. Please accept the comments as possibly
    biased - we hate the Jap crap stuff in my club (unless it performs
    well).
    I have been riding with the SIDI revolution and SIDI new rider for the
    last couple of years then I switched to TIME. I like the TIME and dont
    think I will ever go back to a light shoe like the SIDI. I hate to be
    such a critic but I feel I need a shoe with more support and a shoe
    that doesnt feel like a flip flop after a few thousand Ks. I have
    noticed some of the new shoes by NIKE and DIADORA look like they have
    lots of support. I also seen a new shoe the other day that had ridges
    on it were the straps went to stop the strap from cutting into your
    foot... Maybe straps will make a come back :-).
    
                                                                    WAyne
    

    
    
      I've been using my Brancales for just over 3 seasons now.  I have no 
    complaints about the shoes.  I received the shoes as sponsorship.  I
    figure I'll get at least one more year out of them before they wear out
    from the inside.  I've only ever used them with Look pedals.  The shoes
    I'd be most likely to replace them with are either the Shimano shoes
    that look pretty good, another pair of Brancales or a pair of Avia
    shoes that I was loned once in a time trial and liked them for the 10
    miles that I used them for.
    
    John C.
    

    
    I've become a real fan of my Diadora Synergy shoes.  (They are
    grey with two external velcro straps.)
    
    They fit (at least my feet) well right from the start, have good
    support, cradle the feet, and have good tightness-control because
    of the two open straps and their placement.
    
    They cost me more than I would like to pay, but I'm thinking of
    getting a second pair.  On the whole, Diadora seems to make good
    shoes.  I am also trying out the Total Kevlar Carbon (or something
    like that) model, but the sizing isn't quite the same.
    
    -john

    Construction quality varies quite a bit, though few shops carry the
    cheaper stuff any more.  The cheaper shoes will stretch out of shape
    (or fall apart) under the stress of clipless pedal systems.
    
    Aside from quality, fit is the most important factor.  The shoe must
    fit in both length and width.  It should also be comfortable around
    your toes, heel, and arch.  Fitting width is getting more difficult
    these days as shoes get wider to fit the American market.
    
    Ken
    

    I've been using a pair of Avia AC70 (blue/yellow) shoes for about a
    year (4K miles) and am still very happy with them.  This is my first
    pair of cleated shoes (no Look pedals yet), and the only shoe that I
    found to fit me right away.  Since the uppers are synthetic there is no
    stretching with age and they still fit like the day I bought them.  The
    sole is very stiff.  The shoe uses a velcro closure, which I like as
    might feet tend to swell during the day and I can easily reach down and
    loosen them.
    
    Rich

    
    	I bought a pair of the LOOK Mt Royal shoes last year. I used them
    with SR Sampson pedals then, but this year both of my machines have the
    LOOK Carbon Pedals. The shoes have two velcro straps that pull all the
    way around from the sole on each side. They can be made very snug with
    this arrangement. And I can adjust them while I ride. As previously 
    mentioned by another noter, the fit of this particular shoe was right 
    for *my* foot. I have a normal forefoot, but a fairly narrow heel, and 
    some shoes slip in the back.
    
    	The Mt Royal is available in half-step, metric sizing, so your
    chances of getting just the right fit are good.
    
    	One of the guys I work with just bought a pair of New Balance
    shoes. He's quite tall and has big feet, making it difficult for him to
    find the right size. The New Balance company makes larger sizes, and
    perhaps more importantly, their shoes are made in different widths.
    
    	Ed.

    1) Fit
    2) Price
    3) Looks

    1) Your feet are different from everyone else's.  I asked the same
       question before, a good friend tell me Sedi are the greatest, but
       they don't fit me so it doesn't matter how great they are.

    2) The prices are crazy.  And I don't know why.  Every shoe now-a-days 
       is Look drilled, the uppers can all stand the stress.

    3) This is my personal opinion now, but some of these shoes today are 
       embarrassingly ugly!  You can't just get a pair of basic black shoes 
       anymore.  I have a good friend with a pair of new Nikes, fluorescent
       green stretch material with white and pink trim.  They are light as
       a feather and seem very comfortable, but fluorescent green and pink?!  
       Yikes, not me!

    Oh, to answer your question, I use TIME racing, the model from about 3 
    years ago.  I got them on sale when the new models came out.  Before
    that I had a pair of Lotto, Italian company but they must have been
    made in China or someplace because they were actually quite well made. 
    Before the Lottos were the pre clipless days.  I had some Vitorias and
    some Dettos.  Both complete junk.

    Thanks for the responses, and I'd be glad to hear more. No-one seems to
    have owned to up to what they actually *paid* for these shoes. For me
    at least, price is a factor (ie, if it's cheap I'm not interested.
    No! only joking, ha ha)
    
    I use a pair of old-model Adidas Eddy Merckx, which I had to drill Look
    holes into. They're well-made but they're tight round my toes, and I
    don't fancy them for all-day rides this summer, which is why I'm
    looking around for something better.
    
    What happened to cycling that it got so expensive...
    
    
    Rod

    Rod,
    
    I got a pair of Looks in Decathlon (or was it Spao!) for about 450FFr. 
    They were the second cheapest, are not too loud (but thereagain just
    loud enough).  I have had no trouble with fit but theregain I am not
    good enough to be fanatic about millimetric fit.  I have used them for
    racing, training and for touring with no problems.  
    
    I've sure you don't need to be told that buying in Spao! or Decathlon (even
    the bigger hypermarch�s which stock some kit) will work out significantly
    cheaper.
    
    rod
    
    PS. Nobody has talked about warmth.  Is it just me ?  I don't mean
    mid-winter training at -5�C - I've got overshoes for that.  Most shoes
    seem to be made for racing in the very warm; I have contracted
    severely cold feet very many times - and not just up here, well south
    of where you are, Rod.

    Re .9:  Funny you should mention that, I got the coldest feet I've had
    *all winter* yesterday. To explain, it's been bloody cold here for two
    or three weeks, with daytime temperatures struggling above 10�C unless
    the sun can come out. So yesterday, it looking reasonably clear, I
    headed up into the Jura. And got severely snowed upon. After a horrible
    descent on slushy roads, all but my feet warmed up on the run home.
    Poot feet, they'd gone blotchy white and numb, but they sure made me
    pay for it as they warmed up and sensation returned.  
    
    So yes, I do wish the shoes were warmer, but really I could have done
    with overshoes. Or staying at home.
    
    
    Rod

    
    Presumably the answer is that you can always put on shoe covers
    but there's a limited amount you can do to make a shoe cooler
    (once it's made).
    
    I had been trying out some Diadora Kevlar/Carbon shoes (very light,
    very unsubdued, as Bat described in a similar shoe) because they
    are largely white (except for the neon pink & green :-)), and so
    may be cooler in bright sunlight in the summer.
    
    North of the Alps, this is not often a problem, I can testify.
    But south of the Alps, and in the US, it is a real consideration.
    
    The byproduct, of course, is an inadvertent "fashion statement."  :-)
    
    -john

    Does the note on New Balance mean that they have started to make
    cycling shoes? I have a wide foot and haven't been really comfortable
    in any cycling shoe. I wear New Balance tennis and walking shoes. Where
    can you purchase New Balance cycling shoes?
    
    	Marty Sasaki

    
    
    My priority (Hi to Lo): Fit, durability/dependability, looks, cost.
    
    I switched from Shimano shoes to TIME Criterium.  Both fit my feet
    exceptionally well, but the Shimano shoes were not very durable.
    
    The Shimano shoes have the bolt/nut reversed from normal shoes;
    in Shimano the bolt head is somehow held in the sole of the shoe,
    and you simply put the nut on when mounting cleats.  The problem
    is when you need to change cleats the bolt head often comes loose
    within the sole -- and the shoes are junk.  Shimano replaced my shoes
    with brand new ones when this happened to me (& a couple other people)
    but still...
    
    The other thing Shimano shoes (cleats) are notorious for is the
    "Squeak" when used in combination with Dura Ace clipless pedals.
    
    Mark                                                             

	re .12

	Yes, New Balance is in the cycling shoe business. They are associated
	in some way with Trek.

	I have a pair of the 900's which I got on sale for $45 during the
	"SuperSale" event in April. These are leftovers from 2 seasons ago 
	but were the top of the line road shoe then. Not sure what NB is 
	turning out now. 

	So far, I love them. 

	-tom

    So, what can I do about the squeaking in the Shimano shoes. Mine just
    started squeaking and it's driving me nuts. Graphite squirt...but
    where?
    
    Russ

I'd like to expand this discussion to include shoes suitable for off-road use
too, if that's okay. I presently use a pair of Avocet 20s, which are only
about 8 or 9 years old. I really enjoy them because they have a great grip
on the pedal, yet allow you to walk comfortably. They use a sort of semi-cleat
on the sole, so they are good with toe-straps, but I assume they are useless
with clip pedals. However, since I use straps still, that's no problem.

So, does anyone have some they like that will meet these rather different
criteria? On another idea, I would also appreciate it for personal reasons if
they were non-leather. Just to make it a little more difficult!

Cheers,
Tim

     Once in a while mine squeak. I use furniture polish. Works...
     
    
      Chip

When mine Look cleats start to squeak, and they usually do as they get worn, I 
put a dab of white bike grease in the rear corners of the pedal, where the 
outside corners of the cleat contact the pedal.  Works every time, tho anytime 
you spin the pedals with your hand, you wish you hadn't greased the pedal.

Maybe I'll try Chip's Lemon Pledge idea.... less messy.

Kevin

     I got that "furniture polish" thing out of Bicycling (write-in tip)...
    
       Chip

    I had a look at some shoes on Wednesday. The ones that I liked most
    were by Sidi, unfortunately at a high price (Swiss Francs 139). Just so
    I can see if any of the UK mail-order places do them substantially
    cheaper, which Sidi model has velcro-only fastening, bright pink trim,
    and is made in black leather and synthetic?
    
    
    Rod

    I bought a pair of the Diadoras. They were the only ones I could find
    with the laces and the velcro straps for my long, narrow foot, 
    size 14 AAA (49 metric). They are comfortable and they do squeak
    sometimes. I will have to try lemon pledge idea that chip mentioned.
    
    
    Dave Dufort
    

    I bought Shimano T100's about a month ago ($60), and like 'em so
    far (but then, they haven't started squeaking yet).  I tried on
    a bunch of different brands: Look, New Balance, some others, but
    none fit my foot properly.  Supposedly, these shoes are unisex,
    but I'm convinced they're designed more for the average male foot.
    All but the Shimano's were too wide in the heel for me.

    Sue

    My stoker, Nancy, was complaining of a pinched nerve in a toe.  After
    checking her shoes out, we realized that her toes were butting up on
    the tip of the shoes so off shopping she went.  She ended up buying a
    pair of Time Racing because they were the most comfortable (cleated)
    shoe that she could find.  Knowing that she also has a knee problem, I
    fixed her up with Time cleats and borrowed a pair of Time pedals. 
    Working on the shoes/cleats, I was quite impressed with the system. 
    After a 1/2 day ride, she was sold on the system.  Now she has to buy 2
    pairs of Time pedals.
    
    I think that the label Time comes from the phrases:
    
         Honey, it's Time to remortgage the house...
    
    Eric_too_poor_to_switch_but_still_likes_Dure_Ace (pedals only PLEASE)

    
    Duegi Intercooler
    
    Fit: almost all shoes are too narrow for my feet. These Duegi's
    are just fine. And they are well sized: if you have size X for normal
    shoes, size X of Duegi is also good for you; not (X+1)  or (X+2) as is
    the case with most cycling shoes.
    By the way, this is by far the most important criterium.
    
    Comfort: these shoes are not just shoes but Intercoolers:
    airconditioning built in. At the front end of the shoe there is an air 
    inlet under the foot so that the wind cools your foot. Works quite
    nicely. And they supply a plug to close the inlet for cold days!
    Another nice thing is they have a elevation under the heel. So, when
    you walk with these shoes you don't look like an idiot because your feet
    are more or less horizontal.
    
    Looks: black, torqoise (blue/green) and red
    
    Price: they cost around $115 in Holland (at a cheap store)
    
    Durability: I find them quite durable; I have a pair now for 3 years
    and they are still in very good shape; I cycle about 5000 a 6000
    kilometers a year.
    
    					Jan Mulder
    
    
    
    
    
     

    I bought a pair of shoes on Saturday - Sidi Hawaii. I chose them
    because they felt comfortable and light, getting them on and off was
    easy (twin velcro fastenings) and they look good. I left the shop in
    a state of mild shock at the amount of money I had just handed over
    for a pair of shoes - 640Fr, about �64. With cleats on top of that,
    it's bread and water for a month now.
    
    One mild irritation was getting the Look cleats on; the screw holes
    in the sole of the shoe were too shallow for standard Look screws
    (the shorter length) and I had to saw a few mm off the end of each of
    six screws. And one surprise: the location of the cleat when fixed by
    this predetermined location is about two centimetres further back
    than on my previous shoes, which I modified myself to accept Look
    cleats. I wonder if my sore left foot problem came about because I
    was putting too much pressure on my toes: having the shoe further
    forward on the pedal certainly feels different.
    
    They feel great on the bike, and that's what we're all aiming for, so
    I'll remember the quality when I've forgotten the price. Of course I
    will.
    
    
    Rod

    Misc bike shoe data point follows...
    
    I ordered a pair of Doni Criterium shoes, size 9, from Performance.
    They're incredibly light, and they appeared that they would work fine.
    When I went to remove the reinforcing midsoles, however, I noticed
    that one of them was cracked.
    
    Well, to make the story short, Doni has gone out of business.
    Performance was nice enough to take them back and refund my money.
    -kb