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The Vega shoes, as used by Movistar Team, have been dropped off with us for testing. I was impressed by the design when they were announced back in May and have been eager to try them out ever since.
The knitted upper is on trend for a modern race shoe, but it’s the novel design around the sole that intrigued me.
The upper forms the whole shape of the shoe, with the carbon sole embedded inside, rather than the usual method of bonding a carbon sole to the upper.
It’s claimed to offer better foot support because the carbon base is ergonomically shaped to your foot.
Fizik says it designed the outsole and footbed as a single unit, and this design has enabled it to reduce the stack height, making the shoes more efficient when pedalling.
That might be tricky to prove outright, but they feel like a much more natural fit, with the sole being much better shaped to my foot and the insole mirroring the curves of the sole.
- Read more: New Fizik Vega shoes improve pedalling efficiency thanks to a novel construction technique
Knitted outside, carbon inside
The woven material is called Aeroweave, which is covered with a thin translucent material to protect it.
The upper fit is controlled by twin Boa Li2 dials, both anchored to ribbons that wrap around the midfoot. This is a development from Fizik’s Powerstrap design and similar to the Tensione from Udog (Udog’s founder, Alberto Fonte, previously ran things over at Fizik).
My test pair, in Movistar colours, weighs in at 294g each for a size 45 (UK 10), including the footbed insoles.
The only downside of incorporating this new tech is the high price of £389.99 / €390 / $469.99. Let’s hope Fizik will trickle down this clever new shoe design to some of its more affordable models.
The shoes are available in sizes: 36 to 48 (37 to 47 also in half sizes) and in all-white, all-black, and this white/blue/yellow Fluoro of Team Movistar.
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