Giro creates gear for snowy endeavours and cycling adventures. Photo Editor Peter Moynes takes the company’s new Deed mountain bike shoe for a ride and absolutely stomps this review.

If you have ever ridden a bicycle or hit the snow slopes on a board or skis, chances are you’ve had a Giro helmet on your head at one time or another. The company was founded in California in 1985 and has since grown to be one of the leading global brands in the bike and ski industry. For this honest review, we turn our focus from our heads to our feet and stomp out an opinion on the new Giro Deed mountain bike shoe.

Snapshot: Giro Deed Mountain Bike Shoe

    1. Pros: Comfort, comfort, comfort. Like a couch for your foot, but a good couch.
    2. Cons: Though it didn’t really affect me, as I use a custom insole, but I thought the
      Stock insole looked like it lacked some support.
    3. Price: $199 Cdn
    4. Who Should Buy: Anyone who likes to ride flats including BMXers, mountain bikers and gravel grinders. These are super grippy and supportive on a pedal.
    5. Who Shouldn’t Buy: People who think $120 is too much for a pair of riding shoes that will likely last three seasons or more.
    6. Helpful Hack: Put an upgraded or custom orthotic in it for max comfort.
    7. Author’s overall rating: 9.5/10

The Test

I like to bike. I believe it’s good to take at least a day off a week from the bike, mostly for stretching, and giving the body a break, but I don’t always do it. An avid cyclist you might call me. I’m also a bit of a hipster duffus. You know, the guy who wears vans to a wedding, to work, or to a funeral. For the last 20 years, I have also ridden in my vans. I told myself the shitty soles actually allowed my foot to kinda wrap around the pedal and grab it, almost like an eagles talon grabs a salmon’s back. But a month ago I agreed to take a pair of Giro Deed shoes for a test drive and report back on their performance. Having already confessed to being a duffus, I can now officially add moron to the vernacular of description for myself. Kinda like they, them or us. I cannot believe I didn’t make a shoe switch sooner. My ankles would have thanked me for it.

The deeds are incredible stability on the pedal. From the pumping and popping on machine groomed flow trails, to the steep, rocky chunder of the Nelson, British Columbia classics, the shoes were bomber.

Here in the Kootenays, a riding shoe isn’t just a riding shoe, it also doubles as a hiking shoe/boot. Hike-a-bikes to ridge tops and walk arounds some of the gnarly shit that people build and ride around here are common place. I live in the heart of Nelson and I like to ride right from home. A lot of the trails in my repertoire are the old-school classics that made this town a destination Mecca for riding. “Eli Sim,” “Paper Bag,” “13 Steps Of Doom.” They are all kinda steep, kinda rocky, and the perfect testing ground for a new pair of riding shoes.

The Verdict

Comfort

Over the last month I have tested the Deeds on trails that take me anywhere from an hour to ride, to having a few epic days involving 2-3 trails and six hours in the saddle. These shoes fit incredibly well and never need “adjusting” somehow. Up until writing this, I thought there was some kind of “jumar latch mechanism” on the grommet of the shoe that was incorporated to hold the lace in place once tightened. Upon further inspection I see there is no mechanical system in place, but the lace holes are oblong instead of round. Whatever the reason, once they are tied up snug, they are snug for the day.
I replaced the stock insole with my custom orthotic, which brought the comfort of the shoe to the next level. I actually went online to see if there was a “technology” used to make the shoe feel so solid. Apparently it’s the use of “mute foam” that bring the stability to the shoe.

Stability

So we know “mute foam” helps brings the stability to the shoe, but how does that translate to the ride? For me it came in confidence at high speeds. I can think of four or five rides in the area where the trail ends on a rocky forest service road or deactivated double track. Here of course the action is to pin downhill at mach speed to your given destination. At these speeds one usually begins to think of the consequences of getting bucked by a rock or depression, or how much chatter one’s arms and legs can take, but I never got that sensation. I always felt like my feet were planted firmly and securely on the pedal, as though I was riding clipped in.

Durabilty

The shoe is described as being constructed of “Fast Drying Textile and Microfiber,” which of course doesn’t mean much to me. Though we didn’t see a ton of rain over the last month, I did my fair share of creek crossing, some on pedal, some on foot. The shoe almost seemed moisture resistant, or had some type of wicking ability. I never got a soaker, or maintained a wet shoe over the period of the day. After at least 25 days on trail, the Deeds don’t have any visible signs of wear and they feel like they will be good for years to come.

Giro Deed Mountain Bike Shoe – The Deets

  • Weight: 390 grams (size 43)
  • Material: Fast-drying textile and microfiber
  • Sizes: 43-50
  • Colours: Black, Black Spark, Oxblood
  • Price: $199 Cdn
  • For more info: giro.com

Author’s Note: Mountain Culture Group is not paid for these reviews. They are honest expressions of our opinions. In some instances we are given the product to keep but that does not sway our assessment. If we dislike a product and feel it would score a rating of less than 5/10, we simply won’t review it.