Sidi always had the reputation of building narrowly-fitting cycling shoes. Not quite so in the case of the T2 Snake Silver. While not exactly wide, it is definitely not the typical narrow Sidi.
In fact, the Mavic Tri Race has a narrower fit than this carbon-soled Sidi—not per se a bad thing, rather something I didn’t expect when I tried these shoes. Normally Sidís are way to narrow for me and I expected problems. But I had no problem riding with these at all.
They are not that different from the tri models from Sidi with which you're already familiar, if you've checked out this brand's tri shoes. Same two straps on the upper, and a part of the foot is bare, so, not the ideal shoe in cold weather conditions (but is there any tri-specific shoe that is really made for cold conditions?).
They're not only wider, they seem to fit slightly bigger than the typical Sidi. It's common for Sidis to fit small—you often need to up-size a full size to get a pair to fit you. I think it's still a shame that most shoe companies don't make half sizes. In these shoes I'm in between, so, I need to move up a half-size and, but half sizes are made in the T2 between 37.5 and 46.5.
They are not exquisitely stiff and this aids in making them quite comfortable. They are easy to get in and out even when you clip them onto your pedals in T1—if your technique is to insert your feet on the fly. They have a wide enough heel loop on the back to get them on with a pull.
You can debate about the silver snakeskin upper, but I kind of liked it. It makes a statement.
Sidi produced a nice tri specific shoe in a fit style that will probably net them a few extra customers. It's nice to see a good shoe from Sidi that eschews the narrow profile. The price tag MSRP of $239 is a bit on the high side.
[Editor’s note: Our capable editor-at-large for footwear Jeroen van Geelen owns Total Running, one of the more important running and triathlon retail establishments in The Netherlands.]
[A note on Sidi's fit: Sidi tells us that its reputation for making narrow, low-volume shoes is based on models made up through about a decade ago. The Ergo 2, says Sidi, still maintains that traditional low-volume fit. The rest of the Sidi models, however, feature more volume in the shoe, and do not adhere to the fit characteristics typical of Sidi a generation ago.]
