Found: Electric Blue Limited Edition Backcountry.com x Giro Empire MTB Shoes

I still haven’t seen an appealing way to deal with the laces after you tie them. I think they look so good in all of the press shots but they neglect the knot.

$6 or $7 for a roll of blue duck tape and you’re good to go.

I agree, these are beautiful shoes, but I feel that laces are a step WAAY backward. Fine on dress oxfords, or sneakers, but straps are so much better. They don’t get tangled up or soggy or untied, etc. Just not getting’ it, I guess.

Shoe laces on cycling shoes are pointless in my eyes. I suppose they are more of a fashion statement

Derek,
I agree that straps and buckles are a better solution, but FYI, they do supply a little elastic loop in the tongue to suck the excess lace through, so it isn’t flopping around. I could see that cutting it for road and more open MTB trails no problem, although it seems like once you have weeds/brush/branches whipping you in the feet, all bets would be off. Also, you have the issue of no provision for on bike adjustment, which I find myself frequently making use of, as it seems that most shoes stretch a bit upon getting warm/wet, regardless of the manufacturers claims of “zero stretch” materials.

great looking shoes, but agree with everyone above. Laces belong nowhere on a cycling shoe. Your foot swells and contracts throughout rides and races. Having the ability to reach down and click a buckle or boa one tighter or looser i shuge. Try doing that with these lace ups.

I don’t understand why high end shoes use the wimpiest toe guards? Giro is notorious for paper thin toe guards…..why? Is it really a weight issue? Aesthetics wouldn’t be that different.

*in* my shop.

I was skeptical of laces too. Until I ended up with a pair of Empires. Out of the dozen or so shoes I’ve owned these are the first that I don’t have to adjust on the bike. They are a bit fiddly to setup before you’re on the bike but it’s really not so bad. Five extra seconds for a forget-about-it fit.

I know this is bikerumour though so carry on bashing and speculating on a product you’ve never used.

great more S%^# that will show up on instagram

Agree with Chris and others – I was a hater until I tried a pair at a teammate’s insistence. They take longer to put on for sure, and on long 3-4 hour rides I’ve yet to have to adjust them. Maybe it’s partly because it’s not indexed with a ratchet that’s too tight or too loose? The lace retainer keeps them completely out of the way, even on the track the laces don’t worry me.

They also weigh less than any other shoe I’ve ever had, are more comfortable, and breathe better. Of course, if it’s anything less than 50, my feet will be cold instantly, where normally I’d have to be an hour + into a ride with my old shoes to start feeling the cold set in.

My biggest complaint is the price. Yes, they are made incredibly well, the insole system included with them is very nice, but $300 is a lot for shoes, period. I got mine on sale for just over a hundred, and at that price point I feel like they were pretty great, but for $300, I’ll pass and keep riding my beat up MTB shoes.

I think the straps/ratchets are on the way out. The fit from laces is still superior by it’s nature, but the boa system really seems to be the best of both worlds there when it’s wired in the right way.

Been running the newer Spesh’ shoes with the boa and I find it superior to anything I have ever used.

@Ryan
Grow a pair!!

Have had several friends literally become entrapped in Boa snowboard boots when the system broke. Laces are the way to go.