SIDI SIXTY ROAD SHOE SNEAK PEEK

The new Sidi Sixty  Road Shoe marks the 60th anniversary of the legendary cycling shoe company.  

Due for release in January 2020, Sidi has created a new lightweight, race-ready shoe to celebrate the Italian company’s 60th anniversary. Drawing on an incomparable heritage and cycling world prestige, the Sixty – named in honour of the anniversary – embodies many of Sidi’s classic design features, world class innovations, and unmistakable looks.

Just like Sidi’s earliest shoes, the Sixty is handmade in Italy to the finest standards. Dino Signori, Sidi’s founder (and whose reversed initials form the Sidi name), started learning the craft of cobbling when he was only ten years old, working at a shoe manufacturer. By the time he was 14 he had mastered cutting uppers and had graduated to become a fully-fledged shoemaker. Reflective of his tenacious character and desire to excel, he founded Sidi soon after in Maser, a small town in the Province of Treviso within north-east Italy’s Veneto region.

Sidi started off by making mountain sports footwear, but due to Signori’s passion for bike racing, soon came to specialise in cycling footwear. One of Signori’s earliest innovations that catalysed Sidi’s rise to the top, was replacing the ubiquitous nailed-on cleat with an adjustable three-bolt system made from leather and titanium, foreshadowing today’s designs, including the cleat system on the Sixty.

This revolution in cleat technology paired with many other innovations, such as a nylon sole that stayed stiff regardless of conditions, has drawn many of cycling’s superstars to Sidi over the years. Riders such as Francesco Moser, Bernard Hinault, Laurent Fignont, Sean Kelly and Alberto Contador all wore the shoes, cementing Sidi’s place at the absolute top of cycling accomplishment, myth and legend.   

This relationship between Sidi and the pro peloton continues still. Sidi have won the Tour 15 times, on four occasions with Chris Froome and most recently this year with the 22-year-old Egan Bernal. In the 2019 season, Sidi claimed over 100 victories with stage wins across continents and hemispheres from a plethora of teams.

Until now, Sidi has kept the Sixty firmly under wraps, but it has already had a few outings in the wild. It may come as no surprise that due to its lightweight build the Sixty is ideal for climbers and GC contenders, and has already been worn by Rigoberto Urán, Vincenzo Nibali, and Bernal.

The Sixty achieves its low weight in part through the use of Sidi’s innovative Vent Carbon Sole. The full 3k carbon design is constructed to be incredibly rigid improving power transfer, but with some flex built into the toe box for comfort too. An integrated vent at the front of the shoe can be opened and closed with a crosshead screwdriver for allowing a customisable flow of air through the sole in different temperatures, making the SIXTY just at home in UK conditions as it is in the heat of Italy.
 

Other classic Sidi features in the Sixty are the High Security Velcro strap, and the reinforced heel cup. The Velcro strap has integrated locking teeth to make the closure more secure whilst prolonging the lifetime of the Velcro by taking the majority of the load. The heel cup is a staple feature of Sidi’s shoes and the Sixty has an all new version which offers the same support and protection as the brand’s other top-end shoes, but which is partially hidden under the upper. This minimal profile of the new heel means the Sixty’s profile harks back to some of the earliest leather cycling shoes crafted by Signori.

The Tecno-4 dial on the Sixty is the latest evolution in Sidi’s rotor closure systems, which first appeared in 1988. The mechanism has come a long way since then with the Tecno-4 providing a single dial that ensures a precise closure whilst reducing weight. The speed of the tension release has been improved for faster closure and release.

The Sixty’s upper is made from Microfibre TechPo, an innovative, eco-friendly leatherette that balances high performance levels and light weight with durability. The Sixty may be a thoroughbred race shoe but the TechPro’s anti-mould treatment, water-repellency, and robustness means the Sixty will help you clock up the miles in great confidence and style to boot.

The Sixty is a shoe worthy of its heritage and Sidi’s exhaustive list of palmarès. Combining classic Sidi looks with World Tour pedigree the Sixty is a light, stiff racer worthy of the most discerning rider.

The Sixty is due to land at Saddleback in January 2020. Stay tuned for more.