Fizik Tempo Beat shoe review: Road shoes for gravel, or gravel shoes for road?

The Tempo Beat from Fizik launched last year and joined the brands road shoe lineup as a versatile, comfortable option for road and gravel use. The most eye-catching thing straight away was probably the funky, coloured sole on two of the models, but there's more to the shoes than just a the visuals. 

The shoes sit in the Fizik road range, but use a two-bolt cleat mounting, so standard three-bolt road cleats aren't going to fit. This is a shoe that's been designed for more casual road use with SPD pedals, as well as off-road gravel or MTB riding. 

Why? Well primarily, it's a lot easier to walk around in recessed SPD-style cleats when you aren't riding the bike. Second, for some riders, myself included, using an mtb or gravel-specific shoe and SPD pedals on a road bike doesn't sit or look right, especially if the shoes have a chunky, aggressive sole. The smooth, less aggressive sole design of the Tempo Beat means it blends in aesthetically on road or gravel bikes. 

The shoes have a retail price of $179.99 / £179 / €179 and are available in three colour options, a standard black, the sage green option I have been testing and a white and orange version, which is possibly a little too bright for me.  

I've been testing these shoes for a while now in the UK, and recently on a trip to Tuscany with plenty of dry dusty gravel, and importantly walking around. 

Check out our best cycling shoes guide and best gravel shoe buyer guides for more great shoe options. 

Deisgn and aesthetics 

The Tempo Beat uses a simple, clean design that looks pretty sleek overall. There is a Fizik wordmark on the outside toe box of each shoe, and another vertical one running down the heel of each shoe, and also possibly neatly covering up any stitching there that brings the upper together. 

There's a black option, which is always safe. The other two colour options are a little bolder, the sage green / desert colour I have tested looks smart, and the colourful sole has grown on me. It's a translucent rubber sole, with the colour on the bottom of the shoe itself. If you want to ramp it up even more, there's the funky white, orange and purple option. 

The toe box also has a tough cover over the mesh material to protect from scratches and scrapes, the uppers themselves use a durable yet soft-to-the-touch fabric and a lace-up closure. 

The lace eyelets are neat, and sit on the inside of the tongue cutout, making for a clean look. There's also an elastic band you can tuck the laces into mid-way down the tongue, something that's almost an essential for lace-up shoes and does help keep things neat and tidy.  

The shoes also benefit from a new Fizik last and wider toe box, which should suit the more relaxed, all-around riding this model is designed for as well as just promoting comfort generally. They aren't available in a wide option, so use the Fizik size guide to get an idea if they may work for you. Head to our best cycling shoes for wide-feet guide if you need a wider option. 

For me, the last is fairly straight and doesn't have as much curve as some shoes. The sole is also fairly flat without too much drop. The sole itself is designed to be comfy and easy to walk around in so gets a stiffness rating of four out of ten on the Fizik scale. It's flexible, and you can flex the shoes by hand a little. The sole for my money is also a little chunkier and deeper than some more performance-focused shoes, and trying other shoes on against them back to back confirmed this be the case. 

Cleats can be mounted fairly far back. People seem to want their cleats to go further and further back, but I think the mounting seems pretty on the money. The mount certainly isn't too far forward, which can cause issues. 

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Performance 

The Tempo Beats have been a comfortable shoe for both road and gravel riding. There's enough structure and support from the shoe and soles that you feel looked after. I don't think the nature of the shoes will rule them out for anything but the most relaxed of coffee rides or spin sessions.  

The laces feel hardy and tough to me, and there's a enough friction between them and the lace eyelets to enable you to tighten them down snugly. I have been very happy with the laces. 

Size-wise, an EU 43 comes out as a UK 8 3/4, the next size up is 9 1/4. For me, the 43 has felt like most brands UK9, but it's a tricky one. Consult a Fizik dealer if you need help here, or try them on if you can. 

I've been comfortable from the off in the shoes. The tongue and uppers are soft and snug, and the grippers on the heel cup don't do a bad job. Zero niggles here whatsoever. One thing to mention is that there isn't any venting on the soles, or uppers, which may mean they feel hotter than some shoes in high temperatures. I don't tend to suffer too much though in this regard. 

Walking is very comfortable with no issues at all for me. I've done a good amount of walking on dry gravel and tarmac and the flex in the sole of the shoes means they flex well with your feet when walking. It's on a par with the Northwave Hammer Plus for me, another very comfortable shoe for off-road riding and walking. For anything off-bike, from cafes to just pushing the Tempo Beats will serve you well. 

Due to the design of the sole I think I can just about feel the cleat mount insert plate at times when really pressing down on an SPD pedal. I've done some quite tough gravel rides in the shoes and noticed it a few times. It's the more rigid insert in the sole I think I can feel, which contrasts to the more flexible sole itself. It hasn't caused me a problem, but it's something to be aware of. However if you are shopping for a comfortable shoe, a stiff sole may not be top of your want list anyway. 

On the soles, they are much tougher than they appear. I can't see them wearing down in a hurry at all, despite initial appearances. I also haven't found myself wishing for more grip; it's very grippy rubber. Perhaps in mud or on certain surfaces, there wouldn't be as much traction as there aren't really lugs to speak of, but overall it's proven to be a non-issue.  

Cleaning isn't too bad either, though I think you may have to get the scrubbing brush and water out If you really get them mucky. I've brushed off dried mud no problems, but a scrub may be required to get bigger stains or mud out due to the mesh material uppers. 

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Value 

At $179.99 / £179 / €179 these aren't the cheapest shoes on the market for their product category. Though of course you can easily spend double that now. There may be a little bit of a style tax to pay too, but you are getting undoubtedly a quality shoe, with a more up-to-date roomy toe box and last.

A competitor here is the Northwave Hammer Plus, which comes in at £121.49 / $149.99 / €134.99. However there aren't so many shoes that blend road and gravel use and aesthetics together so well. 

I'd even go so far to say that, pedals aside, which give the game away you could think these were road shoes on the road, and gravel shoes off it. If this is a key point for you, then it could be money well spent.  

Verdict 

I made the point when I reviewed some other comfort-focused shoes last year, that it is sometimes easy to be blinkered by the allure of stiff performance shoes. A pair of flexible, comfortable cycling shoes is a great thing to have at times. And that's what I have found in the Tempo Beats. 

This is a good option for a range of riding, from road to gravel, cross country or even spin or indoor trainer sessions. If you like the idea of a funky, slightly more relaxed, lace-up shoe that can do a bit of everything these will make for a great choice as long as the fit is right for you.