Fizik Tempo Overcurve R4 cycling shoes review

The Fizik Tempo Overcurve R4 sits at the top of Fizik's 'Tempo' line, although the model featured here comes in at £15 or so less than the Iridescent shoes – which as the name suggests has a far jazzier colour.

Other than the colour, the two cycling shoes are the same and both have a single Boa dial and the same upper design. The Overcurve name refers to the shoes' construction and how it wraps around the ankle. It's comfortable, and I've not suffered from any pinching or rubbing. The shoe features extra padding where it sits below the ankle and also boasts additional gripping material on the heel.

There are perforations across the body of the shoe to help with venting and a series of additional vents built into the carbon sole of the shoe. Certainly on my indoor sessions I've not felt that the shoes were too stuffy or warm.

The Fizik's tighten via a Boa IP1 dial, and the lacing of the wire runs across the top of the foot. I've not experienced any hotspots on the top of my shoe but I do find that I have to ratchet the dial round quite a lot to get it to sit tight.

The blame doesn't lie purely with the shoes, though. I opted for a size 43.5 over my standard 43 sizing, usually finding that I need to upsize in cycling shoes to avoid any foot numbing. However, there was no such thing to worry about with the R4s with this pair having plenty of wiggle room in the toe box. From my experience they are probably better suited to those with wider feet, though – it's worth trying before buying if you can.

The R4's sole is described as moderately stiff and I've tested the shoes on both long endurance rides and indoor turbo efforts and I've found no real weakness or discomfort. Certainly for my output, the sole proved plenty stiff enough for indoor workouts.

The black colour brings the Fizik Tempo Overcurve R4 in at under the £200 threshold, but if black isn't to your taste you can send £15 more and get the very jazzy iridescent colourway.