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

Product Information

You’ll catch a motorist’s attention by wearing bright, distinctively colored shoes that are always moving. The sole unit is an Easton EC90 SLX2 carbon number. It’s a bit heavier – about 5g – than the TeXtreme carbon unit on the Prolite Techlace. But Giro says that it’s more durable and less prone to scuffing and chipping. Although the sole on my test Giro Imperial shoes looks a bit scuffed, that’s only superficial. The bottom line: weight is something most of us enthusiasts should give little, if any, attention to when buying performance shoes.

While I’m still not into stylin’, I learned that a comfortable pair of road bike shoes don’t always provide the best power transfer. And while you’d think that comfort comes from a good fit, there’s a range of views on what a “comfortable fit” means, from fit like a glove to a fit like a pair of slippers. Even the right fit walking around in the store doesn’t always or even usually mean it’s the right fit or a comfortable fit for someone pedaling tempo or threshold zone power out on the road. The best-performing road cycling shoes have two dials, one close to your ankle and the other between your midfoot and forefoot, typically to the outside of the tongue. In most cases, they give you more control of the closure tension and fit than those with a single dial found on mid-priced cycling shoes. That results in better power transfer and comfort.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. 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. They 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. And third, the SH10 is priced competitively with dual Boa, top-of-the-line road cycling shoes from other brands. The KRO is even more expensive. There's no doubting the Giro Imperial's premium feel - not only in terms of functionality but performance, too. While they're appreciably light, this has done little to affect the way they perform or feel on the foot. In fact, they're super comfortable and mould to your feet's contours like a vacuum-sealed lunch bag.

Nine years later, Giro is now a major force in the cycling shoe market thanks to Eric Horton, Giro’s creative director, who has single-handedly ensured every model range since 2010 is lighter, stiffer and more stylish than before. The company also still uses the original Prolight and Trans monikers in the current line-up, which further bolsters its heritage and status as a reputable brand. You can also apply both approaches. In my case, for example, there was one very high-end shop not too far from me that had a good selection of three brands (Lake, Fizik, Sidi) and a chain that sold a couple of models made by the larger cycling companies (Specialized, Bontrager, and Shimano). The length feels right, and there is sufficient, if not ample, room in the toe box. And like many cycling shoes, these DMT start with a very flat arch, and you’ll want to add some aftermarket insoles if your feet need more support there. 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.To compare power transfer efficiency across shoes from different brands for this review, rather than just evaluating the sole’s flex or regurgitating the company flex number, which is based on comparing shoes in their own line, I’ve used input from independent tester Tour magazine. They used an artificial foot fit secured inside many of the shoes in this review or previous models using the same outsole to come up with relative measures of stiffness . DESIGN The balls of Miles’ feet feel secure – not too tight or loose – in the Imperial. His toes can wiggle and swell without issue. This compares favorably with the scrunched feeling of earlier Giro shoes he’s worn. This is then thermally welded together to create an upper with a single seam that runs down the heel on the outside and away from your foot. So the internal of the Imperial is smooth, seam-free and, as a result, should be more comfortable.

The bottoms of my feet became less comfortable the longer my ride. After a couple of hours in these shoes and despite tightening the Boa dials appropriately, it feels like my feet are moving around too much. Comfortably fitting power transfer really speaks to your ability to stay comfortable with that right fit over time, distance, and different environmental conditions, not just when you try it on. According to the companies that make these heat-moldable shoes, most people don’t need or even use the molding. Heat-moldable shoes are often more expensive and take several hours of molding and remolding over the first few months of use to get them right. If you feel or are being told you need a moldable shoe, you may want to consider whether you are going with what seems like a cure-all feature that you don’t really need or your shop is trying too hard to sell you a shoe that’s not right for you. Whenever a new model of one of the best bike shoes is introduced, as is the case with the Specialized S-Works Torch, the first question that comes up is how it differs from its predecessors. You want efficient power transfer so that the energy you deliver from your legs goes to your pedals with minimal loss through your shoes. A comfortable fit makes it possible to deliver that power hour after hour without your feet ever complaining. Shoes that are good-looking to you and perhaps others motivate your performance and enhance your enjoyment on the road. And a reasonable price, at least compared to what we other options we have to get top cycling gear performance, well we always want that.

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Uppers– Uppers differ based on the type of material being used, how many separate pieces are stitched together, and how flexible, soft, and breathable they are. Some shoes use real leather, most use synthetic leather-like material, and others use a synthetic mesh. While the rest of the world found themselves drawn to the Giro lace up shoes when a young, potential saviour of American cycling put them into road cycling race reports, I wasn't paying attention. Ten years later when another American phenom, Keegan Swenson, was again using Giro lace ups, this time for gravel racing, I still wasn't paying much attention. Instead, it was seven years ago watching the impossibly cool, slightly older Taylor Phinney hike through the snow in Therabout Reprise with Cam Wurf, Gus Morton, and Lachlan Morton. The four friends weren't racing but seeing Phinney with his bright coloured laces wrapped around the centre of his Giro shoes is a memory I haven't forgotten. At the same time, the bottom sole is as performance-stiff as any of the best road bike shoes you could wear to race in. The heel cup is thermoformable and allows you to mold it to your heel’s unique shape. I ran through the molding process several times to get it just where I wanted it. Efficient power transfer depends on two things: 1) how stiff the outsole is and 2) how closely your shoe moves with your foot. With a stiff sole and a fit that holds your foot firmly to that shoe so that it moves with no wasted effort, you’ll transfer your power efficiently. Without a good fit or one that doesn’t hold everything but your toes in place, power will be lost somewhere between your foot and the pedal. While the comparative last characteristics chart above shows the details, the DMT SH10 fit is closest to other Italian brands Giro and Sidi.