Alberto Fonte worked in the cycling industry for 17 years for some of the best known Italian brands, including Fizik, Pinarello and Kask, where he was sales and marketing director. Then, in 2021, he created his own cycling shoe brand. How was he going to compete in the same sphere against his former employers, who are long established, revered by almost all cyclists and regularly referred to as ‘iconic’?
Fonte knew he’d inevitably be going back to the start. But instead of crouching under the table waiting for the big dogs to toss him scraps of market share, he decided to embrace his new underdog status and named his brand accordingly. And that was a pretty smart move because everybody loves an underdog: the underdog is different from the reigning champions. The underdog is passionate, determined, fearless, authentic and wants to upset the status quo. They don’t have to watch their back or worry about who’s on their tail. They have nothing to lose. The underdog is what makes sport exciting. If the favourite always won, it would be boring.
The Distanza gravel shoe is the embodiment of that ethos. Udog could have played safe – Fonte could have looked at the most popular current shoes and their features, read all the Trustpilot reviews and, in his former roles, he spent years studying the figures and the market trends and knew the business inside out. Instead, the Distanza is radical, like no other gravel shoe, and it takes risks. And it succeeds.
Construction
Gravel shoes, like gravel bikes, can roughly be divided into two categories – racing and adventure. The Udog Distanzas are designed more for the latter with their rugged outdoor look, which quite logically takes inspiration from rock climbing shoes. They’re not road cycling shoes made sturdier for off-road use – Udog has started by looking at the tough environment in which these shoes will be operating and built them for that.
Most obviously, the Distanzas have a rubber outsole that wraps upwards around the toe box with the aim of enhancing durability and protection when pushing or walking up steep stuff. However, it doesn’t extend over the inside edge of the toe, presumably to avoid a sticky moment with a tyre should toe overlap occur. Instead, at this point, there’s a smooth, hard coating over the soft mesh to protect it from tyre rub.
Udog has gone with what it calls a hybrid lace closure – despite separately developing its own version of the Boa dial for its road shoes called Micro Twist. This is intended to minimise stitching and ensure a secure fit, using Udog’s proprietary flat and pressed laces that it says maintain tension over time. The laces work with the brand’s Tension Wrap System, which comprises straps that run underneath the insole and pull the foot more snugly to the upper. The system may not actually improve power transfer on its own since the straps don’t anchor the foot directly to the sole, but instead, Udog says it’s for optimal fit and support… “with a controlled transfer of power to the pedal, you'll enjoy unparalleled comfort throughout your entire ride.” What the TWS does do is provide a snug fit inside the upper, while the rest of the laces tie the foot down to the sole. It’s unusual, but I found it worked very well. Additionally, there’s a pocket at the top of the tongue to tuck the ends of fastened laces out of the way. The traditional way with lace-ups is for them to be held by an elastic loop in the middle of the tongue. Udog’s is the neater way.
Finally, the outsole is based around a carbon composite core and is pretty stiff. There are chunky rubber lugs that offer plenty of grip in mud and two positions for SPD/two-bolt cleats that are recessed below rubber lug level.
Ride impressions
Obviously, one shoe can’t fit all shapes of foot, but I found the Distanzas could have been made for mine. They’re reasonably narrow at the midfoot, with plenty of room in the toe box and a high-heel cup. At the heel, they’re slightly more forgiving than road equivalents, which often have a hard plastic reinforcement to lock in the rear of the foot. I went for my standard 45 and found they were true to size.
The last gravel shoes I rode before the Udogs were the Fizik Vento Proxys, and they couldn’t be more different. Although I loved the Fiziks, which incidentally are gravel racing shoes, I couldn’t get on with the metatarsal bump on the insole and had to use my own Retül insoles. I was immediately comfortable with the Udogs without having to make any changes. The insole is well shaped and supportive and, again, could have been moulded for me.
The knitted upper adds to the comfort – it’s soft and flexible with a perforated backing that helps it keep its shape and moulds to the foot shape easily when the laces are tensioned. As Udog claims, the laces maintain their tension for long periods of riding, standing and walking. I’ve also been using them as commuter and pub-ride shoes, and they’re ideal for all of those things.
Locating the pedal and clipping in is as straightforward as with any SPD shoe. I used the rearmost clear position of the two options and was happy with the position of the pedal axle relative to my foot. Pedalling felt plush but never vague. The sole is stiff enough without the directness of the full carbon plate of a high-end road shoe, which would not be sensible because you’ve got to walk/run/push in them, too.
Conclusion
The Udog Distanzas I tested here are comparatively well priced at £160. There’s a full-carbon-soled version that saves a claimed 15g per shoe in a size 42 (315g v 330g), is probably slightly stiffer and is priced at £220. But the base model I reviewed has a level of performance for adventure gravel, commuting and anything that involves SPD pedals and walking that's meticulously thought through, with loads of innovative features that actually work, from the rubberised toes to the Tension Wrap System to the tactile loops on the heels. I really like the distinctive aesthetic, which brings a stylish Camper-like look to cycling. And finally, the build quality is top – they have an indisputably high-end feel. I’m cheering for the underdog.
Find out all the details at Udog's website.
