Shoes are one the few areas where brand actually matters. You find a lot more variety in how shoes are designed and built versus bike frames and components. I'm a Sidi snob, not because I care about the brand, but because I've tried cheaper brands and they don't fit as well or, more often, they don't last as long. With shoes you really get what you pay for. I'm sure there are great shoes out there that cost less then Sidis, but I've tried enough shoes now that I'm no longer willing to experiment. Sidi's cost a lot but I know I'll get may years of use out the them.