DMT KR30 road cycling shoes review

DMT’s KR30 road cycling shoes are pitched as a versatile option for fast road riding that undercuts flagship models on price.

Using the brand’s signature knitted uppers and a stiff carbon fibre sole, the KR30s retain many of the key features of DMT’s higher-end models, such as the KR0 and KRSL.

There’s plenty to like, but the relatively narrow shape is likely to cause some people fit issues. More problematically, the simplified retention system isn’t as good as those found on shoes in a similar price bracket to the KR30, which has an RRP of £240 / $340 / €239.

DMT KR30 specification and details

DMT's KR30 shoes represent an update to the KR3, which we tested in 2021.

All things considered, it’s mostly a cosmetic update, with the fundamental features appearing unchanged. That’s no bad thing in theory, though, because we rated the KR3s highly.

The fully knitted uppers remain, for example, paired to a full-carbon sole.

DMT says the uppers – which use areas of variable weave and thickness to optimise different areas of the shoe – are designed to conform “perfectly” to the shape of your feet.

The lack of seams is also intended to reduce the occurrence of hot spots or pressure points.

Although this design elicits a sock-like fit, a single rotary dial and lace system is tasked with adjusting the tightness and keeping your foot locked in place.

It’s here the KR30 shoes see a tangible change versus the outgoing KR3s – the Boa L6 dial represents a small downgrade from the higher-end Boa IP1 (a forerunner to the latest Li2 dial) found on the previous shoe.

Though they look similar, the L6 dial lacks the multi-directional functionality of the premium IP1 or Li2 dials.

This means you only get micro-adjustments for tightening the lace and not for releasing tension.

This isn’t uncommon on many mid-range road cycling shoes. Scott’s Road Vertec Vent shoes (£229.99 / $229.99 / €229.95) and Shimano’s RC7 shoes (£189.99 / €199.99 / $240) also use Boa L6 dials, for example.

Nevertheless, there are plenty of similarly-priced competitors using Boa’s multidirectional Li2 dials too.

Specialized’s Torch 3.0 shoes (£210 / $250 / €250), Trek’s Velocis shoes (£229.99 / $249.99 / €249.99) and Van Rysel’s RCR shoes (£169.99 / $162.94 / €169.99) all get them, for example (technically, the Van Rysel RCRs get habu Li2 dials, but these are functionally identical to Boa Li2 dials).

DMT describes the carbon sole as its Air Tech carbon sole. The brand doesn’t use an arbitrary stiffness scale for describing the stiffness, simply promising the KR30 is a “versatile race-ready shoe”.

As with Specialized, this is refreshing, given such scales are unitless and aren’t comparable from one brand to the next.

The sole gets two ventilation holes at the front, adjustable cleat bolt holes and a replaceable heel bumper, although there’s nothing protecting the toe area.

On the scales, my test pair of size EU45.5 shoes weighed 258g per shoe, for a total of 516g.

That’s competitively light, undercutting Specialized’s Torch 3.0 (337g per shoe, size EU45), Van Rysel’s RCR (313g per shoe, size EU45) and Scott’s Road Vertec Vent shoes (324g per shoe, size EU45).

Shimano’s RC7s come in a little lighter at 290g per shoe (size EU45), while Trek’s Velocis shoes are a notable outlier in this price range, at a feathery 244g per shoe (size EU45).

In terms of colours, there are three available choices – black, white and sand.

DMT KR30 performance

On the bike, DMT’s KR30 shoes were something of a mixed bag.

They feel very well made in the hand and, while the modern styling isn’t to my personal tastes, there’s no denying the quality of the construction.

The soles are plenty stiff enough for a racing shoe, with no flex discernable, and the knitted uppers mean there’s no need for a breaking-in period – the uppers are soft and flexible straight out of the box.

Likewise, the adjustable cleat bolt holes meant I was able to find my preferred, rearward cleat position without trouble.

Unfortunately, though, the relatively long and narrow shape of the KR30s didn’t work for me.

The midfoot area had a tight, glove-like fit, but the overall length (29.35cm) was too long for my feet.

The highly flexible uppers felt like both a blessing and a curse, because while they don’t cause any hotspots, they also don’t offer much support. As a result, I felt the outer edge of my right foot was spilling over the outside edge of the carbon sole while pedalling.

In comparison, Specialized’s Torch 3.0 shoes have relatively stiff uppers, which take a little breaking in but offer more support, alongside having a wider last.

It’s reasonable to ask whether I had the wrong size or if my feet simply aren’t the right shape for DMT’s last (the model foot around which a shoe is constructed).

DMT’s size guide suggests the size with the correct length (an EU44.5) would, at 9.91cm wide, have been too narrow, though, considering my feet measure 10.4 and 10.3cm wide, left to right.

Likewise, my feet are relatively low-volume for their length, so to have a shoe that’s too long be so snug in the midfoot area is unusual.

Nevertheless, as with saddles, shoe fit is a highly personal thing. If DMT’s last shape works for your feet it’s entirely possible you won’t experience the same issues I did – Warren Rossiter said the fit of the previous KR3 shoes was “nigh-on flawless”, after all.

As always, it would be wise to study DMT’s size guide carefully and try a pair on before making a purchase, if you can.

Beyond fit, I also found the single Boa dial system concentrated the lace tension primarily across the upper section of my midfoot, leading to some forefoot lift when sprinting or climbing out of the saddle.

In practice, the tension was either just right across the top of my midfoot and too loose at my forefoot, or too tight on top and just right at the bottom.

It’s possible the extra length of my test shoes exacerbated the effects of this somewhat.

However, it’s worth noting many key competitor shoes (including those mentioned previously) employ twin-dial systems, offering you the ability to optimise tension across different areas of the shoe independently.

For £130 / $180 / €160, Quoc’s Escape Road Lace shoes offer the ability to tailor the lace tension across pairs of eyelets – at the cost of not being able to perform on-the-fly adjustments, of course.

I also found the KR30’s ventilation was good but not spectacular.

While the fully knitted uppers suggest they’re a highly ventilated shoe, the uppers are almost fully lined with a suede-type material on the inside.

Unlike on Scott’s Road Vertec Vent shoes – which use sections of mesh on the uppers to enable near unrestricted airflow – I couldn’t feel the airflow on my feet quite so tangibly.

My feet never felt uncomfortably hot while wearing the KR30s, though.

DMT KR30 bottom line

DMT’s KR30 shoes offer stiff soles and soft uppers, in a package that feels high-quality and well constructed. Unfortunately, the long and narrow shape didn’t suit my feet, which aren’t especially wide.

Fit aside, the lone Boa L6 retention system lacks the finesse offered by rivals that either match or undercut the KR30s on price.

If the fit works for your feet and you appreciate the modern style, DMT’s KR30 shoes are a good set of shoes for fast road riding.

However, unless they offer you a perfect fit, there are better options for this kind of money.