# Experiences With Giro Knit Road Shoes (men’s)?



## flatlander_48 (Nov 16, 2005)

I have sort of odd feet and have trouble with shoes that have non-stretch materials over the toe box. They force my feet to fit the shoe and that begins to become uncomfortable after about 90 minutes.

Giro makes shoes with uppers of knit construction, specifically the Republic R Knit and the Empire E70 Knit models. While they probably are not the last word regarding efficiency, comfort carries more weight than absolute efficiency for me.

Anybody have any experiences to discuss?


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## rideit (Feb 8, 2005)

My concern would be durability.


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## PoorInRichfield (Nov 30, 2013)

I have no experience with knit shoes yet, but I feel your pain with the toe thing. Truth-be-told, I don't think the issue is with your toes, it's with the shape of almost all shoes on the market. Long-story-short, _shoes are not shaped to fit human feet, they're shaped for looks_. As a result, the unnaturally shaped toe box pushes all your toes together which over time causes some pretty bad foot issues.

The only cycling shoe company I'd found so far that remotely attempts to address this issue is Bont. One look at the toe box on their shoes and you'll see why they're different. However, Bonts aren't for everyone... I tried a pair and found them way too rigid and uncomfortable for my non-racer needs, which was disappointing. I personally am a Giro fan (usually good value and high quality) with the huge exception that their shoes are narrow in the toe box just like all the other major brands. 

Here's the issue in a picture...










Anyway, hopefully someone can pipe-in here with info on the knit shoes. Sorry for the rant!


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## tlg (May 11, 2011)

No experience with them. They look comfy though. But I don't think they'll solve your problem. The toe box looks just like every other cycling shoe toe box. 
While knit fabric might be more flexible, it's not going to stretch and 'grow' the toe box. Especially the way it's reinforced around the laces.


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## PBL450 (Apr 12, 2014)

Don’t feel (toe) boxed in. Materials aren’t a solution for you. Keep in mind, you are just pedaling a bike. You can do this with equal efficiency with hard soled flip flops. There isn’t convincing evidence that clips or cages outperform flats, so don’t over think this. Bont has shoes with the design that’ll work, even if you need semi- customs, heck, the upcharge is nominal. The hard shoe designs from Bont are heat moldable, so you can make tweets to get them perfect.


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## flatlander_48 (Nov 16, 2005)

Sort of forgot that I posted this!?!?

Anyway, over the past 12-14 years I’ve gone through 4 pairs of road shoes from various manufacturers. With different designs, there were slight differences in comfort, but not significantly. While I can force the issue at the ball of the foot by stretching, the other problem is the vertical dimension of the toe box.

When I was working (retired now) and frequently wore dress shoes, the height of the toe box forced alignment such that I always had a corn on the top of one toe. The synthetic leather of cycling shoes doesn’t reshape itself over time like genuine leather does, so it is very difficult to change the height of the toe box. My thinking is that the knit material would create somewhat less force in a downward direction and thereby lessen the irritation. From the photo above, the location would be just before where the laces start.

Hard soled flip flops? No thanks. The reason I went to clipless MANY years ago was that while doing hard pedaling my foot slipped off the pedal and hit the back of my leg just above the ankle. There was a deep bruise and swelling that didn’t go down for 6 months. Not going back to flat pedals any time soon. Seeking efficiency had nothing to do with my choice...


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## PBL450 (Apr 12, 2014)

flatlander_48 said:


> Sort of forgot that I posted this!?!?
> 
> Anyway, over the past 12-14 years I’ve gone through 4 pairs of road shoes from various manufacturers. With different designs, there were slight differences in comfort, but not significantly. While I can force the issue at the ball of the foot by stretching, the other problem is the vertical dimension of the toe box.
> 
> ...


Yeah, I get drilled a couple times every winter on the mtb with flats. Check out the Bont Vaypor lace ups. Use their sizing calculator, I just tested it and it came out perfect. You can heat mold them customize them if needed and the laces will give you a ton of control.


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## flatlander_48 (Nov 16, 2005)

I looked at Bont shoes pretty seriously several years ago. Very good reviews, but ultimately price killed it for me then, and now. In the current literature for the Vaypor T (the only one that has laces), they talk about the Innersole and the Chassis being reshaped. Innersole is obvious, but Chassis is not. I assume that it relates to the foundation, or basic structure, of the shoe. Anyway, it doesn’t sound like it relates to the height of the toe box and that’s where I need more room. The T model also said that it has an anti-stretch layer under the leather so that the shoe retains its shape. That also would not help my situation.


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## PBL450 (Apr 12, 2014)

flatlander_48 said:


> I looked at Bont shoes pretty seriously several years ago. Very good reviews, but ultimately price killed it for me then, and now. In the current literature for the Vaypor T (the only one that has laces), they talk about the Innersole and the Chassis being reshaped. Innersole is obvious, but Chassis is not. I assume that it relates to the foundation, or basic structure, of the shoe. Anyway, it doesn’t sound like it relates to the height of the toe box and that’s where I need more room. The T model also said that it has an anti-stretch layer under the leather so that the shoe retains its shape. That also would not help my situation.


The shoe itself is carbon fiber. It ain’t gonna stretch under load, rather, it’ll stretch under heat for molding. You will not reshape the footbed, the amount of resting in relationship to CF is far too low. A higher toe box not one I’ve heard before. You can def mold that part of the shoe but I’d think it through first. You’d need just the right toll to get in the toe box and lift the plastic a tiny bit. They may be pricey, but they’ll outlive you! Just FYI, I’m not sure you find a cycling show that will stretch to accommodate a taller toe box.


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