Wisdom

Buy once, cry once. 
Buy nice, don't buy twice. 

From a post on bikeforums.

The Sidi shoe sizing saga

So at some point in the recent past I started lusting after Sidis (Sidi is a company that makes high end cycling shoes). Unfortunately, the cycling scene in India is not big enough for shops to stock cycling shoes - they're very expensive and even if they do stock them, they wouldn't stock sizes like what I need. My feet are long and wide. Cycling shoes are typically narrower than normal shoes. In addition to that, different brands have different sizing. I currently own a pair of shoes which are also big for me - about two and a half sizes bigger to be precise. After spending a lot of time researching these shoes, measuring and remeasuring my foot in all possible ways, I made the purchase. Turns out the size chart I trusted was wrong. They're two sizes too big.

Besides getting a good understanding of the cycling shoe world, I also got to know a bit about how Indiapost (and the global postal network) works. The package was shipped from Germany through DHL (DHL is also Germany's postal service btw). The package gets handed over to Indiapost once it lands in India and I received a corresponding Indiapost tracking number. I religiously tracked the package from the Mumbai airport to the Foreign post office in Mumbai to the Sub Foreign Post office in Bangalore. The package was retained at the customs office in Bangalore and I had to go provide a copy of the invoice and my bank statement (wtf?). In the process I sort of came to know what happens in the customs office. So after a week, the package came to the local post office and I paid the stipulated duty and rushed back to office to open the package. Guess what? My feet were swimming in those shoes. I knew it as soon as I opened the box. Disappointing and a big loss money-wise too. The shipping charges I paid + the duty + the shipping charges I will pay to return them aren't coming back. I want to get shoes that fit me by the time my new road bike arrives and guess what I did? I bought another pair of shoes and I will get them in a week. Let's see how that goes.

The last few months ...

have been some of the worst in recent times, one of the most important reasons being a left elbow fracture. I have since been forced to not ride my cycle. It feels like my life has paused.

It's hard to explain what cycling means to me. It's not just the fresh air and exercise etc. that make me want to ride, it's something much more important. On a bicycle, I try hard. I give it everything I have. I push myself - physically and mentally. I explore my limits. It's a different world and I miss it sorely. It's a painful reminder whenever I see people riding.

Edit: found a related thread on bikeforums today. it's interesting to know so many cyclists have similar experiences.

My hand is about 90% alright now and I had started riding last week. The joy was however short-lived. A spoke on the rear wheel broke and I have been forced off my bicycle again. Apparently, the rear rim is beyond repair. So I bought myself new wheels. I was also supposed to get my road bike in mid Feb. but that will now happen only in the end of March or in the beginning of April. Clearly, nothing's going my way w.r.t. cycling.

However, not all is bad. A dear friend brought me my new toy while I wait for my other, my D7000! It will keep me occupied until I can ride again! The D7000 (and the cycle not) in action: