The night I brought these kicks home, I found myself lounging around the apartment in them as if they were just another pair of house slippers. That's the first time I've had that experience when trying on a new bike shoe. Sure, the Factor's super-stiff carbon-fiber soles aren't made for walking. But as I sat there with the uncleated shoes strapped to my feet, they felt about as comfortable as a sneaker.
The Factor achieves that comfort level without any noticeable sacrifices in terms of efficiency. The 6.5mm soles come from corporate sibling Easton, a maker of some of the sickest carbon wheels, stems, bars and forks on the market. Cadel Evans rode Easton wheels to victory in last year's Tour de France. I felt absolutely zero unwanted flex, even when mashing the pedals on 12 percent climbs in my testing grounds of Marin County, California. These are bona fide race shoes.
The comfort starts with Giro's last. Shoe companies create proprietary foot shapes to build shoes around – these molds, called lasts, keep the fit consistent from shoe to shoe. Giro spent a year going through 16 revisions to its last before it settled on a shape it felt would benefit the widest range of riders. Not crazy-narrow like some Italian shoes, and not rowboat-wide. These are Goldilocks-style just right – no hot spots on the balls of my feet, no wiggle in the heel cup.
But Giro didn't stop with the shape. The Factor insoles feature an adjustable arch-support system that lets the user dial in the fit. The shoe comes with inserts in three different sizes, which attach via Velcro to the underside of the insole arch. A lot of people who might otherwise need custom insoles will be fine here.
The three-strap closure uses Velcro straps at the toe and mid-foot and a micro-adjustable ratcheting strap at the top — straightforward, but effective. The only real knock against the Factor is the thin walking pads at the heel and toe. Granted, these are race shoes; they're not designed for long walks. Still, after just a couple of mid-ride café stops, mine were already showing some wear. And since they're not replaceable, once they're worn, you'll be walking on bare carbon.
If you've got a moderate to wide foot or if the race shoes you're wearing now give you hot spots, the Factor is definitely worth a look. Giro has really nailed the fit here. It's hard to imagine a more comfortable performance-cycling shoe.
WIRED Comfortable right out of the box. Wafer-thin, rock-solid platform. Customizable arch support for a wide range of feet.
TIRED Red and white patent leather look ain't exactly classic. Walking pads border on cosmetic.