The ultimate knit shoes - Trek RSL Knit Carbon Road Cycling Shoes Review - feat. MetNet Panels + BOA

Trek’s RSL Knit Road Cycling shoes are an all-out race shoe designed to maximize power transfer and comfort. These are Trek’s top-of-the-line cycling with a sleek knit construction and Trek’s clever METNET relief zones. Retail price on the RSL Knit shoes is $499.99 which makes them the most expensive shoe out of Trek’s Velocis and RSL shoe lineup. What sets the RSL Knit shoes apart is the engineered performance knit upper that provides a sock-like fit with a stiff OCLV carbon fiber outsole. Trek also incorporates a dual BOA Li2 Dial Fit System with the Type-D anodized metal dials. The RSL Knit shoes also have Trek’s pro last and their METNET relief zones to optimize fit and comfort.

The Trek RSL Knit carbon road cycling shoes are Trek’s ultimate knit cycling shoes. Trek markets the shoes as defying convention as they maximize performance without sacrificing comfort through the use of knit upper and METNET relief zones. The shoes also have a unique appearance with a two layer upper that combines reinforced BOA Fit system webbing directly attached to the outsole with a soft engineered knit below it. To optimize performance the knit upper is composed of multiple zones with different elasticity and orientation. Trek offers the shoes in two color variations: white with gray accents and this stunning black with gold accent version we have in this review. It’s a polarizing design that combines a sleek black upper with anodized gold BOA dials and a gold outsole.

In person, the gold color is quite pale with subtle metallic flakes on the base that reflect the light. The black and gold color scheme is controversial and will stand out on the bike while the alternate white version helps the RSL Knit shoes blend in. The branding is also done in a matching gold color with METNET, RSL and TREK printed on the sides. On the heel of the shoes there is also a suede material that provides a subtle contrast to the black engineered knit material on the front portion of the shoes. Trek has optimized the performance of the knit upper by using a multi-zone design to allow for stretch only in certain directions and regions.

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00:00 Intro
00:10 Unboxing + Specs
02:32 Fit + Finish
08:25 On The Bike
09:49 Comparison (Trek Velocis, Bont Cycling, Shimano S-PHYRE, DMT KR0)
13:41 The Final Score
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[BrunoStocovick]

Great review as always! How would you compare this against the KR0 in terms of comfort, width and power transfer? Thank you!

[abhimawa]

Great looks. Reminds me of Gaerne G.STL in “gold rush” color (I would like to see your review on these Gaerne shoes, though). However these Trek Knit appears to require extensive care & maintenance, especially the white one. The black one: the outsole might scratch easily. Thus, either color will bring headache

[wsbygt]

I love my Pogi´s DMT but these sure look great.

[Kamikazekman]

Reminds me of the S-Works Ares. Wonder how those two compare head to head. Unfortunately, the Ares is discontinued.

[spiffydean]

How does the cleat hole placement compare to other shoes? Fairly rearward? I was surprised to see the holes were fixed and didn’t have any fore aft adjustment

[taburetca]

Horrible sound, I don't think there was anything like this before