This is SIDI's new top of the line shoe. For the first time ever, a SIDI shoe with a 100% carbon sole. SIDI says this is the stiffest and most comfortable shoe on the market.
Strengths: Fit like a glove right out of the box.
Very stiff.
Very light.
Great, secure closure.
Breathes well (I ride sockless in SoCal).
Weaknesses: Expensive like a mother.
The top of the tongue dug into my ankle when I first bought them, but there are small slits in the leather you can cut to fix this. Did so before my first ride, and it was never a problem.
Bottom Line:
For the past 8+ years I've been riding in a pair of Northwave Teams. They held up well and by the time they were worn out, they were well-molded to my feet and fit like a glove. The Sidi 6.6's fit BETTER out of the box than the Northwaves did after thousands of miles. I was blown away. Worth the high price. Flawless performance.
My value rating on these is skewed, because I bought these used.
The appearance of these shoes said CLOWN SHOES to me, because they had white stripes surrounded by black and red. I bought some black leather dye and fixed that. These were probably CSC colors, but they looked goofy to me.
I have ridden for years in Specialized BG carbon shoes, and they are light, comfortable and affordable, even though the BG footbeds are not exactly cheap to replace. That being said, I have a narrow foot, and everyone with a narrow foot knows that shoe stores no longer stock “B” or narrow sizes, and most LBSes, even big outlets like Performance, seldom carry them. So I used thick socks and orthotics to fill up the shoe, since I have to always buy a slightly too large shoe. For the sides to be really snug on my narrow foot, the toe is too short on a regular shoe, and I cannot tolerate that, since I am diabetic. So I had to cinch up the Specs and so all sorts of stuffing. Also, the older Specs do not have a replaceable heel spot. The newer ones seem to have these. If your feet are fairly standard mediums, Specialized would remain my recommendation.
I had always heard that the SIDIs were narrower; like most Italian clothes, they are cut smaller. However, a full line is not carried around here, and the price was so high on those that were, that I dreamed on. Once I was able to get a good size from trying on various non-full-carbon models, I bought the full carbon 6.6s online. They are slightly heavier than the Specs, but the fit is perfect! I can wear these without the tight cinching that threatened my circulation, since the sides are snug with regular thin socks, and the toe area is still roomy enough. I am coming up on a century in a few weeks, and I will take the wedges with me, since I seldom experience hotspots in any shoes are less than 50 miles.
Please get rid of the CRAP footsoles that come with them, and look at the Specialized BG set with the wedges.
The heel cup is effective for hill-climbing, at least for my dogs. If you have narrow feet and are into craftsmanship and totally replaceable parts, SIDIs are worth the investment. Their MEGA line looks about like a standard shoe to me, so I imagine that the NARROW in the SIDI lines is really narrow, but these non-narrow versions are perfect for my narrow feet.
Strengths: Super-stiff sole. Stiff all over. They fit me well, with no blisters. They look very cool and pro. :-)
Weaknesses: Price.
The sole might be too stiff for some people, but can be somewhat rectified with softer insoles.
Bottom Line:
I initially had no intention at all of buying such blingy shoes, but when I went to buy a new pair of Genius 5.5s from the local Sidi guy, he only had the 6.6s in my size. There was no way I was going to fork out the big bucks for them, so he cut me a good deal and eventually talked me into buying them.
Because most ‘new and improved’ stuff in the bike biz is almost always more hype and BS than reality, I’ve always been skeptical about carbon soles, thinking they’d make little difference, if any. Well, there is a noticeable difference in stiffness between these soles and those on my 5.5s! In fact, the whole shoe is stiffer. I couldn’t believe it, but I immediately noticed a difference in the sole when I got off the saddle to pound the pedals.
However, after about 60km of hard riding, the bottom of my feet started hurting a bit, so there seems to be some comfort sacrificed when using stiff soles. I’ll probably change to a softer insole.
It’s not just the sole, but the entire shoe feels firmer to me, and it’s not just because they’re new. I found I didn’t have to do the straps up as tight to get a firm footing. There looks to be more reinforcement attached to the metal loop of the Velcro straps.
I also noticed a difference with the heel cup do-da, even though I was again skeptical. I did it way up tight, just to see if it did anything, and they’re definitely tighter in that area.
These shoes have more room around the toes than my other Sidis, and feel a little bigger than my size 43s 5.5s.
The 6.6s are only a few grams lighter than my 2003 Genius 5s and 2006 5.5s (~320g each), and that’s probably only due to the heel pads being worn on the older shoes, so don’t think you’ll be getting feather-light shoes.
In my opinion, these are a totally different shoe to my Genius 5s and 5.5s. Overall, the 6.6s are stiffer, but may not be as comfortable for some people on long rides. In other words, they might not be everybody’s cup of tea, but they're still Sidis, which means they're one of the best shoes available.
I gave a value rating of 4, only due to the ridiculous price in most shops.
Bike Setup: Argon 18 Gallium S3, Durace-ace wheels, and groupset, Continental GP4000 tires,FSArd200 handlebar, FSA OS 150 stem, Cateye Strada cadence Computer
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Steven Hamman
a Recreational Rider
from
Date Reviewed: November 9, 2008
Strengths: Looks great
Fits perfect
Carbon sole
Sidi name
Weaknesses: Price -- but worth every penny.
Bottom Line:
I just got these Sidi 6.6 for my birthday. I've got to say that they are great. I have a lot of problems with my right foot from a injury as a child, and I've tried so many different types of shoes, but pain, pain, pain. These are the best so far -- I don't use the garbage sole that comes with them, instead, I use the specialized footbed. I have the white/chrome pair -- I've not had a chance to do any major miles yet (winter is coming back to Michigan really fast) but I've ridden around town and can tell they are going to do the job.
