[4212darren]

I've just about worn out my first pair of shoes(Specialized Sport) and would like to replace them with something alot lighter. What should I look for and where?

 

[Becane73]

I wear Sidi Blaze, some of my riding buddies wear Sidi Dominators. I like my shoes if that helps. Don't really know what else to say except try on some shoes and pick the one's that are the most comfortable. Sidi's have a great reputation though.

 

[BigBull]

Other options

Sidi's in my opinion are high quality but overkill (and overpriced) for most of the people except the avid racers. I recommend Shimano, Pearl Izumi, and Diadora. They are about half price of Sidi on their mid-range shoes, and you can find them easily on local shops or lots of web retailers.
Winter time you can snap even better deals off Ebay, that's where I got two of them in 1/3 of retail price.

 

[tscheezy]

If you like the fit of the Specialized otherwise, go look at the Specialized.com website and look through the closeout shoes. They often have some good deals on last year's stuff, and come with a 30-day fit guarantee. The carbon models are not worth the dosh, but the Pro models are very nice. I don't find my Specys to be any heavier than my Shimano shoes....

I have NOT been happy with any of the Pearl Izumis I have tried. The Velcro sucks, and the other fasteners (BOA, ratchets) usually scrunch the uppers up in weird ways.

 

[womble]

Hijack: What's the deal with those fancy ratchet systems? Are they really that much better than velcro or even simple laces?

 

[4212darren]

I've had problems with the Velcro coming undone while hiking up steep sections and would appreciate a buckle.

 

[gateCrasher]

Check out the Sette Epics on pricepoint.com . I picked a pair up on a hunch and love them. They have the 3 straps and the ratchet. They are stiff, but comfortable. Very cheap. I think I paid like 59 bucks for them. Not bad looking either:

http://www.pricepoint.com/detail.htm?stylePkey=14198

/gC

 

[4212darren]

Check out the Sette Epics on pricepoint.com . I picked a pair up on a hunch and love them. They have the 3 straps and the ratchet. They are stiff, but comfortable. Very cheap. I think I paid like 59 bucks for them. Not bad looking either:

http://www.pricepoint.com/detail.htm?stylePkey=14198

/gC

They do look pretty snazzy....any idea what they weigh?

 

[cam2Xrunner]

Check out this ebay seller.

http://stores.ebay.com/mybikewagon

He's got alot of shoes, and they're all listed with best offer options. See his feedback to see what kind of deals people are getting.