October 15th, 2008 by

thien

Features
In my opinion, the outstanding feature of the 6.6 is the Full Carbon Sole. This sole has a unique feature in that it is compatible with the LOOK KEO memory cleat. This will be a great benefit when replacing cleats. Sidi claims that there are other soles on their shoes that are thinner/more compliant. I believe it. These shoes proved to be very rigid and efficient in comparison to other all-carbon road shoes I have ridden: Shimano, Specialized, DMT.

I also found the Lorica upper to be quite supple very comfortable. The mesh ventilates the foot well, too, in that on the hottest days during use (approaching triple digits), my feet never felt overheated. With regard to the Lorica and mesh, I found that they noticeably show dirt. Fortunately, they come clean with a soft finger-brush and mild soap.

The retention system works almost flawlessly. The High Security Velcro closure straps keeps the foot secure, and is easy enough to use, even at speed. If you, however, prefer to wear shoe covers or booties, making adjustments to the instep enclosures is virtually impossible. Riders with concern to this issue should consider one of the other two upper tier shoes. What’s more is that the Caliper Buckle has a tendency to rattle on rougher roads. Initially, I thought it was a loose screw on the cleat, alas, it was not…thank goodness! The buckle is a little tricky to get used to, at first. But, later was a no-brainer. What I would like to see, is a buckle system that more closely regulates the tension release action. When reducing the tension on the Caliper Buckle, it seems that the action wants to jump about 3-4 “notches”, on initial release. I would have found liked a buckle system that would allow about ½ that release. Lastly, regarding the enclosure system, I found the Heel Cup System (HCS) to be a perfect fit for my somewhat-narrow heel.

Design
Reverting to some of the features I previously mentioned, I was most impressed with the rigidity of the Full Carbon Sole. On the first ride, I could feel a significant difference between the 6.6 and the previous all-carbon sole shoe I had ridden the day before (2007 Specialized S-Works), which were only 2-3 months old, themselves. The soles on these shoes were RIGID! Now, I have to mention that the first all-carbon road shoe I ever wore was a first generation, top-of-the-line Shimano, carbon sole road shoe. These shoes were so stiff, that after a couple months of hard riding, I developed a bit of tendonitis. Not so with the 6.6. They are stiff, but compliant…perfect for big miles, big hills, big races.

I think it took about 3 weeks for the shoes to fully break-in, for me. I am a chronic over-tightener when it comes to shoes. Now, after a couple of months riding in these shoes, I have no discomfort whatsoever…even after 5 or 6 hours in the saddle. Walking is a bit of an issue, with the LOOK KEO cleats. Even when the LOOK patented covers are applied, they can be tricky for the novice rider negotiating a coffee shop, garage or local bike shop. Adding a bit of width to the heel-pad would be a big help in walking stability.

Enough of that…back to the riding!

I was reluctant to put a pair of shoe covers on these beauties, because they are so blingy. The white/cromo color option suits just about any kit on race day or on a club run with your mates. Nevertheless, they garnered many compliments from my riding pals and gave me added incentive to ride.