Sidi Shot 2 Road Shoes

Sidi's Shot 2 Road Cycling shoes are the latest addition to the Italian brand's performance collection and oh wow, do they perform well. Sidi took a second shot at its top-of-the-line road racing shoe with a complete redesign. There are upgraded tension dials, an updated C-Boost SRS sole that offers a greater range of cleat positions, and more...

Stiffness is top notch and so is the incredibly secure hold. I didn't find them the comfiest, but if you are looking for a shoe that will keep your feet firmly in place as you give it your all, these are an excellent choice for performance. The price is high but the durable, quality build and replaceable parts will last you.

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Closure system

Sidi has updated its tongue-mounted dial system by swapping in the Tecno-3 Push Flex. With this new Flex dial system Sidi has split the mounting plate on the tongue of the shoe into two separate parts, with a central flexing system between the two dials. This is designed to conform better to the shape of the foot and eliminate any pressure zones.

The two dials are effective at locking you in. By pressing the red button in the centre of each, a handle springs up that allows you to easily hold and twist clockwise to tighten. The handle can be folded back down again once all done up.

However, the dials only tighten. To release, there's a spring-loaded lever by each dial. By pinching both of these simultaneously and pulling your heel up, you'll be able to loosen the shoe – and escape. It's a shame these dials don't loosen in small increments and it's a bit awkward pinching two levers and pushing your foot up at the same time to loosen.

With this closure system being positioned centrally, there's an even distribution of pressure between the inner and outer side of your foot as you tighten these up. Together, these two dials are fantastic at enabling you to find a secure fit across the top of the foot, as well as across the lower part – I was able to notch things up tight without experiencing any pinching.

However, this closure system sits on a solid plate that tightens down onto the top of your foot. There's some padding underneath, but it's quite firm and for me there's not enough of it. While it certainly locks you into place, I can't say it is very comfortable having this pressed down over this part of my foot, and it feels quite restrictive – even if you are held solidly in place. These are performance shoes and not ones I'd use for outings longer than a couple of hours.

Sole

The new C-Boost SRS carbon sole has been engineered with a 'special conformation of the metatarsal area' for improved power transmission. This results in a fantastically stiff platform that is supportive when giving it your all. You feel powerful as you push down; it's a lot of fun.

As well as optimising for stiffness, the functionality of the sole is well thought out. The carbon parts most subject to wear on the C-Boost SRS sole are protected by Sidi's SRS (Sole Replacement System) inserts. Made from nylon and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), the anti-slip heel insert and C-Boost toe insert are attached with steel screws, and these removable plates are bigger than before. The inserts are designed to reduce deterioration from use and for increased durability while walking – they're effective and really useful for prolonging the life of these expensive kicks.

Ventilation holes have also been integrated into these inserts for breathability. There's one in front of the cleat and three back towards the heel. Putting these through some sweaty Zwift races I didn't notice my feet overheating, which is a sure sign that these are effective.

Improved cleat positioning has also been addressed in the new sole. The ovalised holes for mounting cleats offer an extra +/- 5mm of adjustment for greater control over the cleat position for the optimal performance and comfort setup. There's also a handy printed scale to help with remembering your personal cleat position down to the millimetre when swapping in new cleats. After some fine-tuning I was able to find a cleat setup that worked perfectly well for me so there does seem to be ample adjustability.

Heel

The Shot 2's new integrated heel cup promises to be lighter than its predecessor and Sidi claims the new design is 'reinforced to avoid deformation after prolonged efforts and pressures'. The shape is well judged and I can't sense any movement throughout each pedal stroke.

This is helped by Sidi's adjustable heel retention device. The unique system adjusts the fit at the top of the heel cup to ensure your heel doesn't slide out during more vicious efforts, whether that's an all-out sprint or those nasty steep inclines.

The screw can be turned towards the + sign to tighten the heel fit, while twisting the other way towards the – sign relaxes the fit.

I didn't realise this was an area I needed personalised support until I used Sidi's new system. This design feature really did allow me to balance comfort and a secure hold very effectively.

It also has reflective inserts for added visibility in low light conditions – and, as you could probably guess, these are also replaceable.

Fit

The Sidis come up slightly shorter than Specialized and Fizik cycling shoes, but the Shot 2s are available in half sizes, which helps with getting a spot-on fit.

The toe box of the Sidis is also a little narrower. The sides track in and push my toes a little closer together than I find comfortable on longer rides. If you like plenty of wiggle room for your toes, you might need to size up.

Value

At £375, these are pretty much as expensive as cycling shoes get. That said, I've also been testing the Specialized S-Works Ares shoes which come in at the same price. While the incredible stiffness levels across both are comparable, the Sidis are a fair chunk heavier at 616g (EU43), the Ares 564g (EU43). However, with the replaceable parts on the Sidis, these are likely to last longer.

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But they are up against some tough competition priced at the lower end of £300. The Suplest Edge+ Road Pro shoes are £320 and impressed with their stiffness and quality build, as did Shimano's S-Phyre RC901s (£319.99).

Conclusion

Overall, the Shot 2s are fantastically stiff shoes that deliver on locking your foot securely in place thanks to the central dial system that applies pressure evenly across the top and lower part of your foot, in conjunction with the supportive heel cup that allows minor tinkering for the perfect fit.

However, it is frustrating not being able to make slight loosening adjustments on such an expensive shoe, and I didn't find the central dial plate particularly comfortable.

Where I'd say these really excel is in short crit or circuit races where you need lots of support and stiffness as you fight your bike accelerating out of every corner and when giving it your all in the final sprint. If you want performance shoes for these shorter style events, the Sidis are very good, with the replaceable design features making them a worthwhile investment despite the high price.

Verdict

Fantastic stiffness with a supportive fit, but expensive and not without niggles