Sidis Worth It?

MaxPrime said:

I have a $100 gift cert @ REI and am eyeing the Sidi Dominator 4's. I have the cash and I have old, crappy Specialized shoes that really bang up my feet. So, are the Sidis really worth it?

They're a good brand, for sure, and there are plenty of Sidi loyalists. Then again, there are plenty of Diadora loyalists, Pearl Izumi loyalists, Shimano loyalists, Time loyalists, Northwave loyalists, and on and on. There's no way to say for sure what manufacturer's style will work best for your feet in terms of shape, stiffness, closures and such.

But most cyclists will agree that ponying up a decent bit of cash for a quality shoe is, in general, a good investment. Shop carefully, try on different options; go with your foot-instinct.

Good luck!

Very sound advice - let the trying on begin!

A vote for Sidi shoes, from an admittedly Sidi fanatic. Great shoes, once you go with them, you will never look back.

Having said that, you might not need the super-duper carbon fiber soled ones... you decide! They run slightly small (I wear a 43-44 shoe and for Sidi I have to go to a 45).

In any event, as the other poster said, try on a bunch a decide. But try on more pairs of Sidis than anything else! 😄

I ride with the Dominators and a Shimano M959 pedal. They are a great combination! Easy in and out with a solid comfortable feel. I have found with my Dominators that I can leave the bottom and middle strap velcro'ed all the time and still slip my foot in and out of them. Then I only have to strap up the top ratchet strap each time giving me a consistent feel to the shoe every ride.

MaxPrime said:

I have a $100 gift cert @ REI and am eyeing the Sidi Dominator 4's. I have the cash and I have old, crappy Specialized shoes that really bang up my feet. So, are the Sidis really worth it?

Another big fan of Sidis, though my experience is with their road shoe (Genius 4). What sets the Sidis apart for me is the fit of their upper, particularly in the heel. Ratchet that strap down, and your heel is locked in snugly, but not uncomfortably. Careful, though, to make sure that the screws for the ratchet mechanism don't come loose (and don't apply loctite yourself, as this will weaken the plastic, as I found firsthand).

supergiraffe said:

Another big fan of Sidis, though my experience is with their road shoe (Genius 4). What sets the Sidis apart for me is the fit of their upper, particularly in the heel. Ratchet that strap down, and your heel is locked in snugly, but not uncomfortably. Careful, though, to make sure that the screws for the ratchet mechanism don't come loose (and don't apply loctite yourself, as this will weaken the plastic, as I found firsthand).

I have a pair of Sidi's that are 12 years old, I've re-built the buckles 4 times! I still where them on occasion. I have a pair of road shoes that are about 6 years old and look like they'll last quite a while longer. I just bought a new pair of mountain bike shoes this past spring, they're much less obnoxious than the old ones (light blue with neon green). I use Speedplays on the Orbea (road bike) and SPDs on the Titus (mtb). I wouldn't own anything else.

I had a pair of Diadora road shoes for 5 years until one of the buckles broke. I loved the shoes but unfortunately could not repair them. Beleive me I tried several bike shops and shoe cobblers. I then purchased a pair of Sidi Genuis 4. Love them also....

I would try on a bunch of shoes and go with what fits your foot best. Look for shoes that have replacement parts like buckles.....

The model SIDI I have wins out in that category- lots of replacement parts readily available. I hope to have these for 5+ years.....

-Marc

coastalrider said:

I had a pair of Diadora road shoes for 5 years until one of the buckles broke. I loved the shoes but unfortunately could not repair them. Beleive me I tried several bike shops and shoe cobblers. I then purchased a pair of Sidi Genuis 4. Love them also....

I would try on a bunch of shoes and go with what fits your foot best. Look for shoes that have replacement parts like buckles.....

The model SIDI I have wins out in that category- lots of replacement parts readily available. I hope to have these for 5+ years.....

-Marc

I really liked my Sidi energys. But I thought they were a bit flexy. Then I tried DMT ultimates they were superstiff but oh so uncomfortable. My new pair is the new Shimano top of the line, superstiff and very very comfy.

mrowkoob said:

I really liked my Sidi energys. But I thought they were a bit flexy. Then I tried DMT ultimates they were superstiff but oh so uncomfortable. My new pair is the new Shimano top of the line, superstiff and very very comfy.

Good observation about flexiness. Sidi has put themselves right at the center of the carbon/no-carbon super-stiff/controlled-flex debate. Where the industry philosophy has generally insisted that shoe soles be as stiff as possible, Sidi engineers and marketing have always pushed a different story: soles should be stiff, but not perfectly stiff, not toe-to-heel.

Their theory is that a bit of flex at the right place contributes to good ergonomics without sacrificing efficiency.

Anyways, it's a slightly different approach than you get from other shoe companies. Personally, I've always liked mine cast-iron stiff, but most people love their Sidis, including most of my riding partners, and my better half.

MaxPrime said:

...So, are the Sidis really worth it?

For me YES! My Sidis are the most comfortable cycling shoe I have ever had on my feet, and I should note that I have a very hard time finding really comfortable shoes. Plus the design and everything about the shoe is perfect.

Obviously, there is a lot of personal preference and fit involved in such decisions, but I wouldn't sell my Sidis for any amount of money!

I just bought some Sidi Scarpe Dynamic 3s, which I quite like. Pretty cheap, too: $145 Aus (~$102US). So, I recommend them

I picked up some Sidi Geniuse 4s last season to replace my 10-year-old Time Criteriums. I like them because I was able to get them in the wide (Mega) size.

carter1 said:

I have a pair of Sidi's that are 12 years old, I've re-built the buckles 4 times! I still where them on occasion. I have a pair of road shoes that are about 6 years old and look like they'll last quite a while longer. I just bought a new pair of mountain bike shoes this past spring, they're much less obnoxious than the old ones (light blue with neon green). I use Speedplays on the Orbea (road bike) and SPDs on the Titus (mtb). I wouldn't own anything else.

Yeah, my Sidi techno's are 8 years old and the plastic around the buckle has finally disintegrated into 6 pieces (too much flex running time adapter and cleats ). However, a bit of two part epoxy araldite and they are back to being usable again. Though i don't know for how long???. Looking at new shoes at the moment and trying to work out if it's going to be better to purchase online or not. I'm not a Sidiphile but they are great shoes even though i want to upgrade to a carbon sole.

I have dominator 4 and the plastic cleats wore off after only wearing them a short time. I contacted Sidi and after several attempts I finally got a response offering to sell me some Dominator 5's at a higher price that they can be found on the web. I also have a pair of Sidi road shoes and the sole is separating from the leather. They may be comfortable but the quality and customer service is pure [censored].

It's all about fit.

In a way many Sidi fans are like people who ride recumbents. Because they found something that works for them, they believe it will work for everyone.

Sidi make very fine shoes. I will go so far to say that Sidi was the first to make truly excellent shoes that gave a close fit and didn't torture feet most feet, unlike just about every other shoe that was available at the time. But with clip-in pedals and synthetic materials, the demand for an accurate fit right out of the box is more important, and if you're one of the many riders who finds standard width Sidis too narrow and mega width Sidis too wide, then it's time to try on other brands. There are lots of good ones out there.

Lockstah's advice is sound.

I have only ridden my Sidi's on roads and never in harsh conditions. Both pair of shoes fell apart from normal wear after only a few rides. The fit was good, the shoes, quality, and customer support could not be worse. I wouldn't recommend them to my worse enemy.

Hommie said:

I have only ridden my Sidi's on roads and never in harsh conditions.  Both pair of shoes fell apart from normal wear after only a few rides.  The fit was good, the shoes, quality, and customer support could not be worse. I wouldn't recommend them to my worse enemy.

I used to use Sidis before I suffered some foot injuries that changed my fit. They certainly were miles better than you describe, and given the paucity of complaints about Sidi shoes, it would seem your comments are the rare case. Perhaps you could be helpful and mention what shoes you think are good.

Good question. I have re-glued the souls to my Sidi road shoes so am using them but this should not have been necessary for a pair of expensive cycling shoes that had about 100 road miles on them (not sure how long the glue will hold). For walking around after cycling I have bought a pair of Shimano M087 which are holding up a lot better than the dominator 4 but are heavier.

My issue with Sidi is two fold; 1 their shoes did not last very long (both off road and road) and 2) their customer service is worse than bad. Do a search on Google and you will find a lot of cyclist are trying to figure out how to repair the plastic cleats on their dominator shoes. The Shimano rubber cleats looks as good as new under the same riding conditions. To charge a high price for shoes and then not even respond to emails about the repair of the shoes they sell, even if it is just to tell me to get lost, tells me they are not worthy of anybody's time or money.