Shimano's RX8R shoes are the graveliest gravel shoes yet

Described by Shimano as shoes for 'rowdy mixed-surface riding' (which we can only imagine means riding off-road while yelling loudly), the new RX8-R shoes are absolutely the most gravel of all the gravel shoes on the market right now. 

The most noticable feature is the socky bit - that's the technical term, stop us if we're going to quickly - that sits above the ankle of the shoe and is designed to keep gravel, sand, pebbles or weakness from getting in while you're hammering it off-road (it's actually called the gaiter - ed). 

Elsewhere the shoes tick all the boxes you'd expect from a modern race shoe with a scratch-resistant TPU outsole, stiff carbon composite sole and a lightweight and breathable synthetic leather upper all finished off with a low-profile Boa Li2 dial for closure. It's a pretty bold concept, and one described by Shimano soft-goods product manager Jessie Gascon as inspired by 'my local favorite [sic] ride called the Trabuco Creek Trail, which is jam-packed with jungle-cross single track, multiple creek crossings and so much sand.' Which is pretty much the same as our local rides here at Freewheel...

If the ankle gaiter isn't for you, then there is the RX801, a refinement of the very popular RX8 race shoe that contains all the same tech and features as the RX8R, just without the ankle covering. There's also the added bonus of the incredibly cool 'tropical' design which in our opinion makes the RX801 one of the coolest shoes on the market in any discipline. Where can you buy these amazing shoes? Glad you asked. Right here on Freewheel, of course.