Giro get in the Enduro ring

We gave you a little tease a week back of some new stuff coming out of Giro’s Scotts Valley (basically Santa Cruz) offices and as of today the official embargo lifts and we can tell you a bit more. So the big news (well for me anyway) is the release of the new Enduro shoe the Terraduro (there’s a women’s Terradura as well). Currently in the market there is really only Mavic making a shoe that is aimed squarely at Enduro riders and there’s probably five Mavics to any other brand on the EWS circuit. So Giro getting in now with this shoe is very good timing.

And they haven’t done it by halves, partnering up with traction giants Vibram for the shoe’s full covered sole. Match that up with what Giro have learnt over the last couple of years for the upper, as well as adding in some solid rubber reinforcing in the toe and heel zones and you have a shoe that you can actually go mountain biking in. This mountain though is a REAL mountain, one that you have to shoulder your bike on, it might be rocky and it might have streams and shit as well and it might just be too steep to ride and you may just have to push your bike for over an hour… That is what this shoe is for and we can’t wait to get our feet in a pair, because frankly, normal MTB shoes just don’t cut it.

http://youtu.be/bV6xNgGOlTQ

If you’re more confined to the bike park Giro and Vibram also have something else up their sleeve that might impress. It’s a carry on from last year’s super popular Jacket and Chamber models. Giro are now offering both models in a Mid version. The Chamber (above) is the SPD version and the Jacket is obviously the standard flat pedal model. Both shoes feature rubber toe and heel guards, molded EVA midsoles and an asymmetrical ankle support strap.

http://youtu.be/6-gcyjwx3AA

But the other big release was Giro’s new Enduro and DH friendly full-face helmet the Cipher. Crankworx saw a tonne of riders repping these, from our own Rosara Joseph to EWS round five winner Jared Graves. It’s a feature packed helmet that kicks things off with a new softer, more damped Vinyl Nitrile cheek damping system, removable cheek pads for emergency helmet removal and it’s compatible with Giro’s Tune Ups audio system. But that’s just the beginning of the list; it also features 13 vents, GoPro (and Contour) POV camera integration and a two bolt visor. Oh, and it also meets the Downhill specific ASTM1952 test requirements joining only the TLD D2 and D3, Specialized’s Dissident and the Fox Rampage Carbon Pro helmets with this test pass.

We asked Kiwi Enduro gun and Giro rider Chris Johnston for his thoughts on the new gear he’s been running…

“The Cipher helmet is amazing. It’s a real snug fit on your head, the field of vision has been improved and the ‘Brow’ venting system works really well too. It’s much more compact than a Remedy and has a real moto style look to it.

The Terraduro shoe is also amazing, a hybrid between an XC and DH style shoe, it’s a fairly stiff shoe with a Vibram sole. Great comfort on and off the bike. The cleat interface has also been shifted back.

Both of these products were available to the Giro athletes right before the Crankworx Enduro. It was optional to race in our older gear if we didn’t feel comfortable racing in it right out of the box. We were all so stoked with the new product we raced it the next day!”