There are a variety of ways to beef up the warmth of a pair of the best cycling shoes. They only work to a point though. It doesn’t matter how much cladding you add to the outer surface, you’ve still got a highly vented shoe optimised for warm weather riding. Not only that, but you probably didn’t buy your warm weather shoes to fit bulky winter socks. That’s why, if you ride in the cold, you will do yourself a big favour by adding a pair of the best winter cycling shoes to your closet.
Cold is not the same as cold and wet though. One thing that’s missing from the options in our list is a focus on wet weather. With that in mind, the smooth outer of the Giro Blaze caught my eye. Many brands claim to handle this kind of weather, but it’s rare that they actually do. With a healthy dose of skepticism, I’ve spent time testing the Giro Blaze winter cycling shoes in tough conditions. If you are also looking for something to handle cold, wet, riding this winter, keep reading to see if the Giro Blaze warrant a purchase.
Design and aesthetics
As mentioned above, the outer of the Giro Blaze winter boots are smooth and mostly devoid of details. What you can see is a lot like an integrated overshoe. Starting at the outsole there is a layer of woven material that stretches over the inner design of the shoe and provides water resistance. Woven fabrics tend to already offer some ability to shrug of mild rain but this is a membrane outer as well. It’s both waterproof with a 10,000 GM2 rating as well as breathable with a 10,000 GM2 rating. The inner surface features a low-pile fleece and taped seams.
Even with the smooth outer, there are a few details to notice. The front features a generous rubber toe cap that curves up from the sole all the way over the top of the toes. You can find a similar rubber coating on both sides of the heel as well. Up the centre of the rear, where the rubber leaves an opening, is a strip of reflective material that also protects the seam from water intrusion. Over the ball on each side of the ankle is a dense square of padding. The most obvious detail though is the waterproof zipper that starts just behind the toe box and angles towards the outside of the ankle.
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