Object of Desire: Fizik Vento Stabilita Carbon shoes

With its unique take on arch support, how do the Fizik Vento Stabilita shoes perform against more conventional shoe design?

Fizik Vento Stabilita Carbon
(Image: © Josh Croxton)

Cyclingnews Verdict

A genuinely brilliant idea and innovative solution to a problem, but the overall shoe design needs work

Pros

  • +

    Immediate comfort

  • +

    Powerfully stiff sole

  • +

    No signs of premature wear after seven months of use

Cons

  • -

    Trade-off between support and tightness

  • -

    Vague heel

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When the Fizik Vento Stabilita Carbon shoes were launched in October of 2020, they immediately raised eyebrows thanks to their innovative take on solving the variable arch support requirements of riders. I've always had a gripe with cycling shoe manufacturers who make no provisions for arch support, so when the email from Fizik's new launch landed in my inbox, I just had to get my hands - feet - on a pair to put the new idea to the test. 

It's widely accepted that incorrectly supported arches can very easily lead to compensation injuries further up the chain of movement, and arch height is an incredibly common differentiation between two riders' feet. Given the price of the best cycling shoes, the amount of time a rider will spend using them, and the continual high-force interaction between the foot and the shoe, it seems incredible that manufacturers would deem a single arch height acceptable for all of their potential customers. 

Josh Croxton
Associate Editor (Tech)

Josh is Associate Editor of Cyclingnews – leading our content on the best bikes, kit and the latest breaking tech stories from the pro peloton. He has been with us since the summer of 2019 and throughout that time he's covered everything from buyer's guides and deals to the latest tech news and reviews. 

On the bike, Josh has been riding and racing for over 15 years. He started out racing cross country in his teens back when 26-inch wheels and triple chainsets were still mainstream, but he found favour in road racing in his early 20s, racing at a local and national level for Somerset-based Team Tor 2000. These days he rides indoors for convenience and fitness, and outdoors for fun on road, gravel, 'cross and cross-country bikes, the latter usually with his two dogs in tow.