Fizik R3B Uomo Men's road shoes

Fizik's R3B Uomos are comfortable, stiff-soled shoes with a Boa closure system that's easy to adjust on the fly.

The B bit of the R3B name stands for Boa, but even putting the closure system to one side these are very different from Fizik's standard R3s. Those are all kangaroo leather and nylon mesh whereas the uppers here are made from the manmade fabric Microtex. They're perforated more or less throughout – those holes you can see in the uppers go all the way through.

The perforations don't let as much air in and out as mesh but they do cover most of your foot, the only exceptions being the toe and heel. Along with the breathable tongue, they mean that your feet do stay surprisingly cool and sweat free, even on hot rides.

Boa's IP1 closure system comprises a super-strong steel lace and a clicky-turny dial. The right one tightens clockwise and the left one tightens anticlockwise. That might sound weird but it feels natural because on both sides you push away with your thumbs to make the fit tighter.

I've heard people complain about the longevity of Boas but I've used them in various shoes for several years without any problems. What I particularly like is their ease of adjustment. You just reach down and turn the dial a notch or two to tighten them up, or turn it the opposite way to let a bit of lace back through. You can even do that if you're wearing thick overshoes on top. When it's time to take the shoes off, you just pop the dial up and let the lace out in one go.

You get just one Boa dial per shoe here but that was sufficient for me to get a secure yet still comfortable fit. I've had other shoes with two Boa dials but I've not noticed a benefit either way. The lower closure is Velcro-backed Sailcloth that you'll rarely, if ever, need to adjust once you have it set.

The big difference between these R3B shoes and the R5Bs (£130) that Dave recently fell in love with is the sole. Whereas the R5Bs have a carbon-reinforced nylon sole, the R3Bs have a unidirectional carbon-fibre outsole. Dave said there was "a small amount of flex when you push really hard on the pedals" with the R5Bs. I couldn't discern any flex at all here.

There's virtually no difference in the weight between the two models, Dave's R5Bs weighing 602g and these R3Bs weighing 598g in size 45. That means that you're effectively paying £85 more for the R3B's extra sole stiffness.

The sole comes with a replaceable heel and three cleat bolt holes. You get markings that are intended to help you position your cleats identically, although I set mine a long way back, totally obscuring those markings, so they didn't work for me.

I found the R3Bs instantly very comfortable, the uppers conforming easily to my foot shape and the Boa system providing a secure closure without any pressure points. A firm heel counter helps keep everything in shape when you're pedalling hard, good padding inside the heel provides more comfort there, and a little extra depth in the area of the insole above the cleat avoids discomfort there.

All in all, these are very good shoes. The only question is whether you're willing to pay an extra £85 over the R5Bs for a very small gain in performance.

Verdict

Comfortable, stiff-soled shoes with a Boa closure system that's easy to adjust on the fly