Having ridden in a pair of Shimano R320s for many years I decided it was time for a new pair of road shoes. A positive experience with a pair of Giro Techlace mountain bike shoes informed my choice here. I went with a size 44 the same as my other Giro shoes and they are perfect. I have been told by ski boot fitters that I've got a very average foot, in size width and arch and typically wear a U.S. men's 10 in athletic shoes. The Empire SLX II's lace system is excellent for dialing in a comfortable fit and the middle sized arch supports (orange) that come pre installed are perfect for me. The shoe is very well ventilated and great for Southern California. I've got several hundred miles on them and haven't had any issues. My only critique is that I would like to see black laces on the white shoe, just for stain resistance.
The onyx visor, the stock one that comes with the helmet, has a silver mirror and grey rose lens. The lens has relatively low light transmission suitable for bright sun conditions, acceptable for cloudy daytime conditions. I need to turn up the screen brightness on my head unit to improve readability when using this visor.
The emerald visor's mirror is green in the center and fades to purple at the left and right edges. The lens is a punchy pink tint. Light transmission is greater than the onyx visor, suitable for cloudy conditions or low sun and dappled shadows. This lens has a visible color shift based on the incident angle to the lens meaning if I look straight ahead through the lens, colors appear differently than when I look obliquely through the edge of the lens in any direction.
While the contrast boost that the emerald visor offers is sometimes helpful, I find the vividness to be unsettling to my nervous system. The onyx visor is better in this regard though I wish both were a softer tint.
Glasses tend to slip down my nose while riding. I get annoyed having to occasionally nudge up the glasses and dislike the gap between the top of the glasses and the helmet. With the integrated visors, this helmet solves the problem.
This helmet runs considerably hotter in the summer than my others, Catlike Whisper and Scott Centric Plus. I like it more when temperatures drop below 70F.
The helmet shades the ears from wind.
Although somewhat heavy off my head, weight is not noticeable when riding.
The magnetic retention for upside-down storage on the front is too weak. Retention in place while riding is good enough. The occasional encounters with low branches or large bugs have not dislodged the visor.
The helmet and additional visors do not include a sheath, pouch, or case to protect spare visors. This is an unfortunate design oversight, as it is not unusual for me to swap visors during a ride (day to night or night to day).
I bought this helmet to replace an aging Giro Synthe II helmet. The Giro Aries helmet fits my head better, is better ventilated, has a better impact safety design & rating (see Virginia Tech safety website). Because of the better ventilation, I feel that the helmet is somewhat "cooler" than my old Synthe II. I live at 35 degree North latitude & summers are hot, humid and windy. My riding routes are lumpy and between 25 & 35 miles long. The Aries helmet does a okay job at trying to direct sweat away from my brow but sweat still runs down onto my glasses.
If you have a round head this helmet may not be a good fit for you. I think this is a very good helmet and may be worth the asking price. It certainly is for me. Keep turning the cranks! ??
