The Giro Imperial II reviewed: a premium shoe with the right balance of performance and comfort

Giro has released an update to its top-tier road shoe offerings. Six years since the original Giro Imperial shoe was released, the update features a sleek new BOA Fit System, a supple and breathable upper and a stiff sole optimised for high-performance road riding.

The Imperial II builds on the legacy of the first iteration of the shoe, which was released in 2019 as a lightweight, breathable racing shoe. Much of the design elements remain the same, with thin translucent cutouts running along both sides of the shoe and two aluminium BOA dials functioning as the tightening mechanism.

Giro claims the new model has better power transfer, adding 20Nm of stiffness to the sole while keeping weight low. The claimed weight is 220g for a size 43.

While some of the design elements are new, the pricing for the new Imperial II remains consistent. This range-topper costs $449.95 MSRP (£399.99 RRP), compared to its predecessor's $424.95 MSRP. The available colourways are limited to white and black.

While the improvements might seem marginal on paper, they do add value to an already solid product, which places the Giro Imperial II as one of the premier road shoes for summer performance.

Specs

• Forged UD carbon fibre sole 
• Super breathable SYNCHWIRE™ knit upper
• Dual BOA® L2 dials 
• 3-bolt cleat compatibility
• Weight: 220g (size 43)
• Size tested: 43.5
• RRP: $449.95 / £399.99 / €449.99

Fit notes: neutral foot shape design

Every shoe has its own design quirks, and while no two shoes fit the same, the Imperial II is about as neutral as they come. The heel cup is built up, but low enough to stay out of the way mechanically, while the toe box is firmly middle of the road in terms of width. What’s more, the breathable fabric that makes up the shoe’s upper also offers flexibility that allows for the shoe to contour to different foot shapes more effectively compared to other, more rigidly built footwear options.

One area where the fit might not work for everyone is arch support or lack thereof. The insoles are thin and the built-in arm profile is on the low side. Luckily, Giro shoes do run fairly true to size, and third-party insoles should fit to make amends to that lower profile.

The Imperial II’s fit is aided by the use of a dual Boa Fit System that incorporates the company’s Li2 multidirectional dials. This new and improved system is a popular option among higher-end models, as it can be found on the latest offerings from Specialized and Fizik as well. The system provides precise tension adjustment, helping the shoe upper to contour specifically to different portions of a rider's foot. The dials themselves have also been upgraded with a new alloy construction, giving the system more durability as well as a pleasing metallic aesthetic.

On the Imperial II, these two Boa dials sit on the outside of the shoe, slightly lower than the previous model, and the wires criss-cross over a separate inner tongue of the shoe. This design works together with the breathable upper to secure the foot, unlike the Fizik and Specialized models, which use an upper dial to wrap the material over the top of the foot. While the Giro design provides slightly less security, it uses less fabric, which helps reduce weight and maintain a more streamlined, symmetrical structure on both sides of the shoe.

The shoe’s breathability comes from a one-piece woven TPU fabric. TPU, which is short for thermoplastic polyurethane, is a synthetic material that has the characteristics of rubber and plastic. In recent years, TPU has become the go-to material for lightweight inner tubes, but in the case of these shoes, the TPU fabric is a thin weave that runs around the front half of the shoe.

Ride feel: the right companion for a long day, both on and off road

A good shoe is at its best when it goes unnoticed. With the Imperial II, the power of the shoe to disappear jumped out immediately.

I have been riding in the shoes regularly for around a month now on rides ranging from short intensive road rides, to long hot endurance rides on mixed surfaces. The shoe has excelled in each of the different use cases, but in particular on the long, hot days. The ability for the feeling to fade into the background has been striking, especially compared to other shoes I have in for testing. While it might lag behind those other, more built-up options in terms of raw power transfer, the comfort difference is massive.

This comfort has encouraged me to try to squeeze more out of the shoe in terms of use cases beyond simple road rides. As the testing went on, I felt pulled to put road pedals on my gravel bike for gravel rides where I was unlikely to have to step off the bike and scramble over rocks. Once this started, I found my mind wandering, as I cruised down bumpy gravel roads, about gravel races where I could get away with wearing these shoes over the other two-bolt off-road options I have.

Not only would some power transfer efficiency be gained, but sheer comfort would also be a big benefit. The shoe's upper's breathability and material flexibility make it dynamic enough to meet the demands of racing for many hours over tumultuous surfaces.

The one true downside of the shoe's off-road capacity is that its material holds a lot of dirt and dust and is difficult to clean fully. A month of mixed-surface riding has added a brown tinge that is hard to get rid of, but there is always the black colourway if you don’t fancy the clean white aesthetic.

For road riding, I struggle to find any real flaws. As I'm entering another long, hot summer in Arizona, the Imperial II is a great companion that will certainly remain in the shoe rotation.

The verdict

The Imperial II doesn’t seek to reinvent the road shoe, and that's okay. Instead, it builds on its predecessor's success, refining key elements, reinforcing smart design choices and enhancing the subtle details that matter. The result is a high-performance, versatile road shoe that excels in everyday use.

Across hard climbs, light gravel, and hot, long road rides, the Giro Imperial II has quickly become my go-to option. With its light and airy upper, the shoe handles the heat of the late Arizona spring incredibly well, while still providing enough support for an interval session or race-type rides.

As road shoes, they cover all the bases that a top-of-the-line shoe should provide. And for those veering off-road as well, the flexibility of the upper allows for a tight shoe that still has some give during the bumpy moments, though the fabric is tough to keep clean.