Road cycling shoes?

[dapatcho]

If you go for AliExpress.. you really should have a very good idea of what you need, what could fit your feet. Which you can't have as you don't have the experience.
For my first shoes I guess I had to try 6 different pairs.. and in the end they still turned out to be not optimal and I gave them away to a friend.

You can get good deals when looking at end of season sales.

I agree with the sentiment, but I would probably take a risk one way or another since I am opting for a budget route be it through local classifieds or otherwise. First pair will not be a winner one way or another, and would be okay being out $40CAD vs $140CAD on my first miss. Would you have any recs for where I can find old season shoes (and perhaps cleat recs)? My bike has Shimano PD-530 pedals which I understand are SPD and not SPD-SL.

[Crash217]

I've got 2 pair of cheaper AliEx shoes much like these; https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256807136310263.html
They are "ok".  The cleat placement was very far forward and the toebox was very narrow.
I have some $70 Bontrager road shoes that absolutely blow them out the water in comfort for road shoes.



As far as mtb/gravel shoes I almost always wear my Shimano rx8s but I have a pair of Adidas and a pair of five10 shoes that I strap on when I know i'll be walking a bit during a ride. 
I grabbed them for under $30 from Ross and TJMaxx.   You'll have to go into a Ross continually to find the five10s.    TJMaxx has Adidas, shimano and five10 and a website to search and order from.
https://www.sierra.com/s~bike-shoe/  (as of april 9,2025 they have a few adidas and shimano road shoes for $30-60 including the shimano rc702 for $60 in 41,42,46)

[Pedaldancer]

I agree with the sentiment, but I would probably take a risk one way or another since I am opting for a budget route be it through local classifieds or otherwise. First pair will not be a winner one way or another, and would be okay being out $40CAD vs $140CAD on my first miss. Would you have any recs for where I can find old season shoes (and perhaps cleat recs)? My bike has Shimano PD-530 pedals which I understand are SPD and not SPD-SL.

How should I know about shops in Canada?!
Sorry but this is pretty weird..

[Serge_K]

How should I know about shops in Canada?!
Sorry but this is pretty weird..

"classifieds" means second hand, he didn't talk about Canadian shops. Afaik, canadian shops only sell moose meat and maple syrup anyway.

Does anyone have any experiences or recommendations for cheap/entry level shoes? Getting into (road) cycling this summer and have not had much luck finding things second hand locally.

If you dont have unusual feet - which i guess you know if you do -, i wouldn't worry, just order cheap shoes your size that you like the look of. I've never had problems with bike shoes fitting me (obviously i buy them at the right size, but beyond that no problem).
I own 2 pairs of second hand Gaerne full carbon shoes, because i'm a cheap ass and liked the idea of buying second hand shoes to flex to my friends that my shoes are second hand (I'm weird like that). They're rigid AF.
This winter, i bought a pair of AliX winter shoes, the black ones with one boa dial and the tongue that covers the shoe. They're very soft, the sole is very flexy, and they're cheap. But they're quite warm so mission accomplished. Honestly, they're fine. If you're just entering the sport, dont worry too much about sole stiffness. The flexy ones feel much less dangerous to walk in stairs with, btw.
If you dont expect a 30$ shoe (with probably 15$ of shipping baked in the price) to perform the same as a $100, let alone 300 or 400 shoe, i dont think you'll be disappointed, assuming you have feet that fall in the belly of the bell curve.

[amacal1]

I've got 2 pair of cheaper AliEx shoes much like these; https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256807136310263.html
They are "ok".  The cleat placement was very far forward and the toebox was very narrow.
I have some $70 Bontrager road shoes that absolutely blow them out the water in comfort for road shoes.

I have the very same shoes, I believe. I don't have any gripe about the cleat placement, but I can confirm the narrow toe box and overall not great comfort.

[Pedaldancer]

"classifieds" means second hand, he didn't talk about Canadian shops. Afaik, canadian shops only sell moose meat and maple syrup anyway.

He said classified OR OTHERWISE. By the way. Maybe you should improve your reading capabilities instead of trying to teach people what classified means.
Anyway, your writing is insulting 2 persons at the same time . Wow!

Still though.. how should I know about Canadian shops. Asking in CAD should tell someone is probably living in Canada, at least it's most unlikely that you live in Spain and want to pay in CAD.

[raisinberry777]

These Lameda ones could be worth a try, quite new though so don't know anything about them:

https://a.aliexpress.com/_mqpRisT

[jhearrtot]

I've tried Santic and Shimano shoes before, but they were too narrow for my wide, flat feet, so I ended up selling them.

After getting a bike fit and a proper sizing recommendation, I checked out Lake Cycling shoes — and I’ve never worn anything else since!

[GSoroos]

I have these: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806406774206.html

Not ridden yet, but initial thoughts are that they seem very well made, fit perfect for my size, the dials work great and the soles are what I expect from carbon – very stiff.

Waiting on cleats to come in to mount and ride.

Just following up on this post. I think I've put on about 1700 miles on these shoes. Probably about 2/3 of the time on the rollers indoors. The rest outdoors in temps ranging from about 40° to 80° F. Been very comfy. Very stiff. The buckles ratchet correctly. Overall I'm very impressed with the shoes. And I'm not saying that they are great for the price, I'm saying they are great shoes. Of course it's only 6 months in so I can't say anything about longevity.

[amacal1]

I'm considering these because I like the low-key branding, the look, and the streamlined single BOA fit.
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256807136310263.html

Anyone else have any recommendations?

I figured I should report back on these shoes because I gave them a bad rap previously. I said I regretted ordering them because they were not good and I didn't think they'd hold up. Well, I've likely put over 1500mi on them so far and they're holding up great. They're still not great shoes, as I don't find them to be very stiff and they could be more comfortable. Also, the way the single BOA straps  tighten makes it hard to get a good snug fit on either the toe or the midfoot or both (2 boas or a 1 boa and a toe strap would probably help a lot).

BUT, the BOAs have held up great. The shoe still looks great. It's a mesh material and it stays very cool and dry-ish for summer riding. Honestly, for the very little money I paid for these, you could get a worse shoe.

[nelzen]

I have been happily using these Sidebike shoes for the past year.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006045609259.html

They are easy to keep clean with a rag after riding. I recommend avoiding riding in the wet, since the BOA gets gummed up and unlatching gets difficult.

[Jeager]

I've tried Santic and Shimano shoes before, but they were too narrow for my wide, flat feet, so I ended up selling them.

After getting a bike fit and a proper sizing recommendation, I checked out Lake Cycling shoes — and I’ve never worn anything else since!

Which model did you pick ? CX242 ?

[DrDanger]

I have had the Sidebike SD-17 shoes for 2 seasons and approximately 6000 miles. I have relatively narrow feet and they have worked well for me. They breath well, are comfortable without hot spots. Boa’s are still working great. Sizing seems to run true to size. It’s stiff enough for me, enough so I can’t detect any give, even when out of the saddle. It’s also holding up very well. I would definitely buy again. No regrets.

[srf0638]

Bumping with a specific shoe question to not clutter up the clothing thread: what, if anything, do we know about these guys https://www.ipfp.cc/ ? Any good? Are they visibly the same as something $100 cheaper from Santic or Sidebike?

[alfiomotrambo]

My problem is that most brands only go up to a size 46. As a size 47, it's a disaster to find products that fit. I would have gladly tried Santic https://it.aliexpress.com/item/1005008012722872.html; at that price, I really like them.

Also, almost two years ago, I found a pair of DMT R1s on Vinted (a European platform for used shoes) for €40. They're definitely shoes from a few years ago, but they're great.