Giro Alpineduro Boot Review

Designed to get you through the grittiest, groggiest winter months. The Giro Aplineduro Boot has been designed to lock out all the elements. At heart the Alpineduro is a rugged mountain shoe with a grippy Vibram rubber outsole. It’s insulated construction and a clip-in pedal-ready nylon shank that doesn’t sacrifice walking comfort or grip. Very similar in ergonomics to other Giro MTB shoes such as the Chamber, except with an almost Timberland appearance.

Designed to function as a hiking boot, with a the clip in shank on the bottom. Not everyone’s cup of tea but these boots offer a maximum level of comfort & dryness. Giro describe the shoe as ‘an urban adventurer with superb fit and style, plus a waterproof microfiber upper engineered to repel winter’s wet and icy chill. When riding is your style all year-round, this is your go-to shoe.’

Retailing at £169.99 and currently selling on Cyclestore.co.uk at £135.99, it’s by no means at the cheap end of the scale. We really put this boot to the test to see if it lives up to the bold claims made at Giro’s end of the equation.

 

What’s New:

The Alpineduro comes with breathable microfiber and waterproof liner, making them fully wionter-proof. PrimaLoft Insulation keep your feet warm whilst a lace closure with lace holder keeps water from penetrating through the laces. The holder keeps the laces in place so you don’t have to worry about them getting caught in the drive chain.

A rubber tow and heel reinforcement strengthens the boot and adds security. Reflective details help with extra visibility although with the kind of riding these shoes are designed for, that won’t stay clean & visible for long.

A Vibram wet weather rubber outsole keeps the shoe firm whilst maintaining the highest possible durability. There is a flexible forefoot zone for walking in the shoe. It hugs the pedals perfectly and offers a lot of traction through the lugged outside. The underneath of the shoe features a molded SPD compatible shank with an optimized stout cleat zone. You can also use the optional cleat cover to use the flat pedals. There is plenty of adjustment in the slots letting you slide the cleat right back. A dropped heel gives you extra control over the bike whilst descending.

Brushed EVA Footbed supports the foot inside and has an added X-Static anti-microbial treatment to keep the shoes fresh. This helps when water does finally penetrate the boot whilst maintaining comfort.

 

Out of the Box:

The shoes felt both warm and comfortable from the box, although they fit slightly small. This can affect the temperature of the foot so we’d advise buying half a size larger than your usual fit. That being said the shoes felt as though they were going to perform well.

The black is a very safe and obvious colour choice from Giro. Better than the bold, bright childs crayon type colours seen throughout the road shoe counterparts. The durable material takes much less cleaning than more aesthetically pleasing shoes. But winter is always a time for function over form, and these shoes are designed with that in mind.

But these boots tip the scale at almost 500g per shoe. We found them to be just under 1kg per pair, so not the lightest of boots. You’d have to be going through the obstacles like Sam Dale, rather than trying to nimbly jump around.

Onto the Bike:

The first thing we noticed in the Alpineduro is that the laces are completely exposed. With the performance of the shoe so dependent on the performance of the laces, we did think that this was slightly crazy. The laces got wet almost instantly and it was downhill from there. Despite this the shoe kept the water out well for the majority of the ride and the warmth of the shoe has to be complemented. Even when penetrated, the majority of the water seemed to run down the leg rather than come in through the boot. Giro have a pair of Alpineduro gaiters to work with this.

The sole retained traction through the ride. It was much more suited to the damp conditions than the soaking wet. It struggled to perform in the deep areas of mud and sludge. We think Giro could have been a bit more aggressive through the design of the sole. A more rugged design would certainly offer a lot more grip through the day. That being said, the sole was stiff enough to perform and the flexibility for walking was an added bonus.

Verdict:

The Alpineduro is a very solid, warm winter shoe. Giro’s design of the shoe lets it down slightly in more extreme conditions, although this is a solid choice for an all round winter shoe. We thought the shoe was slightly overpriced and wouldn’t wear it more hard-core type MTB rides. But to keep the feet warm through steady winter rides, without having to spend hours scrubbing the exterior post ride, the Alpineduro will do the job.