Giro

Trans E70 HV Shoe - Men's

Those of us who suffer from metatarsal hot spots during rides look on the privileged, pain-free cyclists with an envy that borders on malice. Compressed metatarsal bones can lead to unbearable pain and painfully annoying breaks during which you have to massage the fire out of your abused feet. Giro's Trans E70 HV Shoes are built with this problem in mind. We're assuming the HV stands for High Volume, because the shoes are built with a more generous fit. This means that your metatarsal bones have enough space to expand without restriction, which addresses one of the most common causes of hot spots in the toes and the balls of the feet.

The E70 HVs' closure system also diffuses pressure with its middle, hook-and-loop strap that goes across the midfoot. Its design essentially turns the entire panel on the shoe's instep into an extension of the strap, eliminating even more pressure on the metatarsal bones by pulling equally across the panel's breadth. As usual, the bottom strap is stuck hanging out with the toes, so the firm fit provided by the ratcheting buckle at the top of the shoe doesn't have to extend to the toe box.

The straps secure an upper made from Giro's proprietary Evofiber, which is exceptionally lightweight and highly breathable, featuring perforations for added cooling. This contributes not only to the sleek, minimalist profile, but it also reduces weight. The sole is the main difference between the Trans E70 and the more expensive Factor shoes, with the former incorporating an Easton carbon EC70 sole instead of EC90. The result is an equally efficient ride with a slight weight increase in the sole, but it still benefits from a low stack height that puts your foot to the pedal so you can put power into the road with minimal lost power.