Giro

Empire ACC Cycling Shoe - Women's

Giro went back to the past when it decided to design a lace-up cycling shoe a few years ago for a certain Olympic cyclist in the 2012 London Games, and though it might've seemed like more of a fashion statement at the time, the shoe proved that lace-ups still deserve a place in cycling today. After the shoe has shown that it's here to stay, Giro chose to let women in on the fun at last with the Empire ACC Women's Shoes. If you're like us, you may already have been wearing the Empire ACC but settling for men's sizes. There's also a chance you may have yet to discover the Empire ACC's high-end features and functionality. Either way, the shoe's availability in a women's fit is cause for celebration.

Giro starts by constructing the shoes' uppers with a single piece of Evofiber microfiber to provide a lightweight, contoured fit across the top of the foot. Evofiber is a highly breathable fabric, and it features added perforations to further promote ventilation and facilitate quick moisture transfer away from your skin. Rather than add extra overlays and pieces of material, Giro keeps the profile of the Empire ACC sleek and uniform, and the flexibility of the microfiber combined with the full lacing system allows for a customizable, second-skin fit. An Easton EC90 ACC carbon outsole provides an extremely stiff, light pedaling platform, and its low stack height brings your cleats close to the pedals to eliminate the loss of power that thicker cleat plates suffer, resulting in efficient, responsive power transfer.

Inside the shoe, Giro adds its Super Natural Fit System, which allows for adjustable arch support within the shoe depending on the shape of your arch to reduce fatigue while pedaling. The insole itself is made with X-Static fiber to ward off odors, while the outsoles have replaceable heel pads to keep the shoes going for miles.