This is a new flat pedal shoe from Giro that complements the existing Chamber II and Latch shoes. It has a bit of an old-school plimsoll styling compared to its burlier brothers, but it does undercut both in terms of price and profile.

According to Giro, the Deed has a thinner and flatter sole, the idea being there’s more pedal feel and grip. When testing the Deed we did notice the axle to shoe height being pretty low, meaning we could really dig into the pedal, but the downside of the lower ankle design is there’s also less support. Giro runs quite a flimsy insole, so this isn’t that comfortable if you have to do a lot of awkward rocky scrambling or prolonged hike-a-bike.

The shoe is also less protective, with minimal padding in the upper, and like the Specialized 2FO Roost Canvas there are no rubber bumpers or abrasion-resistant material areas at the heel, and only a token gesture at the toe. The textile upper is reasonably hard wearing, but it can hold onto the dirt. The tongue is not as well-padded as the 2FO Roost Canvas, and the textile laces also feel a bit cheap – this style often wears at the eyelet. The only advantage with the Deed is that the heel didn’t fall apart after three rides.

The Deed uses Giro’s branded Tack rubber with a Gamma tread design, which looks like crazy paving. We put the durometer on it and it’s a similar softness to the Shimano Ultread rubber, but it doesn’t feel as grippy, and we reckon that’s because the Shimano sole has deeper channels for the pedal pins to bite into.

The sole on the Deed is the most flexible on test, and while that can help you curve your feet over the pedals, you do need a bit of stiffness for power transfer and support.

Looking for alternatives? Check out our guide to the best mountain bike shoes, each one tried and tested by our professional product testers. They’ve also set their expertise on other products, so if you’re looking for the best mountain bike or even the best mudguards, MBR has you covered.