DMT Pogi's shoes review: perfect for Pogačar but a few flaws for mere mortals

SQUIRREL_13216721

The DMT Pogi's shoes are top-spec race shoes used by the best all-round road racer in the world, Tadej Pogačar.

They’re as stiff as they come, but are also very comfortable (assuming, of course, the last is suitable for you), thanks mainly to the knitted, wraparound-style upper.

That said, the design has inherent downsides, and they're worth considering critically before you plump for the Pogi’s on the power of their plus points only.

The Pogi's shoes are priced at £370 / £480 / €409.

DMT Pogi's shoes details and specifications

The DMT Pogi's shoes, naturally, feature a full carbon sole. Refreshingly, DMT doesn’t claim an arbitrary stiffness index for the sole (perhaps it’s obvious that it's race-stiff). It features four significantly sized, meshed cut-outs for added ventilation.

The main source of ventilation should come from the shoe’s knitted upper, though, which is also designed to wrap snugly around the foot for a sock-like fit. The upper’s lower section and the heel are covered by a weather-resistant layer – to protect the foot from errant debris strikes and splashing, and lend structural support.

The knitted design is intricate, with retaining laces visible through the side of the foot.

The lacing system uses a pulleyed clasp – you pull the laces as tight as you need through the clasp (these pull through on little rollers), clip it down to fasten, then tuck away the spare lace and clasp under the tongue’s integrated pouch.

This system looks smart but – like all laces – it’s not adjustable while riding. The enclosed design of the upper doesn’t ‘open up’ in the traditional sense, as you’ll find with a more regular shoe design, meaning it’s necessary to use the supplied shoe horn to get your feet into them.

The inside of the heel sports a grippy tab to help with foot retention, and the insoles have a low-to-moderate level of arch support. DMT doesn’t supply additional or customisable footbeds – so if you need extra arch support, you might need to account for this.

To help with replacement Look Keo cleat positioning, the Pogi's shoes feature the Memory Adjustment bolt – if you use another road pedal system (such as Shimano SPD-SL or Wahoo Speedplay), or simply don’t make use of it, you’ll need to put up with a fair amount of rattling from the unscrewed boss because it can’t be removed.

It’s worth noting Pogačar was using Look cleats during the development of the Pogi’s, before switching to Shimano pedals.

The last is relatively long and narrow (I fit a size EU46 / UK11, despite usually fitting a EU46.5 / UK11.5 or EU47 / UK12 in some brands), albeit the flexible upper offers greater toe-splay leeway than you might usually get from a more typical design.

On the inside of the left shoe is an NFC Ice-Key chip, which can store emergency information in case you have an accident. It’s a nice feature, but worth remembering that not everyone may look for or notice it in the adrenaline-filled situation of dealing with an emergency.

Spare orange and white laces are provided in the box (along with a shoe bag), although I quite like the odd-lace aesthetic the shoes are supplied with out of the box.

The shoes are available in black or white, with yellow and pink versions to commemorate Pogačar’s Grand Tour wins to date.

If he wins the Vuelta a España, the odds are short that we’ll see a red version, although I’m glad DMT has resisted the temptation to sell a version with the world champion’s stripes on the sole – some things should remain sacred.

They’re sold in sizes EU37 (UK4) to EU48 (UK13), with half sizes available from EU37.5 (UK4.5) to EU45.5 (UK10.5).

In my EU46 / UK11 test size, the shoes tipped the scales at 508g – certainly lightweight for the size. Trek’s RSL Road shoes (£350 / $449.99 / €399.90) weighed 558g in my size, for comparison.

DMT Pogi's shoes performance

Where many pro-level shoes can feel a little uncomfortable because they're designed to offer a locked-in fit, the Pogi’s shoes feel a little different.

While it remains important to choose a shoe with a suitably shaped last and overall fit, here the flexible upper and well-distributed lacing design leads to a wraparound sensation free of hotspots.

That is, assuming the clasp has been tucked away with a little care – just shoving it under the tongue’s storage sheath can result in a little localised pressure on the top of the foot.

Importantly, the design serves to pull the sides of the shoe inwards a little. This isn't a substitute for arch-supporting footbeds, but lends a higher sensation of support than I’ve had with the RSL Road shoes, for example.

I had wondered whether the weaved design might feel a little loose on the foot when putting in sprinting efforts (for which the up-sweep of the pedal stroke plays a greater role), but while it's a little different from the norm, I still felt securely fitted.

Ventilation is excellent on warmer days, especially through the weaved toe box upper, while it should come as little surprise the sole is very stiff, but without feeling overly harsh.

The shoe horn is essential to getting the shoes on. It’s nigh-on impossible to mash your feet fit in due to the relatively small entry hole, while doing so would inevitably damage the heel’s collar.

This was quite firm when new and caused me some rubbing, but it subsided after a few rides to break them in. The grips do a good job of retaining the heels, and it’s worth noting mine are relatively narrow.

Perhaps inevitably, the knitted white uppers have begun to look less pristine as they attract dust and dirt. They’re tricky to keep clean because dirt and grit tends to soak into the knitted fibres, and can’t be easily wiped off as on most PU-leather cycling shoes.

I’ve found myself swerving away from anything that looks vaguely as if it might kick up mud in testing, while if I’d spent my own money on them, I’d probably grimace if showers were in the forecast.

Aesthetically more disappointing, though, is the sole’s white cover. This has cracked on the edge, revealing the naked carbon sole underneath (the other colours all feature an uncovered sole).

While this looks cool when new, I’d have preferred a standard naked sole here – after all, Pogačar can simply replace his shoes for free when they look too scruffy, but we can’t.

DMT Pogi's shoes bottom line

The DMT Pogi’s shoes are very good high-performance racing shoes. Stiff, light, airy, supportive and surprisingly comfortable once worn in a little, they also look pretty great.

That said, the lacing design isn’t adjustable on the move, the Look cleat-positioning mechanism rattles if not used, and – in this case – the white colourway is hard to keep clean. The white sole cover is easily damaged, too.

In short, the DMT Pogi’s shoes likely deliver all the performance and cool, clean looks Tadej Pogačar needs as one of cycling’s highest-profile riders. But for you and me, they’re not quite perfect, which is a shame considering the asking price.

SQUIRREL_13216721