They’re nothing to do with Clarkson and gang but these top shoes from Italian cycling cobblers DMT are all about power, grip and acceleration.
The silver and gloss black micro-fibre uppers certainly aren’t understated but neither is the stiffness of the carbon fibre reinforced sole underneath. Step on the pedals hard and your whole foot is doing the driving – not writhing around over the cleat as the shoe bends.
That gives you a proper punch off start lines and crucial maximum power confidence on climbs or out of corners. The tread sections can be unscrewed and replaced if they wear down, which is a handy touch on such an expensive shoe.
Up top the combination of twin Velcro straps and a ratchet cam cranks the padded tongue down hard and fixes your foot firmly into the stiff externally reinforced heel cup. There’s enough breadth in the toe for fat, flat Saxon feet not to feel too squashed.
Rather than an internally moulded sole, DMT rely on an insole with a big centre bulge to spread instep pressure. It certainly feels weird at first, but they can be custom moulded by warming them up in an oven.
The amount of silver mesh means they’re rarely going to feel cosy in cooler climes, so look elsewhere if you want weatherproofing.
This article was originally published in Mountain Biking UK magazine, available on Apple Newsstand and Zinio.
