Giro's Eurobike booth comprised a mix of old and new, combined with the company’s most comprehensive ever collection of women's gear. We've already shown you the new Air Attack aero road helmet but there's still plenty to see.
Somewhat predictably, Giro will expand into the gravity scene for 2013 with two new shoes: the Jacket and the Chamber. Both feature skate-inspired styling, grippy Vibram outsoles, Poron XRD foam cushioning in the heel to soften hard landings, and lace-up uppers. The Chamber adds an extra hook-and-loop strap for extra footholding ability plus an SPD-compatible cleat pocket.
Claimed weights are 416g and 536g for the Jacket and Chamber (each, respectively) and suggested retail prices are $120 and $140.
Giro's other new mountain bike shoe comes in at the lower end of the pricing spectrum. The new $80 Rumble – and the women's-specific version, the Petra – follows convention for this category with a walkable, fully treaded outsole, a laced upper, and more casual hiking shoe-like styling that Giro says will work equally well as a clipless shoe or with toe clips and straps.
The Rumble
Giro's extensive road line gets a new high-end specialty flagship for 2013 that some keen-eyed viewers may have seen worn by American Taylor Phinney at the London Olympic Games. The Empire has retro-style laces, which Phinney, a former American soccer player, wrapped around the sole before tying off. The new Empire uses the same Easton EC90 carbon fiber outsole as the Prolight SLX and Factor models but a trick one-piece, full-lace, Teijin synthetic upper instead of a conventional strapping system.
Giro claims the full-lace upper distributes pressure more evenly across the top of the foot, and also allows for selective zone tightening to a certain degree. Claimed weight is 225g (size 42.5, single shoe) and the price is $275.
One of Giro's biggest initiatives for 2013 is a more comprehensive range of women's gear, including specific helmets, gloves and shoes, all designed to be worn together for a cohesive and coordinated look – not to mention better fit and function. Giro will add five models to the collection, including the Amare, Sapphire, Xara, Sonnet and Feather – analogues to the men's Atmos, Pneumo, Xar, Savant and Feature, respectively.
A lot for the ladies from Giro in 2013
And yes, you read correctly – Giro has resurrected the Pneumo for 2013, bringing back one of the company's most popular helmets but with updated colors and graphics plus the company's latest Roc Loc 5 retention system and slimmer webbing. Despite its age – it was introduced more than a decade ago – it still looks surprisingly current. Price is $150 with an included visor.