Shoes

Giro Sentrie Techlace shoes – review

Innovative velcro and lace closure system ensures high comfort and adjustability

The Giro Sentrie Techlace is the third-tier shoe in the American firm’s family of Techlace footwear, sitting beneath the Prolight Techlace and Factor Techlace, and offers some of the best elements of Giro’s more expensive footwear in a (relatively speaking) more affordable package.

The Sentrie Techlace definitely has a unique look and that’s down to the velcro/lacing system that gives the shoe its family name. Having enjoyed a lot of success with the lace-up Empire shoe, Giro introduced the Techlace closure system last year. By combining laces and velcro, Techlace is supposed to combine the comfort of the former with the convenience of the latter.

And, by and large, it’s a pretty positive experience. It certainly gives a firm hold across the front of the foot but, rather than needing to tie bows and knots when putting the shoe on, the velcro straps keep everything in place, meaning you get a uniform fit with increased adjustability on the fly. Some riders love the completely customisable fit you can get with a proper lace-up shoe, like the Empire, but the Sentrie Techlace is designed to offer some kind of middle ground.

The Sentrie sits third in Giro’s family of Techlace shoes

At the top of the shoe there’s a single Boa dial which also provides a firm hold, this time closer to the ankle, and further increases adjustability. It’s a Boa L6 dial, so you can tighten the shoe at tiny increments, although, unlike Boa’s IP1 dial, you can’t loosen it incrementally. You just pull the dial out to release the wire.

Anyway, the combination of the Techlace setup and Boa dial means there’s a lot of room to tweak the fit of the shoe. So much so it look a little getting used to, and when I first used the shoes I found my feet cramping up a little as I had unintentionally been a little overzealous with tightening. However, once I got to grips with the Sentrie’s closure combination, I found the shoes to be very comfortable. You can dial in the fit to your preference, with an even spread of tension across the laces and plenty of micro-adjustability from the Boa dial.

The shoes are built up from a Easton EC70 carbon composite sole, which provides a strong and stable base with little flex when pushing up hills or sprinting out of the saddle. It’s not quite as super-stiff as the EC90 sole used on the more expensive Factor Techlace shoe, but this makes the Sentrie slightly more comfortable and pushes it slightly more towards the sportive market. I found that throughout the review I didn’t feel I was left wanting in terms of stiffness.

In addition to this the sole has a single vent beneath the toes as well as a buffer at the front of the shoe and replaceable walking pads at the rear. These walking pads seem really hard wearing with no real visible wear after six weeks of almost daily use, but once they wear down they are replaceable, so you don’t need to buy a new pair of shoes just because you’ve done a bit of urban cyclo-cross.

The Techlace system combines laces with velcro straps, while the Sentrie also has a Boa dial

The upper is made predominantly from a microfibre material, but it has a several mesh areas throughout, too, which helps with ventilation. This is all bonded together to create a nice clean look, but there is also some reinforcement stitched around the toe and behind the heel. Overall it’s a really good looking shoe, with the unique closure system and clean looks working well together.

Ventilation on the shoes is really impressive, with air flowing freely thanks to the large ventilated areas throughout. I didn’t have the opportunity to test these out in temperatures above the mid-20s but given the kind of ventilation they demonstrated, I don’t think the shoes would struggle as the mercury rises further.

Giro Sentrie Techlace shoes (Pic: George Scott/Factory Media)

The shoes weigh in at 271g each, which is only 30g more than the Factor Techlace, and around the right mark in terms of competitors. They aren’t the lightest on the market, but still a good weight.

Conclusion

There’s a lot to like about these shoes. Sole stiffness is excellent, offering plenty of rigidity while allowing for an element of comfort, while ventilation is very good. The closure system also works well, even if it may take a little practice getting the fit right if you’re switching from a more conventional shoe. Despite being the third-tier option in Giro’s Techlace range, the Sentrie Techlace isn’t cheap, but performance is impressive nonetheless.