Fi’zi:k has paired up with serial shoe customizer Simon Fellows of Artful Kicks for a limited edition look for their revamped carbon-soled Aria R3 road shoes. Limited to just 101 pairs (one for each edition of the Giro d’Italia), the hand-painted shoes commemorate the Italian Grand Tour with a heavy dose of color.
Artful Kicks painted limited Fizik Aria 101 road shoes
The limited edition shoes feature an abstract geometric design created by Fellows. Their bright blues and yellow bring to mind the Italian sea, sky and blooming fields, while the pink triangles “represent the major towns and cities along the route of the first edition of the Giro in 1909 and of course, we all know the color of the winner’s jersey.”
Aria R3 road cycling shoes – Tech Details
The new for Fizik in 2018 Aria R3 road shoes are actually the repurposing of the synthetic Microtex upper from the previously top-of-the-line R1B shoes (as the new R1 Infinito got a new Boa lacing layout and larger perforations) with a less complicated full UD carbon sole to bring the price down.
The laser perforated shoes still get what Fizik calls a Volume Control design with a pair of micro-adjust Boa IP1-B dials over the asymmetric tongue. The Arias claim a weight of 243g a pop, and are available in standard colors for 275€.
Pricing & Availability
Speaking about the pairing Fellows also let slip that another project would be on the way… “Having hand-painted many pairs of Fizik cycling shoes for customers around the world, it was an honor to have been approached directly by Fizik to produce a unique design, on a pair of shoes and a saddle, to celebrate the 101st Giro d’Italia.”
The limited edition run of Aria 101 shoes is only available direct from Fizik’s web shop, and come in a 41-44.5 size run. Their 290€ pricetags is surprisingly just a 15€ premium over the standard color Aria R3.