Sidi
I use the shoe with crank brothers ti pedals on a Felt VR2 endurance road bike. Double boas make shoe easy to tighten extra tight, and top boa disconnects from other side of shoe to make putting foot in easy. Don't like that boas have a flip up handle for tightening, and boas don't have shimano millimeter adjustment on the roll. Awkward that releasing the boa you have to squeeze sides of boa. End of the connecting strap on top/inside of shoe was rubbing on crank arm and needed a little trim/cleat adjustment to inside of shoe. Narrow tread on heel of shoe makes the shoe a little unstable on hard road. I would expect a little more refinement for the money, but overall a good shoe.
I do like these shoes and they get better the more I ride with them. The tops of the shoes are soft and cinch up well using the Sidi closure windup system, which takes some getting used to. I would have preferred a second winder for better tightening than velcro straps. The soles are very stiff and push a lot of power to the pedals well. The outer edges of my feet feel a slight discomfort and can't explain why. I chose the white and red colored shoe and am happy with it. The size 12 I wear was a good choice for me. I am using them with Favero Assiomo pedals and they are a good match and feel like very solid connection.
I have a couple months in these shoes now and here are my impressions. I use them on my gravel bike and on my mountain bike.
Things I like:
1) They look good, the overall fit is good, secure, and true to size.
2) The single dial closure system is adequate and fairly easy to adjust on the move.
3) They are ok to walk in. Not as slippery as previous Sidi's I've owned.
Things that bug me:
1) The tongue is only fixed down by your toes, not on the sides. When I ride, the tongue slides off to the outside of each shoe and does not stay centered under the "laces." This is VERY annoying.
2) The insert foot beds are extremely thin and offer zero cushion. The sole is rock hard under my foot and my feet were hurting after an hour or so of riding. I had to buy a pair of 1/4 inch foam foot beds and cut them to shape. This helped a bit.
Overall I like the shoe but I find the sizing to be a bit of a bummer. I'm typically somewhere between a size 10.5 or 11, depending on brand, which has historically translated to a 44 or 44.5 shoe. For instance I recently got a pair of Fizik Arias in size 44.5 and they're about perfect so I was surprised when the size chart suggested 45.5. My old Sidi Dominators were 44 but they're feeling a little tight and I wanted more room in the toe box so I gave the larger size a shot. They felt great around the house but I quickly found them to be a little too large once I got them out for a ride. The tongue is heavily padded and makes it difficult to get the snug fit that I'm used to. I appreciate the extra volume when wearing heavy socks but I think I might have to look for something else as the temps rise. Of course I've ridden them so I can't return them but I really wish that I went with a size smaller.
The Sidi ratchet is OK but not great, I prefer an actual BOA that allows you to adjust tension without having to flip up a little lever fiddle with buttons. I would also prefer to have either a second dial or a strap closer to the toes to be able to adjust volume more precisely.
The overall build quality is excellent as has been every Sidi shoe I've ever owned. The fabric is very tough and abrasion resistant and my shoes still look great ever though I've ridden them on some tough trails and have knocked them around a bit.
If I had to do it again I would order 2 sizes and kept the best fitting pair, or just tried them on in person before buying. I would also check out the Fizik offerings as they've been really great though not quite as durable as the Sidis.
