It used to be that shoes came in either mountain or road varieties, with not much in the way of choice in either category. Mountain meant XC, basically lightweight, stiff-soled shoes with Velcro straps and maybe a buckle, and either so well-vented that the mesh would fall apart and your toes would be poking out within a season, or so waterproof that sweat was the main source of moisture that threatened dry feet. Carbon soles were based on road stiffness indexes and were a pain to walk in, not great for a discipline where inevitably you’d find yourself on foot scrambling up a greasy, rooty trail.

Trail riding shoes brought about some more forgiving yet still grippy soles that were much more comfortable while offering enough stiffness for pedalling and support, and were styled more casually for a not so racey look for trail riding. So when the gravel riding thing started to take hold, we were left with the choice of XC, road or trail shoes and pedal combos, but nothing really specific. Now there are a few choices and the balance of casual and performance is being blurred. fi’zi:k’s M3B Uomo isn’t touted or pushed as a gravel specific shoe, so when I wanted something a bit less bulky than the trail shoes I was riding, I settled on it as it looked like the best mix of features to get the job done.

Riding Photos: Digby Shaw

With its carbon sole, lightweight upper and BOA tensioning system, it certainly errs on the side of performance, especially in the appearance stakes. The upper is made from perforated Microtex and an anti-scratch material which feel like they will last forever. The bonding and stitching adds to the bombproof feel, and the perforations are laser-cut not punched which helps to prevent any tearing or damage emanating from those areas.

It’s always a risk with new shoes that they just aren’t going to work for your feet, and after owning a couple of pairs of fi’zi:k’s R3 road shoes I was confident I wouldn’t have any trouble with these. However, a 120km ride over Roubaix cobbles was always going to be a baptism of fire for both the shoes and my feet. As fi’zi:k offers half sizes across their range, I wasn’t sure whether to size up from my 43.5 road shoes or go to 44 as with other brands; thinking that maybe I’d be wearing thicker socks with the M3s on occasion, I went with 44. It wasn’t a bad decision, and the initial fit did feel a little long but I’ve since gotten used to them and they fit as well as my other branded 44s.

On that first ride my feet stayed in the shoe and any worries about sizing were gone. I soon learned that the large tongue should be positioned slightly further to the outside of the shoe to cover where the BOA dial is joined to the outer. Not having worn BOA shoes before, it irritated me slightly at first but that trick soon eliminated any discomfort or thoughts of it from my head. As with most shoes I slammed the cleats right back, but the longer slots soon saw me adjusting the cleat a little further forward to achieve my optimal placement.

The first month of riding in the M3s was done in a variety of European spring conditions, from freezing cold to high 20s temps. The enclosed uppers were great for keeping the feet warm and dry on the cold days, and toward the end of my trip when shorts and sleeves were all that was needed they still seemed to breath well and not overheat my feet. An added caveat here, fi’zi:k’s winter socks which they sent with the shoes are fantastic, they are thin like a regular sock but have kept the digits toasty through both Euro and NZ coldness. I suffer from cold feet at the best of times, and these socks have become a favourite, even off the bike.

The uppers are a synthetic Microtex material with minimal venting, just enough to keep the feet cool while not letting in too much water when it gets sloppy. The uppers are bonded to the outsole and don’t hint at letting go any time soon, they feel tough yet forgiving enough to stay comfy.

The carbon sole has taken a pretty good beating and offers a lot of stiffness in the pedal stroke, without feeling like an ultra-stiff road shoe. There’s heaps of fore/aft adjustment for cleat positioning, so slamming them all the way back resulted in too far back for me. The outer sole lugs gave plenty of grip on the steep, sloppy hills that were prevalent in an Ultra CX/gravel race I did in Belgium, and the ability to add toe studs would make these a good choice for ‘cross racing.

Normally I replace all my shoes’ inner soles with my preferred ones, mainly out of habit and superstition, in fear that I’m going to get sore knees if I don’t. After forgetting to do this when I first got the M3s, the standard inner sole has not let me down, it offers similar arch support and enough padding underfoot to prevent any hot spots or pain even when walking in them for longer than I should. I haven’t even considered swapping them out.

There’s plenty of support in the heel cup, with extra padding and these dimples which presumably aid with gripping the heel and sock.

The toe box area is reinforced with fused rubber which gives the toes a well-protected feel, even when kicking stumps and rocks away while scrambling around for photo vantage points.

While I was hoping to get something with laces for a more casual gravel-riding look, fi’zi:k still favour the ease-of-use and adjustability of BOA systems, and I can’t complain about those features. They look just casual enough for wandering into a pub, while offering race-level performance mixed with good comfort for long periods spent pedalling/walking. They are definitely a high-end shoe with a high-end price tag, so a long life should be expected. So far I can’t fault their performance and time will tell about their toughness, but I think these will be in service for a long time yet.