DMT Pogi’s Road Cycling Shoes

The DMT Pogi’s are a special edition of the DMT KR-SLs, and the shoes of choice for the 2024 World Champ, Tadej Pogačar. They forgo Boa dials in favour of a lace-up design and are seriously lightweight. During the review period they’ve been comfortable, breathable and more than stiff enough, but this all comes at a serious financial outlay, plus the knitted upper isn’t the easiest to keep clean and they won’t suit everyone as they’re quite narrow.

> Buy now: DMT Pogi’s White Shoes for £315 from Sigma Sports

Lace-up shoes are fairly limited in supply these days, with many brands opting to fit Boa dials or similar to their top-end offerings. DMT doesn’t specify why it’s opted for laces, but I’d suggest that it’s for two reasons: aesthetics and weight.

Our size 43 test pair weighed in on the road.cc Scales of Truth at 473g, which is lighter than their already pretty lightweight competitors. For example, the Quoc M3 Airs that I reviewed recently weighed 480g and the popular S-Works Torch shoes 502g (size 41.5).

That doesn’t mean to say that lighter shoes don’t exist – for example, Bont’s latest Vaypor SLs that we recently reviewed were 442g in a size 42.

Stiff soles for sprinting

In use, the DMTs don’t feel like a light shoe. The sole, despite its sizeable cutouts, feels just as stiff as other top-end shoes I’ve used. Clearly Pogi can do far more powerful sprints than me but I couldn’t notice any discernible flex as I did my best to imitate his Tour de France stage victories (in a town sign sprint in a Cotswold village).

During sprints and out-of-the-saddle efforts the shoes feel secure. You can tighten them around a large portion of your foot and the grippers in the heel keep your ankle planted during the upstroke of the pedal stroke.

I was worried that my feet would feel vulnerable wearing something so light, especially during races – something that was made worse by the fact that you can see your socks through the toe section of the wafer-thin material. On rides, though, this worry soon disappeared; despite being breathable the shoes didn’t leave me feeling too exposed.

Laces vs dials

If you’re buying a pair of lace-up shoes then it’s safe to assume that you know what you’re getting yourself in for. Laces simply aren’t as quick or easy as Boa dials, and apologies for pointing out the obvious but there’s no way of altering the tightness of the shoes on the fly. As far as laces go, they’re also not the easiest… first you use a clip to hold the laces tight, and then you do the usual bow which can then be tucked into the tongue. I say tongue – the shoes are one stitched piece of material.

This clip and lace contraption does an excellent job of keeping the shoes secure and removes any chance of them coming loose during use. You should, however, plan in a few extra minutes before every ride for this process.

In the box you get a spare set of laces – they come with one white and one orange lace fitted, with another of each in the box. You also get a tidy shoe bag and a shoe horn, which isn’t a bad idea as the one-piece design does mean you have to stretch them over your foot more like a semi-rigid sock than a shoe.

Breathability & venting

Breathability is an important part of cycle shoe design and something that seems to be high up the list of priorities of the pros. In the UK it’s not always necessary to have a mega-ventilated shoe but it is something I notice when riding abroad. So that’s where I took the DMTs… My conclusion is that they’re as ventilated as the class-leadingly-breathable Quoc M3 Airs.

However, unlike with the Quocs, the DMTs don’t come with any interchangeable arch supports, which led me to use my custom insoles for my high arches. Unfortunately, they blocked quite a few of the holes in the sole, so that’s worth noting if you are a custom insole user.

I was also worried that, being Italian, the DMTs would be too narrow for my feet; I don’t have wide feet, but seemingly they’re not as narrow as an Italian designer’s ideology. The DMTs certainly aren’t wide but neither are they as narrow as some, with a similar fit to the Quoc M3 Airs; narrower than the latest S-Works Ares 2 shoes but wider than the Van Rysel RCRs.

As for cleat positioning, you get 8mm front-rear cleat adjustability plus whatever your cleats allow.

Looking good

Looks are of course subjective, but it’s hard to dispute that this is a very pretty pair of shoes, possibly even the best looking shoes on the market right now. I can’t say I’ve ever been that fussed about what my cycling shoes look like, but after testing these for a few months I’ve never had so many strangers ask what shoes I’m wearing.

That is, if you look after them, which is easier said than done. The upper of the shoe is a kind of knitted affair that isn’t in the least bit wipeable. I’ve mainly used them in warm, dry conditions but even so the few damp rides and dust have discoloured the material. I have tried a toothbrush and various agents to keep them looking fresh, and to be fair they are still pretty white… it’s not a shoe that will stay looking good through a UK winter though.

The Pogi’s have one more secret hiding within them, an Ice Key ‘Life Saver’ Tag inside the left shoe. This is basically an NFC chip that someone can scan in the event of a crash, which contains important scannable medical and contact data for first responders to the scene. It’s a neat idea and I wish more cycling equipment included this, although I’m not sure how many first responders are checking the heel counters of shoes… maybe I’m wrong though.

Value & conclusion

As for the price, yes, they’re silly money, even if you do get a high-quality pair of shoes – you can get some absolutely brilliant shoes for less than half that. The Van Rysel RCR road shoes spring to mind, at £179.99.

They are, however, only a tenner more than Bont’s Vaypor SLs, which would be my suggestion if were happy to spend this much on the best of the best but your feet are too wide for the Pogi’s.

For more options, check out our guide to the best road cycling shoes.

These aren’t winning any prizes for value for money then, but if you want a seriously good-looking pair of shoes with the performance and ventilation to match, you won’t be disappointed – unless you have wide feet.

> Buy now: DMT Pogi’s White Shoes for £315 from Sigma Sports

Verdict

Premium cycling shoes fit for a champ (and you and me at a cost!)

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