I have a 10YO+ Sidi shoes that I will be replacing. Apparently, I live under a rock since I didnt realize that cycling fashion has changed - most of the shoes seem to be white at the LBS. My old pair are black and I seem to remember in the 90's most shoes being black. Of course, white tape and seats are common too. White seems to be "IN" in the '10s like it was in the '80s. But black owned the '90s and '00s IMHO... Pretty soon purple ano will come back, but I digress.

Question for the 41: Sidi seems to be the only manufacturer that puts replaceable heel bumpers on their shoes. Its a great feature - ive replaced mine a handful of times over 10 years. I will probably be going away from Sidi since My foot is wider than normal width and mega seems too wide. The LBS was trying to convince me that shoes like shimanos with barely anything on the heel protecting the carbon soles is fine. I try not to walk in my shoes, but it does happen. I wear look keos so I put all my weight on the heel for grip. I would think this would beat the heck out of the shoes. Is this a real concern? I dont want to replace the shoes a few years from now due to the sole of the shoe being damaged by walking. Have any of you all replaced shoes due to damaged soles?

I just got my first pair of Sidi Megas, the Genius 5 Pro model.

I had two pair of Shimanos that were around 16 years old that the Sidi shoes replaced. The loss of the bumper on one pair and the impending loss on the other was the primary call to action. Assuming they got equal usage it took about eight years for that to happen, but I walked very, very little in the shoes. The toes look the worst.

The Sidi shoes fit great, size 44. In American sizing I wear a 9.5 EEEE or maybe a 10 in some shoes. I have found there is a good range of fit in the Sidis. I've actually started just lightly tightening them and they hold well. I over tightened one a couple of weeks ago and I hurt myself.

Another nice thing about the Sidis is the Look memory eyelet feature. Should make cleat replacement simpler.

Got them in black with a silver tongue. I ride year round and I'd feel funny in white shoes after Labor Day and before Memorial Day.

I got a pair of Northwaves beacuse Megas were too wide and shoes like Shimano were too narrow. They have a replaceable heel pad.

I don't have any Sidi's, but I bought some white shoes with a non-replaceable hard plastic heel bumper.

I spray painted the shoes black and sawed off the bumpers.

In their place, I contact glued a piece of old tennis shoe for a heel. The tennis shoe heel is far superior to the small rubber bumpers which tend to wear out and slip when you put your foot down. The soft heel with lots of grip makes a huge difference in safety. Walking is much easier and you get a much firmer grip when you put your foot down on the bike.

I have three pairs of shoes with heels like this. If they ever come off or wear out (which has never happened) I could make a replacement in a few minutes.