Giro Prolight SLX Road Shoe

Previous shoe was a Sidi 5.5 size 45 mega. I had to order a Giro Prolight 45.5. Plenty of room in the toe box and the heel counter holds my heel in place. Overall contruction is good, the thickness of the sole is crazy thin, and the cleat placement the speedplay zero cleats is very simple. Had to lower my saddle and stem, which is actually a good thing!! Love my Giro Prolight SLX shoes!! Highly recommended! $350.00 is expensive for these shoes. I would rather purchase these shoes when they are on sale only.

Taking my new Prolights out of the box, I was first struck by their weight-- or lack thereof. During my first ride, I was struck by their stiffness in sudden accelerations and climbs. For weight savings and power transfer, the Prolight SLX is pretty hard to beat.

The Prolight fit might not be right for everyone, even if you use the included Fit Kit's arch supports. The shoe's forefoot is a little snug-not like Sidi, but more narrow than Shimano, Specialized, and other brands. For point of reference, I wear 42s in most other brands, but need 42.5 for Giro's road and MTB lines.

Quality of materials and manufacture seems high. However, I have one concern about the top velcro strap. If you use the high or medium arch supports, your foot takes up so much shoe volume that you can only cinch down half the top velcro strap without overtightening. I've only riden about 25 hours in the Prolights, so perhaps more milage will compress the tongue padding to allow more strappage. So far, this isn't a problem, the heel cup holds my feet very securely. Rather, I'm more concerned about the velcro's longevity, since you can't replace it like a ratchet buckle.

The Prolight's rubber heel pads are a small but well-thought-out feature. They're much safer walking on tile or hardwood surfaces than my previous brand of shoes, which had had hard, slippery plastic bumpers.

Lastly, the Prolights come with shorter cleat bolts. Use them. The soles are so thin that standard cleat bolts might protrude uncomfortably into the balls of your feet.

Took a couple of rides to dial in the cleats as prior, all my shoes for the past 12 years have been Addidas. Cleat position turned out to be about 5mm rearward from my other shoes.

The Giro gave a quite noticeable sense of improved pulling through the stroke, I was amazed by this. Additionally, the shoe fit my narrow feet very nicely and are the most comfortable cycling shoe I've yet worn. I also like the velcro closures not caring for others' fussy mechanical buckle designs. It's worth noting the finest available custom shoes use velcro closures.

I'm down for a second pair of the Prolight in the other color. Plus, BTD.com is a fine company.

I am very happy with these shoes. As light as a shoe needs to be (I couldn't imagine lighter) and as stiff as a shoe needs to be (they don't flex at all). My previous shoe was a pair of Carnac Ellipse purchased in 2003 which feel like they weigh 25 lb. in comparison. They are very comfortable and I like the choices offered by the insole system. I brought the three different arch supports on my first ride and rode a bit with each to dial in the best fit for me. The toe box feels roomy enough to allow for heavier socks once the weather turns colder in the fall (I live in New England) but with thin socks (Defeet AireatorsRapha merino socks) they feel great.

I did have to lower my seat a bit as the sole is very thin, much thinner than my previous sole. I've ridden them about 1,000 miles in the last month and have nothing negative to say about these shoes. I wish I had bought them sooner!