My review of Giro Privateer Lace Shoes

I thought I'd share my opinion on these shoes after having used them for 6 months.
A little background: I use my spd shoes HARD. My bike is my main mean of transportation and I often have to walk with my cycling shoes.
I ride a fixed gear bike, a gravel bike and a road bike, all with the same shoes. Still it is baffling how bad the condition if the soles is on these shoes.
I got these shoes because I had to leave for a 2 months china tour and my Giro chamber shoes got thrashed badly (shank broke and the sole deglued from the shank)
I chose the privateer because I prefer laced up shoes and because they look good. I usually prefer a shoe with a full sole bur in plcture the sole of the privateer seemed ok.
The sole unfortjnately is the weakest point of these shoes. It is slightly more rubbery than plastic and it makes walking a nightmare. Any surface that is a bit humid and smoother than earth is going to be really slippery. A wet sidewalk is skating on ice.
Also I'm very puzzled by the presence of spikes…. who needs spikes when geaveling?
Hiking my bike is a huge part of my bikepacking and these shoes are trash when it comes to pushing your bike up a climb. They slip constantly making a tedious activity even worse.
The shank is very hard making for a great power transfer and overall sense of security when riding rocky downhill sections but makes it very hard to flex your feet when pushing your bike.
The upper is very sturdy, confortable and IMO looks very good.

Bottom line: I understand ghese shoes are marketed as "gravel" shoes but they are IMO totally useless as bikepacking shoes.

PROS:

Great look
Sturdy upper
Rigid shank

CONS:

Slippery sole
Shank is too stiff for pushing uphill
Sole got totally thrashed after less than 6 months of use

Hope this is useful

Cheers!