Nike Dunk Gyrizo Men’s BMX Shoe Review

MTB technology and BMX technology have begun to merge over the years. Some of the biggest mountain bike companies got their start in BMX (i.e. GT) and others have always had their hand in BMX (Specialized, Schwinn, Trek, etc.). With the increase of freeriding, downhilling and dirt jumping, we’re seeing a lot of cross pollination between mountain biking and BMX. If you look closely, a lot of BMXers are using Selle Italia Flites or SLRs on their bikes and Crank Brothers Mallets or Shimano PD-545s.

“Looks like a Dunk, but acts like Lance’s cleat.”

This strange yet eye-catching statement immediately drew me to the shoes like a moth to a flame on the Nike Media website. You’re telling me: I can pedal like Lance but not look like a roadie dweeb on my downhill bike? My eyes next gravitated towards the amazing graphics of the shoe. The shoe is made specifically for Olympic BMX athletes. With input from past, current and future BMX legends, Nike put out all the stops for this shoe. The shoe was designed with the input of Donny Robinson, Mike Day and Kyle Bennett. The pattern hints to BMX’s heyday in the 80s with nods to Vans and Haro. The full carbon sole takes the technology from Lance’s winning Nike road bike shoe and the uppers are all SB Dunk. Hey if it’s good enough for Lance Armstrong and Paul Rodriguez…

For security and durability, the shoe features Kevlar lace and metal grommets plus lace pockets to keep your laces out of your spokes (very important at 40MPH). The shoes are SPD-compatible, but you can run them on flats as well with the supplied covers. To add functionality over style, they added an upper Velcro strap that helps keep your heel in the pocket.

I’ve only had one day of downhilling on them, but so far they work great (I was using a pair of Crank Bros Mallet C’s that day). With minimal adjustment, I was able to mount my cleats and go riding. With some shoes, you have to clear extra space between the cleat and the sole, and I thought I might with these, but they were fine. They worked great on the hill. Pedaling was almost Lance-like, and I envisioned freaking out my roadie friends, wearing these as we raced around the South Shore. My heel didn’t fly out of the shoe, and the uppers are coated so they seem to repel dirt and mud (they’re way too nice to get dirty). I experimented using them with flats. They worked fine, but the 5-10s are still the gold standard if you are going with flats. Best of all, I didn’t get any funny looks from the kids in the lodge. Mission accomplished. 

Gyrizo? What the hell does that mean? Gyrizo is Greek for wheel. And Dunk? Well we know Dunk has become synonymous with Nike’s basketball and now skate shoes. On a busy day at Whistler, Diablo or Highland, you’ll see plenty of downhill or freeriders wearing SB Dunks with their platforms. So the Dunk Gyrizo are Dunks for Wheels. Somehow it seems appropriate, right? For someone who craves (read: needs) the security of a clipless pedal system and the firm platform of a carbon sole, the Nike Dunk Gyrizo is perfect for freeriding and downhilling (hell, and may be some BMX). The Olympics always nod to their Greek originations and leave it to Nike to up the bike shoe ante at the World’s biggest stage.

Three different colorways were released to celebrate the Olympics games in Beijing: USA, Black/Gold, China.

Don’t fret. If you aren’t into the carbon-fiber soled shoes, a mellower DH specific version are going to be released under the Nike 6.0 label.

Website copy: The Nike Dunk Gyrizo Men’s BMX Shoe is built on the same last as Lance Armstrong’s famous cleat, to fuel your up and down pedaling strokes.

• SPD-compatible
• Upper strap/lace pockets keep laces out of spokes
• Kevlar lace and metal grommets for maximum durability
• Durable outsole compound integrates with a wider pedal
• Rubber outsole and thin midsole allows rider to walk before and after races

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