Giro Regime road shoe first ride review

The Giro Regime road cycling shoe sits well below top shoe models in price, but not in comfort or features. This shoe does not have a fancy full-carbon sole or gossamer-thin upper material meant for feathery-light climbing shoes. But, the Regime offers a dual Boa retention system that looks to be on par with more-expensive kicks, and comes in at a price that is relatively middle-of-the-road for the current crop of cycling shoes for the road. Overall, the shoe seems like a really good value.

I have a few hours and a few hundred kilometers in them so far. Here are my initial impressions.

Related:

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Giro Regime fit

While I’ve become accustomed to the stiffest shoes for riding the road, sometimes stiffer is not better. A little bit of compliance—some give—at bike/body touchpoints can offer comfort and even enhance rideability.

The Giro Regime road shoe is not the stiffest road cycling shoe I’ve ever worn, nor is it the lightest at nearly 370g/shoe. But as soon as I slipped on this shoe, and without taking a single pedal stroke, my first impression was deliciously smooth comfort.

Also immediately noticeable in my first few miles with these shoes was the comfort offered by the silky smooth upper interior. The portion of the shoe around my midfoot and in the opening felt cushy, and the interior of the shoe felt smooth and almost padded.

While this plush feeling is a plus, I did notice that every so often I’d scrape the inside of the shoe along my crank arm. This could be partly due to using different bikes with different pedals with different spindle lengths, but it certainly warrants more time in them. I also want to see how this close fit works when wearing winter booties—and also wool socks—which add some bulk further decrease both internal and external clearance.

My first few rides had me thinking a lot about the shape of the shoe. While the toe box does not lack volume, and my feet were never cramped, I definitely noticed my three middle toes on each of my feet barely brushing the inside of the shoe every now and then. But when I was standing while climbing, and also when I ramped up the power during an all-out, 20-minute test, I stopped thinking about this and did not even give this another thought.

Regime upper

The Synchwire upper material is trickle-down tech from Giro’s elite — and much more pricey range of — road shoes. Perforations along the top of the toe box and the sides of the shoe offered some ventilation and ample airflow, but even after a few rides, I knew that this shoe will never be confused for a summer weight or climber’s shoe. But while my cycling kit may have been drenched after a hard session, I did not experience soggy socks when wearing these shoes.

One feature I certainly appreciated was the dual Boa dials which allowed more fit adjustments than other shoes at this price, which generally have one dial on the top of the shoe and a Velcro strap over the toe. The lower dial works the toe and forefoot area of the shoe, while the upper dial controls the fit from the instep through the foot opening in the shoe. I was able to get a good and comfortable connection, without any need to over-tighten the shoe. And the more miles I put into this shoe, the more I realized I could leave the Boa dials comfortably loose, while still keeping my feet in place.

The sole

The Giro Regime has a carbon composite — not full-carbon — sole. This means it allows a bit more flexibility than full carbon — and this was noticeable — but not overly so. When standing on a climb, and on occasion when jumping out of the saddle for a quick punch, I could feel some slight give. But I don’t think this was a terrible thing and I was only conscious of a small amount o flex when thinking about it. Did this bit of give from the sole allow the shoe more comfort? More miles will tell.

However, while I like the comfort offered by the Regime shoes, I think a sole vent is necessary—even a small one. Yes, I noted that my feet did not overheat, but this little feature would be a nice enhancement for riding in all but cold conditions.

We’ll get some more miles in the Giro Regime road cycling shoe and offer a full review after we get some more miles in them.