Sidi Dimaro Trail Shoes

Located in the shadow of the majestic Dolomites, Sidi started life in 1960 as a one-man craftsman’s workshop manufacturing hiking footwear. The founder, Dino Signori, used his initials to name the company. Into the 1970s, the company branched into specific footwear for both motorcycling and cycling.

Aside from their popularity among the throttle twisters, in the years that followed, Sidi became synonymous with high-performance cycling shoes that have gone on to win the Tour de France numerous times. Sidi sent us a pair of their new Dimaro shoes, which are uniquely designed for all types of mountain biking and e-mountain biking. 

The soles are made by Vibram and feature a unique option of using the shoes for flats or for clipless pedals, just by removing a bolt-on insert that goes where the cleat attaches. The rubber sole itself is Vibram’s proprietary Megagrip outsole compound that uses a soft, sticky rubber, which not only provides good grip but also damps trail vibrations and helps soak up hard landings.

The tread design is a criss-cross triangle design that grips the pins of flat pedals really well. Any cleat that will work with a two-bolt design should fit into the adjustable bolt holes (e.g., SPD). The shoe’s midsole is made of a dense EVA (Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate) foam offers excellent support and added shock absorption.

The upper is made from a breathable microfiber material that is perforated for ventilation and has a neoprene gaiter at the heel cup to keep out loose debris from the trail. The toe box is covered with flexible thermoplastic polyurethane to keep your toes safe and to camouflage scratches and nicks.

The shoes lace up, and those laces are then covered with an elastic Velcro closure system that keeps your laces covered and provides some nice, extra protection for the top of your foot.

We tested these mostly with flat pedals, and we have to say that they are very comfortable and do grip the pedals very well. The soles are stiff enough to transfer plenty of power to the pedals, and the impact protection and extra features were welcome as we went through the woods and through some puddles along the way.

The Vibram inserts were easy to remove but a little tricky to replace afterwards, because they have to be lined up just right with the threaded receivers in the right place. Because they’re only held on by two bolts, there’s a potential for the inserts to catch on things and deform slightly to make them not sit perfectly flat. As a jack-of-all-trades-type shoe, the Sidis were fantastic. They aren’t cheap, but we think the versatility is worth it if you sometimes ride flats and sometimes ride cleats, and don’t want to buy two different shoes for that.

The protection and comfort rate just as high, and we found ourselves reaching for them for every ride we could. Available in sizes 37–48 in whole sizes. We ordered our usual European size, and the fit was spot-on. Sidi offers a one-year manufacturer warranty.

HITS

• Great protection

• Comfortable

• One pair of shoes for flats or cleats

MISSES

• Expensive

• Cleat cover can be damaged over time

STAR RATING

Four out of five stars

Price: $224.95

www.sidi.com

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