Can’t decide if they look awesome or like bowling shoes, but they are definitely something to look at.
My concern is that perhaps nobody else makes a lace up shoe anymore for a reason.
Anybody using the shoe & love it / hate it?
Style over substance. We’re triathletes - we haven’t time to tie shoelaces dammit ! 
Love them.
For a road shoe you could not ask for something lighter stiffer, or more bad ass.
Laces don’t give any slack away - I only dream of my running shoes staying this tight.
Comfort is awesome, especially with the added arch supports - not that they’re exceptionally functional for performance, but they give the glove like feel I like in a shoe.
I have two pairs and love them. No more slipping boas during a sprint!
For a road shoe you could not ask for something lighter stiffer, or more bad ass.
You could…
But I do think the empire is pretty cool too. Laces would be great for short stuff. I’m not sure how they would be for long stuff once your feet start to swell. Then again, I thought the same thing about my Simmons, but I don’t have any pain on the longest of rides (160 miles has been my longest in my Simmons, with zero pain or “hot foot”).
i wish the price would come down so i could keep a “fun” pair. Sidi takes all my shoe money
Last year’s models are all over the web for under $150. They look better than the current models too.
+1 Just picked up a pair of last year’s Empire in a 46 Black on PerformanceBike for ~$150. Should be here Tuesday, excited to give them a try in a couple upcoming TT’s.
Ha! I’ve been jonesin for a pair of these for a while and just checked the price because of this thread. I just pulled the trigger at performance too, with the additional discount they’re offering on shoes, the Empire came to $130.49 before tax… free shipping too. KILLER deal for a nice pair of road shoes…. Silver, of course.
I prefer the stealth all black of the Empire.
I do like the sleak-ness of that shoe, but can’t stand gaudy logos. I doubt this has that “glove” feel with just one fastening point, would be nice road shoe for Tri I bet though.
The laces actually have a bit of stretch to them so, as long as you don’t get crazy with tightening them down to hell they conform to the foot well.
What?! What discount code? May have to just shoot these back to the PerformanceBike up the road and re-order if they are still in stock…
Use PRESDAY20 to knock another 20% off down to $112
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I prefer the stealth all black of the Empire.
I do like the sleak-ness of that shoe, but can’t stand gaudy logos. I doubt this has that “glove” feel with just one fastening point, would be nice road shoe for Tri I bet though.
The laces actually have a bit of stretch to them so, as long as you don’t get crazy with tightening them down to hell they conform to the foot well.
The logos are decals, so you can pull them off (or just get them made without them). They are built around a custom cast of your foot so they fit better than anything else. These are 110grams per shoe (10.5 inches long)
How does the Empire compare to other Giro shoes? I wanted to really like the Factor, it fit great except the heel was way too big for me.
All of the Giro shoes seem to have the loose heel. Not sure why they haven’t addressed this. I loved my Prolight SLX’s I had, but the heel was definitely loose in comparison to my Sidi Wires. So I had to really make sure the straps were set tightly enough to compensate for the heel not holding well.
Have two pairs and absolutely love them, really comfortable, lightweight, the upper gives a little to accommodate weird shaped feet like mine, they breathe but arent chilly. I think the exact same shoes with a boa closure would actually be better but am happy with mine (have been wearing them for a year).