M AY 2 019 mbr 113GIRO CHAMBER
II GWIN
£129.99
SPECIFICATIONWeight:510g (1,020gpair) • 4 to 13 • Colours:
blue, dark shadow, black/white • Contact: zyrofi sher.co.uk
TheChamberII is thelatestversionofGiro’s
popularDH-orientatedclipshoe.AaronGwin
helpeddesignit (hencethissignaturemodel),
sotheChamberhasthedownhillchampion’s
rearward,offsetcleatpositionfora more
aggressive,heels-downridingstance.A deeper
treadedVibramsoleoffersincreasedbiteif you
havetogetoffandpush.
Securedbylacesanda Velcrostrap,the
upper’swellventilatedwithminimalseamsand
shrugsoffsplashesanddownpourseffectively.
Thesoleandshankis moderatelystiff, sothere’s
plentyofpunchatthepedal,butit’sstillcomfy
alldayandflexibleenoughtowalkorhikein
withoutrestrictingmovement.
Becausethesolefootprintis prettywide,
unclippedgriponstuddedplatformstylepedals
is solidif youaccidentallycomeunstuck,and
therampededgesonthecleatboxmakeit
reallyeasytosnapbackinfastif feetdoget
forcedoutofposition.
Thiscleatboxis alsooffset,whichmeans
youcanadopta widerstancemoreakinto
flatpedals.It’sa footpositionthatfeels
greatonceyouadaptandincreasesleverage
toreallydrivethebikethroughturns,andit
also gives increased clearance against
rubbingheelsonchainstaysonwiderBoost-
axledframes.
Beingoneoftheheaviershoesonthe
marketis slightlynoticeablewhenturning
pedalsoveralldaylong,butoffsettingthe
chunkis howGiro’sshoemanagestobeas
comfyasyourfavouritetrainer.Thewide-
ranging cleat position feels natural and is idealforridersswappingbetweenclips and
flatsandwantinganidentical
pedalposition.
£130is 20quidmore
expensivethanlastyear’s
model,butthedurable
ChamberII is worthit and
highly recommended.O’NEAL PINNED SPD
£ 7 9. 9 9
SPECIFICATIONWeight:482geach (964gpair) • Sizes4–13 • Colours:black,black/neon• Contact:moorelarge.co.uk
Thestealthy,minimalPinnedSPDis excellent
value,durableandtough.It alsohasthebonus
ofclass-leadingwaterproofingthat’sreally
valuableinUKconditions.
LiketheChamberIIs,anotherleading
downhillathlete(GregMinnaar)hashelped
optimisethisshoeforDHracing.ThePinned
soleis stifferthanmost,thankstoa rigid
nyloninsertbetweenthedimpled,waffle-
styleoutersoleandtheinnerfootbed.The
underneathuses‘Honey’rubber,whichO’Neal
designedtobestickyforgripandspecially
tunedtoabsorbimpactsandhits.A thicker
wraparoundrubberbumperandsolidtoecap
providegoodprotectionagainsthitswithout
makingtheoverallshapetooclumpy.
Thestiffsoledrivespowerefficientlyand
stopsanyhotspotsorpressure,evenonreally
roughterrain.Onedrawback,though,is the
shankstiffnessmeansthisisn’tthebestshoe
offthebike,asit’sclumpiertowalkin.
Ontopofsuperbresistancetosplashes
andrain,thesyntheticupperandinterioralso
driesoutveryquickly.Thisinteriorcomesup
quiteroomyandis securedbylacesthathold
thefootsecurelybutanextrabungeeorlace
stashmighthelpkeepflappinglacesoutofthe
waybetter.
O’Neal’swaffle rubbersoleisn’tthegrippiest
against platforms if you unclip accidentally or
havetotackleextendedhikes,anda deeper,
stickierheelandtoetreadwoulddefinitely
bebetterif yourlocaltrailsfrequentlyrequire
walkingupslipperysurfaces.
Despitetheseminorreservations,this
is a super-comfyshoewitha directpedalling
feel that’s also excellent value for money.Infact,atsomeof
thepriceswe’ve
seenonline,youcan
nabyourselfa well-
functioningclipshoe
foranamazingpriceif
you shop around.