I've joined the Sidi cult.

Tricia and I went to two East Bay bike swaps on Sunday.

I wasn't going to buy anything. Really. At least not much. I got a couple of tires for the commuter bike at a good price. It was all going well. Lots to look at, but really, I didn't need to buy

Then Tricia started looking at shoes at a booth I'd walked past. She couldn't find what she wanted in her size, but as she was going through boxes and such we stumbled on a pair that looked nice, are way cool, and just happened to fit me perfectly. So it's all her fault. Well, not all her fault. All the BikeForums.net folks that just won't shut up about Sidi didn't help me stay strong. So, there I was, pulling out dollars, leaving with shoes.

These aren't just shoes. They come with a shoe bag and two instruction manuals in oddly translated-from-Italian phrases. And stickers. The stickers might have been what really pushed me over the top.

I did, however, at least get Tricia a jersey to punish her for causing me to spend money.

Anyway, I'm in that shoe club now.

And now that I have my cleats mounted and have given them a test spin, I am amazed. They feel so good. All shoes should cradle your feet and make them happy like these do. No wonder there is a Sidi cult.