As well as making some of the most comfortable saddles, Fizik has also been making some really good cycling shoes over the last few years, and today it has announced the latest addition, the Tempo Powerstrap R5.
The new Tempo Powerstrap R5 is a new entry-level model for the Italian company costs £109.95, the first in this new Tempo range so we can likely expect a few more reasonably priced shoes in the future as the company is clearly trying to broaden its appeal.
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For the closure system, Fizik has gone back to the velcro straps that it used many years ago when it first launched a cycling shoe (the rest of the range now uses BOA dials) with two large straps closing the shoe around the foot.
There’s a major difference to other velcro shoe closures though, which pull together the two sides of the shoe. Fizik has attempted to mimic the ‘Volume Control’ of its more expensive shoes, and zigzagged the lower velcro strap to which the company claims provides “ultimate comfort and containment using just two straps.”
Turn the shoe over and you’re met with a nylon composite outsole which aims to deliver the right balance of pedalling stiffness and comfort for long rides the targeted user probably expects. In other words, the stiffness is going to be dialled back a few clicks compared to what you get in a very top-end race focused carbon shoe.
Weight is a claimed 499g for a pair of size 42 shoes and the size range covers 36 to 48 with half sizes. It comes in four colour options: black/black, white/black, navy/black and red/black. A vote for the white and black shoes here personally.
“We are delighted to unveil the new Tempo Powerstrap R5 shoes,” says Luca Mathia Bertoncello, fizik’s Brand Director. “The versatile new Tempo shoe structure combined with the proven R5 sole gives us a superb base on which to present our enveloping new Powerstrap fitting and closure system to road riders around the world – whether they’re familiar with fizik shoes or new to our brand. We are proud to share the Tempo Powerstrap R5.”
It’s a really good looking shoe, a bit of Rapha to its styling perhaps, and if the comfort and performance are anywhere near as good as the many other Fizik shoes we’ve tested here at road.cc over the years, it should be a cracking addition to its range.
Check them out at www.fizik.com
David has worked on the road.cc tech team since July 2012. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds.