Many gravel riders and racers are currently underserved in terms of footwear options. While riders will benefit from features found in mountain bike shoes, those shoes are typically overbuilt and heavier. With many road cyclists exploring gravel, their tastes in footwear drift towards road shoes with ultra-stiff soles delivering maximum pedaling efficiency. Shimano’s updated RX801 is designed to meet all of these needs in a balanced shoe optimized for gravel.

The RX801 marries the top performance features of Shimano’s premium mountain bike and road racing footwear in a shoe that balances pedaling performance and off-the-bike capability. The result is a lightweight, stiff, walkable shoe that is ideal for gravel racers, gran fondo riders, and weekend warriors. The shoe features the technology and material package you expect from Shimano's upper echelon cycling footwear. The proven Dynalast shape for optimized toe-spring section, comfort and power. The supportive Heel Stabilizer cradles heel, prevents slipping. The Single Boa® IP1 with dual micro adjustment function allows quick, micro tension adjustments for mid and upper closure zones, which follow an anatomic cut and layout. The 20mm extended fore-aft cleat adjustment offers more SPD cleat position alignment flexibility. Anatomic supportive insoles vent and have antimicrobial properties. So, yes this a gravel shoe, but one that leans towards race performance. To that end, the carbon composite outsole hits 10 out of 11 on the MTB-stiffness scale. The outsole carries the lightweight, abrasion-resistant TPU lugs which offer the best balance of pedaling performance and off the bike capability. All of that is complemented by the Surround Upper pattern which was developed to provide the perfect balance of holding power and absolute all day comfort. The design is similar to the XC5, but with higher quality materials.

In other words, the RX801 Gravel Shoe may well become a true all-rounder. It weighs about 30% less than the Sphyre XC9 mountain shoe, which really defines why the RX801 was developed. Walking in gravel happens, but not as much as in MTB, and generally in less challenging situations. It is a truly functional cycling shoe that leans to toward road or XC race performance, but can be walked in when necessary without worry. On top of all that both Black and Silver colorways have vivid inkjet printed graphics with a bold design, but a clean fresh statement. The RX801 exemplifies performance, style, lightweight; built with Shimano's tremendous commitment to quality.