Fizik Tempo Beat Shoes

The Fizik Tempo Beat Shoes are a superb design for the multi-hyphen nature of modern cycling, working well for casual, gravel, touring and commuting/city riding, offering an ideal balance of stiffness and suppleness to make them effective on the bike and comfortable off it.

As gravel continues to expand in the cycling world, in addition to touring and commuting, there has been an increase in demand for shoes that are good both on and off the bike. My go-tos for this sort of riding have always been Giro's Republics, which in my opinion have been the best in class for this over many years, but Fizik's new Tempo Beats are definitely giving them a run for their money.

Construction & design

First off, the basic technical elements are as you would expect for a mixed-use shoe. They are two-bolt SPD only, with thick buffers around the cleats to allow them to be recessed but still usable, and have a sole that offers enough stiffness to give decent performance on the bike while still being comfortable to walk in. (If you'd rather not clip in at all, have a look at the choices in our guide to the best flat pedal shoes.)

They are more similar in looks to svelte road shoes than chunky off-road shoes, with smooth lines and very few seams across them. In fact the only thing that makes them look different to a high-end road shoe is the chunky and colourful sole.

These rubber outsoles are undoubtedly going to be the most talked-about element of the shoes, especially in these sage green/desert versions I tested, which I'd describe as almost turquoise at the front fading into gum at the back; it's more fun than just a block colour throughout, but won't be for everyone. They come in white/orange too (with a bit of purple in the sole), and boring black if that's more your thing.

Uppers & closures

As you can see from the photos, they use a traditional and smart-looking lace system, with neatly hidden loops to keep the simple and clean aesthetic. They worked very effectively, with the laces locking well and not loosening during a ride. There's also an easy-to-use lace garage complete with easy-pull loop on the top, allowing you to tuck or untuck laces easily with gloved or cold hands.

The one-piece fabric upper has just a single seam at the rear, covered by a leather strip. There is a degree of water resistance, but these aren't shoes you should expect to stay dry in if the heavens open.

There is also reinforcement across the toe box and on the heel.

Inside, the removable insoles with a couple of densities were comfortable whether I was walking or riding. There are several holes in the inner sole, which would normally be for ventilation, but the outer sole completely covers them. In fact, the only noticeable ventilation is through the perforated tongue, so while perfectly comfortable in the autumn temperatures I used them in, I would go for something with a little more ventilation in hotter weather.

> Everything you need to know about cycling shoes – from materials and sole stiffness to closure systems and cleat compatibility

An area of silicone gripper in the heel helps to keep the foot secure and prevents rubbing – I have seen similar in Giro's high-end road shoes and appreciate it becoming common throughout its ranges.

Soles

Fizik has given the rubber outsoles a stiffness rating of 4 (for comparison, its top-of-the-line Vento Infinito Carbon 2s have a rating of 10), and in my opinion it provides a great balance between walkability and on-bike performance.

Off the bike there is a natural roll to the soles, which makes walking easier than either more flat-bottomed mountain bike shoes or stiff road shoes, and the TPU gripper covering gives them decent grip. I managed to really mess up changing my tyres and was two miles away from civilisation when I realised, so I had ample opportunity to test how these performed when walking...

On the bike they are more than good enough for general use. Although they may 'only' be a 4 on the stiffness rating, this still enabled me to maintain good pedalling efficiency and to put the pedal down when I wanted to. While Biniam Girmay (green jersey winner at this year's Tour de France) might struggle with them, for the average cyclist on a relaxed Saturday morning outing these should be fine.

Value & conclusion

An RRP of £179.99 is about what I'd expect for shoes of this quality that aren't designed for high-end performance but for everyday commuting, touring or light gravel use, and is similar to their rivals – Shimano's RX6 shoes come in at £159.99, for example, and Giro's Empire R Knits are – or were – £149.99 (if you can find them).

The RX6s are more traditional utilitarian gravel shoes but with broadly similar qualities in that they're comfortable to walk in and comfortable off the bike, and Iwein thought they were excellent. But the Giros, which I reviewed a couple of years ago, are the shoes to beat in this area in my opinion, and I reckon the two are broadly a score draw: both are very comfortable on and off the bike, have a performance element, and are robust and well made.

Perhaps that is the best compliment I can give them: that they are the equal of the Giro Republics, in ease of use, comfort and styling. I have used that shoe in different forms almost every day for the last seven years, which shows how much I like them, and these are every bit as good. There isn't much higher praise I can give them.

Verdict

Impressive do-it-all shoes that perform admirably both on and off the bike