Review: Giro Riddance Mid Shoes
The Riddance Mid is a relatively new addition to Giro's lineup, designed to be able to withstand the abuse dished out by riders like Kurt Sorge and Carson Storch. Even if there aren't any Rampage-sized hucks in your future, the extra protection that the taller cuff and reinforced toe provide can come in handy for those moments when a surprise stump or rock appears in the middle of the trail.
There aren't any fancy dials or ratchet straps to be seen here – the Riddance Mid uses a tried-and-true lace-up design, with a wide velcro strap to adjust the fit and keep everything in place.
There aren't any fancy dials or ratchet straps to be seen here – the Riddance Mid uses a tried-and-true lace-up design, with a wide velcro strap to adjust the fit and keep everything in place.
Giro Riddance Mid Details
• Molded DH EVA footbed
• Vibram Megagrip ISR outsole
• Colors: Dark Shadow, red/black
• Rubber toe and heel reinforcements
• Weight: (549 grams per shoe, size 45)
• MSRP: $140 USD
• www.giro.com
• Molded DH EVA footbed
• Vibram Megagrip ISR outsole
• Colors: Dark Shadow, red/black
• Rubber toe and heel reinforcements
• Weight: (549 grams per shoe, size 45)
• MSRP: $140 USD
• www.giro.com
Giro chose Vibram's stickiest rubber, called Megagrip ISR, for the Riddance's sole, which is covered with dozens of tiny raised hexagons. Megagrip is also claimed to provide excellent vibration damping, a useful feature if you're spending any time bombing down trails full of high-speed brake bumps.
The Riddance Mid is available in either red or black, in sizes 35-50, for $140 USD. Not a fan of the mid-top look? There's also a low top version for $130.
The mid-top construction provides extra ankle support and protection.
Vibram's Megagrip ISR sole didn't quite live up to its name.
A reinforced toe cap helps prevent stubbed toes.
Performance
I have average width, slightly flat feet, and found the Riddance Mid shoes to be quite comfortable. They fit true to size, and I didn't run into any issues with unwanted heel lifting or hot spots. Of course, just like with any apparel, trying before you buy is always the best tactic. These shoes are on the bulkier side of the spectrum, especially around the ankle – the additional coverage is appreciated, but in this case, I think a touch less padding would help keep them from rubbing on crankarms and frames.
The true test of a flat pedal shoe is how much grip they provide, and I had high hopes after reading Giro's claims about that Vibram Megagrip ISR sole. Unfortunately, those claims didn't pan out, and the amount of traction on tap simply doesn't come close to matching that of Five Ten's Stealth rubber compound, especially in rough terrain. Even with big pedals with plenty of pins I had to make a conscious effort to keep my feet from getting knocked out of position. I know there are some riders out there who like that freedom of movement, but I'm not one of them – I want my shoes to be as grippy as possible; if there's too much traction I can always take out some pedal pins.
The lack of traction from the Vibram sole is also exacerbated by the shallow depth of the tread pattern. If those hexagons were a little taller, the sole would be more likely to grab onto a pedal pin, rather than skittering over the pedal's surface, but as it is they aren't doing much to help in the grip department. The sole's stiffness also has an impact in this equation, and the Riddance Mid is on the stiffer side of the spectrum, which makes it makes it harder for the shoe to conform to the shape of a pedal.
Pinkbike's Take
 | The Riddance Mid shoes are stiff and sturdy, but they lack one key ingredient: traction. They'll do the trick for mellower trail rides or for taking laps around the pumptrack, but on rougher trails the lack of grip is a letdown. |
Author Info:
Must Read This Week
[UPDATED] Final Elite XC Results & Overall Standings from the Mairiporã XC World Cup 2024
42138 views
42138 views
Sign Up for the Pinkbike Newsletter - All the Biggest, Most Interesting Stories in your Inbox
PB Newsletter Signup
C4 is very similar to Vibram but too hard and brittle for pedals
It's a double edged sword. Competitive pricing + crappy sole = no sales or high price + good sole = no sales.
Megagrip overall is a pretty good compound (not as "sticky" as stealth C4, probably about the same/ slightly better than S1). I'd guess a lot of the traction issues with the sole is the lug depth/ design paired with a stiff midsole.
Example:
I've ridden protos of DZR's Sense that had a MUCH deeper lug design than the final design. The difference was pretty pronounced from final design. Side to side the proto felt almost like a clipless (laterally) since the lugs really surrounded and captured the pins (like the old Nike 6.0 soles, RIP). Versus the final that had a good balance of good lateral traction and being able to still pivot your foot.
The second half of that is having a stiffer midsole that doesn't allow the outsole to conform around the pins as much. Just like how a high pressure tire is rougher and has less traction than a low pressure tire.
And my 5.10 Guide Tennie's with C4 have definitely a harder compound than my Freerider Pro's with S1, my Spitfire's or Sleuth's with Stealth Phantom or my Freerider Contact's with Mi6. That's why Five Ten use C4 on their outdoor shoes as softer Stealth compounds wouldn't be durable enough.
@sixstringsteve One of the reason why they left Vibram is because they wouldn't provide them anything better than Megagrip which is pale in comparaison to the rubbers 5.10 use that are resin based coumpounds.
@jzPV if you're a climber you will know that pretty much any rubber on the market, even self branded rubbers are way supperior to anything you could find on the shoe market and this because it is a resin rubber. Even the entry level climbing shoes (not the cheap shit with bouncy rubber found for 5€ in Decathlon and such) that offer resin rubber would give you mad grip on flat pedals while being deemed way too hard for decent climbing, this type of rubber would be insane for bike riding given you give it a thread patern. Like somebody else said, approach shoes use C4 (I have a pair of Tennie Guide for climbing approach) and they wear out decently, considering how much more miles I put in them walking compared to if I was biking with them, I don't see any possible wear-out issues. So all together Vivram could release a resin based hard rubber, even if harder than C4 and would allow many brands to compete with Adidas and not let the MTB world being dominated by such a brand (because 5.10 name is just a name now and will be phased out within 2/3 season).
@jzPV It's not that S1 is not softer, it's the "midsole" bit of the cup soles of the freeride, sleuth, and spitfire are softer than the guide tennie midsole. So you're perceiving it as softer. And Phantom is way less sticky than C4 or S1.
Now if we are talking Mi6, yes that is significantly softer than C4. One of the reasons Mi6 outsoles get a slab of rubber rather than lugs in the pedal area is because the lugs would too easily wear or sheer off. If 5.10 really wanted to use a more durable rubber for approach or hiking shoes they use S1, like they do in the Camp 4.
I've worked with the guy who MADE 5.10's for decades and helped with Stealth development. I'm not talking out my ass.
Also I know a guy who works for a Taiwanese shoe company in China who makes a lot of the top shoes for Nike among others. I can't remember any specifics off the top of my head but he told me the price of a pair of air max or whatever is something ridiculously low. Certainly a small fraction of the asking price. So I stand by what I said. $130 for a pair of shoes made in an Asian sweatshop out of synthetics with no craftsmanship, fancy materials or tech is a joke!
1. Third Shift Goods (google it if you don't know what it is)
2. A factory offloading legit goods onto the grey market when the purchase order was way lower than was promised or reneged on.
3. Straight counterfeits.
Your $100 shoe probably cost somewhere in the teens to make and account for duty.
I don't work for Giro, and have only ever had coworkers who were ever direct competitors to Giro, I do though work for a company that makes highly technical and casual shoes in China, Vietnam, and Europe. You trying to shit on $130 dollar shoe that is only slightly more expensive than your Levi example is so missinformed. That $100 Levi's shoe probably had a higher margin, less stringent QC and environmental standards, and way less tech, than what Giro deals in. Even just having the Vibram on there means they have to live up to a certain standard of quality for the entire shoe.
Don't get me wrong, if you want to spend that kind of cash on a pair of shoes and you think it's a good deal then go right ahead. I will continue to say it's a rip off.
Those Levi's shoes I had, I believe they were real shoes being sold illegally out of the same factory that exports them. Logic tells me that factory boss would not be selling them at under cost price. Then there is the distribution and retailer overheads, still coming to just $6 a pair. How much did that factory actually lay out to manufacture that pair? I don't think it was over $6.
As I mentioned, I like the extra coverage, but it sticks out pretty far around the ankle, enough that I even hooked my chain on that upper cuff in one instance, something that I haven't had happen with other shoes. As for the grip, it just wasn't what I was hoping for, and I think that potential customers will want to know that this isn't the stickiest shoe out there.
You're certainly in the 1% as far as riding talent goes, there's no denying that, but that doesn't change what I think about the Riddance.
When I got my new set on for their first ride, I felt how protective the shoe is of your foot and ankle. As soon as I went for the first lap through the jumps, I knew right away that they had zero grip, plus with how firm they are, you can barely feel the pedal. I thought that with time, the soles would soften up and and they would break in a little bit, but they stayed dam firm, and grip barely changed. I realize that if you are going as big as you or Carson go, and you gotta hit the eject button, these are going to be the best shoes you could have on your feet protection and damping wise. I just can't get over how lacking the grip is (and I went in wanting/knowing they wouldn't be as grippy). I rode with them for a total of 4 weeks (3-5 rides a week), and had three, pretty stupid, but shitty crashes just because my foot slipped doing routine things that I've been doing for years. I have since put them away, and ordered new Vans.
From someone who works in a shop and gets to try a lot of products, and has been riding for the last 11 years, I think that @mikekazimer 's review is totally accurate and completely fair on the Riddance shoe. If I had to pay normal price for these shoes and be stuck with them, I would not be a happy customer. I also think that through this criticism, Giro knows what they need to change for the next model. For what it's worth, I really do hope they knock it out of the park.
I was also impressed with the grip on wet rock when we were scouting some of the more hairy lines and blind roll-ins. They replaced a pair of 7 y/o Sombrio Loam mid-boots and they bring a welcome refresh and suitable water repellency even when puddle splashing and dragging the back foot. Overall, I was happy with the purchase.
size 46 for sale!
I had high hopes, but rapidly discovered that the poor grip of the Riddance is on the verge of dangerous. I'll bet Giro could have saved a lot of money on licensing the Vibram compound by putting virtually anything on the bottom to accomplish at least the same grip. On the bright side, the sole is still 100% on the shoe, where I would have had to repair a 5-10 twice by now.
What really confounds me is how they made the hex pattern SHALLOWER where you need the most pin interface! If I walked around in these for any length of time post-ride, they'd wear smooth at the point of pedal contact. What was the goal here?
The uppers are holding up better than most shoes, but the foot opening really tends to gape wide during the pedal stroke to hit the crankarms and collect roost.
One more point on fit: These would be more comfortable to me if they were built on a more curved "last" (i.e. frame). They're too straight for my feet (which is never a problem in other shoes), so I can't walk in them due to a lot of big toe side-rub.
I've adapted enough to get by with them this season, but I won't be buying them again.
Good fit and yes, bulky. Does collect roost in the shoe. Traction is so-so. My main gripe is the sole rubber is thin. The hexagonal pattern is not deep enough, and I find that after just one summer of use, it appears that the sole has holes into the foot bed. Going into winter, I know it will surely allow water in if I step in a puddle, which is highly likely given I live in the PNW.
The only thing that I like about the shoe is the stiffness and the elastic loop on the tongue that holds the loose shoe-strings and loops so they don't get caught in the chain ring.
My next purchase will likely be back to 5.10. Sorry I strayed away...
Very disapointed, very!
When I compare it to 5.10s there is no compare in any aspect, oh sorry there is.. just in visual aspect (its good looking)!!
Comfort - bad
Grip - very bad
Durability - hm.. also very bad. After just few rides there is scars on Vibram sole.
All in all they are very disapointing to me. I've had 2 pairs of freeriders and in every aspect the beats Giro. Took Giros just to try something else and boy, what a mistake.
Sad to say but Giro's are not even close to 5.10s and I'll threw money with buying them.
The Shimanos are such grippier without being locked in the wrong spot.
The Giros were pretty water proof where the Shimanos are a cold in the winter.
Will just have to keep gluing my Freerider Elements back together for the winter.
PLEASE MAKE A MTB SPECIFIC SHOE WITH
1. flat pedal design with traction in the toe and heel for "hike-a-bike" (good job giro!)
happens all the time and i'm slipping all over on loose stuff carrying a bike.
2. toe box or reinforced toe and heel. (good job giro!)
3. slightly sticky sole but not too sticky. mostly keeping the pedals in place from the grid pattern on the bottom. (jacket 2 had great pattern)
4. mid-top or high-top versions because it helps protect the ankle from rocks and injuries. (good job giro!)
My love affair for 5.adidas shoes is OVER.
PS : on va pas se mentir, j'en ai eut des vibram, et c'est clairement pas les meilleurs pour le grip sur pédale. C'est trop dur comme gomme.
would not recommend those shoes to anyone