Giro Regime Women's Road Cycling Shoes review

Giro's Regime women's cycling shoes wrap your feet in a one-piece upper cut from a proprietary seamless material Giro calls Synchwire. It’s made up of a breathable mesh layer heat-bonded onto a stiff sheet to help distribute pressure from the closure system across the top of your foot, with a reinforced outer film for extra durability.

The perforated upper lets heat escape but wasn’t so airy that I couldn’t wear them without shoe covers on chilly fall days. The closure system itself consists of two Boa dials and steel wires laced over the upper. Each click of the dial tightens the laces one millimeter at a time, and if you overtighten, you can also back it off one millimeter at a time as well so you can get the fit just right.

When it’s time to take your shoes off at the end of the ride, pulling up on the dial releases the laces completely so you can slip them off easily. Cushy, thick padding in the heel cup kept the Regimes snugly on our feet.

The carbon composite outsole provides a super stiff, confidence-inspiring platform and a solid foot-to-bike connection. It’s not the lightest one Giro offers (that would be the Imperial) but it strikes a nice balance between stiffness, durability, and lighter-than-average weight. Grippy plastic pads on the heel and toe prevent any embarrassing slide across the tile floors at the coffee stop.

Between your foot and the carbon plate is an insole with moderate arch support, which can be removed and replaced with more supportive ones if need be. The Regime W comes in sizes 36 to 43, with half sizes available. The men’s Regime, which is designed around a slightly different foot-shape mold, is available in sizes 39 through 50, and comes in a grey and orange colorway, in addition to the white and black options offered for women.

The Ride

The Regimes are the kind of shoe you slip on, tighten down, and not think about the rest of the ride—in a really good way. The Boa dials allowed me to get a super-precise fit that kept my feet from sliding around inside the shoe, and the barely-flexible upper stretched just enough where it was necessary.

Together, these two qualities created a super comfortable fit and feel without any chafing or hotspots. They hugged my feet around the heel and midfoot, with just enough wiggle room in the toe to be comfortable. The super stiff carbon sole offered excellent full-foot support, especially on long, steep climbs, which helped prevent fatigue and foot cramps. It also gave me that zoomy, awesome feeling you get from efficient power transfer that just makes you want to keep accelerating.

Value

Beside comparably-constructed shoes of the same price, like the Shimano SH-RC7 and the Specialized Torch 3.0, the Regimes stand out in a few ways. First of all, the sole is completely solid (the other two have wire mesh vents under the toe), and has a stiffness rating of 120 newtons per millimeter. While each of the brands reports sole stiffness on different scales, it’s hard to directly compare them without riding in them back to back, but these were more than sufficient.

The S2 boas on the Torches are a grade lower than the L6 ones on the Regimes, and don’t have the quick-release function. Though using laces in place of Boas might have contributed to a slightly lighter weight overall, the Boas offer super easy mid-ride adjustability.