Giro Prolight Techlace
£349.99 › Giro’s latest lightweight shoes
GIRO’S ORIGINAL PROLIGHT SHOE OMITTED any kind of clasp, ratchet or dial closure system in favour of the simplicity offered by three Velcro straps. The thinking behind that choice was to create a super-light shoe for climbers and weight obsessives, and thanks to its combination of those straps and Easton EC90 SLX carbon sole the previous generation Prolight shoe, the SLX III, got its weight down to 243g (for the size 45). Giro went a step further with its Empire SLX shoe, redesigning the upper and swapping the Velcro straps for traditional laces, and brought its weight all the way down to a feathery 208g.
The new Techlace takes the best of both its predecessors – namely the Velcro and the laces – and combines them with a new lighter upper to drop even more ballast. The other big weight saver is the new sole; it’s now made of TeXtreme carbon fibre, which you can also find in Giro’s Aerohead Ultimate time trial helmet and some of Felt’s high-end road and mountain bike frames. The stiffness of the TeXtreme sole is easily equal to that of its Easton counterpart, despite using less material. The Techlace is just 192g, (384g for a size 45 pair), which is about as light as it gets.
The shoes come fitted with a basic pair of Giro’s Supernatural Fit footbeds but inside the posh travel bag, which is included, is another pair with replaceable arch supports. Three depths of arch support are supplied so if you’re being fitted for your bike you can experiment with foot position or just go by trial and error on your own.
The bulk of our testing took place in Queensland, Australia, during December, with temperatures that were consistently in the mid-30s, and for hot, dry conditions it’s hard to think of shoes that are better. The thin, mesh uppers provide unparalleled cooling and their breathability is astonishing. Back home in the UK, the chillier weather we’ve had recently has meant fewer opportunities to use the Techlace shoes. During the handful of times when it was both mild and dry enough to wear them, their super-stiff soles and secure fit impressed, but they’re just too cold for anything below temperatures in the high-teens.
If your pockets are deep and you plan on spending a lot of time in hot weather and high mountains, then the Techlaces are just about the best shoes around. But if you want a shoe you can wear all year round in the UK, you’ll almost certainly want to look elsewhere.