Udog Distanza Shoe Review

A gravel/off-road shoe with added protection and durability

UDOG was born from the love of cycling in Veneto, Italy, a region with a long and impressive cycling culture and an obsession with fashion and style. After sixteen years in the industry working for some of the most iconic brands in cycling, Alberto decided to create a new and unique cycling brand. The Distanza is UDOGs first gravel shoe. UDOG uses the same style and technologies in their road shoes, with some added features to make it better for off road use. Let’s get into our review of the UDOG Distanza Carbon shoe.

The Lab

One of the UDOG Distanza’s key features is the rubber outsole that wraps over the toes. This helps protect the toes from rocks or debris as well as adds increased durability to the shoe. In addition to this, the Distanza uses an innovative, crag inspired outsole that wraps over the toe and heel to add to the durability, protection and overall design.

Along with those features, the Dinstanza shoe also utilized a Tension Wrap System. This is a metatarsal dynamic system that hugs the metatarsal area of your feet from the instep to the bridge for an optimum fit. Tension Wrap System enables a more controlled transfer of power to the pedal. It holds your foot for complete comfort during the entire pedal stroke.

Additionally, the Disntanza uses UDOGs knit technology for seamless comfort. This design creates a unique upper shoe that is lightweight, supportive, breathable and waterproof. Knit is a one-piece seamless upper made of engineered knit material. This super-soft sock-like material adapts to any foot shape and every fit, while different technical knit patterns are used within the single Knit upper for optimal performance and comfort.

The Distanza Carbon Cinder Black that we are reviewing has a full carbon rubber outsole and comes in weighing 315g in size 42.

Our Thoughts

I personally haven’t had a cycling shoe with laces and was excited to review the UDOG Distanza. Without a doubt I was drawn to the Distanza by its unique look with the rubber outsole. The Distanza does stick out from other shoes with its looks.

Unlike other shoes that use velcro or some kind of dial system, the Distanza use traditional laces. The laces give the shoe a nice traditional look that contrast some of the tech look of the shoes. When first putting on the shoes, I loosened the laces and took a few minutes to dial in the tightness from the toes up. Unlike shoes with other closure systems, this took a bit longer. Even so, it was easy to get a comfortable fit.

Following the initial lace up, I was excited to hop on a bike to see how they felt pedaling. After a few miles of pedaling I got a good feel for the shoe and the whole shoe felt comfortable. Besides the normal break in period I had no issues getting used to the shoes. Even so, I knew I had to get a lot more miles in to see how they held up.

Obviously I knew I had to throw an “adventurous” ride in that may require some hike a bike situations. A friend was visiting and thought it would be the perfect longer ride to try out and test these shoes. Wrong turns were made, walking on uneven terrain was had, and many trees were climbed over with a bike. Even so, the Distanza’s held up well and my feet were comfortable the whole time.

Final Word

Through out these rides my feet were comfortable and felt well protected. It’s nice to know that my toes have more protection with the rubber outsole, especially when on an e-gravel bike. Generally on e-gravel bikes the average pace is much faster so the little rocks hitting your toes are felt more. Nevertheless, there were times I did have to retie the laces to get a comfortable fit. Unlike shoes that have fitment systems that you can do when riding, you have to stop to tie the Dinstanza’s. This is not a deal breaker, as once it was a rare occasion, and the elastic lace holder does a good job of keeping the lace knots in place.

If you are looking for a good looking, well designed and functional gravel shoe, the UDOG Distanza is a great contender. I am excited to put more miles in these shoes.