# Sidi Defender 20 observations



## mnigro (Jul 31, 2007)

Hoping this helps someone out as I couldn’t find much info about the Sidi Defender 20. My observations are based only from trying them on and wearing for an hour indoors. No pedal time. 

I needed new spd shoes. The sidi defender 20 looked interesting so I ordered a pair online... no shops within an hour of me carry them. 

I had some concerns about the stiffness of these since I had read that the SD15 were pretty soft and the Defender20 look very similar. Heard the original Defenders flexed a bit, too. I was also concerned about fit as I’ve heard Sidi run small and I’ve never owned a pair, much less tried some on. 

Anyway, down to the shoes.

The good: 
They appear very well made. Nice low stack height, lowest spd shoes I’ve seen and significantly lower than my Specialized Comps. If your looking for a shoe with a low center of gravity, theses deserve a look. 
Sidi’s version of BOA lacing seems well made, easy to release. 
Stiffness would be a little less than traditional XC shoes but not soft by any means - slight flex up by the toes but the ball-of-foot area back to heel is plenty stiff. If XC soles are a 10, these are about a 7 or 8. Sole is nice and sticky and there’s some padding around the outside ankle. 

The not so good:
For my taste, the lacing system doesn’t come up high enough on the top of the foot. To prevent my heel from slipping I had to dial in the boa very tight. This made the ball and toe box too tight since the lacing comes down near the toe box. If there were a strap at the top, or even at the toe box so you could tighten down different areas of the shoe I might like them better. 
The shoes do run narrow and I’d think someone with a wide foot, or like me, wider front foot, these probably won’t work. There’s no Mega version either. 
The thin footbed may be uncomfortable for some so there’s a trade off for that low stack height. An aftermarket insole would most likely solve any comfort issue here. 

In the end, the inability to cinch the shoes down in zones was a no-go as it made sections of the shoe too tight. Ended up returning them for another pair of Speci Comps.


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## Hurricane Jeff (Jan 1, 2006)

Thanks for the info, as I am considering these shoes.
As far as stiffness is concerned, it shouldn't be measured from how they flex upwards, as when walking or kneeling where shoes flex near the toes. It should be measure exactly opposite as where it flexes down, as to flexing the sole downward. This is where the flex occurs while pedaling. Walking in bike shoes to feel for flex is not an accurate measurement.


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## mnigro (Jul 31, 2007)

I agree Jeff. But a shoe that doesn’t flex at all, up or down with my hands is still an indicator for stiffness, no?

Btw, I did stand on the edge of a cement block to see how stiff these were when downward pressure was applied. Mainly to see how the ball of my foot would feel with pressure on the cleat. Still stand by my assessment that they’re pretty stiff.


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## Hurricane Jeff (Jan 1, 2006)

I get ya. Most people do measure stiffness from upward flex, which is wrong.


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## mnigro (Jul 31, 2007)

For sure. My goal was to shed a little more light on these shoes. Like I said, I didn’t ride them because they’re far to narrow in the front half of the shoe. I really wish they had two sections of laces/strap. I love the low stack height. I think most spd shoes feel like I’m standing on stilts. Others are sneaker-like flexy.


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## tom tom (Mar 3, 2007)

I have SD15s in 46 that are to big but but I like them, so I have ordered some new all black 2020 asymmetric Defenders in 45.


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