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PRODUCT REVIEWS: ON TEST: SIDI ZEPHYRS
Philip Booth
April 7, 2010
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THE STORY
Sidi has become one of the most sought-after names in cycling shoes. They have built a solid reputation on creating high-end, no-compromise racing shoes. For the 2010 season, Sidi shoes can be found on two-time Tour de France champion Alberto Contador and Italian Classics star Filippo Pozzato. Sidi has taken this knowledge and created the Zephyr Carbon as a mid-level shoe for riders who are looking for the performance of a carbon-soled riding shoe without the sticker shock. In order to achieve this goal, Sidi developed the Millennium 3 nylon/carbon sole and outfitted it with a three-strap closure system.
TECH
The heart of the Sidi Zephyrs is their Millennium 3 soles, which are constructed from injected carbon fiber in a matrix of Nylon 6. According to Sidi, this creates a sole that is 37-percent more rigid than a standard nylon sole. The injection of carbon fiber also adds to the durability of the sole and helps maintain the shoe’s stiffness over time. The Millennium 3 soles include a replaceable polyurethane heel pad and a three-bolt cleat pattern with position markers.
The top of the shoe is constructed using synthetic leather with three Velcro closure straps to adjust the fit. To keep the rider’s heel from slipping, the Zephyrs feature a molded plastic heel cup to stabilize and center the rider’s heels. For ventilation, Sidi has added mesh inserts along the front of the toe box and along the top of the foot.
RBA SAYS
Out of the box, the Sidi Zephyrs were very understated with a simple black finish accented by gray edges and white Sidi logos. Mounting the cleats was easy, and the raised position indicators made it easy to fine-tune cleat position. On our feet the Zephyrs felt very similar to Sidi’s top-of-the-line Ergo 2 model. The foot bed felt the same, and the molded heel cup prevented excessive heel slip. The only complaint that the Zephyrs generated came from the synthetic leather uppers that had a stiff, plastic feel. This feeling got better as the shoes broke in, but never quite went away. It has been a long time since we tested a pair of shoes that didn’t have some type of mechanical closure system, so we were a bit weary of the Zephyr’s three-strap design. This turned out to be completely unwarranted, as the three Velcro straps did a good job of holding our feet in place. In fact, the Zephyrs’s three-strap design is superior to some mechanical closure systems with poorly engineered designs that create pressure points or don’t provide even tension.
Sidi has put a lot into the development of the Millennium 3 sole, and it has paid off. The Zephyrs are stiff and transmit power effectively to the pedals. It was only under the hardest efforts that any difference in stiffness could be detected between the Zephyrs and Sidi’s top-of-the-line Ergo 2’s. The Zephyrs weigh a reasonable 680-grams a pair, and though a bit heavier than Sidi’s higher-end offerings, the weight was not noticeable on the bike. One Ergo 2 feature that we would like Sidi to bring to the Zephyrs is their Heel Security System, which allows the heel cup to be fine-tuned, and a more custom fit.
While it may seem unfair to compare a $200 pair of shoes to a $500 model, the Sidi Zephyrs do a remarkable job of competing. Sidi has done an incredible job of bringing much of the performance of the Ergo 2’s to a midrange shoe that most of us can afford.
PRICE: $189.99
WEIGHT: 680 grams per pair
INFO: www.sidiamerica.com
BONUS POINTS: Price, fit, stiff soles and understated appearance.
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