Fizik X5 Artica GTX MTB Shoe

X5 Artica is a well built winter shoe and on track with my wants. Not too tall

or heavy. Probably not the shoe for below 30 degrees, or extreme mud riding

but for my riding of 30- 50 degrees it is an excellent shoe. Barely wide enough for

me with a D-E foot, but a performance fit and good rain performance. Easy

on and off too.

I have these also in the road version, and of course, fit and everything is the same, no change other than the cleat interface. I'm a 44 in the road version, 44 in the mtb version, identical, which is a bonus.

To speak of the functionality of the shoe, they're a gamechanger for cold riding. I'm a racer, and to get my volume up I took up bike commuting. My shortest door to door is 10 miles, my "normal" is about 17, if I really want a flat spin it's 21 miles, so half hour to about 75 minute range one way. When I have left the house and it's been 10 to 12 degrees (F), I can wear these, with a normal cycling merino wool sock, and get to work with warm feet.

The main bonus for me is that I don't need shoe covers. I absolutely hate wrestling them on at 4am when I leave, this is easier, shoe, tighten, go.

I've had them soaked with slushy roads as well, and my feet did not get wet. You will get wet from water getting down into the shoe around the ankle if you are in really bad stuff, you can probably get around it with some better dressing but I've been okay.

I'm not a huge fan of the high top from a looks standpoint, it's bulky and looks weird, and I swear it makes my feet flex less, but when you have warm feet in really cold weather, you don't care.

They're my go-to in temps under 35 (F). When I'm in a sunny upper 30's and above, I can use a normal road shoe with wool, and maybe a toe cover. Over 40 (F) and these are way too warm, even with summer socks.

Great shoes though for the purpose, if you ride in bad weather, these are a gamechanger.

I wore this boot on inside as a trial, not on the bike, during a hard workout or in weather. The build quality is very good. I ordered one size larger than my summer cleat and found the fit is very good for a medium-width foot and wearing a medium weight sock. The toe box is roomier that most cycling bots/shoes � I thought this would be promising for cold rides. The boot was easy to get in and out of � it opens pretty wide and the loop on the heal is nice. The boa performed well. Im not fond of the Velcro, but it seals the top snugly. Wearing it around the house, my foot got warm. I think it ventilated, but of course a home doesn�t present very challenging conditions. I sent this back in favor of the Giro Blaze, which has a higher rise up the ankle. But I really wanted them both :)

These are a great shoe concerning construction etc. I sized up .5 size from my summer FiZik shoes to fit a thicker sock.

Waterproofing is good, but these are just not as warm as I wanted them to be. Anything below 45 F and my toes are frozen. I have been using toe covers and those help, but for something being advertised as a winter shoe I expected more in the warmth department

These shoes are amazing, fit snug but comfortable, warm in cold and dry in rain. I wanted to have gear for any weather conditions that the Iowa winter could throw at me. They are great on gravel and even endurance road rides.

For a Fizik shoe this does have a generous fit, not as narrow as most. Shoe is comfortable and certainly repels water/snow. I expected/hoped the shoe would be a bit warmer, but this may be down to the sock one pairs it with. A thinner merino wool sock is good down to maybe 25-F or so, ideally I would throw a thicker sock on for colder days but that made the shoe a bit too tight for my liking. I would say that this shoe's primary function is to keep the foot dry during the shoulder season and extend into a mild winter.

They fit great, keep my feet warm and dry.

Been riding since 1970's with wool socks, tin foil, plastic bags, GoreTex socks and shoe covers. So with that I went for ride Jan. 1st with temperatures reaching 35 degrees and 10 mph winds. Never felt a bit of cold discomfort and fit with heavy wool socks was superb. I forgot the puddles and snow while riding, so check off waterproof also.

Paired with some merino wool socks these are an excellent addition to my winter kit and far less hassle than overshoes- especially at the end of a long cold ride.

For truly brutal weather you could still add some booties for extra wind protection

Went for a 30 mile road ride recently. The temperature when I left the house was 40 degrees F. Wore one pair of Smartwool medium weight socks. Feet stayed toasty the entire ride. A great addition to my Fall/ Winter riding kit!