How to deal with wide feet and cycling shoes

The changing shape of your feet 

Remember those cycling shoes that seemed to fit you perfectly only a few years ago; they now pinch at the sides and just don’t seem to be the right length anymore. Yes, it can be surprising to learn that our feet change over time. For women, they change even more – during pregnancy – but, for men too; as we age our feet can get wider and longer, and we need to keep in-step with this… pardon the pun, by getting our feet properly measured every few years.

What are the reasons for these changes: we tend to put on weight as we age, meaning that the forces and pressures being applied to our feet – as supporting structures – change. Even a minor change in weight can press down on ligaments and the tendons that support your foot, meaning an increase in width or length being possible. This extra weight can also change how we walk, adding extra pressure and changing those forces that act on our feet. The result – you’ve guessed – those cycling shoes that you’ve had for so many years, now no longer fit you. And, age can affect the elasticity of those ligaments and tendons too, meaning that your feet can spread out more.

Yes, as we age, it’s time to get along to a Lake cycling shoes fitting expert and have them measure your feet properly and see what the changes mean to your cycling shoe comfort.  

Changes to the underside of your feet

Now for that obvious but difficult aspect to accept – age-related foot changes. Yes, researchers in foot mechanics have looked at this in detail I’m afraid, and it would seem that as we age, we undergo changes in how our body stores fat, and which then affect how our feet look, feel and operate – and fit into cycling shoes.

Underneath, on the soles of our feet, the cushioning fat pads grow thinner as we age, meaning that our shoes may fit differently, and our feet may feel more pain due to the changes in force absorption. We may need new footbeds, and we may need more support for our arches.

Yes, after all of those miles you’ve been regularly cycling for so many years, only to realise that age will still take its toll somewhere – in your feet.

Calcification and other issues

As we age, the calcification of our skeletal structure changes too. This can lead to changes in the body's ability to regulate calcium, leading to deposits in areas of wear and tear. Calcium deposits can form on ligaments and tendons, leading to those changes already mentioned. Add to this, all of those years of walking, standing, and physical activity putting stress on the feet, which can in turn lead to micro-damage and subsequent calcium deposition as part of the body's repair process. How our biomechanics operate when we cycle also changes, and we need to address these changes, alongside foot length and width changes.

Speaking with Julian Wall, one of the world’s leading bike fitters and Cyclefit Co-Founder, he talks about these age-related issues, alongside bunions and other aspects of skeletal and muscular ageing that can and do lead to changes in our feet and elsewhere; meaning that having an updated bike fit is valuable and important as we age and start to feel the aches and pains of many years of seeking adventure on 2-wheels and two feet!

The widest range of cycling shoes in the world

Thankfully, here at Lake Cycling Shoes, we cater for cyclists in just about every cycling genre, and every width and length. Whether you’re a leisure cyclist with friends and family, taking a ride along the boardwalk, a gravel grind adventure, taking to the mountain trails, or racing along the winding country roads, we’ve got a cycling shoe that is specifically designed to give you the ultimate in cycling shoe comfort.

Like Julian and the team at CycleFit based in London, we believe that performance and pleasure should be balanced for cyclists, which is why our cycling shoes come in a variety of width fittings. We also use a number of different shoe lasts, meaning that whatever the shape of your feet – now and into the future – you can find your own perfect from our range of the world’s most comfortable cycling shoes. Getting that updated bike fit also means that Julian and the team can address any other age-related issues that have slowly crept into your body unseen but clearly felt.

And, in terms of your re-measured feet, and thanks to Lake having so many incremental shoe sizes, even small but significant changes can be easily addressed by Lake – the world-leading cycling shoe brand for comfort, performance and style.