Fizik Tempo Decos Carbon Wide

Living up to their name, the Fizik Tempo Decos Carbon Wide shoes are significantly wider than the standard model, but retain impressive stiffness in the sole and comfortable uppers. They are hard to miss in bright white, but it's also hard to miss the price – and the limited adjustment possible for that money.

Some companies are known for their shoes being a wider or narrower fit, and my previous experience of Fizik shoes is that they are among the narrowest, appealing to those who either have narrower feet or just prefer a tighter fit.

I have always tended to use shoe brands known for having a wider fit, but with Fizik introducing wide fit models on a number of its road shoes, I was interested to see how these measured up. The Tempo Decos fall in the middle of the wide fit models in terms of pricing.

Fizik has a size chart and printable sizing guide that can help you determine which model suits your shape of foot best – standard or wide. Mine, as expected, fall within the wide range. The sizing guide also put my feet half an EU size below what I would typically choose, which was a surprise.

This size guide proved accurate, with the length being great and the width of the shoe significantly more generous than a standard Fizik shoe – and compared with other brands' standard width options.

The construction is excellent, with neat stitching and a very tidy junction between sole and upper, with no gaps or signs of glue evident inside or out. Combined with the colour, it certainly creates a sleek look.

The bright white of the shoes certainly stands out, and while you might fear spoiling the finish, I found they at least wipe clean well. If you don't want a gleaming shoe, or the potential hassle of cleaning them, you'll be disappointed to hear that white is the only colour the wide version is available in.

Fizik claims the shoes have arch support, and the insole does have some shape within this area, with a ridge near the arch, but I found it to be minimal and nowhere near the support that some shoe or insole companies offer.

Fit and comfort are going to be personal, but I have a high arch and high instep, and for me the basic shape of the footbed wasn't a perfect fit. On multiple occasions I suffered from numbness in one foot, causing hot foot, which was only eased by releasing tension from the Boa dial.

Although the Tempo Decos only have a single Li2 Boa dial, it does offer two-way adjustment that allows simple and precise movement in both directions, with small steps between each click. The single Boa does, however, mean any adjustment will affect the entire shoe, unlike models with multiple adjustment options such as dual Boas or a small Velcro strap near the front.

When attempting to loosen the fit and prevent pain, I found adjusting the single Boa left the front of the shoe looser than I would have preferred, and while I like the extra width, it does also mean extra volume, with limited option to reduce it.

For the price of the shoe, the single adjustment dial makes them look expensive compared with others. For example, Shimano has the RC7 at £189.99 (up a tenner since Steve tested them in 2020) and Sidi the Genius 10 at £250 – both available in a wide fit, and both having multiple adjustment.

Fizik does have some models with dual Boa dials, including the Vento Stabilita (£375) and Vento Infinito 2 (£360), with the latter being available in a wide fit.

Other brands with both standard and wide fit options include Lake, Bont and Northwave.

> Where can I find wide cycling shoes?

The Tempo Decos' upper is perforated throughout, and even in hot weather I found them fine, with no issues concerning heat or sweat build-up. The sole also has vents, though I didn't find them any more cooling than other shoes.

On the sole the cleat slots allow plenty of adjustment, which will really suit those who prefer their cleats to be set either very far forward or very far back. At the most extreme rear point, and fitted with cleats that also have sliding adjustment, it verges on a mid-foot position.

Adjustment markings should ensure you get a similar fit on both shoes, or when making small adjustments to perfect the cleat positioning.

> How to get your shoe cleats set up right

One area where the shoe excels is sole stiffness, with the R2 unidirectional carbon design measuring as a 10 on the Fizik Stiffness scale; unlike some brands, this is the highest available – no Spinal Tap measurements here.

They are light, too, if that matters to you – just 440g for the test pair in an EU size 40.5, which is lighter than many top-end shoes, including the Shimano S-Phyre RC9s at 497g a pair (for the size 42 Liam tested), and even some minimal lace-up designs such as the Specialized S-Works 7 Lace Roads – a claimed 472g in a size 44, an actual 508g on the road.cc Scales of Truth in a size 46 tested.

> Buyer’s Guide: 10 of the best high-performance road cycling shoes

Only a few models are lighter, including the Giro Empire SLX, which have a claimed weight of 350g for a pair of size 42.5s, measured at 408g on our scales for a size 45 in our test.

Conclusion

The addition of a wide fit option will be very welcome if you've previously found these great looking shoes too narrow. That said, the overall fit is let down by the use of just a single Boa dial – they could really do with more adjustment elsewhere; I found the toe-box area generous, but with just that single dial there's no independent adjustment of this area.

Verdict

Sleek, stiff and generously wide, but the single Boa means limited adjustment