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The Giro Empire VR90 lace-up mountain bike shoes(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
We appreciate the Vibram rubber on the middle of the foot, too, for those times when you are unclipped but need to keep sturdy contact with the pedal(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
We used the spikes for a few cold and slippery cyclocross races. Otherwise the Vibram soles offer plenty of grip(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
The VR90s come with these optional tall spikes(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Although an old-school solution, the laces offer a secure and comfortable fit (Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
We tested the VR90s over a few months of riding and racing, from short cyclocross races to eight-hour mountain bike events(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
One of our four test pairs delaminated a bit at the heels(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
The Empire VR90's upper is tough and durable for being so supple(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
The Vibram lugs are soft and grippy(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Grippy Vibram rubber goes over a stiff carbon outsole (Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Muddy days make dealing with the laces a mess – but we've never needed to adjust the fit during a ride(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Although getting out of muddy laces on cold days isn't fun, the shoes clean up well, and there are no buckles to snag or break(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
With a lightweight but durable upper, a stiff carbon sole clad in soft Vibram rubber, and a lace-up closure, the Giro Empire VR90 shoes are a great option for cross-country riding, and good for fair-weather cyclocross. More aggressive trail riders might find the shoes lacking in protection on the sides of the feet, but the uppers have shown resilience from standard wear and tear.
Highs: Comfortable, enduring fit while riding; grippy outsoles - even on rock; upper and laces don't stretch
Lows: Narrow forefoot requires going up half a size for many riders; laces are horrible to untie when muddy or wet and cold;
Buy if: You want a lightweight xc shoe with the new-school lace-up style
Following on the success of its road lace-up Empires, Giro starting riffing on the design for MTB shoes in late 2013. A limited edition Empire VR90 followed last year, with this production show available now.
Four BikeRadar testers have worn the shoes for months, in everything from casual off-road riding to eight-hour cross-country races to trail riding to cyclocross. Our consensus is that they are fairly stiff but quite comfortable on the bike. For those doing lots of hike-a-bike, you'll probably prefer something with a more flexible sole. But for short scrambles the Empire VR90s work great, with the almost-gummy Vibram outsoles gripping well on rock and the light weight almost disappearing from your feet.
The Empire VR90s hold up well to rough treatment and cleaning. We were pleasantly surprised to note that we never felt the need to adjust the laces during rides or races – a good thing, because it ain't easy
My test pair of 45.5 shoes weighed 700g. I normally wear 45, but like most testers I had to go up a half size because the VR90s fit snugly through the forefoot. While many other Giro shoes come in wide options, the VR90s do not.
So, about the laces. They work surprisingly well. Of course you're familiar with lacing up your street shoes. The main questions we had were, will the laces come untied while riding or get tangled in the chain or pedals, and will they loosen up or need to be retied mid-ride? The answer to all of that is no. 'Set it and forget it' is usually a good sign with soft goods, be it clothing, helmets or shoes, and that applies here. That's a good thing, too, as you can't exactly retie shoes on the bike like you can tweak a Boa dial or a ratchet buckle.
The laces and Teijin upper combine to give a comfortable, secure, non-stretching fit
Internally, the Empire VR90s have a neutral fit, and the instep can be adjusted via Velcro wedges on the bottom of the anti-microbial insoles.
The Teijin microfiber uppers proved easy to maintain. After muddy rides I would just scrub the shoes with a brush and soapy water after washing the bike. The absence of seams on the uppers makes for an easy clean; the laces and eyelets make for a little more work, but clean up fairly easy, too.
The outsole heels on one pair of test shoes delaminated, peeling away from the rest of the shoe by a 1cm or so. This pair was replaced, as Giro said would be done for any customer. No other tester experienced this.
The Vibram rubber provides a soft, grippy interface between the stiff carbon outsole and most surfaces
