The Fizik Tempo Artica GTX shoes provide protection from road spray and a certain amount of rain while cycling on the road in winter, along with plenty of insulation. They're far less clumpy than many rivals and the price is reasonable too.
If you're not convinced by winter-specific designs, you could check out our guide to the best road cycling shoes and the best cycling overshoes, as alternatives.
The Tempo Artica GTX shoes essentially take the place of the Artica R5 Road Shoes that Stu Kerton reviewed for us a few years ago, but they're a very different design.
The Gore-Tex membrane is one of the key features here, working hard to keep rain and/or road spray out. We asked Fizik how much membrane is tucked away in there and it said, "The Gore-Tex membrane extends up to 75% of the shoes. This is a requirement from Gore-Tex to pass their demanding tests. Also, the tongue has a membrane to protect the foot from the rain. Regarding the ankle, only a portion has the Gore-Tex membrane. Over the 75% of the height of the shoes there's no membrane, again per Gore-Tex requirement."
Does it work? The membrane itself allowed no water through at all during our review period. I will point out, though, that as with other waterproof shoes and overshoes, you can still get wet feet if your tights are wet and the water seeps downwards into the tops of the shoes. That's physics for you. The membrane is waterproof but these shoes aren't magic. I never got wet feet from road spray alone during testing; it had to be raining pretty hard before water ingress via the top became noticeable (more on that in a mo).
Where the Fizik Tempo Artica GTX shoes excel is in the amount of warmth they provide – and this is from someone who got hypothermia in Morocco once.
Gore-Tex says that its membrane provides excellent thermal insulation. I'm not sure how much of the warmth is down to the membrane and how much results from the brushed fleece lining and the footbed, and I'm not really fussed, to be honest. All I do care about is that I've been using these shoes since [checks how overdue this review is] November and I've never had cold feet once, and that includes a couple of really cold (sub-zero) snaps.
My feet have known when the temperature was down at freezing point (and slightly below) but they've never felt uncomfortable, and I've certainly not experienced that horrible toe numbness (or the even worse pain of them coming back to life again afterwards). Winter cycling is just better with warm feet.
As well as the Gore-Tex membrane and the fleece lining that extends around most of the foot, the uppers are high-density PU (polyurethane) laminate with a reinforcing coating around the bottom edge. Even so, they can mark if you touch them against the front tyre, for instance. I did that on one of mine even though I'm usually pretty careful about that kind of stuff. It's a tiny rub mark and it's not going to affect longevity.
The uppers clean pretty easily – even the white ones that I've been using. Clearly, the white uppers will show the dirt much more easily than black, which is the other option, but you can clean each one in about 30 seconds (yes, I timed it) with a damp cloth at the end of each ride. The only slightly annoying bit is getting behind the lace guides. These shoes are going to get damp and dirty often – especially if you're riding in the UK – so if you can't be bothered to wipe them after nearly every ride then, yeah, black is probably the better option for you.
Do you know what a gusseted tongue is? It's the name for when the tongue is attached to the rest of the shoe not only at the base but also along its sides. That's what you get here to keep out rain and whatever else gets kicked up from the road surface and, as Fizik told us earlier on, the tongue contains a membrane. I certainly couldn't detect any water getting in there.
The ripstop tongue – gusseted, don't forget – is slightly padded and there's deeper padding around the ankle section to keep you warm. The ankles don't extend as high as on a pair of overshoes, of course, but I didn't notice any coldness in that area at all. I never gave it a second thought (and did I mention that I don't half suffer in the cold? A martyr to it).
Closure
Closure is handled by a Velcro strap up top and a Boa L6 dial that only micro-adjusts in one direction. In other words, you can click it tighter with the precision of a safe cracker but you have to pull the dial upwards to release the tension. This can mean too much lace gets released in one go, in which case you need to dial it in again. It's a First World problem, admittedly, but the L6 dials aren't quite as slick as Boa's posh Li2s, for example, which micro-adjust in both directions.
While I'm being finicky, a second Boa dial would allow you to adjust the tension to suit different areas of your foot – just the one dial is a bit rough and ready. But it's a system that works fine, even when using thick winter gloves, and there's enough lace to allow you to get the Tempo Artica GTXs on and off easily enough. The loop at the heel helps there.
The thickness of the padding at the ankle and the fact that it doesn't extend all that high means it's hard to get the ultra-tight seal that you can achieve with overshoes or some other winter shoes. The Velcro strap allows you to get it pretty close but your ankle is doing a lot of flexing at that point. The bottom line is that I found that some water could get into the gaps during heavy rain. Not loads, but some. I'm not going to be too critical here because I've never known any winter shoes that allow you to seal out water completely in heavy rain, I just think that a higher ankle would provide slightly better protection – which is why I'd say these shoes put in a stronger performance when it's just cold and damp than when it's full-on raining.
> Spinning in the rain: Top tips for enjoying your ride in the rain
On the flip side, the lack of height at the ankle helps the Fizik Tempo Artica GTX shoes feel more like summer road shoes and less like a clumpy winter design. Some winter shoes feel practical but chunky. These just feel like normal cycling shoes, albeit a little more bulky and much warmer.
Soles
Turning them over, the soles are nylon – no one really cares about carbon fibre on winter shoes, do they? – and Fizik gives them a 6 out of 10 stiffness rating: 'moderate stiffness'. They certainly flex more than some high-performance race shoe soles, and on the whole I'd prefer a little more stiffness, but I didn't find it a huge issue.
There are no vents in the sole – that would be daft on shoes designed to keep your feet warm and dry – and there's no fore/aft adjustment at the cleat bolts. Those holes are no bigger than they need to be – although whatever three-bolt cleats you're using will offer some positioning leeway – so once you have the bolts in place there's no chance of water or cold air getting in there.
Fizik says that the cleat position is 'set slightly further back compared to standard to better optimise pedalling efficiency and reduce knee compression'. You might notice that or you might not, depending on how fussy you are about cleat placement. I can't say it worried me.
Value
There are plenty of other winter cycling shoes and boots out there at a similar price to the Fiziks, some for two-bolt (mountain bike-style) cleats and some, like these, for three-bolt (road-style) cleats. Northwave, for instance, offers a few different styles, including the Celsius R Arctic GTX shoes that Steve Williams reviewed here on road.cc. These are now £239.99 (although you'll find them cheaper online), so just a tenner less than the Fiziks, and they use a Gore-Tex membrane too.
Steve found the Northwaves to be 'warm, extremely comfortable and impressively water resistant', and I'd say the same about the Fiziks. The Northwaves also come with extensive reflective details, whereas Fizik offers a relatively small amount on the heel. Granted, that's the place where reflectivity is most noticeable when you're pedalling.
If you wanted to go for two-bolt cleats recessed into the sole, Iwein found the Shimano MW7 Gore-Tex SPD Shoes 'comfortable, waterproof and pleasingly easy to use'. They have a grippy sole for gravel and mud, but we know plenty of people who use two-bolt cleats on the road, especially in the winter when off-the-bike traction can be an issue. They're a little cheaper, too – the MW701s Iwein tested were £199.99, but they've been superceded by the MW702s, which are £219.99.
Overall, I've enjoyed using the Fizik Tempo Artica GTX shoes over the past few months. These aren't the highest-end shoes out there – the soles could be stiffer and the Boa dial could be more polished – and I wouldn't say they offer the ultimate performance when it absolutely hoses down, but they do a good job of keeping your feet warm and dry in most winter conditions – or, at least, much warmer and drier than they'd otherwise be.
Verdict
Comfortable winter shoes that provide loads of warmth and reasonable protection from road spray and rain
Make and model: Fizik Tempo Artica GTX shoes
Tell us what the product is for
Fizik describes the Tempo Artica GTX as "road-specific winter cycling shoes featuring an insulating fleece lining and advanced GORE-TEX membrane to provide waterproof protection and breathability so feet stay warm, dry, and comfortable".
It lists these features:
*GORE-TEX Insulated Koala membrane
*Soft fleeced lining
*High-density PU upper + Ripstop fabric
*L6 BOA dial D Fit System
*R5 nylon outsole stiffness index 6 [Fizik's stiffness index goes up to 10]
*Weight: 319 g
*Sizes: 36-48 (37 to 47 also in half sizes)
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?
Fizik says, "Featuring an insulated GORE-TEX Koala membrane, the Tempo Artica GTX is fully waterproof, meaning you can rely on proven performance to keep you dry when it matters most. But beyond simply stopping wet weather, the advanced GORE-TEX technology is optimized for better breathability.
"To fight against frozen toes and keep feet toasty, the Artica GTX features a brushed-fleece lining. The effect is twofold, adding a soft layer that encompasses the feet in extra comfort while providing added warmth for triple-digit rides in single-digit temperatures.
"The Artica GTX takes a two-part approach to ensuring a secure, responsive fit''especially important for effective power transfer on road rides. The upper Velcro closure wraps around the ankle to deliver a locked-in feel, while the shoe's lower section is secured via a single L6 BOA® dial, for infinite adjustments on the fly.
"The nylon outsole of the newly redesigned R5 offers comfort and moderate stiffness for efficient pedalling. Additionally, the cleat position is set slightly further back compared to traditional settings to better optimize pedalling efficiency and reduce knee compression. On this winter-specific configuration, the outsole omits vented holes to keep feet warm and dry."
Rate the product for quality of construction:
8/10
The build quality is high and no water gets through the Gore-Tex membrane. I feel that a slightly different ankle design could keep more water out in heavy rain (although I've never known any cycling shoes to be totally impervious).
Rate the product for performance:
7/10
They keep your feet very warm in dry conditions and shrug off road spray. I did find water ingress to be possible via the cuff in heavy rain.
Rate the product for durability:
7/10
I must have ridden in these about 60 times now. There's a rub mark from where the toe touched the front tyre once. It happens. It won't affect longevity. There are the usual scratches and scuffs on the sole. Apart from that, these look in really good shape.
Rate the product for fit:
7/10
It's a good close fit without any of the clumpiness often associated with winter shoes/boots.
Rate the product for sizing:
8/10
The sizing is spot on. I took my usual size and found them snug enough with some wiggle room at the toes.
Rate the product for weight:
8/10
For me, weight is a really low priority when it comes to winter shoes. I just want them warm and comfortable.
Rate the product for comfort:
8/10
They are very warm and comfortable even when the temperature is in the low single digits Celcius – or lower.
Rate the product for value:
5/10
They're a similar value proposition to other winter shoes/boots offering the same sort of protection, if towards the pricier end.
How easy is the product to care for? How did it respond to being washed?
Who thought that white winter shoes, designed to be worn in wet conditions, would be a good idea? To be fair, it's easy to wipe the PU uppers clean, although you'll be doing it at the end of virtually every ride if you're based in the UK.
The black areas are easy enough to wipe clean too.
If you can't be arsed with that, go for the black version.
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
These shoes keep your feet warm in cold conditions. They also keep road spray out, although heavy rain will eventually get in through the tops.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
No doubt about it: the warmth.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product
A higher ankle could improve waterproofing, although I've never used any winter shoes that are wholly impervious.
How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?
They're similar in price to other winter cycling shoes and boots, some for two-bolt (mountain bike-style) cleats and some, like these, for three-bolt (road-style) cleats. Northwave, for instance, offers a few different styles, including the Celsius R Arctic GTX shoes that Steve reviewed here on road.cc. These are now £239.99 (although you'll find them cheaper online), so a similar price to the Fiziks, and they use a Gore-Tex membrane too.
Steve found the Northwaves to be 'warm, extremely comfortable and impressively water resistant', and I'd say the same about the Fiziks. The Northwaves also come with extensive reflective details, whereas Fizik offers a relatively small amount on the heel. Granted, that's the place where reflectivity is most noticeable when you're pedalling.
If you wanted to go for two-bolt cleats recessed into the sole, the Shimano MW7 Gore-Tex SPD Shoes are a little cheaper at £219.99. They have a grippy sole for gravel and mud, but we know plenty of people who use two-bolt cleats on the road, especially in the winter when off-the-bike traction can be an issue.
Did you enjoy using the product? Yes
Would you consider buying the product? I'd certainly consider them, yes.
Would you recommend the product to a friend? Put them on the short list and try them for size.
Use this box to explain your overall score
The performance is good, although the design could be a bit better around the ankle, and the price is decent enough for what you're getting. That all works out at a seven.
Age: 48 Height: 190cm Weight: 80kg
I usually ride: My best bike is:
I've been riding for: Over 20 years I ride: Most days I would class myself as: Expert
I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding,
Add new comment
4 comments
The various Northwave Arctic boot products don't look as nice as these, but the stretchy neoprene type sock feature they have is pretty amazing - they last forever and I've never had to worry about wet feet.
I bought a pair and sent them back for a refund within weeks. I used them twice in rain, when it rained for about 15 mins. My feet got wet on both occasions, despite also wearing overshoes. Other reviews indicate that this new design is a step back on the older version as it is too easy for water to enter at the top, which was my exact experience. I will purchase the older version of these boots instead.
I have a pair of the previous Artica boots and a pair of GripGrab neoprene gaiters is a cheap solution to any water ingress in really wet conditions
Personally I am loving the Agu rain overshoes for dealing with rain. They go higher up the leg than normal overshoes, and they're made of a tight, stretchy, rubbery material that clings hard to your leg. So:
1. The higher shoe means less of your tights/leg-warmer material is exposed, to gather rain and get wet. So straight away, amount of water to run down is lower.
2. The tight compressive fit reduces the rate at which water can run down.