Giro Men's Imperial Road Cycling Triathlon/Aero Shoes, 7 UK

Product Information

While the S-Works proprietary Boa dials are the same as with the 7, the greater distance between the top dial and hook on the Torch gives you a more functional lace. That’s because Specialized removed a lot of material between the left and right side of the upper from the midfoot up toward the foot opening of the Torch. Then comes the heart of any performance cycling shoe - the outsole. Here you’ll find Giro’s high-modulus Easton® EC90 SLX2 carbon sole unit, delivering perfect stiffness-to-weight so you enjoy optimal power transfer to the pedals and minimal flex. While it’s not the lightest sole unit Giro make it has the durability to stand up to your daily training and hard riding weekend races. Inside the shoe, the adjustable Super Natural Fit footbed system provides optimal pedalling efficiency with customizable arch support for performance and luxurious comfort My suggestion is to start by looking for the shoes with the best rating in the chart column above you think best fit the width of your feet. And while you can occasionally find them on sale, except for Sidi, Lakes are the most expensive shoes on the market.

Outsole bolt holes – Nearly all road shoes come with 3 bolt holes in the outsole to work with road cleats made by Shimano and Look, the most popular pedal systems. Speedplay, another popular road pedal system now made by Wahoo, uses cleats with 4 holes. While you can find a couple of shoes that come with outsoles specifically designed for 4-hole Speedplay cleats, a simple adapter Speedplay makes can convert any 3-hole shoe to work with their pedals.

Giro Tyrant Helmet (MIPS)

If you are a serious roadie, buying a pair of the best road cycling shoes isn’t cheap but is worth the added cycling performance and enjoyment they provide. Depending on the shape of your feet and your performance and style preferences, you can choose from a range of dual-dial closure models I recommend to transfer your power efficiently while keeping your feet comfortable. The bottom line: weight is something most of us enthusiasts should give little, if any, attention to when buying performance shoes.

The Boa L6 dials offer fantastic micro-adjustment as you tighten them, just don't get over zealous (Image credit: Colin Levitch) Verdict This wrap design, in combination with IP1 Boa dials, gives me a fit and level of stiffness on my upstroke that I haven’t felt with other shoes this comfortable.

Giro Switchblade MIPS Helmet

For that reason, I’ve evaluated two dial shoes in this review. With the exception of Sidi, which uses its own proprietary dial, lace, and hook closure system, all the shoes reviewed here use Boa closures. Are men’s and women’s shoes different? Next Giro looked to the fit and adjustment of the Imperial so even long endurance rides are perfectly comfortable. Giro adds twin BOA IP1 dials, giving you an incredible degree of precise adjustment, letting you adjust on the fly to take into account changes in temperature and conditions. With the BOA wires running in webbing guides the shoes can be snugly closed with an even tension which eliminates hot spots and pinch points. Utilised on the lower-end of Giro’s shoe range, the ratchet system might weigh more than other fastening devices but the reliability and on-the-fly adjustability more than makes up for it. What to look for in a road shoe

You can also get the RC903 in a women’s version with a unique last shape but only sold in white. My fellow tester Aiyana rode and reviewed the men’s and women’s versions of the shoe to see how they differed. If you wear running shoes or football (aka soccer) cleats or any other sports footwear, boots, or well-fitting shoes, you probably have a good idea if your feet are narrow or wide, have high arches, where you are sensitive to hot spots, etc. This will help you figure out what shoes to try or what special requirements you might need to get the right fit. How different are the sizes between brands? If you aren’t sure what you need or what constitutes a good fit and you have a knowledgeable cycling shoe fitter at your store, you may benefit from buying there.As shown in one of the last characteristic charts in this post further below, the size 43 or so shoes I evaluated in this review weigh from 218 (for a size 42.5) to 304 (for a size 43.5) grams per shoe. Beyond those two, however, the remaining shoes range from 240 to 260 grams, essentially no discernable weight difference. Don’t Like: For all the features we like, there are a few we don’t, and some core issues that are a turn-off about the shoes.

They also come in standard and wide models and with a 4-hole option for Speedplay pedals in addition to standard 3-hole ones (for which you can add a Speedplay adapter as with and 3-hole sole). Don’t Like: While Miles finds the Giro Imperial’s outsoles to be stiff, it’s not as stiff as others he wears. The difference shows up when he’s sprinting in a race. You’ll catch a motorist’s attention by wearing bright, distinctively colored shoes that are always moving. Chief among his affection for the Imperial is the heel cup. It bumps out at the base of the heel where it matters most and then tapers up to the top. this creates a great mold for his self-described “average foot” shape and holds his heels in place very securelyThey may not be the lightest model in the line-up - that spot is reserved for the 160g Prolight Techlace - but at 224g (actual weight) per shoe it’s certainly no heavyweight. The Easton EC90 SLX 2 carbon-fibre soles are stiff and responsive providing a solid platform from which to pedal - and while there's no flex, this has done little to impact comfort when spending several hours on the bike. Many companies do sell gender-specific shoes. That said, it’s hard to tell whether some of the women’s cycling shoes are really designed for a woman’s foot – stereotypically narrower and smaller than a man’s – or are of the same design as a men’s shoe but available in “woman’s” sizes and in colors shoemakers think will appeal to women. The laces work because of the stretch they have but they also work because of the low structure upper. People tend to focus on the inability to adjust the laces mid-ride and that's fair. That said, even during the multiple 200-ish mile rides I've done in these shoes, I've never wanted to adjust them. The carbon base doesn't wrap above the sole of your foot, the upper is responsive to pressure from your foot, and the laces will stretch. Tighten the Giro Empire SLX to fit when you leave the house in the morning and as your foot swells a bit it will find room. Cycle Centre Congleton Limited 2021. Cyclestore is a trading name of Cycle Centre Congleton Limited. All Rights Reserved Company No. 05107467 | VAT No: 593 733 507