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Shimano SH-RX800 Gravel Racing Shoe

ShimanoSH-RX800 Gravel Racing Shoe(Return to Product Page)

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(71 customer reviews)
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User submitted reviews

Review by TR

Stiff and light
rating
by TR

So far so good. Super stiff carbon sole makes for a solid power transfer. It came with two different arch support/insole options which is cool, but neither were supportive enough for my higher arches so I threw some older insoles in. The shoes are light weight and seem to do pretty well in wet weather. The boa and Velcro toe strap provide plenty of adjustment, and they've fit me well from the first ride although they have required a little break in period, and I tend to run them more loose by backing the boa off a bit as they have been putting my feet to sleep. I've only ridden them a handful of times outdoors so I can't say they're a 5star yet, but seem like they'll hold together well enough to sell me on that final star, and only seem to be getting more comfortable as time goes on.

Reviewed 1/20/2022
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Review by Sean V

Stiff, light and the boa works great
rating
by Sean V
Cycling Enthusiast
LA, CA
1 of 1 customers found this review helpful.

I got these to use on my new gravel bike and so far, so good. The interior is nice and plush, the sole feels very stiff, which is great because I have a plate in my foot and I'm sensitive to flexy bike shoes. I thought a single boa might be a negative but it works really well and is very simple to adjust while riding. I can't figure out what's doing it but I do seem to have a pressure spot on the top instep of the foot with the plate (so likely not an issue for people with normal shaped feet) It doesn't seem like it should cause problems but it does for me (sometimes) on very long rides. Since I assume that it's specific to my foot issue and not a shoe design problem, I'm going to give it 5 stars.

Reviewed 6/17/2021
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Review by Matt Edler

Great show for all day gravel grinds
rating
by Matt Edler
Portland
1 of 1 customers found this review helpful.

As more of a roadie, I like a stiff shoe that transfers power efficiently and doesn�t feel clunky and overbuilt like many mtb shoes. These are plenty stiff, not great for walking, but split the difference well between road and mtb shoes.

Fit was good out of the box, although a bit roomy over the arch. Tow box is ample, arch support good but upgraded to a higher end insole. Boa�s closures are nice, Velcro strap over forefoot seems dated, never gets adjusted. Slick design overall.

Reviewed 10/17/2020
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Review by Rich

The Best Of Both Worlds
rating
by Rich
Cycling Enthusiast
Tryon, NC

One of my favorite rides consists of a mix of gravel and road sections and now here's a shoe that suits this mix perfectly. Comfort, fit and function are all here in one excellent shoe. However, I'm not sure if there's going to be enough ventilation in the summertime, time will tell.

Reviewed 3/22/2022
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Review by Tryon Rich

Perfect road and gravel shoe
rating
by Tryon Rich
Cycling Enthusiast
Tryon, NC

For years I've been looking for a shoe that most of all is comfortable, fits well but works exceptionally well on the road and gravel. The SH-RX 800 exceeds all my expectations, plus they look super cool. I'll never need to look for a different shoe, thanks Shimano and WBW.

Reviewed 2/10/2022
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Review by Phillip Kolczynski Senior Cyclist

Great construction and fit especially if desire medium or narrow width; good for gravel and road bike
rating
by Phillip Kolczynski Senior Cyclist
Cycling Enthusiast
Rogue Valley, southern Oregon, lots of hills that

I like Spd clips for road biking and occasional gravel. Quality construction; I like the stiff sole for power transmission;

The adjustment system allows exactly he right amount of tightness.

Reviewed 1/14/2021
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Review by David

Great shoes
rating
by David
Cycling Enthusiast
Katy
1 of 1 customers found this review helpful.

These shoes have a stiff sole like road shoes and the versatility of mountain bike shoes. Very comfortable so far on long gravel rides with no break in period. Would highly recommend.

Reviewed 11/6/2020
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Review by dcore

Extremely happy with these shoes
rating
by dcore
Cycling Enthusiast
Portland
1 of 2 customers found this review helpful.

I replaced a pair of older Specialized Mountain bike shoes. I find these a very good upgrade in terms of comfort, stiffness and the lacing mechanism is much better than the sliders and velcro on my older shoes.

Reviewed 8/19/2020
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Review by Anonymous

Killer Shoes!!
rating
by Anonymous
Cycling Enthusiast
CT
1 of 1 customers found this review helpful.

These RX-8's have such a nice fit and finish. Seem well built and ready to take on some good gravel rides. Very lightweight. Interested to see how the outer holds up through big mud. Overall very pleased

Reviewed 8/21/2020
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Review by CaliNative

Worth the money. Best SPD shoe I've owned!!!
rating
by CaliNative
Cycling Enthusiast
Rhineland Pfalz, Germany
1 of 1 customers found this review helpful.

I like the stiffness of the shoe and the color. This cycling shoe size was spot on. I normally wear a 12D in New Balance and Nike and the 46 fit me perfect. No break in required and usually that's not the case for me.

Reviewed 4/26/2020
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Review by LitespeedBob

Incredibly comfortable, no hotspots, light, stiff and no compromise off the bike.
rating
by LitespeedBob
Cycling Enthusiast
Lancaster, PA
8 of 8 customers found this review helpful.

I use the RX800 for Gravel and MTB riding and currently have 1700 mi in the shoes. My focus was on comfort as there are many great stiff, light shoes. I don't have hotspots and they are easy on and off and won't let you down off the bike. I would recommend good shoe covers in the winter as they are well ventilated.

Reviewed 4/6/2020
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Review by Gary Suttles

This was a great upgrade from my previous pair of MTB specific shoes.
rating
by Gary Suttles
Western NC

I ride gravel primarily and these shoes are lighter and more gravel friendly than my old MTB shoes.

Reviewed 7/12/2021
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Review by Az Champ Car Fan

Excellent Gravel Shoe - Lightweight
rating
by Az Champ Car Fan
Competitive Racer
Marana AZ

Like all my Shimano Shoes these fit excellent. All closure systems work flawlessly. Lightweight with a great finish as well.

Reviewed 7/15/2021
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Review by AmericanLivingAbroad

Best gravel shoes Ive ever had...15-years!
rating
by AmericanLivingAbroad
Bitburg, Germany
0 of 1 customers found this review helpful.

Very, very comfortable for long rides. Added bonus theyre stylish, sleek and neutral too. Id buy another pair if they had my size!

Reviewed 7/3/2020
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Review by Scott L

Great shoe for road and gravel
rating
by Scott L
Cycling Enthusiast
Seattle, WA
1 of 1 customers found this review helpful.

This is a long-term review as I rode over 1500 miles in these shoes over the past 8 months.

I originally bought the RX800s for gravel riding as I was preparing for Steamboat Gravel this past summer and wanted a stiff and lightweight shoe. When cyclocross season rolled around, I realized they were a great shoe for drier CX races too!

As some other reviewers have noted, they are a little difficult to get on, but once they are in place they are great shoes. One of the mistakes I made initially was to tighten the shoes too much. I learned pretty quickly that due to the unique way they wrap around my feet, they only need to be snug. I also appreciate that you can tighten and loosen the BOAs click-by-click to adjust the fit during the ride, such as when your feet get hot and swell a bit on a long ride. That said, I haven't had any issues with the shoes spontaneously tightening or loosening on the ride. In most cases, I adjust the BOAs until they are snug and ride on.

I really like the stiffness and light weight of these shoes. In fact, I recently bought a second pair for road riding. They are only slightly more heavy than true road shoes and I find them a lot more convenient when I'm off the bike, such as the mid-ride bakery stop.

I did many long gravel rides in these shoes, including the 142 miles of Steamboat Gravel, and I never had any issues while riding in them. My old shoes caused "hot spots" on the soles of my feet after about 80 miles, which I have not experienced in the RX800s. As the year progressed, I liked these shoes more and more. These are my all-time favorite shoes!

Reviewed 12/27/2022
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Review by Anonymous

Used for road riding. This is my second pair
rating
by Anonymous
Cycling Enthusiast
Maryland
4 of 5 customers found this review helpful.

I use SPDs for all my riding... road, mountain, and gravel. My first set of RX800s were my primary road and gravel shoe for about 2 years until the lugs were so worn it was time to replace them. I decided to try the Shimano XC 702 since my only complaint with the RX800's was that the lugs could be a little grippier. That was a mistake. While I'm still using the XC 702s for some mountain biking, they are much less comfortable than the RX800s for long rides on the road. I tried to give them some time to break in, but my feet were either numb or in pain after every ride. So I bought a new pair of RX800s and I'm enjoying long rides again.

The RX800s have BOAs that turn in both directions, which is superior to the XC 702 BOAs that can only get tighter or be completely released. The bi-directional BOAs allow you to loosen just a click or two when necessary. Also I think the single BOA adjusting the whole top of the shoe with Velcro over the toe box is a much better system than the dual BOAs on the XC 702, where the mid-foot and toe box are being adjusted by the same dial. I had to replace the BOAs on my first pair of 800s and the customer service from BOA is outstanding. They sent me two or three sets of both the right and left BOA repair kits when the black coating on the wires on mine was starting to wear off.

I've worn size 45 in Shimano shoes for a long time and these fit well in a 45. I have fairly narrow feet and sometimes have trouble getting shoes adjusted tight enough. That's not an issue with these since they wrap around your foot rather than meeting in the middle.

These are light, very stiff (too stiff for a lot of walking) and look pretty good in silver. Hopefully Shimano will keep the design the same for a few years so I can get another set when these wear out.

Reviewed 10/17/2022
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Review by GorgeRoadie

Excellent All-Road Shoes, single-BOA simplicity. My go-to all-road shoe now too.
rating
by GorgeRoadie
Cycling Enthusiast
White Salmon, WA
13 of 13 customers found this review helpful.

I needed a new pair of road shoes. These are very well built and well designed. The single BOA works without over-binding on my foot. I am an in-between size usually a 12 (11 34) so I end up in 46.5 or 47's . Many don't come in 12 sizes so on this me and my narrow feet went up to 47, and got the silver camo a fun color pattern option (black bike shoes are so bleh). The fit for my tween-size gives a tiny 14 extra room length-wise and width is roomy, but I have narrow feet, some may not like that room. It works well to be able to layer a 2nd pair of mid-weight wool socks for winter under shoe covers. The binding is super gradual and magically hugs your foot more toward the upper half, but foot shape like plays in here. I have found there is a slight break-in occurring and I'm comfortable increasing tension to very snughammer-time tension. I have a medium arch so stock insoles work perfect without the added high-arch ones needed. The BOA binding then snugs you into the nicely padded heal cup and damn, they fit so good. The sole is super stiff, walk-able when you need to. I am now riding these for everything, road, dirt, gravel. They are flat out the best bike shoes I've ever owned riding 35yrs. The one feature a little non-functional is the toe velcro adjust, I would like to narrow things up a bit more but the adjust-ability there is minimal then the small strap doesn't really have much velcro to grab hold with, but I got a 14 maybe so enough, but a little more would be nice. Also I've had some warm days recently and can confirm these breath nicely with my slightly roomy fit. I saw a review where someone claimed they didn't breath, but could be a case of too snug a fit or a fatwide foot blocking all the vent holes. Get fit for a little toe-box room and not too small and you're in business. I ride a big mix of roads and have pavedgravel all-road options all day long in the Col. R. Gorge (WA side). I also ride lone-ranger 99.9% of the time, and shoes I can walk in without sub-par pontoons adapted for SPD was a must-have, you could need a long-walk to cell signal or to get found somewhere paved or not. With 3 all-road bikes and 1 road bike I shifted to SPD pedalscleats after 30yrs on Look pedals for a decent all-road option. I have some decent Shimano Torbal's that are great low-price shoes and other mid-range shoes over the years, even SIDI, Diadora. These shoes I scored on a killer Christmas sale for more than 2x less than some SIDI's I wouldn't trade them for, not for overpriced $400-$500 shoes. I did not like the SIDIs I had years ago, not enough bang for the buck. When Shimano pops out some new colors, I'm coming back for another pair ) ..... Outstanding shoes, road shoes you can walk in. I'm a total SPD convert

Reviewed 4/24/2020
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Review by blatherskyte

Nice but narrow and slippery
rating
by blatherskyte
Cycling Enthusiast
Portland
2 of 2 customers found this review helpful.

I've mainly been riding with shimano mountain shoes on road bikes, these are narrower than all my mountain shimanos ( 2021 SH-MW701, 2022 shimano ME-5 and 2016-ish shimano mountain somethings), I probably should have gone with the 'wide' version. If the older mountain shoes are a great fit for you I suggest getting the wide version.

These have no traction on wet and mildy slippery surfaces, it's close to walking on skates. I've skipped wearing them on a ride because I didn't think I'd make it down the wooden steps at an Air BnB in the rain, this was after close calls being as careful as I could. Same steps, in same conditions with the mountain shoes on were no problem at all. I've also slipped in these on my dad's porch where I've never slipped before.

For the good about them, they are very stiff and light and nice to ride in, got me through 6+ hour rides so far with 6k+ climbing ( I'm a clydesdale so that counts as a lot ) without foot pain. though I did initially have the cleats too far forward and that led to some serious hotfoot, that was user error.

Reviewed 11/22/2022
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Review by Grumbledor

Best Shoes for Gravel 9and Road) That I Have Tried So Far
rating
by Grumbledor
Cycling Enthusiast
Minnesota

I was having pain in my toed due to small toe box on much more expensive Bontrager shoes, and these completely relieved that issue. The shoe fits like a glove on the top and sides, but leaves toes free to move and doesn't compress in the toe box like so many others. Only knock is the shoe can be harder to get on than others, but once on, it feels great; very good stiffness in sole, while also providing good walking surface and doesn't get mucked up in the dirt! Good value vs others as well.

Reviewed 9/22/2022
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Review by xoted

Meh. Another brick in the wall for not going back to Shimano.
rating
by xoted
Cycling Enthusiast
Los Angeles
1 of 1 customers found this review helpful.

The shoe is built like a cinnamon roll, where the waist side of the upper/tongue, slides under the Vamp part of the upper, where the tightening system is mounted. The Search for Anatomy of a shoe.

The inner part of the upper, has a thin elastic fabric strap to pull the inside inner half of the upper tighter. While possibly making it slightly easier to secure the Vamp upper, it tends to pull on the sock which can make it bunch up. This can create pressure/irritation issues on a long ride. On the positive note, once tightened, I couldn't sense the strap. (Grabbing your finger after closing a door on it?)

Adjusting your socks takes slightly longer to put on, definitely not for swim/bike biathlons or iron man competitions where seconds count.

Also, the elastic is a weak point in the design, part one in decreased longevity, leading to...

PLANNED OBESLECENCE:

The shoes require tightening at least two times after donning the shoe: Once after walking a bit, and second or third during the ride. You definitely should perform the ski boot maneuver where you tap the heal of your foot against the floor to seat your heal. Otherwise, you'll get rubbing at the heal.

This also concerns me as to how long the shoe will last, as appears the upper stretches over time. I hate to admit that I watch GCN, but one of their videos detailed how the uppers were the weak part of cheap biking shoes, and this is NOT a cheap biking shoe.

The sad part is that they already have the solution.

POSITIVES

First, the shoe did solve one of my alignment issues, bringing my pressure point on my Garmin Rally pedals closer to the center line, something my previous Shimano shoes couldn't master, even with the shoes adjusted to the extreme.

Second, they look good.

Be aware that the soles are purported to be carbon fiber, and are not at all flexible, when compared to the mountain biking shoes I've used. Possibly better for power transfer, but it does affect your walk. This may be a consideration for the size of the "gravel' in the terrain you bike on.

Good Luck!

Reviewed 8/8/2022
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