My trusty old Sidi Spiders are finally falling apart after about 8 years and tens of thousands of miles. I'd like to splash out on some replacements, but finding it hard to distinguish between the various models - the Jarin, Tiger 2, Drako 2, Eagle 10 all look pretty similar. I'd probably choose a model without the velcro as that's one of the bits which has stopped working well on my old shoes. I tend to use them for road and gravel and not actual mountain biking, so looking for something stiff, sleek and ideally a slightly less porous/vented upper than the Spiders. The SRS soles are a must.
Anyone got any decent comparisons of the different models? Ultimately I suspect it'll come down to which colour I like best. The shiny purple and shiny bronze both look ace!
Is the Sidi website not laid out in a way that allows you to determine the hierarchy and differences between their models?
Ultimately I suspect it’ll come down to which colour I like best
When it comes to Sidi prices, you may as well use this as your number one "must have"
But when looking through catalogues like the Sidi one, I just make a list of things I want, closure, type of sole. colour choice price range and prioritise them, and chose according to that.
Tiger 2 - carbon sole, no adjustable heel cup, top mounted adjusters, some mesh panels.
Drako 2 - carbon sole, adjustable heel cup, side mounted adjusters, no mesh panels.
Jarin - carbon sole, no adjustable heel cup, side mounted adjusters (it is aimed at gravel).
Eagle 10 - composite sole, no adjustable heel cup, side mounted adjusters and velcro
I run Tigers but the previous version with the adjustable heel cup. This to me was the sweet spot.
The carbon sole is worth paying for if you want pedalling efficiency and don't walk much.
The top mounted adjusters on the Tiger keep them out of the way on the trail and in a crash which is a great feature.
Right now the Drako seems to be the pick of the bunch if you can live with the side adjusters and the top cover which can dig into your foot at the bend of the ankle at the front. The Tiger is great if you can live without the adjustable heel. The lack of mesh on the Dark make them better 4 season shoes too. The dark is a little bit older so possibly due an update, but that might include losing the adjustable heel which would be a retro step in my view.
The Jarin is not a great MTB shoe. Just not as robust.
Sidi pricing is a bit of a lottery and there are plenty of deals about on the Tiger 2s.
Apologies, my spell checker obviously doesn't like the word 'Drako' and has renamed in 'Dark'. Hopefully you get the jist of it!
Yep, didn't spend too long looking for the Dark model! Thanks, that's really handy. Drako does seem to be the best as I don't want the mesh panels. Good feedback on the Jarin as well, as that had been near the top of the list.
Cheers,
i'm a big Sidi fan from back in the day and tried the Jarin and it really isn't an off-road shoe, it's a road shoe with some lugs on the sole, which might be what you want
the sole is incredibly stiff, to the point of it becoming uncomfortable after a couple of hours of 'proper' off road as it transmits so much trail buzz through the foot, and the grip on the sole is small plasticky lumps that don't offer much traction at all so fine if you want to walk to the cafe but hopeless if you need to do any hike a bike or extended pushing
as a road and light gravel shoe they'll be ok but not for anything more rufty tufty. also be aware that the shiny iridescent leather doesn't have as much give in it as the usual supple Sidi upper
These innit
something I learned last time I purchased is also to pay attention to the fabric the upper is made from.
I sort of ignored that, getting hung up on fasteners (like you, I wanted to avoid velcro) and various heel tech that I didn't need. I bought a model (forgot the name now) that seemed to have the fasteners I wanted and was a little bit cheaper but the fabric wasn't the same as my old Sidis, and is nowhere near as water-repellant.
Tiniest of puddle splashes wets my feet out whereas some of the other fabrics I think are much more water resistant.
Small point perhaps but one I'll bear in mind next time. If I'm still alive when I need replacement shoes that is.