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Fizik Vento Overcurve X3 review

Comfortable slogging through the mud and sprinting out of corners on adventure and cyclocross rides

Fizik Vento Overcurve X3

Fizik’s sleek Vento Overcurve X3 shoe strikes a nice balance between comfort and performance. Designed as a relatively affordable cyclocross race shoe, it utilizes a single Boa IP1 dial and comfortable asymmetric upper design that should suit anyone from a serious to casual ‘cross racer. A carbon outsole makes them stiff and responsive on the pedals but they aren’t so rigid that wearing them for long rides or extended dismounts becomes uncomfortable.

Fit and adjustability

Boa dials have become the standard for easy and adjustable shoe fit. The single dial on the Vento Overcurve X3 is well placed. While the two dials we see on many road shoes give increased adjustability, the simplicity of one-dial gets the job done here. While I sometimes fiddled with the Boa lace after putting the shoe on to make sure they were uniformly tight from the top to the toe, the shoe gave my high arch sufficient support.

Fizik uses an asymmetric upper design on the Vento Overcurve X3 that’s intended to follow the natural alignment of a foot. If you have bony ankles that chafe against the collar of some shoes, especially when dismounted, the Vento Overcurve X3’s shape should account better for this. The Fizik fit may not suit everyone with its specific form not accounting for all variations of foot shape.

On and off the bike

On rides where I wasn’t clipping in and out of the pedals as much, I noticed the shoe had the right amount of give so they stayed comfortable for hours on end. That being said, when I was sprinting out of the saddle to build up speed, I never wished them to be any firmer. Running up tricky terrain or walking in them felt equally comfortable with the Microtex upper, and grippy heel keeping my foot for slipping around on the inside of the shoe. Neither did they hold my foot so firmly in place that there was uncomfortable pressure on any part of my foot, something that’s particularly important on long runups or stairs.

Fizik Vento Overcurve X3

The tread of the shoe is quite grippy for most runups and on mucky surfaces. Running up slippery mud was still a challenge but on grass and stone, the thermoplastic polyurethane plastic tread had good bite. While running in these conditions is never comfortable, it wasn’t made harder by poor fit or design in the Vento Overcurve X3.

An attractive and versatile adventure shoe

Fizik made an effort to reduce the amount of exposed stitching which in turn means less grit and mud can collect on the outside of the shoe. The sealed toe also kept my feet sufficiently warm in cool temperatures, something that’s important on fall gravel rides and in crisp cyclocross races. But when I rode in the rain, I found the Vento Overcurve X3 to provide minimal protection leaving my socks saturated after even short rides.

The Fizik Vento Overcurve X3 gets the job done nicely across a wide variety of riding. On adventure excursions, I was happy with their versatility and comfort on and off the bike while when trying to go fast they feel light and responsive on the pedals. They retail for US$250.