Fizik Terra Artica GTX boots review

Proper winter clothing can extend your cycling calendar by months – by upgrading your outfit you can stay warm and dry enough to ride as often in February as in June. A decent jacket, waterproof trousers, and winter cycling shoes like these Fizik Terra Artica GTX boots leaves few entry points for freezing weather.

Your feet get exposed to all sorts of challenging conditions while riding, from water splashed up from the trail to snow and ice underfoot when you come to a stop. Effective winter footwear needs to be a barrier to this, while also allowing heat and perspiration to escape.

To do so it needs to be snug fitting, but not so much so that you can’t remove it with frozen hands, and the sole should give you good grip on slippery ground without being full of nooks and crannies for mud to clog up in. All while providing a stiff pedal platform. Quite a tall order, all things considered.

Verdict (4/5): As close as I've experienced to the perfect winter boot - the only points I could find to deduct were how my feet fit in the toe-box and the fact they could look a bit more MTBif they tried. During my considerable testing rides they didn't let water or the cold in once (minus the first ride where I wore the wrong trousers) and the stiff sole plus breathable material meant they were comfortable mile after mile.

What’s good?

For a start I didn’t need to go up a shoe size as I previously have with winter boots. These fit my feet right out of the box, in the same EU45 as my Fizik Gravita Tensors, and they’re warm enough to wear with thin socks.

That’s because they’ve got a double bill of weather protection – Gore-Tex to keep the rain out and a fluffy Koala fleece lining (presumably not made of actual Koalas) for warmth. This feels really luxurious to the touch and retains heat well.

I rode in all sorts of otherwise non-biking weather during the first three months of 2023, including torrential rain, howling wind, and even a bit of snow, and at no point was I reaching for thick (or waterproof) socks. I can also blast them with a hose while washing my bike post-ride. That’s how much confidence the Terra Articas gave me.

Getting the cleats in the right spot is easy enough with plenty of forward and backwards adjustment, although I can’t get them set as far back as on my downhill shoes. This suited the kind of riding I was doing due to the rubbish conditions though (think XC and gravel rather than gravity-fed) which is naturally a bit more pedally anyway.

Here the nylon XR5 sole offered a good mix of comfort and stiffness and the Boa closure meant I could get the boots tight enough at the start of my ride, with the ability to loosen them off a bit over time without removing my gloves, instead of faffing around with muddy laces.

The synthetic leather upper is perforated to help perspiration escape and I didn’t feel my feet overheat once, they were just at the right temperature regardless of the external conditions.

What’s okay?

At first I found getting clipped in a bit tricky due to the big rubber grip sections of sole either side of the cleat. Also I think the slightly more forward position took some getting used to.

There’s also not a huge amount of grip as standard, you can screw some studs in at the toe end and in fairness, the sole has more tread than my flat pedal trainers, but I still felt like I was having to walk very carefully. That said, they're a big upgrade in this department compared to the Fizik Tempo Artica GTX road shoes we reviewed.

One Boa dial cranks up the entire opening (except for a Velcro strap at the top) and this means flexing your foot a bit while rotating it to ensure even distribution of tightness. This is easier on shoes with two dials but also more faff when it comes to taking them off again.

While the boots come further up your legs than shoes, I needed to mix and match trousers to find a pair that overlapped the top. My Fox Rangers were too tight around the ankle and rode up, leaving an exposed area for water to ingress into. I actually found a baggier pair of waterproof hiking trousers worked best, covering a large portion of the Fiziks and allowing rain to drain over.

Finally, this is a style point but also a crash-proofing consideration, but they do look quite a lot like road bike shoes. That’s not a huge issue in itself but that slim, minimalist profile lacks chunky protection around the toe-box area.

In terms of function I think they suit all sorts of mountain biking, from gravel to XC and trail. But I’d still want something more substantial for enduro or downhill.

Any negatives?

Not really. They were a bit tricky to get on and off at first and some users report poor fit or discomfort - I still find the toe box tighter than my other shoes, but that has more to do with my wide feet than anything else. It's worth sticking with them because they broke in quite nicely over time and definitely got comfier as a result.

How the product was tested

I rode throughout winter 2023 on my Santa Cruz 5010 trail bike, tackling mostly cross-country, plus family rides and trips to the local café. Testing including all the weather winter could summon – rain, ice, snow, wind, you name it. I’ve been using them with Crankbrothers Mallet DH pedals and the relevant cleats.

Adam Binnie is the Affiliate Operations Editor and reviewer for WhatsTheBest, specialising in bikes, fitness, cars, parenting and cooking.

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