Interbike 2010: Close Up Look at Giro’s New Shoes

Debuted at Eurobike, we used Interbike as our first chance to get some hands- and feet-on time with Giro’s new cycling shoes. Per usual, we pulled them apart, weighed them and photographed the whole lot of ’em.

Eric Horton worked for Specialized for 8 years and wanted to do something a little different for the fit when he moved to Bell Sports (Giro’s parent) two years ago. He started the shoe program immediately and they’ve finally launched their first footwear line after 16 revisions to their last and two years of testing and development.

See what makes them tick after the break…

The model you’re seeing here is the Factor and is second down the line on the road side.

The carbon outsoles are developed by Easton, and all models have carbon soles with varying degrees of glass woven in (ex. the EA70 will have more glass than EA90).

The uppers are designed to allow your foot to ‘deform’ normally. The uppers sort of spill over the sole, which allows your foot to spill over where it normally would.

The overall fit is what Giro calls SuperNatural Fit (SNF) and encompasses all of the above plus the closure system and the insole. The SNF insoles come with the top two road and top mountain mens shoes and is available aftermarket. Each pair comes with both low, medium and high arch supports that are easily swappable. Giro says they’re not for adjusting the angle of your foot, just for arch support.

The road Prolight SLX (above) and Factor have titanium D-rings. The uppers are made of Taegin synthetic leather, which is tough, light and durable.  Notice that the top of the line Prolight SLX doesn’t have a mechanical closure like the Factor…that’s how it comes in at a superlight 200g per shoe:

The insides still look nicely padded and cushy.  This was the size we weighed.

Here’s the full road lineup. We’re digging that blue color on the Trans, which still has a mech closure despite being their lowest priced model.

• Prolight SLX $349
• Factor $279
• Trans $199
• Espada $199 (womens)

A visual comparison of the EC90 and EC70 shows the UD fibers versus the woven carbon fiber and slightly more heel tread on the 90.  As for fit, I briefly tried on the size 13 in both road and mountain and found them to be a bit snug. Giro says that there have only been a few folks that didn’t quite fit their mold, and I must be one of them, but they have wide sizes on the way. Personally, I’ve never needed a “wide” shoe, but I think in this case it would make all the difference and I am anxious to try a pair out. Finish and materials look superb.

Here’s the mountain bike lineup, all of which use the same fit and materials as the road shoes but with more aggressive protection and toe boxes. They all get mechanical closures, and they all have full tread on the bottom as you’re expect.

• Code $279
• Gauge $199
• Sica $199 (womens)

Visually, there’s no difference between the 70 and 90 other than the letters telling you which is which.

The top of the line Code comes in at 391g per shoe, which is 50g heavier than the Gauge, which is the second tier shoe: