ABOUT THE GIRO CHAMBER III CLIPLESS SHOES
STREAMLINED | The Giro Chamber has the legacy of an EWS and World Cup-winning riding shoe, aimed at gravity enthusiasts. For its third iteration, it’s lost some bulk, making it more of a trail all-rounder, but is still intended to provide the capability for aggressive mountain biking at the highest level.
Giro says that, while it hasn’t lost any of its gravity prowess and still offers DH-worthy stability, the Chamber III delivers plenty of power transfer on the pedals to ensure stellar pedaling efficiency.
FEATURES | At the heart of the Chamber III shoe is Giro’s clipless DH plate, with 10mm cleat setback to ensure a gravity-friendly rearward cleat position. Giro says this shank strikes the perfect balance of stiffness and walkability, so you should be plenty comfortable pushing up the trail during sessions or walking around the trailhead. This carbon composite DH shank is co-molded with the Sensor sole. Giro’s proprietary Sensor rubber keeps things grippy while offering solid durability.
There’s a full wrap-around sock design within the microfiber upper, with a simple lace setup combined with a Velcro lock-down strap to keep the fit secure on long days of pedalling and rough descents alike. Giro’s Rockprint reinforcement is added to the toe and heel to offer protection for foot and shoe in high wear areas.
Giro offers the Chamber III in sizes EU36-48, with half sizes from 42-46. They’re available in a choice of White or Black colorways, with a retail price of $199.95 /£149.99.
THE DIRT
I’ve spent a considerable amount of time riding in the Giro Chamber III shoes this year, seeing everything from long pedal days to bikepark and eBike ripping. The entirety of my time was spent clipping into a set of Crankbrothers Mallet Enduro pedals, with the mid-size platform offering a little support without fully masking a set of overly flexible shoes.
Slipping my feet inside for the first time, I was immediately met with a comfortable sock-like wrap around to the fit. I’m a big fan of when a shoe feels this secure on the foot, and the lace and velcro combination ensured there was no movement of the shoe relative to the foot. My feet are relatively large in volume around the ankle, and as a result the Chamber III looked a little stretched when viewed from above. Aside from aesthetics from a certain perspective, this caused no issues with comfort or performance, but riders with particularly high volume feet may begin to run into fit issues. As with most mountain bike kit, it’s worth getting your feet inside these shoes to confirm they’ll fit you comfortably.
On the trail, comfort remained high and the general performance was stellar. The Chamber III’s strike a fine balance between stiffness and comfort, with suitable flex to keep walking comfortable and avoid foot fatigue on descents. This comfort was provided without serious detriment to pedaling efficiency, sitting in a very happy spot. The Sensor rubber sole offered good walking grip for the times off-bike, and is standing up well to the test of time.
Cleat position is a personal preference, but I’ve not met a rider with more gravity-minded intentions with their cleat more than half way towards the front of the shoe in quite some time. It’s great to see more shoe companies catering to the more rearward cleat positioning preferred by riders like myself, with Giro’s 10mm set back leaving me in a comfortable spot when slammed rearwards.
The smooth microfiber outer with perforations in key spots balances weather resistance and breathability fairly well, avoiding the Giro Chamber IIIs from becoming stifling hot. They’ll brush off a light shower or puddle splash to their outer, though the tongue will let any moisture through with limited resistance. Protection is the one element that isn’t particularly strong – the toe and heel protection is reasonable, but the outer offers little padding against the crank or trail. Much to my surprise, they’re still looking impressively fresh after a wipe, after the barrage of abuse and occasional covering of mud that’s typical in Scotland.
The Wolf’s Last Word
The Giro Chamber III clipless shoes are an excellent offering for trail to enduro mountain bikers. Providing a comfortable and well-balanced character for most of the spectrum of mountain biking outside of DH racing or XC pedal-fests, they’re likely to please a large number of clip pedal riders. 
Price: $199.95 /£149.99
Website: Giro.com
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ABOUT THE WOLF
Robert’s habitat is the Tweed Valley, Scotland, which is renowned for its root-littered enduro mountain bike trails. Robert has been developing his bike handling skills for the last 16 years. Since he was a pup, he’s been riding everything from BMX through to enduro and downhill bikes. Combining a playful style with occasional speed-focused aggression, he favors supportive bikes, and does his best to push them hard.
Rank: European Tech Editor
Size: 6’2” / 189cm | 220lbs / 100kg
Social: @robert_johnston
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