So now that I've got a few hundred miles of technical singletrack on these I feel like I can give a fair review.

First off, these run LARGE not small. My friend's 43 Sidis are just barely too small for me and the 42s from NW fit like a glove.

Strengths:
1) It's stiff. Power transfer is good.
2) Roomy toebox. I have wide, relatively high volume feet. They fit well.
3) Good traction. I'm confident when hike-a-biking or scrambling around on a variety of terrain.
4) Buckle is easy to use and very adjustable. I love the 1-click looser feature.
5) They look decent.

Minor quibbles:
1) Buckle strap is a little high for my bone structure. On long technical downhill sections I feel it pushing into the front of my ankle. It's not a matter of tightening or loosening the strap as I've tried both, but actually where it is placed on the shoe. I was able to alleviate the problem significantly by fine tuning my cleat placement, but it is exerts pressure at times. Probably wouldn't be an issue for someone with smaller bone structure in their ankles.

2) I get hotspots under the cleats on long (2 hr +) rides. Not unbearable, or even that uncomfortable, but not ideal either.

3) Decorative white pattern isn't teribbly durable. I scraped off a sigfnificant section in a techy granite rock garden.

Unanswered questions:
1) Durability. I banged the left buckle on a rock. It still functions perfectly, but the impact did loosen it up a little. I worry that it might not survive a few more impacts like that (which happen with some regularity in the course of taking tight rock gardens at speed). On the other hand, tread wear seems good and the uppers appear relatively indestructible. If I do break the buckle I'd consider buying the 3 hook-and-loop strap version.

Bottom line: Damn good XC/trail shoe particularly for those who need a roomy toebox. An amazing value as well(I got it off this site for less), but would pay close retail if I had too.