What I’m Wearing – Giro Gravel Gear

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What makes cycling clothing gravel-specific? Slightly less baggy than mountain bike gear, not as skin tight as road gear? Helmets that combine aero and breathability? Of course, making sure that you’re fantastically coordinated. Here’s the kit bag we chose as the perfect selection for Grinduro, Wales.

Giro Cinder MIPS Road Helmet

Giro’s Cinder MIPS road helmet is a great choice for the budding groadie. It’s a road-based helmet with great ventilation (necessary for slower gravel rides vs road) and a comfortable fit with a wide range of adjustments. The Roc Loc 5 system also gives great vertical adjustment of the tensions adjuster so it is great for lots of head shapes. I really like the compact secure feeling of the helmet when riding rough gravel terrain. It also holds a pair of shades in the vents securely enough for me to trust it with my favourite pair. I opted for a dark colour for gravel use but if I were using it as a road helmet I’d go for a more visible colour.

Giro Cylinder II MTB Shoes

Giro’s Cylinder MTB shoes are a mid-range offering with a fit and stiffness suitable for mountain biking as well as gravel. The co-moulded nylon-rubber outsole offers enough stiffness for foot support on the bike whilst also being comfortable enough to hike-a-bike (useful at Grinduro Wales) and wander around the finish area looking for beer (very useful everywhere). The single BOA dial near the top of the shoe has the ‘laces’ in a figure of eight which means they uniformly clamp your foot in place. The lower fit and forget Velcro strap keeps things as snug as you like in the toe box. I really appreciated the good ventilation on a warm day but would also have appreciated if there were some toe studs included in the box.

Giro Venture II Shorts

Giro’s Venture II shorts are their baggy gravel offering which I used in conjunction with the Chrono sport liner shorts. The tight-but-technically-baggy shorts (Giro describe them as ‘fitted’) are great in general use and offer some jeans-style pockets to the front and back. I like to have my phone on my right-hand pants pocket so made the most of this whilst riding, the rest of the pockets came in useful when milling around. These shorts are made from a lovely 4-way stretchy fabric which is super comfortable and also has a DWR coating to shed the inevitable splash or few droplets of drizzle; also great if you spill beer on them! The fit is snug on my 32” size but I do have distinctly cyclist sized upper legs and buttocks. Overall I love these shorts but can see myself wearing them more for casual than long rides as they have a tendency to ride up in the groin. Basically an ideal ride-followed-by-pub short!

Giro Chrono Sport Shorts

The Chrono Sport shorts are a light fitting lycra chamois short with a silicone waistband instead of the usual bib straps you’d normally get with something of this type. I opted for these as I often get very warm riding in bib shorts that come up high and a jersey over the top. Having the jersey against my skin for sweat-wicking and evaporation was great and the shorts also stayed in place and offered the same padding as a usual bib type short.

Giro Chrono Sleeveless Base Layer

The Chrono sleeveless base layer was a great fit when combined with the Chrono undershorts and the New Road jersey. Tight-fitting with good shoulder holes and the seamless super-light fabric feel great. It wicks great and never seemed to get in the way when getting changed. Having set off in the morning with this base layer on, once the sun was fully charged I took it off and stuffed it into a cargo pocket, as it rolls down quite small.

Giro New Road Short Sleeved Jersey

At a distance, you may mistake the New Road jersey to be made from wool or cotton such is the weave and appearance of the fabric, but it’s actually a great stretchy blend of Nylon and Elastane that is super comfortable and soft against your skin. The fit isn’t too racey so it’s comfortable to socialise in as well as ride. The cargo pockets are great and in the usual three-across road jersey format with a zip pocket for keys and emergency cash. The silicone gripper on the lower seam of the jersey works great and I found the jersey to be a great length compared to some road jerseys that come up a little short. The super-soft fabric was a delight however it does have a mild tendency to give away when you’ve been working hard (or dribbling) by showing dark moisture patches.

Giro Comp High Rise Grinduro Cycling Socks

The Comp Racer high rise socks are stretchy and close-fitting, so they really stay in place and keep your feet cool and comfortable in warm conditions. There are loads of colours and styles but the Grinduro ones with the purple stripe are my current favourites.

Giro Chrono Expert Wind Jacket

The Chrono Expert wind jacket packs away delightfully small into the integrated bag, with ease, and has a pull cord to keep it in place. It is ideal for the cooler mornings when you just want that extra thin layer to keep the cool wind off whilst you wait for the clouds to clear and the sunshine to poke its head over the trees. The fit is great, and the full zipper is easy enough to use without stopping to take the jacket off, not really something I’d recommend but thought it’d be a good test!

Comments (1)

    mlindarets September 27, 2021 at 2:59 pm

    Giro was too far ahead of the curve with their New Road line the first time around. I’ve got several pieces (picked up on closeout) that have been fantastic for casual, gravel, and light trail riding – its good to see them pick back up where they left off.

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