The Radavist

Yesterday I was wearing my first-edition Giro Empire lace up road shoes. Ever since I first put those shoes on, I couldn’t get over how comfortable they were, right out of the box. There was virtually no break-in period.

Now they’re the only road shoes I wear. I’ve found that the laces actually allow for a lot more wiggle room and stretch than traditional buckles or velcro, meaning I don’t need to adjust them at all once they’re on my feet. Also, the laces have never come out of the loops, which is a concern of many people.

My only qualm with the first edition Empires is that I don’t always want to wear patent leather, which is why I love the new offerings (not pictured: white, because I hate white shoes). The all matte black, black and fluoro orange / yellow look amazing.

Check out more at Giro and yes, I’ll post my pair of well-used shoes later this week.

Check it out as Chas from TCB Courier and Mash talks about his relationship with Giro and the $150 Republic Shoe.

I’ve been wearing a lot of the fall 2013 New Road line recently on both my road and MTB. The favorite being that rad Insulated Vest. Before the launch, earlier this year the Giro team headed to Minneapolis to shoot the product photos and video. If you look closely you might see some Handsome fellas in there.

Giro really does make the best gloves and they recently teamed up with Cinelli on a run of their popular DND riding gloves. Check them out at the Cinelli Wingstore.

Jake Hess is the founder of Steel Wül Cycling, a club based out of Santa Cruz that’s keen on building a grassroots community. Check out more in this video by Giro.

For the past two days, I’ve been preparing to head back down to Australia for a few weeks. Lauren is there, working again and so I get to spend some more time with my bestest mates. As I was packing this morning, I noticed some color-coordination happening and thought I’d take a minute to shoot these two photos.

These are all products I use and wear on a daily basis. With all the “what kind of _____ is that?” I experience, let me break it down:

Left
Manual for Speed shirt
Rapha Brevet Gillet
Rapha Winter City Riding Merino Socks
Giro Atmos helmet

Right
Winter shirt
Giro Limited Empire MTB Shoe
Topo Designs Mountain Shorts
Topo Designs Nesting Pouches

I won’t even begin to lay out all the orange and camo gear I have…

I own these Giro gloves and they rule. Especially the iPhone sensitivity finger tips. Riding off-road, you need full finger gloves and that includes cross season. Getcha some at Mash!

… But Vegas is callin’. See you at Interbike. First, we’re heading to the “nothing” to camp tonight. See you at the show, I’m bringing the usual hydration.

I would go into a long-winded explanation as to why I love Giro’s shoes but if I did so, you’d miss the opportunity to pick up a pair of these extremely limited Camo Empire MTB shoes. Head over to the Giro Facebook now!

I know I’ve plugged the Giro Privateer shoes numerous times on the site before and yet I continue to get emails from people asking what shoes I wear on my cross and mountain bike. These days, I travel exclusively with my Mudville cross bike. For road rides, I bring Jack Brown tires, for dirt, I bring Grifos. Spending serious saddle time in shoes will either make or break your relationship with them but spending a lot of time on the road in MTB shoes is sure to test their comfort.

In dirt, you tend to move around a lot more, stop, hike and the time you spend actually sitting and climbing is limited. At least in my experience anyway. Especially when I come to California, I find myself climbing mountains on my cross bike, in these shoes. People often comment on how they hate riding road in mountain shoes and I used to hate it as well but then I got the Giro Privateers. I’ve been amazed at how comfortable they are, at such an affordable pricepoint. They also come in HV, or “high volume” for wider feet.

This isn’t a “paid advert”, this is just me sharing with you something that I use a lot more than I anticipated…

The 2013 Red Hook Crit season is underway, with the Navy Yards this weekend and future events worldwide later in the summer. If you can’t make it out to a race, head over to the Gage + DeSoto store to pick up some of the Red Hook Crit merchandise.

Sometimes, using your critiques to fuel your creativity is the best route. Case in point is Giro’s Air Attack helmet. Some love it, others hate it, calling it a “skate helmet”, regardless of how aerodynamic it is. With that in mind, they took Ty out to a local skate park in Santa Cruz and let him chase speed around the bowl on a Cervelo…

Giro’s also running a campaign where you can win that bike (not the thrashed one, a brand new one), along with other prizes. Check it out at Giro and check out more photos of Ty getting rad below.

I’ve missed posting about the past few Giro First Friday products but these Pink Aeon Leader Helmets look great:

“The ultimate cycling helmet combines a lightweight feel with a skull-hugging fit and robust protective capability. It puts the wind to work for you, keeping you cool and comfortable no matter how far or fast you ride. And it practically disappears when you put it on. That helmet is the Aeon. Our premium performance helmet designed to meet the demands of the world’s most iconic roads and best riders.

A version of this stunning pink and rhodamine colorway was first seen last year at the Giro d’Italia, on the heads of race leaders including overall winner Ryder Hesjedal of Team Garmin-Sharp. It is now available to you, our fans, in a limited quantity on Facebook.

We produced 50 of these worldwide, and when they’re gone they’re gone for good. Unless you’ve got what it takes to earn one on the road… ”

Pick one up at the Giro Facebook Store here,  and for Mobile check-out go here.

Cycling apparel is one thing, when its on a model, in a catalog, but when its out in the real world, on real riders, that’s when you can see its true merits. When I was first contacted by Giro to be a part of the New Road in Northern California weekend, I couldn’t see myself as a “cycling model”.

After arriving at the ranch, I realized that the people who were involved are cyclists and a good representation of who would wear the apparel. For me, that’s credible just like Giro’s products. We’re all just regular riders. Except for Ty, he’s a real model. Check out some photos and bios of the people who were in NorCal for tis video here at Giro.

I’ve been pumped on what Giro is putting out over the past few years and I was very stoked on their new Republic Shoe when I got a sneak peek at Interbike this year. Here’s a few words from Giro on their new urban / commuter / touring shoe, that fits right in alongside their New Road line:

“The Republic is really unlike other cycling shoes,” said Eric Richter, Giro Senior Brand Manager. “At heart, it’s a modern cycling shoe with a sleek profile and all of the essential performance elements that you need to pedal efficiently. But in spirit and style, it’s a new kind of shoe made for the streets, with a look and feel that’s great on the bike or walking into an office, whether you’re wearing street clothes or cycling apparel.”

The Republic Shoe retails at $150, comes in sizes 6 1⁄2 to 13 1/2 and three colors. Pick them up at Giro retailers this month.

See more product photos below!

After months upon months of design, development and prototyping, the Giro New Road line is now available at select shops. I’ve had hands on experience with many of these pieces and I’m very impressed with the concept and construction. While they look like casual silhouettes, these jerseys are part of an innovative design that allows you to access pockets on the bib “briefs”. Some of these products are meant to work as a kit and others are to be treated as a normal jersey. It’s hard to describe but the product photos below explain better than I can.

The technical, merino blends fit great and have clean, modern lines but most importantly for me, the New Road line is made in the USA and is still affordable. I have and will commend Giro for developing, designing and manufacturing this product line in the state of California.

There’s more to come but for now, you can see the product shots below.