Comfy, WIDE, stiff.

A little cool in cooler weather. Not a huge fan of the blue color on the shoes.

Well... I searched for a while to find an alternative to the Sidi Genius 4 Megas. I have wide feet and found that the Pearl shoes fit almost identically to the Sidi shoes. The shoe is light, though not as light as the Sidi. It is plenty stiff, comfy, and seems to be well made. The shoes are very well ventilated. The ratchet system works about like the system on the Sidi. So... I guess what I am trying to say is that these are a lot like the Sidis, but $100 less. Good value.

Similar Products Used:

Sidi, Diadora, Lake shoes.

Comfortable,Stiff.Very good ventilation

When riding in cold toes to get a little nippy.

Very nice shoe.Fits great plenty stiff.Very good ventilation.Comfy even when spending long hours in the saddle. All in all a very good shoe!!

Similar Products Used:

Sidi,Diadora

Stiff, durable, comfortable, well ventilated, different style than most

Cold in the winter, might be too wide for people with narrow feet.

I bought these shoes because Sidis seemed so cliche. I have been impressed with their rigidity -- even after 1,500 miles -- and their ventilation. The narrow sole beam caused the rubber stops on my shimano Ultegra cleats to bend, but they aren't too necessary anyway. I recommend these shoes but I can refute the other reviewer's claim that your toes will stay warm in 45 degree weather; the shoes have good ventilation and you toes will go numb when it's that cold.

Similar Products Used:

Specialized, Sidi

fit great!

They only work when you are not pedaling!

While these shoes fit great and are plenty stiff they are not compatable with my Look pedals. The right shoe on my pair would rub up against the crankarm no matter how far over I slid the cleat. This clearly was a manufacturing error and makes me wonder about the Pearl Izumi quality control. Of course now there are no clearence shoes available that are not defects at the same price. On to another manufacturer!

Similar Products Used:

Sidi, shimano etc.

These shoes fit my wide feet like a glove. Stiff, yet lightweight. The three loop closure allows me to customize the tightening. Little flex. Vented, yet kept my toes warm on a 45 degree ride with no booties

None so far.

Bought these a training shoes for summer/fall.

They look great (I got the black/grey version), are comfortable and plenty stiff.

The only thing I'd call a weakness are the short straps. Someone with wider feet might run out of velcro.

I've had a pair of Sidi Konas for over 13 years and it was about time to get a new pair. I tried the Sidi Genius, but it felt tight around the toes. The Vortex felt great and I saved $100. I've ridden these for about 750 miles so far and they're still as comfortable as ever.

Similar Products Used:

Sidi Kona

slipper-like feel, easy velcro tightening, stiff sole, fits almost any kind of pedal cleat

umm....make sure u wear socks, otherwise you'll have huge ass blisters on ur achilles...thei weird color goes with the strangest things

ya so i was staring at about a dozen different road shoes over my $150 limit when these things grabbed my attention. They definitely feel like slippers, still after 400 miles in less than a month. They didn't have any of the gray colored ones in stock so i grabbed a pair of those blue ones, lucky for me they go nicely with my yellow/orange bike

Similar Products Used:

specialized comp shoe, shimano sh-97 and sh-125

Comfortable and well ventilated (booties in cold weather a must)

none yet, but the blue doesn't match anything .. oh well.

I bought these after also trying the PI Vapor (high end shoe) and SIDI. The Vapor seemed to dig into the top of my foot, but the Vortex fit nicely without the dig.

Similar Products Used:

Specialized Comp Shoe