I am looking to purchase some new MTB shoes and would appreciate the expert opinions of Slowtwitchers. My prior pair were an old pair of Sidis with three velcro straps. I also use Sidi on the road/tri and will probably stay with Sidi for MTB shoes as well. I will do a lot of XC riding with them, but may also do some Xterras with them.
I am wondering whether to go with two velcro straps (Tork or the new Terra - though I am not sure I like the lack of a tongue in the shoe for everyday riding), three velcro straps (the Giau - the new version of my old shoes) or one of the higher end models with the buckles. Has anyone found a noticeable comfort/performance difference with the higher end models? Would this outweigh the ease of entering/exiting the velcro strap models?
Additionally, if going toward the higher end models, is the SRS system (ability to replace cleats) worth the extra cost over the normal soles?
It depends on where you are racing Xterra. The race in Black Diamond, WA has a water crossing. You need to get off your bike and walk across a stream, while the wildlife biologists observe to ensure that no frogs or fish are harmed in the process. I’ve got a pair of the Sidi shoes with the ratchet and two velcro straps. The ratchet was great in this race because I was able to easily tighten the shoes after the stream crossing. In that instance I can’t comment on the exit, because I was pulled from the race by the EMTs after the first lap.
I have raced other Xterra races in these shoes and not had a problem getting out of them … the day could could where it might become an issue though as I’ve had a couple of instances where grass seed has plugged the ratchet mechanism.
In short, if the terrain is wet, the ratchet is a requirement for me because of the stretch in the shoes. I wear my bike shoes as they are meant to be worn - on the small side, with my toe almost brushing the end.
I’m a big fan of Sidi and use the Dominator 5 for cyclocross and mountain bike racing and XTERRA events. I’ve had the same pair for 3 or so years and they’ve performed well. I like that they come in varying widths, narrow for me.
For XTERRA events, I keep the first velcro strap ‘closed’ and the middle strap open. At T1, I just slam the ratchet strap in and then once on the bike give it a few clicks and it’s good to go. I’ve never had a problem with them in a race.
I use a pair of Sidi Bullet’s for Xterra. I also have some Dominators that I use for XC racing. I prefer the Bullets for Xterra because of the velcro strap. It’s faster to put on and off. The buckle on the dominators is pretty small. With the bullets I can unstrap the velcro when entering T2, leave the shoes clipped in, and just slip my feet out easily.
I just bought a pair of their Dragons and they are sweet. The carbon sole does a great job of distributing the pressure from the smallish cleats and pedals I use. The upper is exactly like my Ergo road shoes so the fit is the bomb. They are priced way out of hand in the USA, but if you can get a hookup or are willing to order them from overseas you can get them for around $250.
I have not raced Xterra yet, so was not thinking about fast transitions, but I expect the time loss with the buckles would be minimal and the benefit of a snug fit would outweigh the time lost.
I’ve used Dominator 4s - I like them, they are comfortable, but the ratchet thing had a tendency to jam when it was gunked up with grit and mud. Not good for transitions. Now I use Specialized mtb shoes with just velcro.
I race Xterra a lot, and I prefer the shoes with velcro over the ones with the ratchet. My first pair of MTB shoes were Sidis with 2 velcro straps and that worked really well, my second pair were Pearls with a ratchet and things didn’t go so well in transition, my current pair is Addidas with 3 velcro straps and I’m not really seeing any difference form the 3 straps pair …it works well either way