Theses Sidi Crossfire boots arrived to replace my old pair which have served so well I couldn’t think of another boot I wanted to have on my gearbag. For the past two years I’ve been wearing the same pair of Sidis and they’ve travelled far and wide around the globe and been ridden in all conditions imaginable and often in circumstances over my head where I introduced the boots to what a good crash looks like.
The reason I like the Sidis starts with the simplest thing, they’re super comfortable. Straight outa the box they feel easy to wear and offer damn near no chaffing and in my case no pressure points at all.
For most boots you need a break-in period particularly at the top of the foot and the ankle areas, but I never feel that with the Crossfires. They start comfortable and that’s gold in my book.
Buckles are a bone of contention to any rider. We’ve all had boots with buckles that make you angry. I’ve seen guys use rubber mallets as the only method they could find to get the friggin things closed. The Crossfires buckles are easy to use and as long as you keep them clean and line them up right you won’t have any dramas. I have broken a couple of straps over the years and three pairs I’ve owned so they aren’t impervious to punishment but it’s pretty rare that they do break.
A feature I really like is the well fitted, large Velcro tab across the top which does a great job at not just keeping water out (but how the hell do leaches get it there?), but keeping my knee braces stable.
On my last pair I took advantage of the Sidis clever replaceable SRS sole and fitted an enduro sole which is a bit thicker and offers more grip. It’s an easy procedure and you can swap out the standard for either the enduro or a Supermoto version which effectively makes it three boots in one. This time around I’m probably going to stick with the standard sole as I found the enduro was a little too sticky for me, although if I was still running Pivot Pegz I’d run the enduro soles again no worries.
The boot has three distinct layers and the cleverness is in how the lower leather section can be less restrictive because so much of the protection comes from the outer solid plastic areas that include the whole lower foot, the shin and the calf areas. The pivot system used to make all this possible without it become stiff as concrete is extremely durable and while I’ve blown through one pivot point on a set of Crossfires it took two years of pounding and in fact the boots still fit just fine.
Trail muppets like me and pro riders alike love the Crossfire 2s and that love is justified. Boots are bloody expensive – get the right ones the first time and they’ll last and serve you well. – DAMIEN ASHENHURST
SIDI CROSSFIRE 2
• Replaceable shin plate
• Fully adjustable calf area
• Toe area covered with a plastics reinforcement
• Rigid, shock resistant, anatomically shaped heel
• Micro adjustable and replaceable buckle system
• Dual flex system upper
• New adjustable system of the area between the protective calf-exhaust and the front of the boot to allow a rider with a wider calf to be very comfortable.
• Replaceable metatarsus inserts
• Assembled and replaceable boot leg, it is stitch-free
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