Giro Empire Men's Road Bike, Triathlon/Aero Shoes

Product Information

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. The lace-up, one-piece uppers do a fantastic job of conforming to your feet and accommodate a wide range of shapes, provided your feet aren’t overly wide Te size 45 pair tested hit the scales at 600 grams which is light enough to justify its asking price and position at the premium end of the cycling shoe scale. Despite the rise of more sophisticated fastening systems, laces are still very popular among cyclists and for good reason: laces are light, stiff, robust and stylish but on-the-bike adjustability is limited.

Too often, shoe companies neglect to include a well-designed footbed – a key contributor to both comfort and performance – so it's good to see that Giro have put in the effort here and haven't cut costs by including a super thin insole with barely any support. Not only does a well-supported foot reduce the risk of injuries in key joints such as the knees, but it also reduces the chances of hot spots developing due to the pressure being distributed over a wider area of the foot. This article begins by talking about how anomalous the Giro Empire SLX is because of its time on the market. I said it because there's no getting around that fact but that's not the only thing that makes the Empire SLX an anomaly. It's also an anomaly because of everything it can do. By keeping the the outsole of the shoe flat, not rolling it up around the edge of the upper allows for your foot to spill over the edge of the shoe. This means that when your foot expands, whether that’s from pedaling or foot swelling, it’s not pushing up against carbon, thereby eliminating hot spots and pressure points. While this comes at the cost of lateral support, the added support from the footbeds more than compensates. The laces themselves are light years ahead of the cotton laces of old – there's no chance of these breaking or even of stretching over time. The top two sets of eyelets are metal reinforced while the one piece 'Evofiber' microfiber upper is non-stretch as well, which all adds up to a fit that stays consistent from first use to last, in the dry or in the wet. Giro have included a little elastic loop halfway down the tongue to keep the laces neat and tidy and out of the chainrings. Those with OCD will have fun getting everything to look just so.

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In terms of fit, the Regimes have an almost slipper-like feel; the Synchwire upper conforms to every nook and cranny of your foot. Even with this softness and flexibility in the Synchwire, there is no stretch in the material, so once you tighten the shoes it provides the needed structure to prevent your ankle from collapsing. The laces also pose a problem for mid-ride adjustments; it’s not possible to loosen or tighten them without pulling over and sitting down. But we found, barring the first ride, that we didn’t need to make adjustments – owing in part to what Giro calls the ‘spillover effect’. Room to manoeuvre To prevent your laces from coming untied while you ride, the shoes come with Giro's Tubular woven laces, and an ingenious lace garage on the tongue keeps them safe from hungry chainrings.

Putting power down is easy thanks to the pro-level Easton® EC90 full carbon outsole, keeping you moving forward with no wasted watts. At some point, when you’re off-road you’ll be off the bike and pushing and here the moulded Vibram® rubber tread digs in and offers fabulous grip. For particularly muddy days the sole is compatible with toe spikes too. Where things really differ between the Empire and the Empire SLX is the design of the upper. While the Empire uses Teijin Samo microfibre upper to support the seven pairs of lace holes, the SLX shoe uses Teijin Evofiber SL Microfiber. The point here is to drastically save weight. The lightweight, highly ventilated design is not only the difference between the Empire and the Empire SLX but also the biggest update that came in 2019. Weighing in at 504g (for a pair of EU44), the Empire’s may not be a weight weenies dream. But they’re competitive to similar offerings from Sidi, and Specialized. Keeping the carbon sole flat allows for what giro calls the ‘spillover effect’ : Colin Levitch / Future Publishing The obvious standout feature that distinguishes the Empires from pretty much all other road shoes out there is the laces. The supposed benefits include a more customisable fit due to the seven pairs of eyelets in contrast to the two or three straps or BOA dials usually found on shoes these days, while the downsides are increased fiddle time when putting on or taking off the shoes, and the inability to adjust fit on the go.

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. Included with the supernatural fit insoles are three separate arch supports that attach via velcro : Colin Levitch / Future Publishing 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

Phinney wanted the laces because he was looking for a way to keep his shoes as aero as possible. I'm not aware of any wind tunnel testing I can point to but laces minimise bumps and protrusions and Bradley Wiggins seemed to see some value in the design given he chose them for his hour record. It's also relatively easy to cover the actual laces which is something Swenson did, using a chopped up arm warmer, when he won the 2023 Leadville 100 mountain bike race. There's also another advantage to the laces though and that's what the SLX version of the Empire leans into. The insoles are infused with X-Static silver fibres, which we found defended odour well. Because the fibres are woven into the foot bed, the antimicrobial properties are permanent, so will not wash away like some coatings and treatments do. Dampening enthusiasm?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 upper is light and airy but somehow tough enough for gravel racing. The laces aren't adjustable mid-ride but the stretch and low-structure upper mean they don't need to be. There are other lace up shoes but none of them are as light, and light shoes on your constantly moving feet feel great. The Techlace is a Giro-engineered concept that combines a traditional lace with a Velcro strap offering superlative comfort, on-bike adjustability and weight-saving performance.