The Italian sports shoe manufacturer, Sidi, began in 1960 making footwear for mountain sports, such as skiing. By the 1970s, they had chosen to specialise in cycling shoes and boots for both on-road and off-road motorcycling. The company name is made up of the initials of the founder, Dino Signori, and is now synonymous with footwear that combines tradition and innovation with style and comfort.
Where appropriate, Sidi use synthetic materials to create shoes that give the user the comfort, safety, and efficiency that the sportsperson expects. They first used a nylon sole in a cycling shoe in 1979, this material maintains the same rigidity at different temperatures, and allows an efficient energy transfer from the rider to the bike. Nylon has since been superseded by carbon composite with carbon fibres woven in specific patterns in different areas of the foot to provide stiffness in the main part of the sole, and a controlled amount of flex in the toe to biomechanically relieve stress in the foot.
In 1987, Sidi was one of the first companies to embrace Lorica®, a synthetic leather that combines polyurethane and polyamide to provide a soft, strong fabric which is both water repellent and breathable. Sidi was the first company to produce a cycling shoe in Lorica®. They also use the Italian made microfiber polyurethane, microfibra techpro, in shoe uppers to offer a stable, lightweight, and water repelling material.
Motorbike boots are designed to offer protection to the rider in the event of an accident, which is why Sidi utilise a number of plastics materials to provide the best protection. In 1995, Sidi introduced Kevlar® in the heel of their boots to avoid friction, burn, and wear. Their boots also have replaceable shock absorbing heel cups, the outer section of which is either polyurethane or polycarbonate, and nylon shin plates and toe sliders, which can also be replaced. For a close fit, in 2004 Sidi patented the Tecno VR System a closure device which uses a nylon thread to wrap the calf section of the boot symmetrically and snugly around the leg.
