I know I’m pushing the limits of forum-relevance here but if anyone’s going to be detailed about their shoe sizing it will 100% be other cyclists
If I’m buying my first pair of Birkenstocks then how should my (EU) size compare to my Shimano or Specialized shoes? Anyone got reference points here? Can’t get the model I like in-person here at the moment so it’s an order-and-return situation.
Shimano 43 regular is about the best fit I’ve ever had in shoes. Specialized 42.5 is almost as perfect.
Birkenstock size guide (tracing your foot on paper and measuring) says 41 regular. Is that about right?
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Others near to hand for reference:
Giro 43
Salomon running/hiking shoes: 42 2/3 for summer socks and 43 1/3 for hiking/winter socks.
Saucony running: 42.5
Likewise. Well, depending on model of shoe, and narrow or wide. Although they usually run wide. If you can try them on before buying them, but they run close to size, although their strap sandals can be a little off from my experience.
You want the toe bar to hit where the toes start, or slightly forward for best fit.
And welcome to the tribe. I usually wear their London and just love them. I’ve got at least 3 or 4 pairs. (Their Habana color goes great with jeans (might be obvious)) I’ve also recently gotten some of their plastic sandals and they are phenomenal for kicking around the house, travel, pool side, and spas too. They are far more comfortable than they look!
The Super-Birkie seems perfect for triathlons and all around wear too but can be warm.
I think people often buy their Birkenstocks too small. There is supposed to be a gap at the rear and often times I see people wear them such that they are smashing down the rear of the footbed because they went one size too small.
Go try them on in person. You can find them pretty much at any mall.
I started with the Boston, but had to go to the London, because ‘all shoes had to have backs’.
And that toe bar has to be in the right place, or it’ll drive people crazy. It can/will cause blisters on the back of the toes! Yeah, most people that hate Birkenstocks likely get the wrong size! (The Arizona sandals were my go-to also. I switched to Keens because they are more durable and forgiving. The cork on the Arizona’s can rot out when the sole gets fractured)
Size 45-46 in Shimano/Giro, but my Birkenstock are 43. Make sure to get the real leather version - have had two pairs in vegan leather which both developed cracks within 12-18 months.
Thanks all - really helpful tips and reference points here. Sounds like ~1 size smaller than Specialized and ~2 sizes smaller than Shimano on average so 41 is likely right for me but there’s a chance it needs to be 42.
I could go try some on in person but would likely end up having to special order my preferred colour anyway so decided to just do the try-at-home version. Both 41 and 42 ordered in Arizona Oiled Leather Habana and Tobacco. I’ll keep 1 and return 3.
I also bought the leather treatment wax but sounds like maybe I want to get the cork protector before long too. (Thanks @robcow).
Thanks for these fit tips - all incredibly helpful! Will keep them in mind when I choose my size. I’ll report back for future readers too.
My Arizona’s and London’s did crack, but it took years for it to start. I’'ve always used Barge cement which sounds weird, but it leaves a coating that does seal the cork and if it’s started to crack, will also help stop that (usually). Since Birkenstock sells their own sealer, I wonder how effective it would be as opposed to Barge. There was a cobbler in the university town I lived in for far too many years, and he (old school Birkenstock expert) swore his allegiance to Barge, and it DID work wonders on my shoes over the years. (London’s crack where the fore and aft meet, and a bit of Barge in those areas really helps, and will also glue any separations that can happen in those areas in ANY Birkenstock product)
Barge is available on Amazon, and probably any full service shoe store. (That shop sold Birkenstock sole material by the foot, and could also resole them for a new life. Not sure if they still are around, or if the material is still available, but I did hear of a counterfeit sole material a while back ) I had a pair of London’s last nearly 20 years! Even had a buckle replaced.
Actually, many people buy them on the small side. I’d use Birk’s size guide with the 5mm of clearance at the rear and 10mm at the front. People probably don’t like this because they look big and thus buy small.
This (and lots of similar advice) nearly pushed me to overcompensate and keep a size too big. It’s the correct advice though, I just focused on it a bit too much!
In my case I think the issue is that I’m not usually a sandal-wearer so when trying them on around the house my feet shuffle about within the birkenstocks rather sloppily, meaning that my 3 smallest toes often touch the edge of the footbed. But when that’s the case I have ~10-15mm space behind my heel so I think I’m just positioned too far forward in a correct-sized shoe.
I wore the 41s around the house for an hour or so this morning and started to settle into them and they’re definitely the right size. There’s also a really handy size chart printed on the inside of the shoebox. It’s the same sizing method as their ‘trace your foot on paper’ tutorial on the website but it’s just a lot more precise and easy to be certain that you’re taking measurments in the way they intend (no second guessing whether foot angle is correct or whether I’m holding the pen straight up and down, etc.). Based on that shoebox chart I’m definitely 100% inside the sizing limit for a 41, so I’m taking that as the final decider.
Based on my experience and the data from the thread I’m now pretty confident in saying your Birk size is your Spez size -1 or your Shimano size -2, and if that’s not right for you then you’re the exception rather than the norm.
Now the real test is going to be wearing them - off to a family reunion where it’s 30 degrees C tomorrow so I bet I’ll want to wear them more than the un-broken-in sandals will actually let me straight away!
(The Arizona sandals were my go-to also. I switched to Keens because they are more durable and forgiving. The cork on the Arizona’s can rot out when the sole gets fractured)
