This past holiday season I had a few dollars burning a hole in my pocket (anyone close to me knows that cash is the way to go if you want to get me a present). Over the years I've accumulated pretty much everything that I've wanted. Garmin gps for the bike, check, garmin gps running watch, check, nice road bike, check, nice mountain bike, check, tools, apparel, accessories, check, check and check.
The one thing I've always wanted and was never willing to splurge on, though, was a really good pair of bike shoes. I mean, you don't have to walk in them all the time, you don't wear them all of the time, how important could they be. Well, I decided to finally splurge and get myself a pair of Sidi's to find out.
Although I originally didn't intend to buy the more expensive 6.6's, through a mailing mistake and through finding a great sale online, I decided to jump on them. I couldn't be happier.
As with a lot of things, you don't know what you're missing until you have actually experienced it. The same goes for these shoes. The first time I slipped the shoes on, they felt like slippers. Not only is the material smooth and accommodating, but there are variety of mechanisms on these shoes to perfect the fit. The two velcro straps on the body of the shoes look pretty typical, but on closer inspection both have rubber grippers under the velcro that ensure the velcro will not slip mid ride. Then there is the adjustable heal, ensuring no annoying slippage in the rear. And finally, we come to the primary reason I wanted these shoes, which is the ratcheting top strap. The ratchet system not only ensures a great fit from the initial time you slip the strap through the ratchet system, but it also allows the rider to make micro adjustments easily on the fly. A quick pull on the lever and a click click click later and the shoes form to your foot.
The advantage of such a well-fitting pair of shoes is immediately noticeable. On my first ride, I was noticeably more efficient on the hills, not losing anything in power transfer. The carbon soles, stiff, were comfortable but did not budge. Before and after the ride, the rear rubber bumper on the heal of the shoe allowed me to walk around much easier, as if I was in regular shoes.
The only downside of the shoe is that the white version, the pair I chose, shows dirt very easily. That's to be expected though and not a fault of the shoes itself.
If you want a very comfortable pair of cycling shoes that will increase your efficiency on the bike and you feel like spoiling yourself, this is the pair of shoes for you.
