Tested: The Giant Surge Road Shoe
The Surge is the top-of-the-line road shoe from Giant's new shoe line. It’s a good-looking shoe with very subtle branding; the materials and construction appear good, but not above average. The upper is very supportive and I experienced no hot spots from the closures, which provide a very secure wrap around the mid foot. The shoe is very stiff vertically; the combination of a very stiff sole and very supportive upper makes the connection to the pedal and power transfer very solid. I didn’t feel the torsional flex the MES sole allows (see below) during seated pedaling. When standing I didn’t notice the flex explicitly; what I did feel was something akin to increased cleat float. It was nice, and it made the pedaling motion feel maybe a bit smoother, but it was not game-changing. I had no urge to burn all my other cycling shoes.
What could be better: The shoe doesn’t open very wide, which makes pulling it a chore. It seems like the upper Boa dial needs more cable so it can release further. The included insoles are basic: competing shoes at this price increasingly include insoles that are heat moldable or have adjustable arch support. The cleat-mounting inserts are fixed when competitors increasingly offer adjustable inserts for more-rearward cleat mounting.
RELATED: 16 New Cycling Shoes for 2016
Fit: The Surge has a very low volume toe box. I have pretty small, flat, and low volume feet, and the toe box was too tight for me, with no hope of fitting in orthotics. Room in the heel cup is average, which results in a fit I can’t remember experiencing in a cycling shoe: like an Isosceles triangle. I’m not going to call this good or bad: Like any shoe, try it on. If it fits your foot, great; if not, move along.
The technology: According to Giant, the MES (Motion Efficiency System) sole allows some torsional flex, providing more natural foot movement during the pedal stroke, which improves efficiency while reducing pressure on the knee and ankle joints. Giant isn’t the first to have engineered torsional flex in a shoe: Some Shimano mountain bike shoes are offered with a technology the company calls TORBAL (TORsional BALance), which is claimed it improve balance and bike control.
Price: $350
Weight: 542 grams/pair, size 41 (my scale)
Sizes: 40-48; half sizes 41.5 to 45.5
Colors: black, blue, white
You Might Also Like
