Imperial Cycling Shoe - Men's
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Why We Like The Imperial Cycling Shoe
Never one to kick back and rest on its laurels, Giro is back with some all-new flagship road kicks otherwise known as the Imperial Cycling Shoe. Here in the office, we've been big fans of its Empire model, bringing a resurgence to lace up shoes that reduce pressure points and improve fit thanks to its multiple anchor points throughout the shoe. As an added bonus, the design is lightweight and looks pretty cool. Our only complaint is not being able to adjust them on the fly, like right before a sprint. That all changes with the Imperial and its move to a dual BOA system.
Giro is able to keep an incredibly minimal design by constructing the Imperial of its own ultralight, monofilament, one-piece Synchwire mesh upper. It easily conforms to your foot and fits and feels like a second skin. Additionally, it's extremely well ventilated and breathable for incredible airflow so it keeps your feet cooler during warmer conditions. Synchwire's construction is stitchless and its advanced composites are what allows Giro to build the Imperials to such a high level. The thermo-bonded film provides overall durability, a non-woven internal sheet distributes the force from the BOA dials for direct power transfer, and the mono-filament mesh provides the ventilation. Additionally, thermal-welded Teijin TPU adds structural support to the upper where it's needed.
Details
- Giro's flagship road shoe, now even easier to adjust
- One-piece Synchwire upper design is soft, light, and supportive
- Teijin welded SL monofilament mesh boosts ventilation
- Twin BOA Fit System IP1 dials reel +/- 1 mm of cable and have a macro release
- Easton's most advanced carbon sole is stiff and featherweight
- Replaceable heel pads keep the shoes going season after season
- SuperNatural Fit Kit has adjustable arch supports for custom fitting right out of the box
- Runs small, so we recommend sizing up for ideal fit
- Item #GIR00ML
- Upper Material
- one-piece Synchwire, Teijin welded SL monofilament mesh
- Closure
- dual BOA® Fit System IP-1
- Footbed
- SuperNatural fir kit with adjustable arch support
- Sole
- Easton EC90 SLX2 high-modulus carbon
- Cleat Compatibility
- 3-bolt road
- Claimed Weight
- [single, size 42.5] 7.6oz (215g)
- Activity
- road cycling
- Manufacturer Warranty
- 1 year
Reviews
Q&A
Overall Rating
5 based on 1 ratings
Review Summary
Fits True To Size
Screen reader users: the following list provides a visual scale to illustrate the product fit. Please refer to the heading above for the fit type in text.What do you think about this product?
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Selecting an option will reload the available reviews on the pageMay 17, 2020
Seamless switch from SiDi
- Familiarity:
- I've used it several times
- Size Bought:
- 43
- Height:
- 5' 10"
- Weight:
- 142
My arches have been falling in my 50s and so after 26 years on SiDi Genius models, I got the Imperials thinking they would have a lower stack height to allow arch-support insoles without messing up my position on the bike. So a few notes on the comparison: SIZING: exactly the same in my size 43. Feels like they are identical, down to the millimeter. WEIGHT: Genius 5 with nylon sole ad SPD-Sl cleats 352g each, the Imperial 262g. STACK HEIGHT: even with the insoles it feels a bit shorter than the old SiDi with no insoles (that stack height was about 10mm). HEEL RETENTION: reviews mentioned this as a mild negative with the Imperial, but I found if anything that it was better than the SiDI when the Boa wires were snug. (I didn't find the wires stuck to the tongue either.) SOLES: the carbon soles here actually seemed to give about as much as the old thick nylon SiDis -- which is to say, a tiny bit, but not much. the CLEAT HOLES seem to be possibly about 1mm further back than the SiDi holes .... All in all, an almost seamless transition. between brands, which was very surprising to me. The arch support inserts are terrific, they sit *under* the liner so they're fairly unobtrusive, and they seem to be helping a lot. My first pair of SiDis lasted 65,000 miles and it does seem like there's absolutely no way the Giros will last as long, the Teijin outer material is thin and it does scrape up pretty easily. BTW the mesh part is see-thru (see photo), so choose your socks well, but the ventilation is terrific in the heat. Comes with a nice zip bag to pack them up in. ... Mild irritations: the red color is far less saturated in daylight than it appears in the product shots. The Boa dials work in opposite directions on the left and right feet, kind of like prewar bathroom sink faucets. ... All in all, a terrific, thoughtfully designed product.
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