Thanks for tuning in
this is The Sweet Cyclist, today we're going
to be reviewing the DZR
S24O cycling shoes. Here we have one
of DZR's latest collections for the
Spring 2020 season.
This is the S24O shoes, they were
previously released as a limited edition
but has been reintroduced
for spring 2020. What's really cool
about DZR is that it's a San Francisco-based
company
and they make a lot of usable and
functional cycling shoes.
Instead of making the typical
cycling shoes they make them
really
attractive. Everything from sneakers or more urban chic
styles
combined with the functionality you need
to ride pedals
and they even have SPD compatible shoes.
It's a really cool company and it's nice
to see
commuting or backpacking specific shoes
on the market.
Starting out with the box i think
they've done a really nice job with the
design here. Even though it's a standard
cardboard recyclable box
you see the logo on here and its really
nicely printed. The gold and black are
nice contrast to each other for the
recyclable box. We'll go ahead and open
this and you can really see they have a
great design sense
because even as you open it up the
inside liner instead of just using a
basic plastic or paper you can see it's
actually DZR printed all over it.
They're really cool and along the inside
of the cardboard box
liner too as well as a little DZR for
life on and off your bike so
a lot of attention to detail here.
Specs wise these shoes are $149.99
they come in sizes that range from 41 to
47
and you can also get these in two
different color options.
The color we have here which is the
mustard color which looks really good
or the navy color. Now these are a
real leather exterior with a natural gum
traction link design on the bottom
and what's really cool about this model
specifically it is compatible with SPD
pedals. SPD pedals are a mountain
biking style
two bolt pedal and they use a recessed
cleat so you can see
you can actually remove the center
section and put your cleats in or just
ride it as a flat pedal.
If you've ever done commuting you
know that riding pedals can be really
uncomfortable especially with really
soft shoes as you can feel the pedals
but with this they've actually added
some nylon reinforcement
along the midsole to make sure you have
good power transfer
but still have enough flexibility so they
can still walk. Now let's take a look at
the weight of the shoes if i take the
left shoe
that comes in at 538 and if I take the
right shoe
that comes in a little bit lighter at
524 so definitely on the heavier side.
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Now let's take a look at the fit and
finish of the DZR S24O
shoes if you're wondering what the name
of the shoes means it's actually an
acronym
for sub 24 overnighter. These are
actually designed for bike packing
and what's really cool about these shoes
is that they look really sleek especially in the
mustard finish. It's definitely a shoe
you can wear in the office and no one
will know
that you're wearing a cycling specific
shoe. It's really nice to have the
functionality of cycling without giving
up style
especially finished in this mustard
design it really looks
good in urban settings. Now what
separates a
standard shoe from a really good shoe
it's all about the details and with this
DZR has packed a lot of nice details.
Let's start from the back you see
this really nice reflective element here
it's actually shaped like a chain link
it's a nice subtle nod to cycling
and makes it a little bit safer when
you're pedaling so as you're moving
around people will see from the back.
On the outsides of the shoes you'll find
a metal tag with DZR on there it's a
really nice subtle
logo on there as well as the DZR logo on
the tongue.
The lace itself feels really nice and has a
contrasting color with this brown
and yellow.
You'll notice underneath the lace
there's a little elastic band as well.
This is designed
for any excess
lace so you can simply slide it
underneath and hold it securely.
If you ever had a lace get stuck in your
chain you can know it's either terrifying
or it can actually really
discolor your laces so this is a cool
feature to make sure you don't get stuck
or
get grease on your lace.
The inside is pretty standard
and these shoes aren't perfect you can
see a little imperfections on each of
them.
There is extra thread on some of the laces and
some of the under material exposed but
overall really sleek design.
This is a euro
44 as you can see
has a nice flannel finish so really cool
and matches the character of the
shoes. They feel quite soft and you
can see
the whole upper is really soft with this
leather material.
Despite the stiffened sole here for
cycling
you can see the back of it is still
flexible so you can still walk on it
unlike normal cycling shoes which are
rock hard.
This has a variable stiffness to
make sure uh your midsole is really
secure
while the back is still flexible.
On the sole itself you have another
nice cool design element
you have DZR printed on here as well as
chain links, this is a natural gum
sole that provides really good traction
and this nice little
subtle detail will really sets them
apart so really nice to see these little
details on the shoe.
Also this is the removable portion so
with two screws, you can take this out
and then install a two bolt SPD style
cleat. What's cool about that is now
you can
get the performance that you get with
clipless shoes
and still be able to walk with them as
it's recessed inward. It is a
mountain biking style cleat
that's really great for commuting.
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First step with the DZR is we have to
remove the little cover on here
so get a little allen key pop this off.
With that off this is what you would
typically see you see a
two bolt design so it has some
adjustability here as far as placement.
You can move this back and forth.
The actual cleats that come with the
Bontrager Commuter
pedals are SPD compatible but pretty
similar to SPD.
You can see they're not left or right
specific
so the idea here is we simply place the
little
indentation forward with the arrow
pointing forward and position it however
you want to place it. You usually
get this
about mid foot for optimal power
transfer.
So place about there take our little
washer cover thing put it on there
and put a dab of grief on our
mounting hardware just to prevent
corrosion.
You don't want to over tighten these
beyond the torque limit
but what you can see is even with
them installed it actually sits flush so
you can still walk which is a really
cool feature.
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Now that we have the shoes set up let's
go ahead and take them out on the road.
Despite how awkward I look here walking
on camera they actually walk pretty well
it has a variable stiffness design so
the backs actually do flex
and you don't really feel the bottom of
the sole. They're not as comfortable as
say a running shoe which is all knitted
but it's quite close especially with the
leather top it's quite soft.
Now on the bike i really like the fact
that you get the SPD compatibility and
the ability to use a platform shoe in
comfort. What i have here is the
Bontrager Commuter pedals and here I'm
actually using SPD cleats right now.
The only issue i have with the SPD
cleats is you can see here as i'm
disengaging
I felt like I had to kind of wiggle them
to take them off. I think these soles
get stuck because of the
recessed design.
Otherwise on the platform side they feel
really comfortable.
It's thick enough that you don't feel
the pedals underneath your feet as you
would with a really thin sole chew
so it's a good balance between the two.
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Now let's give the S24O shoes a final
rating.
We're going to grade it on four
different categories: design,
comfort, closures and value. In terms of
design I would give an A-.
I really like the dual functionality and
the casual look.
This is a shoe you can easily commute
with to work, wear it in the office and
then come home and nobody would know any
better.
Closures-wise i'd give it an A it has a
simple lacing pattern
and with a little elastic catch on the
tongue you can easily put any additional
lace
under there to prevent it from getting
stuck in your chain.
In terms of comfort I was actually
surprised that's why i give it an A.
They're easily walkable with the
variable stifness sole
and comfortable both on and off the bike.
Overall in value I'd give it an A.
This is a really nice commuter shoe
with the casual styling that means you
can easily wear it around town as well
as off road.
You get a lot of use out of these shoes.
Thanks for watching review
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