Hot spots across the top of your foot usually trace back to a closure strap that concentrates pressure instead of spreading it. Sidi addressed this with their Soft Instep Closure system, and the version 2 design refines that approach with an anatomically shaped strap wrapped in thermo-formed EVA. The padding disperses load across a wider area of your instep, eliminating the pinch points that can turn a long ride into an endurance test for your feet rather than your legs.

These straps fit Sidi shoes manufactured from 2011 onward, identified by the 15.5mm width where the strap connects to the shoe body. If you're running older models like the original Ergo or pre-2011 Genius series, you need the 18.5mm version instead. The design adjusts from both sides, letting you center the strap precisely over your foot rather than accepting whatever position the factory installation provided. That centering matters because an off-axis strap creates uneven pressure even when the padding is doing its job.

Sidi builds their shoes to outlast their closure components, and the instep strap sees significant stress with every on-off cycle. Cold weather accelerates wear on the materials, and the narrow section where the strap feeds into the buckle anchor tends to fail first. When the ridges wear down or the strap cracks at the fold point, replacement restores the secure fit you had when the shoes were new. Installation is straightforward once you extract the old strap from the ratchet mechanism.... Read More