Just ordered look pp206 pedals now I'm trying to decide whether to buy shoes online or at LBS. I know, always support the LBS but I'm short on money and they aren't very local (40min drive, I live in a rural area.)

Performance has the Forte CR310 for $70, which I think is a decent shoe. The LBS carries Adidas (not sure on model) in my size for $150. So is it worth spending more than 2X for certainty of fit and possibly a better shoe? I'm 90% sure I'm a size 43 so that shouldn't be a problem. Thanks.

Its a bit of a moral predicament.

I say save the big bucks where you can BUT get all your service work etc done at your LBS - that way you not only save, but you also provide them with your business.

Also - for $150 you could get some Sidi Genius or so - top of the line shoes!!! I'd highly recomend dropping money on your shoes, its one of the most important things on your bike. Poor shoes = poor fit = limiting time in the saddle.

Its all about comfort.

till they jack the prices WAY over the top.
I would say go into your local shop and ask them to help you out, tell them what you are interested in from the net and see what they have to compare too.
Local shops will be a lil more and I am willing to pay more a bit more, plus the tax just to have it right then and there.

Shoes are such a critical item, that I would never buy online. With street shoes, you can walk into a store, grab a size 10, and walk out. With cycling shoes, it's not that way. There isn't much of a standard in size and fit with bike shoe makers. One brand may fit in the uppers, but kill your sole. Another brand may feel great on your soles, but are tight on top. Once you find a brand that fits right on top and on the bottom, you can replace then by going online and buying the exact same shoe. You may have to try them on at a shop and just stand there a few minutes before you can get the true feeling of how the shoes fit.

I got the Sidi deal from across the pond a while back...great shoe, great price etc...I know my Euro size etc.

But, when it comes down to it, I have an American foot, I need a large front of the shoe (you know, ball of the foot and toes). I can't stand shoes that seem to want to squish your toes to a point. Unless you know the specific brand, model etc etc, it's too much a risk. Anyone want some very lightly used Sidis? I may order online again, but only if I know the specific model. If the LBS has something 80% comperable, I would not hesitate to give them my biz. (have a good lbs or two in town...the kind where "known" customers can ask the owner what makes sense to buy from him or online, and get a good answer.)

i ordered my shoes online ever since day 1 i got into cycling. the problem is the sizing at the same euro size is totally different for different manufacturers. I wear size 9's (43) casually, but i drop off an extra point and wear 42's for my cycling shoes. However, pearl izumi 42's are somewhat loose fitting while sidi 42's are just right. I have 3 PI shoes and 1 sidi. i usually wear my sidi because of the difference.

My experience is that shoes are like bikes. You need to ride a bike to know how if it works for you. The same with shoes, you need to try them on. I tried on 2 Sidi's, 2 Shimanos, Nike, etc, 6 different shoes in all. Then I tried on different sizes.. One of the Shimanos fit like a glove. You can't do that by ordering on-line. Would the shoe that I picked worked? Would I have gotten the size right? You might need to send the first pair back or order the original pair again when you find out it was the best you were going to do. I lived through Time shoes for years that were good shoes. Nothing against the Times, but since I have found a much better fit it makes me regret not having compared other shoes for that purchase. I did not know the difference until now. There may have even been a Time model that fit me better.

Mmoose - I suffer from a similar predicament - I'm a tall guy and have a wide foot - I got some Sidi Genious Mega's - the mega is there definition of WIDE.

GREAT fit - also being foreign I have to know my shoe size in about 4 different scales - so I knew what to get.

I was very hesitant of buying shoes online, but the deal was just too sweet compared to LBS.
The online retailer that I bought the shoe from suggested to go to LBS before making a purchase, try exact same shoes there, and once I figure my size order from them. Thats obviosuly your best option.

I did a thorough online research on SIDI sizing (somewhat smaller than other brands of equal Euro sizing), measured my foot length and took into account what American shoe size I typically wear. After all that I was stuck between size 45 and 46, but luckily they happened to have one 45.5 pair in stock :) The fit was perfect, but obviously I had a lot of luck.

Also, as you will read many times on these boards, shoes is one of the very few items where you should definitely go for the best you can afford. If $150 is within your budget you can't go wrong with Sidi Genius 5 :thumbsup:

don't buy a shoe you haven't tried on for size & fit. LBS or online is your decision, but buying a shoe foot untested isn't wise

I did buy my MTB and road shoes off the net but I was in Germany at the time and the Euro exchange rate was killing me, so I tried em out in a German bike shop then bought em over the net.

I just want to know where you guys are getting Sidi Genius 5's for $150.00. Some Sidi Mega Zeta's for that price, sure I see 'em all the time... but the Genius 5's are always around 249.00 (with the occasional e-bay find).

With the amount of attention probikekit gets on this forum I feel somewhat uncomfortable doing this, but since you asked for it:

http://probikekit.com/advsearch.php?AQUERY=sidi+genius&INSTOCK=No
$158 to be exact, but free shipping and no tax, so its pretty much $150 :p
Also I am pretty sure I saw another $150 deal at some other place, so try froogling it. But probikekit is where I got mine from, so I can speak confidently for them.

Thanks for the input. I ended up going with the b&m store (I wont say lbs because it was over an hour away) so I got to try fit and everything.

The salesperson wasn't extremely helpful, though as she didn't give me an opinion on whether the sidis were too tight in the toebox but I did get some carnac's for half price. The fit is good but not perfect as there is a tiny bit of movement on upstrokes, but not enough to bother me.

I think from this point I would feel confidant ordering all the brands I tried in my size online because they all basically fit and I realized that making a judgment on what something is going to feel like after riding two hours while sitting in a chair is not much better than just ordering your size online.

With the amount of attention probikekit gets on this forum I feel somewhat uncomfortable doing this, but since you asked for it:

http://probikekit.com/advsearch.php?AQUERY=sidi+genius&INSTOCK=No
$158 to be exact, but free shipping and no tax, so its pretty much $150 :p
Also I am pretty sure I saw another $150 deal at some other place, so try froogling it. But probikekit is where I got mine from, so I can speak confidently for them.
Sweet.
I never hit any of the uk sites, that's probably why I didn't know it existed.

Already have a pair of Sidi's, however that might be good to keep in the back of my mind for future purchases.