We checked out all the gravel specific products you never knew you needed a little while ago and now Shimano have another to add to the bunch. Today they release the RX8 shoes, a gravel race slipper that comes in even lighter than the brands top flight cross-country shoes.

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The RX8's look pretty similar to Shimano's top XC9 and XC7 cross country race shoes. They get one Boa dial like the XC7 with the same cross over lace pattern and a velcro toe strap. The gravel shoes get less protection on the carbon parts at the heel and the toe, presumably the mainstay of the weight saving. There are no spike mounts either, just some super rugged looking moulded rubber on the sole. 

Shimano says the RX8's weigh 265g per shoe (size 42) shaving about 60-65g off the XC9/XC7's. The shoe still gets a full length carbon sole and given that these are a slimmed down XC9 we expect this to be super stiff (10 out of 11 on the Shimano shoe rating). The shoes also benefit from Shimano's Silvadur 'stay-fresh' tech to keep bacteria at bay inside the shoe. 

The shoes will be available in back and this silver/white version as a special edition, with sizing ranging from Euro 40-50 for the men's and 36-43 for women. Pricing is expected to be $249 USD so expect similar for UK pricing. 

• www.bike.shimano.com

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