Italia Bici 2004: DMT - Made in Italy, available in the USA
By Cyclingnews staff
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2004 brings some good news for fans of Italian cycling shoes. After years as a cult brand that was difficult to come by in the USA, California's Upland Sports Group will now import and distribute the full line of DMT Road, Triathlon, Mountain Bike, and Spinning shoes in America, as Tim Maloney found out on a visit to the DMT factory in Italy.
Cyclingnews took a recent trip to the DMT factory in Italy, located 20km south of Verona, where we asked Philippe Zechetto, who grew up around his father Federico's DMT shoe factory and today is responsible for DMT's cycling shoes, to tell us about how the Italian company uses the input from their broad array of sponsored riders to make better cycling shoes. "Cycling is very important for us at DMT; we've been making cycling shoes for over 25 years and I really like the sport...I'm a cyclist myself and I'm able to use my own experience in the shoe development process. But the most important part is our experience with professional riders."
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Out of a hundred riders DMT sponsors, Phillipe Zechetto explained that perhaps 20 percent at most of the more than 250 riders they provide shoes for use a custom last, since DMT has put so much time and effort developing the most comfortable, efficient last. "The way it works is that we make custom shoes for some riders, without giving anybody money...we make them happy with their shoes and so we're happy when they use our product", explained Zechetto. Petacchi uses a size 44 production last; the only thing we had to do was to add 3mm. of material underneath when we made his shoes because he uses a very high custom foot bed.
We asked Philippe what are the difference is between cycling shoes that are designed and Made in Italy like DMT's and Far East product. "Oh, I can tell you the difference all right," Zechetto said proudly. "We start with the basic concept to make a shoe that looks good and people will like... but since we've had the long term experience of making custom shoes for many, many top cyclists, we marry this experience with that of the initial shoe design. We have the real world experience with fitting hundreds of shoes to athletes and solving their fit issues. Working with a pro rider is a perfect way to test your shoe design since they ride for seven or eight hours...it's not like a regular rider who just rides on the weekends.
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So with the pros, we can really study the specific shoe fit issues, for example if a (Velcro) strap is position on the shoe in an uncomfortable place, and the riders all have the same fit issue with that position, we know that it's the wrong place. So with this wear test information from pro riders, we can make the correct technical modifications to the shoe designs. Plus we listen to what the riders are telling us about materials and other new ideas and we take all of that into account when we finalize our shoe designs for the market. Like in Formula One; they do all the testing and then the refinements become part of the production cars.
We try and do the same with our cycling shoes and this is something that cycling shoes made in the Far East can never do. They simply don't have the time or inclination to do this kind of work. Many times, we get a call from a sponsored rider the day before a race saying 'oh I need this or that modification' 'I crashed and broke my shoes' and so we do it for them. We get one of our athlete support staff to bring the shoes to the rider and they're good to go. How can they provide this kind of 'just in time' service to the athletes from Asia? To make these custom shoes takes a lot of time and efforts for our company but we do it because it's important.
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Philippe Zechetto learned his business the old fashioned way; once out of school, he started at DMT working on the production line, then apprenticed to the head "modelista" at DMT. Modelista is a deceptive term; although a big company like Nike calls the modelisti "pattern makers", as if all they do is cut out and sew the various shapes that go to make up a shoe upper, that's not quite accurate. In fact, to become a modelista in Italy, most people go to a special trade school for at least a year where the learn the classic elements of shoemaking, then may apply their knowledge to making top quality leather shoes, ski boots, high-fashion women's pumps or state of the art cycling shoes.
With DMT now teaming up with Upland Sports Group for US distribution, this formerly cult brand should now easily gain mainstream acceptance thanks to innovative and functional design, Made In Italy quality and great customer service and support that dealers and consumers expect.
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Gary Vasconi from Upland Sports Group explained to Cyclingnews, "In 2001, DMT introduced the Ultimax Road Shoe (Ultimax RSX), which features an integrated, one-piece heel cup and full carbon sole for increased stability and maximum power transfer. Now, we'll have this shoe widely available in the US, as well as DMT's RS3 Road three strap Velcro road shoe (used by Jan Ullrich) and the Virtus Triathlon Shoe." Virtus addresses the specific functional needs required by triathletes including a single 40mm Velcro closure, non-deforming heel cup, and an average weight reported as 275 grams per shoe.
"Upland Sports Group considers DMT to be a tier one manufacturer in the cycling industry with tremendous market upside in the US. We're very excited at the opportunity to represent a company of this size and stature with such a strong brand name worldwide", said Rob Carbone, VP Marketing of Upland Sports Group.
Visit the Upland Sports Group website
Previous Italia Bici features
2008
Italia Bici 2008
De
Marchi - Innovation and Tradition inspires latest line
Milani
- The passion and desire of Milani continues with Natale's son, Celeste.
Selle
Italia - New location, new models for 2008
Vittoria
Shoes - A true Italian family affair
2007
Italia Bici 2007
Selle
Italia - Selle Italia takes Flite again with new Flite saddle
De
Marchi - Breaking the rules for cycling clothing
DeRosa
- Il Maestro Ugo: Still Motivated To Build Great Bikes
Cytech
- Maximum comfort, maximum performance
2006
Italia Bici 2006
Selle
Italia - Super saddle maker
De Marchi - Innovation & quality
in clothing
DeRosa - Tailor made by Ugo
Cytech - the science of shorts
liners
Fi'zi:k - Behind the scenes with
Damiano Cunego
Fulcrum - Technology + style
in wheels
Battaglin - Over two decades
of carbon fiber
2005
Italia Bici 2005
Ernesto Colnago - Inside
the Inner sanctum
Wilier Triestina rides again
De Rosa - Straight from the heart
Deda Elementi - Passion + Experience
= Innovation
2004
Italia
Bici 2004
Campagnolo
- The real deal in wheels
De
Marchi - Back to the future of high-tech cyclingwear
DMT:Made
in Italy, available in the USA
Ernesto
Colnago 50th Anniversary Interview
FSA
- Pro teams provide input for Full Speed Ahead
Limar
Helmets: Light, cool and sexy looking
Northwave
- Innovation by nature
2003
De
Rosa: The Art of The Artisan
100 Anni Di Corsa: One hundred
years and counting
ITM - Italmanubri:
High Technology Bike Accessories in the Italian Artisan Tradition
2002
Colnago 2002 - Inside Ernesto
Colnago's personal bike museum
2001
DMT
Shoes - Polishing the diamond
Limar
Helmets - Technology for your head
Colnago
- An interview with Ernesto Colnago
