Sidi Shot shoes

Sidi has once again created a supremely comfortable shoe without any hot spots or pinching to be found. I honestly couldn’t ask for a better fit. Better yet, there was just about no break-in time; 10 minutes into my first ride, the Shots felt like I’d been riding them the entire year.

But as we’ve seen before with Sidi’s high-end road shoes, the company includes lots of bells and whistles to get there — more than we wanted or needed. The Shots are fairly heavy at 608 grams, and the dial adjustment system needs some refinement. If you’re after best-in-class comfort, the Shots are worth a look. If simplicity and light weight are on the agenda, the Shots may come up short.

The Microfibra Techpro synthetic uppers create a wraparound fit that’s ideal for narrow to moderate-width feet. If your foot is wide, you might find yourself wishing for a broader sole, especially at the forefoot. The material seems quite resilient and there was little expansion after miles of use. The fit remained consistent from first ride to last.

While the uppers are supremely comfortable, they don’t breathe as well as some wispier race shoes out there. There’s not much in the way of venting. But it was awesome to have these shoes on during wet-weather rides. The synthetic upper is water-repellant, according to Sidi, and this certainly played out during some wet rides. Since there’s little venting, there are also few places for moisture to attack your foot. The toe gripper can be opened by loosening a screw, thereby increasing airflow, but that only creates a slight cooling difference.

Further enhancing the comfortable, snug fit is the Doppio Tecno-3 Push dial adjustment system, which snugs up quickly with no hot spots. But this system is also the biggest drawback to the Shots: it’s bulky and perhaps overly complicated, especially when you want to release the dials to take the shoe off. This requires pressing two buttons, one on the side of each dial, and then pulling up on the tongue. It’s a two-hand job that may require some pulling, and the Shots would have garnered a higher overall score if this dial system worked more smoothly. Still, the over-the-foot comfort is incomparable, which may outweigh the negatives for some riders.

The heel retention device also showcases some eager engineering, and it’s also a bit bulky. But it’s hard to complain too much because I experienced no heel slip whatsoever. It’s adjustable so you can get more or less heel snugness, depending on your preferences. The Tallone reinforced heel cup itself is one of the more comfortable ones I’ve tested. The reflectors are a nice touch for the safety-conscious, but again, if light weight is a primary concern, this seems unnecessary.

At first I wasn’t really stoked on the obnoxious hi-vis yellow, but I actually like Sidi’s execution here. And perhaps this was all in my head, but I did feel a bit safer knowing there were two bright moving objects that drivers could see. This shoe looks great, no doubt about it.

Bottom line, these are exceptionally comfortable shoes with all the traditional flair and contours we expect from Sidi. If price is no object and comfort is your No. 1 priority, look no further. But if simplicity and light weight are necessary, the Shots probably aren’t up your alley.