Giro Rumble VR – The casual sneaker among clipless mountain bike shoes?

With the Rumble VR, Giro set out to pack the functionality of clipless mountain bike shoes into the exterior of casual sneakers. Do they just look good or can they also perform in everyday life and on the trails? We tested the Rumble VR for you and tell you how they fared!!

With the Rumble VR, Giro are appealing to all those who don’t want to swap their pedals from clipless to flats when switching from weekend riding to their weekday commute. To do so, they developed a stylish pair of sneakers that are compatible with Shimano’s clipless SPD system, though they can also be ridden on flat pedals. In the blue-brown colour combination on test, the Giro Rumble VRs are hard to distinguish from your casual OOTD. The only thing that gives them away as MTB shoes is the cleat box. They can be yours for € 110, giving you a choice of five colours and sizes ranging from 39 to 48. We put the size 46 through its paces in all conditions.

The shoes offer a good amount of support. The fit is slightly smaller than we’re used to, so you might want to try on the next bigger size. Unfortunately, Giro don’t offer half shoe sizes. Especially the rear and middle parts of these shoes are quite narrowly cut. The toes, on the other hand, have plenty of wiggle room, as the toe box is slightly wider. The shoes rely on a classic lacing system with the upper eyelets being reinforced with metal rings. There’s a small elastic band with a leather strap attached to the tongue, which you can use to tuck away the laces. That’s excellent because it prevents them from getting caught in the chainring. The upper is largely made of breathable fabric, so your feet shouldn’t get overly sweaty during those first long and warm spring days ahead. If, on the other hand, you’re out and about on rainy days and muddy trails, you shouldn’t have any trouble removing light splatterings, though they’re difficult to get clean after you’ve thoroughly covered them in mud, which is due to the somewhat rough texture of the fabric.

On the bike, the Rumble VR shoes leave it up to you: you can ride clipless or flats. To protect the adjustment mechanisms and threads for the cleats while walking, they’re hidden beneath black covers. The adjustment range for the cleats is relatively far forward, so riders who prefer standing on the pedals midfoot rather than on the balls of their feet might run into problems here. Thanks to the stiff soles, your footing will remain secure on the pedals when things get rough on the trail, no matter which system you’ve chosen. They also ensure efficient power transfer, thereby reducing fatigue on long days in the saddle. The situation is different when you have long hike-a-bike sections on the trail. In this case, the stiff soles mean that your feet can’t move naturally beyond the slight curvature in the soles at the balls of your feet, which is likely to tire your legs out rather quickly. For those who don’t do long hikes at the weekends and sit at their desk all day when they’re at work, the stiff soles shouldn’t be an issue.

The Giro Rumble VR shoes are a versatile clipless option that doesn’t do much wrong. Thanks to the stiff soles, they offer a secure footing on the pedals. They’re good for short walks, though they’ll never be a viable replacement for your hiking shoes. The rough upper material isn’t the easiest to clean once you get it properly dirty. If you want to go for a casual look on your eMTB without having to swap the pedals first, the Giro Rumble VR shoes are a great choice.

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Words: Mike Hunger Photos: Mike Hunger