Sidi Shot 2S review: Classic Italian style and performance that will last for years but lacks a little refinement

The Sidi Shot 2S are the latest top of the range model from the Italian stalwart in shoe manufacture, taking over the mantle of the Sidi Shot 2.

The big change to the new shoes comes mainly in the form of a new upper, designed to be lighter and better ventilated, as well as more environmentally friendly being constructed from a Bio Veg microfibre. This planet conscious approach is a line Sidi is taking with its full range, also making many of the parts on the shoes replaceable to improve longevity. But will it add up to a shoe that rivals those featured in our best cycling shoes buyers guide?

Construction

Power transfer is delivered via the C-Boost SRS sole, rated grade 10 on the brand’s rigidity scale, the stiffest possible. It features electro nanofibre interlaminar reinforcement, with the toe and heel being replaceable.

This sole features a 3-bolt cleat attachment system, with greater fore/aft adjustment giving a more rearwards cleat option than Sidi usually offers. This is great, as a more rearward cleat position can help with foot stability, and for time trialists or triathletes, it can help increase muscle recruitment in the posterior chain. Taking the load off on longer efforts where consistent power is important.

Other Sidi staples are the proprietary Tecno-3 Push Flex dials. These are mounted centrally on the tongue and work by pushing the button to open the turn latch, and twisting to tighten. To release press the metal paddles at the top and base of the dials, and lift your foot up.

Dyneema thread is used here, useful because it stands up to attacks from road grime, it won't wear like normal thread, and doesn't stretch over time. It's reportedly 15 times stronger than steel in terms of it's tensile strength and more commonly found in bullet proof vests. The rear ankle adjustment is adorned with traditional reflective detailing and the essential Italian flag. This allows for an adjustable heel fit while being unmistakably, Sidi.

Sizes range from 38-48EU with half sizes all the way up to 47, while five colour options are available.

The ride

The fit on these shoes is quite narrow. I do have wide feet but it was noticeable when I first put them on. For context, Specialized shoes seem to suit my foot well. The Shimano wide fit is also very passable, and QUOC has another suitable one.

Italian shoes tend to, in my experience, come up narrower – much like Italian sizing in general which always seems to be a little smaller.

The likes of DMT, Fizik, and Sidi are consistently narrower by design, and Shot 2S are not an exception. If you suit a narrower fit, these will be absolutely fine. I’m not going to mark them down for not being the same shape as my feet.

Where these do suit me brilliantly though is around the heel. Sidi’s heel adjustment is great for giving a really locked in feel, especially if you have narrow ankles like mine.

I also love how supple and fresh the new uppers feel and look, with the added bonus of being easy to clean despite their white colour. However, the mesh panels on the fore-foot can get dirty more easily though.

The new upper feels more comfortable and pliable the more you ride in these shoes. Initially they didn’t provide a massive amount of give around the sides of my feet, which is where I get tend to get hot points. I didn't find this to be a big problem with this shoe and after only 15 hours of using them, they had broken in somewhat and the comfort improved, so I think you can expect them to break in like a natural leather upper, over time.

An area I couldn’t get to grips with though were the dials. These Tecno-3 Push Flex dials have been a staple on Sidi shoes for a long time now, but they are in my opinion quite a way off the ease of use you expect with Boa Li2 and S3 dials. Boa hold a lot of patents on this type of fastening and there's only so many ways you can do it, so manufacturers have sourced their own alternatives over the years, and few are better than the Boa closure.

The design of the push the button which releases the dial is easy to use when wearing thick gloves. That's welcome of course, but I'm not sure you'll be wearing your best (white) Italian shoes in the depths of winter. Tightening is easy enough and the Dyneema cables won’t ever stretch. However the placement did result in a fair bit of pressure being placed on the top of my foot, which I wasn’t a fan of. I couldn’t clamp the shoes down as fully as I like to, especially for flat out efforts. I did move the tongue slightly to the side to try and alleviate this, but it still left imprints on the top of my foot. This may have been related to the fit of course – but it may be down to the design also.

The other press-to-release switches at the top and bottom of the dials were not the easiest to use. In part this is because the Velcro on the tongue wasn't easy to lift and release. In contrast, the new Sidi Ergo 6 doesn't suffer this problem and seems to have a far easier to use set-up.

This brings me on to power transfer. The C-Boost SRS sole is exceptionally stiff, offering no flex at all but not in a way that becomes uncomfortable as you ride. The cleat mounting is also further back than other Sidi shoes. Italian shoes have historically delivered a quite forward pedalling position.

However the sole is just one part of the stiffness equation, and the uppers let it down a little for me. As mentioned, when clamping down the dials, my foot was not at all comfortable, so I had to ride with settings somewhat looser than I might have otherwise used. This was great for comfort, but for sprints or short hard efforts I do want more foot security, and it wasn't comfortable at all when cranked up. When looser, the excellent ankle retention couldn't make up for it and my foot did occasionally lift. Again, if the shoes fit your foot shape I suspect you won't have this problem.

There is one area where Sidi products shine, and that is in the fact that almost every part can be replaced, and like Trigger's infamous Broom, you could eventually end up with a completely new shoe. Without the needless waste associated with buying a new pair. With so many competitors offering little to no replaceable parts, it's great to see Sidi leading in this area, with an extensive range of spares. They're not cheap, so it's good to know that you're not going to have to replace them because one small part wears out. This is also in keeping with their shift to conscientious materials choices, in this case.

For a performance shoe, the Sidi Shot 2s, is not a lightweight. Especially not for a shoe at this price point. My pair of 45s came in at 651g without cleats. For reference the QUOC M3 Air are 506g, while the Shimano RC903 in 45 wide are 512g. As we go up the pricing scale, the problem gets worse for the Sidi because at £425 the Nimbl Ultimate Air are a featherweight 358g. Given your feet are rotating at the end of a lever, this weight is noticeable especially compared to the Nimbl shoes.

Value & conclusion

For those that want one shoe for all conditions and riding, where parts are readily replaceable and comfort is a key consideration, then the Sidi Shot 2S are great and will likely last an age.

If you like that clamped-in feeling, then there are a good number of alternatives that offer better foot security. The price is also very high at £425, putting it well into the 'halo shoe' category. That's where it struggles a little, as even in Sidi’s own range, I would consider the Ergo 6 a more practical option for many people.

My personal feeling is that the weight and slightly impractical design of the dials compared to something like the Boa Li2, might mean you could get better value shopping elsewhere, however if you can cope with it's Italian foibles, then the Sidi Shot 2S's certainly are flashy, high performance and Italian.

No, they're not the most practical shoe out there, but like all Italian classics with performance intentions, if you really want them, that won't matter. If you have a narrow foot with lower volume, these might be the 'Lamborghini' shoe you've been looking for.