Recommend me a great CX shoe

[kartoffel]

I recently discovered my ancient Sidi Dominators buried in the garage, long since written off as lost. They're over a decade old. The soles have perished and are now crumbling away into yellow granules wherever I walk, and the plastic tongues have cracked in half :( That didn't stop me from riding in them today, and now they're even further shot.

So... I don't particularly feel like dropping two bills on a new pair of Dominators, but I love a high quality serious offroad shoe. What would y'all recommend? I have Lake CX303's for the road and love the fit and stiffness, but hate the lengthy lacing and velcro'ing process to put them on. Clicky ski boot type bindings are wayyy preferrable.

[manana]

I have the Northwave Kameleons. Great for road riding yet the sole is just soft enough to flex comfortably when running off the bike. Very comfortable on long rides on or off road.
Use caution on sizing though, they tend to be large for their size. Go approximately one size down from normal. My Diadora road shoes are 42 and very snug, but my Northwaves are 41 and a touch looser.
I have a set of Northwave Compacts (double strap velcro, yellow/black, removable studs, size 42) that have never been worn because they were too big and couldn't be returned. They fit more like a 10 to10 1/2. Post if your interested. $60 plus shipping takes 'em.

Cheers, Trev

[i_r_beej]

Do you have a Performance Bike store in your area? There are a couple near me and they stock Sidi Dominators. They also put them on sale about twice a year. IIRC they're marked down to about $189? (From $229)

Is there a Craigslist for Houston? Probably. Keep an eye on the bike section. How about Ebay?

I say that if you liked your old Dominators-- get another pair! Personally i woudn't be happy with anything else. I couldn't go back!

[kartoffel]

I have the Northwave Kameleons. Great for road riding yet the sole is just soft enough to flex comfortably when running off the bike. Very comfortable on long rides on or off road.
Use caution on sizing though, they tend to be large for their size. Go approximately one size down from normal. My Diadora road shoes are 42 and very snug, but my Northwaves are 41 and a touch looser.
I have a set of Northwave Compacts (double strap velcro, yellow/black, removable studs, size 42) that have never been worn because they were too big and couldn't be returned. They fit more like a 10 to10 1/2. Post if your interested. $60 plus shipping takes 'em.

Cheers, Trev

Those Kameleons look pretty nice. Thanks for the offer, Trev, but I'm a 44.5.

[21switchbacks]

I recently discovered my ancient Sidi Dominators buried in the garage, long since written off as lost. They're over a decade old. The soles have perished and are now crumbling away into yellow granules wherever I walk, and the plastic tongues have cracked in half :( That didn't stop me from riding in them today, and now they're even further shot.

So... I don't particularly feel like dropping two bills on a new pair of Dominators, but I love a high quality serious offroad shoe. What would y'all recommend? I have Lake CX303's for the road and love the fit and stiffness, but hate the lengthy lacing and velcro'ing process to put them on. Clicky ski boot type bindings are wayyy preferrable.

The Shimano 225's are very nice shoes. Performance has them on sale right now for $130 - that is a very good buy.