Upgrades
Sidi MTB Gravel
£195 | Handmade Italian footwear for tough terrain
The Good
Comfort; stability; stiff enough sole; price
The Bad
Rather flat insoles; weight
SIDI’S ORIGINAL ENTRANT into the gravel-shoe world, the Jarin, was an impressive stripped-down mountain bike race shoe. The new Sidi MTB Gravel has taken things a step further. By removing the heavyweight features of protection and race stiffness and replacing them with a stripped-down sole, its clever tension system and new synthetic suede, Sidi has upped comfort and reduced the price.
The Tecno-3 tensioning system was the original dial adjuster, with its flip-up dial and spring-loaded release. It may lack the simple two-way micro-adjust of the latest BOAs, but it offers easy adjustment and holds firm. The upper is what sets the Sidis apart from the competition, though.
The new Politex material has a supple, suede-like brushed outer, a stretchy midlayer and a light, knit-like liner. It’s made from recycled materials and is fully recyclable.
There’s a shock-absorbing rubber pad on the outside flank to protect your ankle, and rubber toe protection too.
The great-shaped shoe is generous in volume but not overly wide. Supremely comfortable, it doesn’t skimp on performance, thanks to the stiffness of the footplate on the Sidi carbon sole. Along with Sidi’s signature solid heel cup, this makes the Gravel a very stable shoe without resorting to overt stiffness in the upper.
At 400.7g each for a size 45 they’re not the lightest gravel shoes around, but the ride quality more than makes up for it.
Overall, the Sidi Gravel is a simply brilliant shoe – stable, comfortable and an excellent sole with great grip. My only niggle is the rather flat standard footbed; I’d look to change this to my preferred shape with a little more arch.
Rivals…
Quoc Gran Tourer II
£190
DMT GK1
£189.99
Shimano RX8
£219.99
Salice 026 glasses
£89.95
THESE GREAT-VALUE shades sport a shapely shield lens with a deep curvature mated to a well-sprung, solidly hinged frame. The rubbery nosepiece is comfy and stays put even when wet, as do the grippy arms. It’s easy to swap between the UV400 dark lens and the orange low-light lens, and the hydrophobic coating resists smears and rain droplets well. I did get some light fogging around the nosepiece though. Wide or slim options make this a great unisex design.
Paria Women’s L/S Winter Jersey
£75
THIS GOOD-LOOKING thermal top keeps you warm from the outset thanks to its collar and soft, fleeced inner. It fits your body snugly too, but has excellent stretch so you never feel restricted (the colour fades a little if it’s overstretched though). I wasn’t worried about losing items from the three open back pockets as they’re fairly narrow with decent elastic along the top. A very grippy silicone gripper on the back of the hem keeps it in place and a men’s version is available too.