Cento

New school cool

I discovered Udog somewhat by accident but am quite happy they wandered through my door. I haven’t had a new pair of road shoes in about 10 years (because how often do you wear them out no matter how much you ride?) but my lace up Rapha’s have always felt a little snug and it was time to try something new. A couple of things stand out with the Cento’s- the boa like closures are brilliant to use and their placement is genius, ensuring secure closure and ridiculously easy release. The shoes are roomy without being big- the lasts provide all the space any wide foot could need but the boa’s get ride of any slop effortlessly, a very big deal for a guy with high arches. Finally, the extra available adjustment from the cleat holes (they slide an extra few mm’s) makes cleat placement nothing short of astonishing. I like my cleats pretty far back on my foot so I decided to max out my capabilities to see what that was like. Initially I hated it, but on the third ride my body adjusted to the new position and now I couldn’t be happier. This review is from three weeks in so can’t speak to the longevity of anything yet but I’m very happy so far. With the exception that I now have to regularly clean my white shoes, but that goes with the new school mentality of all the tour riders. Cheers

Laces are better

I absolutely love my Distanza lace up gravel shoes. They are the most comfortable best fitting shoes I have ever owned. The laces hug my instep and my heel is secure with plenty of room to wiggle my toes. I have very long low volume feet. I don't need a special insole and they fit great. I was expecting the same for my Centos. Somehow, the shoe seems a half size larger even in the same size. The lack of arch support is noticeable and I'm searching for the right insole to give me support while not forcing my foot out of the heel cup. The top dial doesn't seem to do very much to help with fit - it seems like it doesn't hug the instep in the same way as the laces do. The side/ back dial does all the work and I find that I need to ratchet it very tight to keep my foot stable. Based on this experience, I would likely buy lace up road shoes, even for racing and I would skip the new gravel shoes with dials. It's possible that I could find a magic insole that makes the difference, but I was expecting so much more from these shoes.

Scarpa comoda leggera e performante