Sidi Rampa Mountain Bike Shoe Review

Product:: Sidi Rampa Mountain Bike Shoe Review (company site)
What's Good:: Very snug fit, great value ($109 USD MSRP).
What's Bad:: Retention could be even better.

I've owned several different pairs of bike shoes over the years, but my current pair of Sidi Rampas have lasted more than three years of pretty frequent abuse with amazing resilience. They're made in Italy (always a good sign with bike shoes) and are the lowest of Sidi's line of bike shoes yet share many of the characteristics of their more expensive brothers and sisters.

I've tried out quite a few bike shoes, from low end AirWalks to Lake's racing gear. As far as entry level performance shoes go though, the best I've tried are these Sidi's. First of all, they're light. Unlike Diadora Chilis which feel heavy and clunky, the Rampas feel more like racing shoes. They're also simple. Instead of having a combined lace-Velcro setup or any ratcheting system, the Rampas have two simple Velcro strips - which one would think wouldn't be enough to hold your foot securely, but actually do an amazing job. The other thing that surprises me time and again about these shoes is their durability. After caking them in mud (and not cleaning them for weeks), soaking them, rubbing into rocks, and other general rough use, they really do still look almost new. A few scratches in the plastic sole and light scuffs to the toe leather is the only really damage they've sustained.

To tell you the truth, one of the key points that I like about these shoes is that they're subtle. Bike shoes tend to be constructed out of other-worldly bright colours and the subdued black of the Rampas was a big bonus. The last thing I wanted to do was walk into a public building and have my shoes (which already sound like tap-shoes on hard floors) blind every passer-by.

Sidi's higher end shoes are sweet though. While the Rampas hold their own as entry level performance shoes (and share some nice features such as toe-spikes), they could of course be lighter and even tighter. Actually, if I went to shop for high-end shoes I'd also take a long hard look at Shimano's offerings in that area (especially the SH-M221's) which I've tested briefly and was equally as impressed with as the amazing (and expensive) Sidi Dragon SRS.

Comments

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Cyn - April 28, 2004 11:30 PM

I'm about to purchase new road shoes...what's your pick Nick?
BTW, I love my black (no flashy colours) mtb Chilis, but you're right they are a tad heavy.

Nick Burka - April 28, 2004 11:51 PM

Well, I'm not a roadie, but I did work in a bike shop that sold road bikes for a while. As I'm sure you know, Sidi sells a pretty amazing line of road shoes including the Dynamic 3 which is basically the Rampa shoe with a road base plate - it's pretty subtle too as far as its colours go.

I've tried on the Perl Izumi mountain bike shoes and they also carry a full line of road shoes. They're all space-agey with nasa materials. They're light, but I really don't know how long they'll last.

Again, Shimano has some really great shoes. From my experience and from what I've heard, you really can't go wrong with them.

I guess as an entry level shoe, I'd probably buy the Sidis. Probably for the higher end stuff that choice would be split between the Sidis and Shimano. Anyhow, that's my 2c as a person who spends more time on dirt than on the road.

Daniel Burka - April 29, 2004 9:38 AM

I concur with my brother on this entire review. Despite the dorkiness of purchasing the same shoes as my twin, after his initial experience I purchased a pair too and have been extremely pleased. The velcro still fits perfectly tight, the shoes look amazingly new, and they're stiff enough for the type of riding I do. Highly recommended.

Cyn - April 29, 2004 9:57 PM

Checking into all those suggestions makes me wonder why shoe manufacturers have a need to make the women's shoes gawdier...some of them are just un-wearable. I like the SIDI men's Lightning and the Shimano TO92. But I refuse to wear powder blue.
Thanks Nick.

Lara - May 10, 2006 9:53 AM

I started spinning with sationary spinning bikes in a class. I really like the Sidi rampas and what i have read so far about them, do they have/come with SPD clips? If not, any other sugestions?

alexis - February 24, 2007 8:42 PM

I've been doing the spinning class for about 6 months now, not happy with my shoes, I'm ready to buy me a new pair, need some recommendations please

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