I desperately wanted to love them, after reading good reviews of Giro Factor (Factress is women's model) and heard good feedback from my fitter. I ordered Giro Factress and Shimano R310 on the same day, hoping for the best.

They arrived on the same day coincidentally so I was able to do side-by-side comparison. Out of box, Factress is EXTREMELY light and good looking, much noticeably lighter than R310. Low profile, sleek design, the EC 90 outsole looks really promising. Overall, quality shoe with good finish.

However, as soon as I put it on, the disaster began. I am a size 36 and have a pair of rather wide and "fat" feet. I tried on the Factress in 37 with my summer cycling socks, and immediately discovered that i could barely close up the 1st strap. It's just simply too short to fit - i could have used more force to keep it close up but that's just a bad idea once I am on my bike for hours. Heelcup felt quite secure and comfy as well. My last attempt was to tweak the custom insole and hoping it would allow me more space inside the shoe. Failed, of course, so these shoe would have to go back.

I might get a pair of Espada in 37.5 to see if I can cope with the length, but in the meantime, I will be riding with Shimano R130.

Conclusion: if you have higher volume feet, sadly Giro is not for you.