Giro Gritter Bike Shoe

Review by Erin Trail

The Giro Gritter Shoe is the latest 2-bolt cycling shoe from Giro, featuring low profile BOA® closures with Li2 dials, an all-new carbon composite plate, and high performance upper materials.  These shoes are high performing premium shoes that mean business.

Technical Details

The Giro Gritter Shoe is a 2-bolt cycling shoe with the following features:

• One-piece Synchwire upper with breathable ripstop mesh
• Dual zone BOA® Fit System powered by dual LI2 machined aluminum dials
• Stainless steel laces
• Soft lace guides
• TPU toe and heel protection
• SuperNatural Fit Kit with adjustable arch support
• XT2® anti-microbial fiber top sheet
• Long fiber carbon composite plate co-molded with tread for permanent bond
• Co-molded carbon composite plate and sensor rubber tread
• TPU toe lugs secured with hex head cleat screws
• Giro-designed Sensor rubber with balanced durability + grip

The Giro Gritter Bike Shoe is unisex with Euro sizing and comes in 3 colorways: black, light sharkskin, and trail green.

Detailed Review

I ride both gravel and mountain bikes and have been getting ready for a few cross-country mountain bike races and a gravel race.  I’ve been spending equal time on both bikes, with rides ranging from 1 hour to 3 hours.  I felt confident enough with these shoes that I raced in them for an 18 mile xc MTB race after only wearing them one time.

My overall impression of the Giro Gritter Bike Shoes is that they are STIFF and are meant for performance. You can feel your leg power being transformed pedal-power, largely due to the stiff carbon plate at the base of these shoes.

I’m female with narrow feet.  I also need to use a special insole with a met-pad, due to a torn plantar plate, so I wasn’t able to test the SuperNatural Fit Kit.  The SuperNatural Fit Kit does look like it would fit a variety of feet, however, with low, normal, and high arch options, all included with the shoes.

The dual zone BOA® Fit System gives flexibility in how tight you want the Giro Gritter Bike Shoes – and where you want them tighter or looser.  Despite being unisex and me having narrow feet, I was able to dial in the perfect fit, thanks to the dual zone BOA® Fit System.

As often happens, my feet do tend to swell as I ride.  I was easily able to back off the tension of the BOA® Fit System, thanks to the LI2 machined aluminum dials.  Instead of popping the BOA dials out, I was able to twist them counter-clockwise a click or two to loosen them up. On smooth terrain, I could even back out the tension while I rode along, saving me from having to stop and re-tension my shoes.

I LOVE the Giro Gritter Bike Shoes as gravel shoes. They pedal like my stiff, carbon soled triathlon shoes, giving my feet the right amount of support and power transfer. I can ride for hours and feel comfortable, with no hot spots or pressure points.

As mountain biking shoes, I’d give the Giro Gritter Bike Shoes a “like, not love”.  I think that the soles may be too stiff for my style of mountain biking. I had a little discomfort with my big toe going numb.  And when you need to hike a bike (for me, usually up very steep inclines), the shoes are almost too stiff.  The traction is great, but there is zero foot flexibility, which makes walking up loose + steep terrain uncomfortable, especially compared to my other, not as stiff 2-bolt bike shoes. I think for me, these shoes are better suited for flowy XC trails where I know I can stay clipped in.

The upper of the Giro Gritter Bike Shoes is made from Syncwire™, which is a laminate material, comprised of a breathable ripstop fabric combined with a durable film.  This material is both strong and breathable, while encouraging power transfer from the material to the closure system.  Out of the box, I found the tongue and shoe opening to be very stiff.  I was hoping it would break in and soften up, but, after a month of regular riding, it’s still pretty rigid.  I personally found the tongue of the shoe to go a bit high onto my foot, probably because of my narrow feet.  I also find that these shoes are a bit hard to get on and off quickly, because the upper is so stiff. This isn’t important for pure cyclists, but for triathletes, the ability to get your shoes on and off quickly can be important.

I did find the Giro Gritter Bike Shoes to be very lightweight, breathable, and durable.  While pretty dusty from use, the upper fabric and Sensor™ rubber outsoles aren’t showing any signs of wear.

Closing Thoughts

The Giro Gritter Bike Shoes are a premium 2-bolt cycling shoe, intended for off road riding.  These shoes are STIFF, making sure that the rider efforts are fully transferred into turning pedals over.  The shoe’s upper and lower materials are very lightweight and durable, which also give the shoes a premium, race vibe. The dual zone BOA® Fit System includes low profile LI2 machined aluminum dials that tighten with a clockwise twist and loosen with a counter-clockwise twist.

I loved these shoes for riding gravel and for less technical mountain bike trails, where power transfer is really important.  I did find them to be perhaps a bit too stiff for me on more technical mountain bike rides where I had to do some hike-a-bike.  The traction of the grip was fine, but the stiffness made any hike-a-bike feel awkward.

For me, these will stay as my preferred gravel shoe and I’ll use them on less technical mountain bike trails.

The Giro Gritter Bike Shoes cost $399.95, come in sizes ranging from 36-48, and are in 3 colorways.

Erin Trail