Made from a mix of full grain leather and a classic herringbone fabric, the Tosca may look like a pair of hip, classy sneakers but they are actually an urban bike shoe in disguise. Pair these with some Outlier apparel or something from the new Prana Pedal Collection, and you have an entire put together look to seamlessly take you from bike to the bar or office.
Designed in San Francisco, the secret sauce behind DZR urban bike shoes (apart from the fantastic looks) is their Variable Flex Shank. The full length nylon midsole/shank adds extra stiffness in strategic spots to enable power transfer to your pedals when riding, but leave the shoe flexible enough for comfortable walking.
An elastic lace catch on the tongue keeps your laces tucked away so they don't get caught in your chain, while reflective hits help with low light visibility as you ride around town. The recessed sole is deep enough to ensure you don't scratch around on your bike cleats when walking.
The Tosca are super easy to fit with either SPD or Crankbrothers cleats. The rubber recess cover on the sole pops out and internal access is available underneath the footbed. In case you use regular flat pedals on your commuter bike, the natural gum rubber on the sole of the shoe is super sticky and will help give you traction on your pedals as well as on a variety of surfaces.
In addition to urban bike shoes, DZR has been pumping out some pretty sweet dirt bike shoes that remind me of my current favorite mountain bike shoes- the Teva Pivot. As the Pivot are now discontinued, I might be switching to something like the DZR Terra Sea as soon as they wear out.
The DZR Tosca retail for $120 and are available now. For an extra $22-$23, you can add a set of cleats to your order in case you don't have an extra pair lying around the garage.
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