Fi’zi:k has put both feet forward into the shoe market with three completely new pairs of kicks and a reworked last for all of the road line. The R1B sets the new top of the line with a two piece laser perforated Mircotex upper available in white or black and two BOA dials. Fizik built the 350€ shoe on an incredibly stiff full carbon sole that includes continuous internal channels to boost ventilation, and a removable heel puck. The vents are optimized throughout to maximize air movement, but indirectly to prevent water infiltration. The shoe was developed with both ergonomics and aerodynamics in mind, and uses a smooth asymmetric tongue for precise fit and actually has a carefully placed second BOA that hides from the wind behind the first dial to offer twice the fit tunability with the drag of one dial.
Stick with us after the break to see a more affordable high performance road shoe, the most affordable BOA mountain bike shoe, and a new set of carbon-railed saddles…
On the other end of the road spectrum, Fizik is adding a new R4B for 200€ that employs a injection molded carbon composite sole that offers stiffness almost on par with full-carbon at a more affordable price point. The shoe also gets a similar Microtex upper as the R1, with laser cut perforations that are each unique in size. The injection molded sole offers precise shaping similar to the higher-end shoes and gets forefoot ventilation. The shoe gets a BOA dial to control the upper and mid-foot areas, while a pair of small straps dial in the toe box fit. The shoe comes in a black/red men’s version, and white/teal black/yellow women’s Donna varieties.
The entire road line, including the new shoes get built on a new last that makes all four shoes new for 2016. The new last gets a wider footbed, but the possibility to to cinch down to a smaller volume. All of the road shoes combine a flexible Microtex upper fabric and BOA closures to allow a much wider range of fit with the new last.
Even one more step to in the affordability direction, Fizik adds what they are calling the lowest priced mountain bike on the market with BOA dial adjustability. At just 150€, the new M6B offers a degree of finish uncommon at this price level. Fit is tuned with two velcro mid-foot straps and a single BOA closure. The shoes get a complete rubber outsole on top of a carbon-reinforced nylon sole for a balance of grippy traction and stiffness. The upper combines Microtex around the edges with a reflective polyurethane, and nylon mesh to handle ventilation. The shoes will come in several color options with the M6B Donna black/teal/pink seen above, and at least black/blue, black/red, and all black.
The R1B, R4B, and M6B will all be available at the start of December 2015, while the others from the updated road line are available from the start of September.
To top off the new shoes, Fizik also had a few updated saddles, the Arione 00, Antares 00, and Aliante 00. Each saddle will sell for 350€ and is built on a full carbon shell and a Mobius continuous looped carbon rail with a 7x9mm clamping area. The new top-level saddles get a 2 layer carbon shell that sandwiches Fizik’s traditionally exposed edge of the Microtex saddle cover. The saddles also use an increased Wingflex area to ensure comfort on the otherwise stiff saddles. The snake Arione goes with the highest density and thinest padding of the bunch, while the bull Aliante gets a bit softer and thicker padding.
