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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Review Info

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

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