Maybe I shouldn’t have titled this article with boring because nothing about a pair of Ergo 2′s is boring – they are one hot shoe with more cool factors, fit and features than anything on the market but a simple Italian stripe down the side doesn’t cut it for me.

Take the National Football League. That’s right, American Football – the NFL. It takes a lot of money to score a touchdown in the NFL so celebration is expected, almost required in this day and age. You gotta dance, maybe spike the ball, even if it costs you a fine come Monday it takes a lot of work to get a football in the endzone in the NFL. And in this case Sidi fumbled.

Usually Sidi is known for their style, their flare, and they regularly deck their athletes out in some pretty dope shoes. This shoe represented their home countryman, Filippo Pozzato’s big National win so they had license to really show off but they didn’t. Now Pozzato will sport the colors of the Il Tricolore for a year but his shoes will appear mostly white… and a little boring.

Oh well, the Italian National Championships were held in the Bologna town of Imola one week before the Tour de France on June 29. Filippo Pozzato won ahead of Damiano Cunego.

Not terribly far off from a stock pair of Ergo 2′s, the special edition shoes show off the three colors of the Italian flag on the sides and the front Velcro strap. That’s it. Come ‘on, this is your homeboy Sidi!

Team Katusha jerseys are red, white and blue so maybe Sidi was trying to downplay the color combinations. But Pozzato is also the captain of Team Katusha, and he designed his own version of the Italian National Jersey and wore it during the Tour but was hounded by the Italian Cycling Federation for a lack of respect saying that his redesign “does not conform to the tricolore design.”

Winning the prestigious race allows him to wear the special jersey for one year as the representative of Italy and road racing… kind of like winning the Super Bowl. Care to dance Sidi?

The Italian Federation was upset with the design Team Katusha used because integrating the Italian colors to the sponsor’s logo resulted in very little green. Before the end of the Tour de France, apparel maker Santini delivered a new jersey to Team Katusha for Pozzato.

Problems like this one have erupted before such as when Caisse d’Epargne captain Alejandro Valverde had to change his Spanish Champion jersey last year. In that instance it kept too much black from the standard Caisse d’Epargne team jersey than the nation’s traditional red and yellow stripes.

Filippo “Pippo” Pozzato has had a tremendous year. He also finished second in the 2009 Paris-Roubiax commenting that winner Tom Boonen benefited by using motocycles to expand his solo victory. Next year he may win the Paris-Roubaix and only then when he has cobbled, muddy grime on his shoes will his Sidi’s appear a little less boring.

Even though Sidi premiered the Ergo 2 in 2007 its update for 2009 is still the most comprehensive performer on the market today.

When Shimano introduced its fully customizable top of the line SH-R300, the Italians at Sidi didn’t seem to care because 2009’s version of the Sidi Ergo 2 almost identical to the version debuted in 2007.

Most riders all over the world feel the same way – even the Pro’s tend to use Sidi’s more than all other shoes combined. And as testament to it’s quality Sidi is the most popular selling shoemaker in the United States despite its price tag.

Fit

I’ve had my personal pair of Ergo 2’s for two years. When I first tried them on I thought they were nice, but I actually didn’t think they were as special as most people proclaimed. However, I got more excited about them while I was on the bike – for me they make riding more fun.

Even two years down the road I love climbing in them, my heel doesn’t lift out and they are so stiff I feel like the carbon sole engages into the pedals. Sometimes I feel like my feet are on autopilot and hard to believe that I have thousands of miles on them.  When I’m wearing them I feel like I could ride all day, even though I’m an out of shape couch potato.

I think my perceptions of the shoes come from the craftsmanship and construction that I want to highlight next.

The only complaint in the general peloton is the assumption that a Sidi’s fit too narrow for many riders. But in fact, Sidi makes a wide range of sizes including three different widths up to EE for larger feet.

Construction

The heart and soul of the shoe comes from the carbon sole and a Lorica upper.

The top of the shoe is not leather, but a microfiber material fabricated by DuPont. Lorica doesn’t come from cows, but it’s softer than leather, won’t stretch like leather, hold odor like leather or hold water like leather. Using this material creates a stiff, comfortable, long lasting, breathable and very durable shoe.

You can see true craftsmanship from the hole drillings for the cleats. The patented full carbon sole is thinner at the toe than at the heel allowing for minimum stack height at the pedal and maximum stiffness without discomfort.  But the carbon is reinforced around the cleat area stabilizing it against the added stresses of pedaling. The stiffness of the carbon sole is also dampened by a thin layer of cork between the carbon sole and the insole acting as a thin shock absorber using natural material. This interior keeps your blood circulation undeterred to prevent hot spots during longer rides.

While there is a lot of mesh for ventilation allover this shoe, there are also two vents in the hard outer heel cup shell. This kind of venting in the heel is uncommon but very welcome.  The heel cup also sports two reflectors in the base and two more on each side above the HCS, something other performance shoes sometimes overlook despite their necessity.

Enclosure and Tunability Features

At the top of the heel Sidi developed an adjustable heel cup system (the HCS) that wraps around the Achilles tendon keeping the heel from moving around and lifting. The “HCS” can be adjusted to suit any rider by turning the screws on the rear of the shoe to keep the heel stable even while sprinting.

Like the brakes on your bike you can adjust this more on one side or another to help customize it to your foot. This type of adjustable heel cup is a rare feature, one that is unlikely to be found on any other shoe. No more need for duct tape.

Furthering the snug fit are Sidi’s famous Techno II buckles, and the firm SL ratcheting buckle. The main strap can be tightened with a simple tug on the inside SL lever. This is lockdown is far more resistant to clogging with mud and dirt than some buckles on the market.

The release is on the sides of the buckle away from the tightening mechanism so it isn’t confusing between the two. The benefit of the release is how you can loosen the strap tension in very short increments to dial in the fit – an upgrade requested by Gilberto Simoni.

The Techno II buckle is an iconic mechanism that has made Sidi an unmistakable sight. Near the toe of the shoe a line retention system wraps the shoe around your foot volume. It was also designed to relieve pressure points working in tandem with the thin padded tongue creating a “custom fit” every time you put on the shoe. To adjust the Techno II buckle you flip up and twist the circular wheel.

My one and only problem with these shoes is how the Techno II buckle can fall apart and disappear on you. The fastening rod that so elegantly makes the line system so light and highly adjustable can also slide off and cause you to loose the buckle if left unchecked.

On one of my first rides I noticed the rod slipping but couldn’t fix it until the next regroup and when I looked down it had already come apart leaving the pieces on the roadside somewhere behind my group. And as bike shops go, they did not have these small parts on hand. I had to order them but was saved because Sidi’s are rebuildable in this manner.

A nice touch is added to the Velcro strap at the toe. Inside is an indexed strip of teeth that once snug won’t shift or slip making it more secure than any other.

Colors

For 2009 Sidi Ergo 2’s are more polished with a Vernice finish. They come in black, white and red.

But you might be able to still find some of the fancy steel-lux from 2008 on sale.

Sidi is always coming out with limited editions of this shoe for a little more bling.

Serviceability

Like all other Sidi shoes, just about every enclosure piece is replaceable and rebuildable. The Techno II buckle, the SL strap, the heel cup and the heel on the bottom of the shoe can all be replaced. Now many shoe companies build their shoes to be maintained like this, but Sidi was a pioneer in this level of durability and shoes that were serviceable.

The option to refurbish shoes like this will allow you to enjoy these shoes for a very long time. It is not out of reach to imagine using these shoes for even ten years with good care.

Verdict

While custom builds and sizing is loudest buzzword at the bike shops, Sidi offers convention and provides the most ultimate riding experience you can find.

Sizes: 39-48 (half sizes 39.5 – 46.5)
Weight: 642 g
Price: $499 (2008′s might be on clearance online)