Tadej Pogačar’s secret weapon

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Italian brand DMT pioneered the 3D knitted shoe upper with its renowned DMT KR1 Knit and licensed it to some of the world’s largest sports-shoe manufacturers.

This technology has also been used in shoes that Tadej Pogačar has worn when riding to victory in the Tour de France.

For 2022, however, DMT has taken the woven upper and applied it to an all-new, all-carbon outsole on its KRSL shoes.

The anatomically shaped new sole has four large, meshed vents to aid breathability and bring down the weight, plus a 1cm-deep lip around the sides for stability.

The stretchy, one-piece upper has a close-fitting, sock-like fit with no need for a tongue. The laces are anchored to elasticated ropes that are bonded to the base either side of the upper.

This allows you to tighten the fit more evenly over the forefoot, reducing the chance of discomfort on the top of the foot.

In fact, so snug is the shoe’s fit that the laces seem just a secondary security measure (there’s an elasticated pouch to tuck the ends into for neatness and safety).

There’s also a protective waxy layer that’s bonded to the lower third of the woven material on the upper, and the toe area has a large, diamond-shaped open mesh panel on top for more venting.

On the bike, the KRSLs are stunningly comfortable. Race shoes are usually all about stiffness, and the KRSLs still have all the stiffness you’ll ever need in the sole.

The compliance in the upper is without equal among the best road cycling shoes, while the stiffened heel cup with a gridded silicone lining holds your foot securely in place.

The weight, or lack of it, is impressive, with my test pair tipping the scales at a very scant 497.2g a pair for a size 45 (UK 10), which puts these among the lightest shoes I’ve tested.

Details such as the replaceable heel bumper for walking are also very welcome.

Even on the very hottest of rides and long days in the saddle, my feet didn’t approach getting overheated or sweaty.

These shoes have excellent venting and breathe better than any other lightweight shoes I’ve tried.

This does, however, have a downside. On cooler days, the shoes can feel somewhat chilly and they didn’t keep my feet dry when the rain came.

The DMT KRSL shoes are worth the investment if you do a lot of long cycles in hot, dry places. They’re enormously comfortable, light, breathable and fit beautifully.

However, that investment may be a bit of a risky one if you ride often in changeable weather conditions, because they suffer terribly in the wet.

Warren Rossiter is BikeRadar and Cycling Plus magazine’s senior technical editor for road and gravel. Having been testing bikes for more than 20 years, Warren has an encyclopedic knowledge of road cycling and has been the mastermind behind our Road Bike of the Year test for more than a decade. He’s also a regular presenter on the BikeRadar Podcast and on BikeRadar’s YouTube channel. In his time as a cycling journalist, Warren has written for Mountain Biking UK, What Mountain Bike, Urban Cyclist, Procycling, Cyclingnews, Total Bike, Total Mountain Bike and T3. Over the years, Warren has written about thousands of bikes and tested more than 2,500 – from budget road bikes to five-figure superbikes. He has covered all the major innovations in cycling this century, and reported from launches, trade shows and industry events in Europe, Asia, Australia, North American and Africa. While Warren loves fast road bikes and the latest gravel bikes, he also believes electric bikes are the future of transport. You’ll regularly find him commuting on an ebike and he longs for the day when everyone else follows suit. You will find snaps of Warren’s daily rides on the Instagram account of our sister publication, Cycling Plus (@cyclingplus).

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