Footwear

After 3 years in service, many miles, too many soakings, not enough thorough dryings I have retired my Sidi shoes as the top shoe for my feet. They smelled like death. They are rotting, I'm sure of it. At the moment, I have them perched in a windowsill to hopefully get exposed to the SUn's bleaching rays. In a few days I think I'll soak them in a hot water + baking soda then air dry (with a fan) and back in the Sun. Bombarding them with some rubbing alcohol might be good too as it will stop future generations of bacteria from getting started. Obviously, I'd like to keep the Sidis around as option B. They've given me a lot of miles, I'll give them some love.

One of my flaws is that I often ride bare foot. Not having the sock in there to act as a barrier between foot and shoe . With the new shoes I vow to ride sock'd.

After trying on a few different shoes I opted for a pair of Diadora X-Trail Evos, a mountain biking shoe with a sole that has very thick tread. The shoes were quite comfortable, and seemed to be well made. They've got a ratchet adjustment that keeps things nice and tight to your foot. I've steered clear of the ratchet before in fear of getting stuck in it, but I've never heard any stories about it so I figure I'm safe. The thicker lugs come in handy when I'm off the bike and wandering around as my cleats won't grind on the ground non-stop.

I've only just got the cleats on the new shoes today so I don't have much of a review so far. Once I get a few rides in, I'll see how it goes.