Giro’s product catalog for 2013 is already making the rounds with dealers and company insiders. It makes no mention of the lace-up cycling shoes the company recently crafted for American Taylor Phinney, the 21-year-old rising star of Team BMC. That’s because, as of just a few weeks ago, Giro had no plans to bring them to market.
That’s changed. In the face of massive demand on social media, where photos of Phinney lacing up his silver kicks went viral at the beginning of May, Giro has decided to add the shoes to its 2013 lineup.
There's no word on pricing, but a company spokesman told Wired today that prototypes are already floating around the office and that the shoe will be out next year, complete with the same Easton EC90 carbon sole as Giro’s top-end race shoes.
Giro created the shoes as a one-off after the soccer-obsessed Phinney told designers that he had always loved the look of Nike’s Murcurial soccer cleat when he was a kid. It might have ended there. But then he won the opening time trial of the Giro d’Italia, becoming only the third American to wear the pink jersey of the leader of Italy’s storied three-week race. Phinney became the most photographed rider at the race, and cycling fans started obsessing over his low-profile silver shoes with neon-green laces.
What are the performance benefits of lace-up shoes for cycling? There probably aren't any. A lot of riders make micro adjustments to their shoes while they’re riding. That’s easy with dials, Velcro, and ratcheting straps. (Good luck tying laces at 25 mph.) Still, the EC90 sole is about as stiff as they come. And there’s no denying the shoes are striking—not for the faint of heart, but definitely impossible to ignore.
So if you trust yourself to lace up your shoes ideally at the start of your ride, and if you value style over practicality–because who doesn’t?—your new favorite race shoe is right around the corner.
With cycling season in full swing and the Tour de France approaching, Wired is hitting the roads of Northern California for a comprehensive look at the bikes, gear, and apparel the pros use. In the lead up to the Tour start on June 30, we’ll bring you ride reports, gear reviews and other insights from the world of cycling. Follow us on Twitter @WiredBike #wiredbiketest.
