Previously, I was wearing Asics Gel-Nimbus 3 running shoes that I bought cheaply in Switzerland (where I lived - currently just a short stay in Korea).
My foot is quite wide, and Swiss stores don't carry wide sizes well, so I ended up buying a size larger than usual.
(My foot measures 262mm long and 111mm wide, and I wore size 43 - my toes had some extra room, but the width fit perfectly)
In October last year, I started riding a bicycle again after almost 13 years. In late November, I had an accident and rested for almost two months.
Until November, my peak power was 863W, and my 10-second power was 786W, which were my best records.
After resting for almost two months due to the accident, I came back to Korea in mid-January and bought a new bike.
During that time, my weight increased by about 6~7kg.
Since returning to Korea in mid-January, I've been riding hard again, and while riding around Seoul, I've found several places where I can do intervals.
So every time I rode, I would sprint a bit. My weight gain may have contributed to this, but on February 1st, I broke my peak power record with 874 watts.
Today I bought the Specialized S-Works RC903.
I bought it at a store and just had them adjust the cleats in the middle. On the way home, I rode up a hill and my peak power increased by 80 watts in one day.
My 10-second power increased by 100 watts.
My 1-second power was 953W, and my 10-second power was 881W.
I thought my old shoes were a bit worn out, so there might have been some bottleneck during high-intensity intervals. But I didn't imagine that it would increase by more than 10%.
(Feeling good Strava record today)
To be subjective, my old shoes were much more comfortable for my feet.
They were probably made of cheap plastic soles and nylon fabric, so they stretched a bit and didn't feel constricting.
However, it's understandable that during intervals, the response was slower and I felt weaker.
The Specialized shoes are very stiff. It feels like my foot is in a plaster cast.
The store owner said that with a foot length of 262mm and a width of 111mm, my foot isn't wide enough to need wide sizes, but I have thick instep.
That's why the wide size fit well.
My standard is that it fits perfectly on all sides - front, back, and sides. When riding on flat ground, my toes sometimes touch the front of the shoe, but they didn't touch during intervals.
However, since I don't prioritize comfort, I want to adapt to a certain degree of discomfort and become stronger. For me, it fits perfectly.
(Geometry that doesn't seem to want to ride comfortably)
Before deciding on high-end shoes, I researched and studied a lot. I concluded that the difference would be more noticeable in instantaneous output and response than in sustained riding. And it turned out to be true.
My time to reach peak power is shorter with these shoes, and I can maintain that output more reliably. So I thought my average power for 10-15 second intervals wouldn't increase much. But I didn't expect my peak wattage to increase this much.
After all, if you ride at a steady pace for an hour, your feet will get tired, but eventually they will settle into a consistent position, so there won't be a dramatic difference.
Currently, the very firm pressure from the Specialized shoes feels a bit uncomfortable. I need to adapt to them by riding for about a month.
I'll also leave a record of how much I adapt after riding 1000km.
p.s. While the Specialized shoes are great, it's not fair to say that the power increase is solely due to them. My previous shoes were the wrong size for my feet, so there was probably a lot of bottleneck.
But who cares! I bought high-end equipment and saw my peak output increase by more than 10% overnight! Today, I will savor the feeling of victory!
-------------------------------------------------Additional---------------------------------------------------------
I forgot to mention the most important information. To summarize, my foot size is 262mm long and 111mm wide, with a thick instep.
I bought Specialized 903 in wide size 42.5! And it fits perfectly.
There's an additional part under the insole that tightens the arch of your foot. I took it out because it pressed too hard on my instep.
There are yellow and red ones, with the yellow one being tighter and the red one even tighter.
I removed them altogether and it fit perfectly.
