Sidi road shoe recommendations

Ok, I've completed my first century in MTB shoes with SPD pedals, and now my feet hurt. Now it's time for a little reward.

I've saved up for a good pair of road shoes and I'd like some Sidis with nice, stiff carbon soles. Unfortunately, the only women's carbon-soled model is the all-white Genius 5.5 HT's, and somehow I can't seem to get used to the color. (Although I suspect they wouldn't stay white for long... :D )

That leaves me only with men's shoes to choose from. Have any of you tried Sidi Ergo 1's or the men's Genius 5.5 HT's? Do you think it's worth it to spend the extra cash on carbon soles?

~Cari

Not sure if you would be happy with the fit of the road shoes -- the heel cup will be wider than what you are used to & might cause you some slippage. Definitely a try-before-you-buy issue when considering a man's shoe last. I ride a man's mountain bike shoe for a winter shoe, but in winter I wear very thick socks & lace up tight around the ankles, no can do for summer. For summer I use the Sidi women's mountain bike shoes because the sole is stiff enough for me, but the uppers are soft, which is another place where I have foot troubles. My husband uses a carbon-soled shoe from Specialized & swears it is worth the extra $$ to have the stiffness. That shoe is too stiff for me overall.

One other comment would be about your pedals -- SPD's are a very small platform. I used to ride them & would get hot-spots on the balls of my feet on long rides. I switched to Time Attack pedals, which are a larger & more stable platform, kept my Sidi Dominators & have been happy ever since.

I would stick with some regular Genius 5's, great shoes. No carbon, but the sole is very nice. Put the extra $$$ towards some sweet pedals.

The Genius 5s are very stiff. Is there some reason you want the carbon?

I also have the Genius 5's, but in the metallic blue color. I find them really comfortable.

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Originally Posted by Squirrel 2

Not sure if you would be happy with the fit of the road shoes -- the heel cup will be wider than what you are used to & might cause you some slippage. Definitely a try-before-you-buy issue when considering a man's shoe last.

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I worry about that too... my foot is a bit wide in front but not at the heel. But it seems like regardless of whether I wear a man's shoe (my very old Sidi Bullets) or women's (the newer Dominator 5's), I need to wear thick socks (Defeet Cush 3D socks) in order to get a good fit. Size 41's are just a tiny bit too short (I can feel the front of the shoe with my big toe) and in 41.5's, my foot slides all over the place.

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Originally Posted by Squirrel 2

One other comment would be about your pedals -- SPD's are a very small platform. I used to ride them & would get hot-spots on the balls of my feet on long rides.

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I think you're right. I've always used SPD's on my mtb but they're the ones that come with a platform. For the roadbike I got some inexpensive Shimano pedals without platforms.

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Originally Posted by SR500

I would stick with some regular Genius 5's, great shoes. No carbon, but I'm the sole is very nice. Put the extra $$$ towards some sweet pedals.

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I was going to get the Look KeO Carbons. Would these be good? I can also get a good deal on the KeO Carbon Ti's, which have a titanium spindle (instead of cromoly steel) and are 40g lighter. I don't know *anything* about road pedals, but I didn't think the $100 price difference was worth it. Any thoughts?

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Originally Posted by SadieKate

The Genius 5s are very stiff. Is there some reason you want the carbon?

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The carbon soles are 45g lighter, but mainly I was looking for stiffness. I guess Sidi shoes have a reputation for not being very stiff, which is why I thought I should go with the carbon sole instead of nylon. The soles on my Sidi Dominator 5's actually flex somewhat, and the ones on my very old Sidi Bullets flex a *lot*. I'm a big girl with biiig legs!

Do you think the HT carbon sole & the Ergo sole are overkill? What are the drawbacks to using a very stiff sole? I've never used proper road shoes & pedals, so I'm lost here.

Maybe I should give the Genius 5's a chance? I guess I just thought that if I'm going to spend a lot of money on something, I may as well get something that will keep me happy for a long time. I try to buy the best quality I can afford and take good care of my things so they last a long time. Plus I *hate* being in a situation where I feel like my feet give out before my legs do. At the century on Saturday, what hurt was my seat, my feet, my hands, and my shoulders. :(

Honestly, if the women's Genius 5.5 HT's came in that gorgeous metallic blue, or a silver or titanium color, I would have made up my mind ages ago.

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Originally Posted by Cari

I was going to get the Look KeO Carbons. Would these be good? I can also get a good deal on the KeO Carbon Ti's, which have a titanium spindle (instead of cromoly steel) and are 40g lighter. I don't know *anything* about road pedals, but I didn't think the $100 price difference was worth it. Any thoughts?

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I've got the regular Look Keos - just changed from regular Looks. I love them. Great platform, easy in and out. I can get into the pedals while standing to start from a stop light.

I have to wear men's shoes because I am a women's 11, and women's shoes only go to a 43. I need a 44. Anyway, if you can get women's shoes, get them. Sidis tend to run a bit small...

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Originally Posted by Cari

I was going to get the Look KeO Carbons. Would these be good? I can also get a good deal on the KeO Carbon Ti's, which have a titanium spindle (instead of cromoly steel) and are 40g lighter. I don't know *anything* about road pedals, but I didn't think the $100 price difference was worth it. Any thoughts?

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I have Ritchey pedals and my DH has Campy, so can't help you with the Look's, but they "look" nice. $100 for 40 grams is fairly stiff, I know my husband's Campy pedals have a titanium sprindle.

Also if you have a local shoe repair shop they can stretch the Sidi's a hair for a perfect fit. Not fun to always wear thick socks.

My Genius 5s are very stiff. Probably stiffer than the Doms but the Doms get walked in which breaks down the soles. I've never heard rumors that Sidis soles aren't stiff and if you aren't seriously racing, how stiff do you need them?

I've got Look Keo carbon pedals that I love. I've used Looks for 20-some years and these are the best yet. Incredibly easy to click in. The Carbons have 2 bearings rather than one which should give them a longer life and are 20 grams lighter but the Sprint can be adjusted to a lighter release tension and get excellent reviews. Price difference of $80. The Sprints received Bicycling Magazines' Pedal of the Year designation.

Thank you all, I'm taking your advice. :) I went with the women's Sidi Genius 5's and the Look KeO Carbon pedals. I have another century in a couple of weeks, so hopefully I will have broken them in nicely by then.

I'll put my lovely Genius 5.5 HT's back in the shipping box and return them to TE, hoping for a brighter future in which Sidi starts making women's shoes in other colors... heheh.

For the MTB I'm going to stick with my SPD pedals, since I have the ones with the resin cage which gives me a nice little platform. Also I'd like to get back into spinning and most of the gyms here use SPD pedals, so it saves me from having to have separate shoes for that. But I'll definitely keep the Time ATACs in mind if I ever consider changing. I have several friends who swear by them.

~Cari

Cari,

I think, for your climate especially, you also need a pair of Shimano sandals. I can't tell you how much I love mine and how happy my feet are!! Someday when I am not lazy I am going to post my Sidi Lightnings for sale cheap- I just didn't get along with road shoes, and have the Sidi Rampa MTB shoes which I dearly love, but not as much as the sandals...

Nanci

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Originally Posted by Nanci

Cari,

I think, for your climate especially, you also need a pair of Shimano sandals. I can't tell you how much I love mine and how happy my feet are!!
Nanci

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Hi Nanci,

Sandals sound like a big relief in hot weather. The thing is, it can get so hot and especially humid here that I'm afraid that my feet would get sweaty, start slipping around inside the sandals, and I'd get blisters. At least that's what's happened to me with Teva-style sandals, when I've worn them in the summer. Are the Shimano sandals anything like that, or do they fit better? Have you worn them on those ridiculously long rides you like to do when you're taking a break from running marathons and swimming the English Channel? :D

~Carissa

Hi Carissa,

I wore them last Saturday for 130 miles in 101F (at last report at 2:30 PM) heat, in Florida humidity, with no problems. It was sure fun to stick ice chunks under my toes and gloat while the others with real shoes boiled!

Seriously, I can't remember my feet ever sweating in them. I think the breeze prevents that. And, they have a snug fit, but I don't keep the straps really tight- but I just really don't feel them, either. It's like I'm just stepping on soft rubber platforms. But I think I have an efficient pedal stroke, still.

Their first ride was Three State Three Mountain. Not horribly hot, but 105 miles with MAJOR climbing. And 1/4 mile of walking! :-) (22% grade!)

Nanci

When I grow up I want to be like Nanci. Or ride like her, at least. Hopefully that will be sometime soon, since I'm pushing 30. :rolleyes:

How long does it take you to do a century? And those 130 mile rides?? How do you do it, woman?!? :eek:

My first century took me about 7:30 hours -- 6am to 1:30pm -- including rest stops. After forcing down a sandwich for lunch at the halfway point, it took me a looong time to convince myself to even get back on the bike, since two of my good friends were there driving mechanical support vehicles.

At about mile 65, my head felt so hot that I thought I might start seeing Keebler elves materializing out of the asphalt. I abandoned the group and stopped at a gas station to find some ice cold water to pour over my head. By the rest stop at mile 71, my hands were so numb that I couldn't open the Gatorade and water bottles we were being given. And the only thing that got me to the finish was the promise of an air-conditioned car and relief for my sore butt.

That one was on May 20th. I'm still trying to convince myself to do another. Oh yeah, and I'm supposed to do the PR MS 300 Bike Tour in December. Ay, ay, ay.

Maybe it's because I'm such a freeze baby I still have to run the heat in my car in Florida in June in the morning on the way to work. Or because I'd rather have my windows down than the AC running. Or because I go sit on the patio in the evening with my bird, and read a book instead of sitting inside watching the TV with the AC blasting away.

I did a lot of ice stuffing myself, though, Saturday.

Plus I take Succeed Caps! electrolytes every half hour.

I'm not fast, though. My usual Century time is right around what yours is- 14.5-15 mph, plus plenty of stops, especially when it is hot.

I get more for my money that way, the longer it takes!!

It's tough in really hot weather, though. It was very tempting to quit when my riding buddy was calling his mommy to pick him up. But geez, I paid $100 for the hotel room, drove 100 miles each way, paid $25 for the entry fee, so I was going to quit because I was hot??? And give up my chance for the R12 award?? If I wasn't going to do the ride (which was _beautiful scenery, no traffic- it was just the temp that was bad) what did I even go there for???

I've realized that there comes a time in every long ride that I feel doomed- like I hate riding, hate my bike, hate Florida...But it all goes away and the ride is worth it when it's over.

Before my 600k I was panicking about my hands- not numb, but just so irritated and hurting that I couldn't get comfortable during the last hours of my 400k. So I had the shop put those gel pads under gel tape, and bought new gel gloves- and spent time on the aerobars- it really helped.

Neutrogena Cooling Spray Sunscreen helps a lot.

Coca Cola Icees are heavenly.

Washing the sweat and salt and grime off in the convenience store bathrooms helps- if you have new sunscreen to put on.

My undercarriage doesn't get very sore on Century/200ks as long as I keep things dry after I pee. Any rest stops in the bushes are asking for trouble. Still, things get a little irritated on ALL pressure points- hands, feet, crotch- how could they not??? After 8-12 hours of constant contact with the bike? At least the next day things are more or less back to normal, that's all I care about.

Sure, I could be doing "normal" recreational riding, and most of the time, that's what I do. But I love being old, relatively fat, a grandma, not an athlete, but still being able to ride farther than practically everyone I know! All it takes is the will to do it. And a lot of trial and error, constantly improving on lessons learned. But mostly, it's just being too stubborn to quit. And having a good imagination so it all sounds like fun in retrospect!

Nanci