Giro Jacket II Flat MTB Shoe

Giro's Jacket II Flat MTB shoe might be officially designed for crazy downhillers but it's also a very decent option for super-sensible commuters and leisure riders who don't want to keep swapping between on and off-bike shoes.

• Pros: Very comfy on and off bike, decent pedalling performance, non-cycling looks, good waterproofing
• Cons: Wet weather grip is questionable, best used with pinned pedals

Can you have the best of both worlds: a shoe that is easy to walk around in, yet offers more cycling-specific performance than a normal pair of trainers? Giro's Jacket II may just be what you're looking for.

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For those readers with children or a deluded sense of their own youthfulness, the Jacket II is visually rather like something from Nike's Airwalk range. That means it boasts a chunky design, with reinforced toe and heel sections of its Vibram Ecostep rubber outsole. The sole tread shape features a couple of patterns of small uniform blocks, one hexagonal, one triangular.

The upper is made from water-resistant and breathable microfibre, which works well – even accidentally submerging my feel in an inch-deep puddle caused no ill effects. In typical situations, you won't suffer any environmental or self-induced dampness. Even the tubular laces are worth mentioning, as they hold a knot well.

Fit and comfort

For day-to-day off-the-bike use, the Jacket II is quite superb. I've been using these as my main shoes for taking the kids to school, going shopping and so on, and they are fantastically comfortable. Not only do they look a bit like Airwalks but they also enjoy much of that brand's almost slipper-like cushioning thanks to the fulsome foam footbed and sides.

On the bike, that all-embracing comfort means your foot is held in place securely. There's no sense of foot twist while pedalling and they actually offer a simple and straightforward riding experience. In short, they feel like shoes that are fit for purpose, if not quite like normal cycling shoes.

Although the Vibram EVA sole has a bit of give compared with typical cycling shoes – which is one of the reasons why the Jacket II is so easy to live with off the saddle – that doesn't translate into a massive penalty for leisure pedalling. They don't offer as efficient power transfer as stiff carbon or nylon-shanked cycling footwear, but then these aren't shoes designed for riding sportives and, in the saddle, they're certainly a better bet than non-cycling shoes.

Grip

Giro officially classes the Jacket II as a downhill shoe. To be honest, I'm not sure they'd offer quite enough grip for super-gnarly descents. However, for commuting, urban and general riding duties – especially for people who are jumping on and off the bike regularly for short trips – the grip is more than good enough.

For most of my testing I used them with a set of very modestly pinned cheap Wellgo pedals and they fared well. However, when using unpinned flat pedals, I did experience one or two foot slips, especially in wet conditions and extreme situations, such as a jumped gear change.

To really enhance your contact patch, it's worth thinking about choice of pedals. If you are going to be using these shoes with the same bike, I'd be tempted to fit a set of well-pinned flat pedals for a little extra purchase. It's not a big issue, but the better pinned your pedals, the more secure you'll find your footing.

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Interestingly enough, the biggest slippage problems I've had with the Jacket IIs and pedals weren't on the bike at all but in the car. I've had to swap out of these shoes when driving because, when wet, they become a little dicey on car pedals.

Value and conclusion

We don't test many flat mountain bike shoes at road.cc, but the £84.99 Giro Rumble VRs are similar-styled albeit clip-in shoes for dry days. Shimano's GR5 is a comparable shoe for £80 or there's the GR7 for £99.99. FiveTen also makes all sorts of similar shoes but probably its most similar model – the Freerider shoe – starts at £84.95. In this context, the Jacket II's £89.99 RRP is about par for the course.

> Beginner's guide to cycling shoes

While not offering the same levels of pedalling efficiency as clip-in shoes and pedals, the Jacket II offers a decent alternative for relatively new riders or hesitant commuters who are scared of adopting cleats. However, more than that, for riders who are just fed up of having to swap shoes all the time and want something that fits in with a daily lifestyle that happens to include a spot of cycling, these are a very comfortable option.

So the Jacket II is certainly not the best dedicated cycling shoe around. But it's a great shoe that you can comfortably live in off the bike and still enjoy a bit of performance when hopping on it.

Verdict

When used with grippy flat pedals these are great cycling shoes that you won't need to remove when you've jumped off the bike