Sidi Shot Vent Carbon Cycling Shoe - Men's for Sale, Reviews, Deals and Guides

Sidi has long been the sheriff of the Cycling Corral, which makes it the primary target for every young gun looking to make a name for itself in the cycling shoe industry. With the Shot Vent Carbon Men's Cycling Shoes, the sheriff is firing back. The Shot combines Sidi's venerable last, sole, and material expertise with the new trend of center-mounted wire dials in a shoe fit for a champion. A Tour champion. Like, say, Froome, who wore the shoes in their debut season and out-shot the likes of El Pistolero to emerge as the last man standing in the annual showdown in France.

The Shot stands alone as the only shoe in Sidi's line to embrace the symmetrical closure system of central dials rather than dials offset on the outside of the foot. The effect pulls the upper from both sides, enveloping the foot in a cocoon of Microfibra Techpro rather than pulling the material over the top from the instep. The closure system also makes the Shot Sidi's cleanest shoe, both aesthetically and when it comes to aerodynamics. Fewer bulky protrusions make for a more minimalist silhouette than what we're used to from Sidi, and less protrusion also means fewer transitional ridges to catch the air and slow you down.

While the center-mounted dial is a common enough sight across the industry now, Sidi uses a proprietary buckle instead of the ubiquitous third-party model used by most shoe manufacturers. Normally, we'd be leery of brands trying to replace proven tech with something new just for the sake of another branding opportunity. But this is Sidi, and the brand is so commonly described as "venerable" for a reason. Sidi's Tecno-3 Push buckles aren't some fly-by-night knock-off; they're the original. The brand first produced them back in the '90s, and the fact that the industry has only now caught is proof of Sidi's innovative nous. The Tecno-3 Push represents generation 3.5 of the brand's wire buckle, with the half generation owing to the Push's inclusion of a red release button.

No shoe can shine with a shoddy sole or fit, though, and those are the two areas that have kept Sidi on top and promise to make the Shot into yet another classic. Sidi's last is legendary, and the Vent Carbon sole it's perched atop is just as much a staple of the cycling landscape as l'Alpe's 21 switchbacks. The sole is a stiff carbon platform that incorporates a closeable vent for cooling airflow or to keep out the autumn chill during late-season maintenance miles. As with most of Sidi's top-end offerings, the carbon is protected by low-profile toe and heel pads, but of which are replaceable to ensure that the shoes last for as many seasons as you want them to.