DMT KR SL road shoe review - five grams lighter than the BOA equipped version

Founded in 1978 in Italy, DMT started making cycling shoes in small quantities, but as the years have progressed, they have now been seen on the feet of cycling superstars and serial winners Elia Viviani and Tadej Pogacar. 

DMT KR SL: construction

Starting from the bottom, the DMT KR SL shoes are built upon a carbon fiber sole with four large openings covered in mesh to aid ventilation, while still providing plenty of stiffness. There is a rubber bumper at the front and a replaceable heel protector for walking around cafes. 

There are three bolt holes for cleats with 8mm of fore and aft adjustment. There is also a central bolt hole which is used as a memory bolt for Look Keo users. This bolt stays in place when changing cleats, meaning that the new pair will instantly be set up in exactly the same position as the last ones. 

Moving upwards from that, the DMT KR SLs feature a 3D knit upper - this varies across the structure to optimize stiffness, comfort and ventilation. Around the side and heel of the shoe is a more rigid knit structure that is easier to clean and helps provide support around the shoe and gives a secure heel lock.

Above this section, a more perforated knit fabric is used, offering higher levels of compliance and allows for great ventilation - as well as a very secure fit. There is no tongue to the shoe, instead it fits like a sock which I found was quite secure. This is in part helped by a grippy heel insert to ensure the foot does not slip when pulling up on the pedals during harder efforts. 

Integrated cord eyelets - made from a non-stretch fabric - have been used for running the laces through. There are ten contact points in total for the laces, meaning you can tighten the laces more evenly across the foot. The laces themselves are non-stretch and there is a neat little elasticated pouch at the top of the laces to store them after you have tightened the shoe up.

DMT KR SL: the ride

Firstly, the DMT KR SL shoes are very nice and easy to get on, even with the lack of a tongue. Simply holding open the front and back of the opening meant that my feet could slide in nicely. There is a sticky plastic gripper at the back to ensure your heel doesn’t rise out of the shoe, and so far this has worked excellently.

The knitted upper provides such a secure fit itself that for casual riding without hard efforts - you almost don’t even need to tighten the laces to keep your feet comfortably in place.

There is also a neat feature for Look Keo users. There is a central screw for fitting a memory bolt which stays in place when you remove your cleats so you can get the position exactly the same on a new pair. For other cleat users, when not in use, it does unfortunately rattle a bit when walking or spinning at higher cadences. Not a huge issue, but an annoying niggle for non-Keo users.

I started with some easy spins and I found the shoes to be very comfortable. Normally I prefer a wide shoe for comfort and was advised that the DMT shoes would come up a little narrow. However in practice, the material of the shoes allows for a lot of wiggle room in the shoe - but without feeling too loose. As a result of the secure fit of the knitted outer and sock-like entry, the shoes can be worn comfortably without having to tighten the laces at all. For harder efforts, your feet do move in the shoe a bit, but for easy rides it was incredibly comfortable. 

The knitted material of the DMT KR SLs is also highly breathable and great for warmer weather. I would say they even feel as airy as the heavily ventilated Specialized S-Works Vent shoes. However, being a knit upper - in mostly white - does mean they have the potential to get very dirty very quickly. There is a reinforced outer along the outside of the shoe though which covers the toe box too. I found that the reinforced points of the shoes are easily wipeable when I accidently got some oil on them. This will come as a welcome relief for anyone who gets tire rub on the front of their shoes too. 

I found it was a little tricky to dissipate the pressure across the foot, as the cords were not as secure at holding the lace tension as regular eyelets. This meant the shoes ended up being very tight at the top of the lace closure - so much so that after an hour there was a notable imprint on the top of my foot. This may also be down to the lace storage pouch. The pouch is at the top of the shoe and allows the laces to be stowed away entirely. It’s a neat solution and much better aesthetically than a band halfway down the shoe. However, it did lead to a bit of a hot spot at the top of my foot when the shoes were really locked down.

In terms of performance, there was no give in the shoes at all. The DMT KR SLs are stiff, and potentially a little unforgiving. The arch support inside also helps with power transfer if you have a bit of a higher arch like me, but there felt to be a slight lateral arch support which didn’t quite work for my feet. The laces don’t stretch at all over time either so the fit that you settle on when you tighten them before your ride will remain consistent. 

The anti-slip heel also works to perfection. When putting in a few harder efforts the DMT KR SLs locked my feet in place. But I do wonder why go for these over the BOA Li2 dial-equipped DMT KR0. The weight penalty for two BOA dials is only five grams, and you get the benefit of adjustable on-the-fly fit, with potentially better pressure dissipation. I like lace up shoes a lot, mainly for training and time trials where you either leave the fit a little slack or tighten them to the max with no adjustments. But for a higher performance shoe, I think I’d prefer the DMT KR0 with BOAs. 

DMT KR SL: value and conclusion

When it comes to value, the DMT KR SLs ($519.99 / £369.99) are the same price as the BOA-equipped DMT KR0. But the KR SLs are more expensive in the US - albeit cheaper in the UK - than much of the BOA equipped competition. For example, the Specialized S-Works Torch comes in at ($450 / £385) and Shimano’s S-Phyre RC903 is $449.95 / £349.00. Then, when we compare the DMT KR SL to other high end lace-up offerings they are more expensive in both the US and UK. The new Specialized S-Works Torch Lace are $350 / £300 and the Café du Cycliste Road shoes are $377 / £290.

That makes the DMT KR SL shoes some of the most expensive lace up shoes, bar the Nimbl Air Ultimate. I think for the benefits of the BOA dials, I would be tempted to go for the KR0s. Or if I was dead-set on laces, the Specialized S-works 7 Lace shoes offer a more comfortable fit (for me personally) and also fractionally lighter, while the new S-Works Torch Lace are lighter again.

The DMT KR SL shoes are a great balance between comfort and performance, but you may have to choose which you want on each ride. Left loosely laced, they are supremely comfortable but your foot can slip during efforts. When really tightened up, they offer no slip and supreme power transfer, however may lead to hotspots depending on foot shape and width. Value wise they are the upper end of high performance lace up shoes, and with the adjustability of BOA dials, there seems to be little reason to go for the KR SLs over the BOA Li2 equipped DMT KR0. If you have a lower volume foot, these shoes will likely perform superbly for you.