Wilfred Laurier

Sidi makes more affordable shoes too, but maybe not that affordable when compared to the least expensive options from LG and PI.

I have had the following pairs of cycling shoes since I started riding in the late 80s:

-A pair of leather sidi road shoes - the most comfortable shoes I have ever owned of any sort (eaten by my dog after about three years of constant use)
-A pair of Specialized MTB shoes that had the cleat mounting area rip out after about a year
-A pair or Gaerne (sp?) mtb shoes that held up but were incredibly flexy and soft after two years
-Another pair of Specialized mtb shoes that were as floppy as slippers after two or three years
-A pair of Sidi Genius 'Mega' shoes - sent back bcause they were too wide
-A pair of Sidi Genius non-mega shoes - purchased in 2002, ridden occasionally since then, out of service for the past two years because I don't have road pedals on any of my bikes.
-A pair of Sidi MTB shoes - purchased in 2008 and in constant use since then. These were a step or two down from the Dominator shoes that were their top MTB shoe at the time, and I tried on the Dominators and they were a superior fit, but I was too broke to justify the extra $100. The 'cheap' shoes ($120 on sale IIRC) have held up exceptionally and I would not hesitate to buy the same shoes again when these ones are done, although I hope I have the cash for the Dominator or whatever shoe replaces it.

My experience with Sidi has been that they make extremely high quality and robust shoes, but I buy them because their size 49 regular width is a 100% perfect fit for my feet. The Specialized shoes I had previously basically felt like synthetic leather sacks over my feet compared to the Sidi. But that is my opinion and I am sure there are many people who have the opposite experience and Sidi shoes make their feet hurt.

So to answer the question directly - are they worth it? If they fit, then yes.

KevinF

Wow. How many miles a year are you putting on? I have two pairs of Sidi's.

One pair is probably 15 years old now and has MTB-style SPD cleats. Used to see road use, sees light MTB and spin class use now.

The other pair is 10 years old (road cleats).

The two pairs probably have somewhere in the vicinity of 50,000 miles in them. Still going strong. Original buckles, original velcro, etc. I don't know how that stacks up against other the durability of other brands... I'm just trying to fathom the mileage (or weather conditions...) you must putting on to wear them out in "three or four years".

pdlamb

I thought I was nuts the first time I spend $200 on a pair of Dominators, but it let me extend my rides past 35 miles or so without developine hotfoot. I wore that pair out walking hills in Kentucky on tour, and replaced them six years ago. The replacement pair has something like 35,000-40,000 miles on them, and they're still going strong. That's included rides of up to 250 miles (aka 400 km brevet) and a bunch of centuries, 200km, and a couple weeks of tours.

If you can't afford them, don't worry about it. If you can afford them, and if they fit, you will have discovered another high-end bit of cycling kit that's worth every penny.

molten

When its carbon-fiber sole, and a lesser available color. Of a special-edition shoe.
That's to hard to resist.
Even more hard, once a great fit/feel.