Fizik Terra Ergolace GTX Shoe review

The Fizik Terra Ergolace Terra GTX is an all-weather MTB and gravel shoes with Gore-Tex protection. Yes, they are (were) practically white.

Brand: Fizik
Product: Terra Ergolace GTX Shoes
From: fizik.com
Price: £199.99
Tested by: Hannah for 3 months

I remain surprised that these soles work, but they do

Colour when new

Pros

Roomier than some other Fiziks
Actually grippy on and off the bike
Good balance of stiffness and flex

Cons

Fabulously expensive
Difficult to get tightened around the foot
Low ankles allow water in quickly

Offset lace arrangement

Always on the lookout for options that will keep my feet dry when riding flat pedals, I was keen to give these a go – until I saw the soles. Surely the design of the soles went against everything that makes a good flat pedal shoe? I’m not sure what sort of witchcraft is at play, but these Fizik Terra Ergolace GTX shoes have surprised me.

In contrast to other Fizik shoes I’ve tried (but failed) to fit into, these have a nice roomy feel to them. Not narrow and pointy like some of their winter boots that I’ve failed to squish my trotters into. The size 41 fitted me as I’d expect a bike shoe to fit.

You get a laced upper. It’s one of those fancy asymmetrical offset laces that’s supposed to prevent hot spots and keep your laces away from your cranks. I’ve had laces like these on a variety of shoes on and off the bike and I remain unconvinced – I just find them harder to do up properly. This meant it took a bit of fiddling to get them done up tight enough to stop slippage when walking, but not so tight they were uncomfortable. An elastic lace keep does a good enough job of keeping things out the way. So, meh to these laces. A BOA fastener… now that I think could be could.

Decent toe box, and lace keep

Rather low cut on the inside

A decently tough toe box keeps your toes protected, and the whole upper is waterproof. Not just claimed to be waterproof, but actually waterproof. Not too hot either – and don’t mistake these for a ‘winter’ option, as they’re not warm and insulated, just waterproof. Unfortunately, without a hole in the top you’d never get your foot into shoes, so the water does inevitably get in when things are splashy rather than just ‘morning dew’ damp. In fact, the inside front of the ankle seems especially low cut, and this was always the place that I’d feel the chilling splash of water first. Either up off the trail and tyres, or down off my trousers. Pairing them with a waterproof sock helped a lot – but then you might wonder why bother with having waterproof shoes at all. I’ll come to that.

Sectional sole pattern

Those soles then… So much tread and lumpy bumpy – a complete contrast to the sticky soles I’m used to finding. And yet, they still stick to pedals. I’d not opt to wear them for something too jumpy or enduro, but for anything up to technical trail riding they are sticky enough to forget about. They’re also pretty stiff – not disco slipper stiff, but plenty stiff enough to pedal in them without getting tired feet.

Stiff on the bike, flexible off

Off the bike, that tread also works. Having dislocated my shoulder while pushing my bike last year, I’ve been very conscious of feeling unsteady on my feet when on the trail. These are actually grippy, on a variety of slippery surfaces. Not only that, but despite their stiffness on the pedals, they’re flexible enough to walk in – I suspect this may be down to the deep grooves cut into the sole at flexion points.

This is how they used toi look, fresh out of the box

Overall

And so herein lies where I think these shoes really pay off – along with their waterproofing. If you’re doing the kind of packing-light trip than means you can’t be taking multiple pairs of shoes with you, or perhaps touring, in changeable weather, then these would be spot on. You could ride a technical trail, push up a rocky section, wander around the supermarket, and spend a wet day sightseeing, all in the same shoes. Unless things are splashy enough for water to be pouring in through the hole in the top, you’d have dry feet and avoid damp-foot nastiness that can come with multi-day trips.

Fizik has designed these Terra Ergolace shoes to be versatile and appeal to ‘trail riders, bikepackers, and off-road endurance racers alike’. I think they might actually have nailed that brief.

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Review Info

Brand:	Fizik
Product:	Terra Ergolace GTX Shoes
From:	fizik.com/
Price:	£199.99
Tested:	by Hannah for 3 months

Hannah Dobson

Managing Editor

I came to Singletrack having decided there must be more to life than meetings. I like all bikes, but especially unusual ones. More than bikes, I like what bikes do. I think that they link people and places; that cycling creates a connection between us and our environment; bikes create communities; deliver freedom; bring joy; and improve fitness. They're environmentally friendly and create friendly environments. I try to write about all these things in the hope that others might discover the joy of bikes too.