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Renewal: Adding height to a pair of Sidi Lei Boots


Olive

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I've owned this particular pair of Sidi Lei women's boots for a few years, and have put over 65,000 km on them. Definitely worn in. They have been very comfortable to ride in, even on long trips despite the fact they are not "touring boots" per se. They are definitely not built for walking around in, but that's why I carry a spare pair of shoes in my luggage.

Even though the use of these boots has been primarily riding, they were showing their age. The sole on the left boot was worn paper thin, and the right boot was beginning to follow suit, with the tread worn smooth and the word SIDI on the sole beginning to disappear. You could definitely tell that I usually put down my left foot when I stop the bike and it was clear that the wear wasn't from walking around.

Sidi still makes this boot, but there is no need to replace something that can be renewed. Given that these boots new are $300+, it makes economic sense to have them resoled. Plus, I had an idea on what to do with these boots with renewal - make them a bit taller to address the height of the VFR and better my ability to flat-foot the bike. (Actually, I need to give a nod to Gerry02800 for the idea of a thicker sole and high heeled bike boots).

I took them to a traditional shoemaker and had the boots resoled and a thicker heel added. The shoemaker actually stacked a couple of heels to gain the desired height. The heel on these now measures about 1 1/4" which makes a huge difference to my footing on the bike. There was also a gain in height with the new sole - it has a good tread and is actually a sole intended for a work boot. Sidi does sell a replacement sole intended for their Vertigo series of boots, however the brand specific sole wouldn't address my secondary requirement of added height, so this is why I went with the "after-market" solution.

Have only ridden with the modification for a very short time, but definitely notice the difference in height and stability of footing. I find little difference when actually riding the bike because the heel sits behind the peg, and doesn't interfere with shifting or braking. Quite honestly this seems a really good solution, and when I replace the boots it seems highly probable that I will be taking them in to a shoemaker for "lifts" right after I leave the store.

I present the custom high-heeled Sidi Vertigo Lei boot:

post-15151-0-27452500-1311480951_thumb.j

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