Just about a decade ago I was in need of new mountain biking shoes. Several years into the sport and I was in need of new shoes. Well not really, what I had was a nice pair of mountain biking shoes however they weren’t as comfortable as it was touted to be. Key to any shoes is comfort, and I can’t stress that enough. Coincidently I had a friend who was working for the now defunct SuperGo. This motivated me to start looking into a new pair. After consulting with several resources in addition to my own research, I chose the Sidi Dominator 2. Sidi has a very good reputation in the cycling industry as one of the leading brands.
How my Dominator 2s looked when I first bought them
The price was a bit above my budget, but the comfort after slipping my feet in them were priceless! The Dominator 2 are made from long lasting Lorica. Lorica is a soft, supple Microfiber synthetic leather. It’s a water-repellent, quick drying, and breathable. It resists tearing, splitting, scratching and atmospheric agents as well as deterioration from stretching or rot. Great thing about Lorica is they didn’t shrink like leather after getting them wet as I traversed through water.
Lorica in red
I can honestly say that I have worn these shoes through thousands of miles and various conditions, including inclement weather. Through the many hike-a-bikes, the soles have remained intact. As you can see from some of the pictures they still have a lot of wear left in them. Faded and ragged, they continue to serve me as well as they did 10 yrs ago.
10 years later, still plenty of sole left
The Dominator 2 are secured by a ratchet type buckle (main) and two velcro straps on the middle and toe area. Since owning this red pair, I haven’t had any issues with any of the closures. Only now, in 2010, ten years later when I encountered my first issue with the Dominator 2. The securing loop for the strap broke/ripped. For awhile I rode without the ratcheting strap however it quickly became loose.
Climbing Mustard without the main strap.
I often I kept the strap secured within the buckle and tucked in the loop but after so many rides it finally gave out.
I resorted to stapling it to the piece to keep it in place.
notice the staples to keep the strap secure
The Sidis are serviceable. The buckles are replaceable and so are the soles (sold separately). The shoes are very easy to get into. Most of all, they are comfortable! Walking on cycling shoes is not ideal, but wearing the Dominator 2, comfort is noticeable. I’ve encountered my share of flat tires where I had to walk several miles back to the car. Compared to the other brands that I have owned and tried, hands-down the Dominator 2 are at the top of the list.
Now I’ve got a new pair of Sidi Dominator 5, black, to replace my ever so reliable 2s. While I will continue to wear my old red pair, I’m looking forward to the next decade with the new Dominator 5. Below are the specs for the Dominator 5.
Stay tuned for a follow up review of the Dominator 5 as I take it through its paces. For more information go to www.sidiamerica.com.
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Show Comments+1 on the comfort thing!
I hear a lot of great things about the Sidi’s. Don’t know what happened but the first two pictures make the shoes look like they’d only fit a smurf!
Khoa has some 14 year old Lake shoes that he was talking about. I’m also assuming that Ghost Rider has some vintage bike stuff.
The only thing I have that’s old is my original cassette/freewheel tool from 1989, that’s when I started wrenching on bikes, age 12.
Jer – really low res 🙂
I’ve had Lake shoes, didn’t like them so I sold them fairly quickly. Too hard on my feet.
I dumped my Detto racing shoes when I moved to Tampa in 2003, and regret it nearly every day. I purchased them in 1985, and they were still going strong, but I wasn’t doing much road riding and they were terrible MTB shoes (way too slippery soles!).
Joe, I just came across this thread: http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=676128
This guy needs your advise!