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.
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.
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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.
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