Shimano SH-RX800 Gravel Racing Shoe

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!

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.

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.

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.

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

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!

These are the perfect shoes for long gravel rides on mixed terrain rides. They are the perfect mashup of a stiff road shoe and XC MTB shoe. The power transfer is consistent throughout the entire pedal stroke.

Ridden about 200 miles so far, pretty recent purchase. I was riding Bont carbon XC shoes before...quite a difference in stack height and of course, you play the cleat placement game again, but overall, they are comfortable, stiff enough, and not sweatboxes in hot temperatures.

I've done only 6 or so rides in these so far but am not blown away by these shoes. As stated in other reviews, the elastic which holds the inside flap drives me nuts. Get cramps in my foot trying to get it inside the shoe. Like the Boa system for ease of tightening and removal. The velcro strap seems sort of superfluous. Power transfer to the pedal is decent. Not the most comfortable shoe yet but maybe it will break in better with more rides which won't come until cooler weather.

I love these shoes so much, I have 2 pairs. One in black, and I just purchased a second white pair for indoor use only. I always use gravel or XC shoes for all my riding, whether it's road/gravel/CX/XC. I like the stability of having lugs next to my cleat for improved walking/running function, especially since I use a leg length shim under my left cleat. These shoes are lightweight, comfortable, stiff, and super functional. Plus, I keep getting them on sale, which increases their value. Plus the subtle camo shimmer looks super polished. Shimano broke the mold with this model.

This subtle but sharp looking shoe is stiff but still comfortable for fast group rides and racing. I like the extra arch supports (different sizes) to customize the feel and hoping to get some full days in the saddle with them soon.

I admit I wasn't too sure about the comfort when I first received them since there is an elastic strip that keeps the inner tongue pulled in and with my very high-instep feet it took a while to get used to slipping them on. But now that I've worn them for riding >1000 miles I really like the comfort and figured out how to get them on with little effort. Soles are stiff enough for me. The pop-in/out feature of the Boa clasp is terrific. They run about true to size, if anything err on ordering a larger size. I haven't yet had the need to do a lot of walking or hike-a-biking in them, so jury is still out on that question.

Purchased the Shimano SH-RX800 on recommendation from biketiresdirect.

Fit nice and snug when I first put them on. Initial rides were on the trainer and I didn't like the shoes too much. I experienced some pain on the top of my foot and thought about returning the shoes.

On my first ride outside on the bike the shoes felt a whole lot better. Since then I have not had any additional issues with the shoes on rides from an hour to 2.5 hrs.

From my experience, I had to suffer through a short uncomfortable period of breaking in the shoes. That being said I am happy now that the shoes have softened up but still fit snug and provide a stiff sole for pedaling efficiency.

It's a nice replacement from the older Specialized MTB Pro shoes that I had used forever.

I updgraded to this shoe from a cheaper, plastic sole velcro strap gravel shoe the Shimano XC1 . The fit provides good arch support and I didn't need the provided inserts. I bought a 43. I'm a US 10, and I usually go one notch lower in shoe size for my cycling shoes. 43 is a happy medium between too tight for thick wool socks, and too lose during summer grinders. The single boa is plenty on my top-foot to cinch it down. The bottom velcro piece, is pretty much cosmetic as it does little to tighten the forefoot. All around I'm happy with this shoe after 400 miles.

I use these on my fixed gear and road bike on SPD pedals. I often get off and walk around with my shoes and these make it much easier to do so than traditional road-oriented shoes. I upgraded from old heavy MTB shoes and what a positive difference to power delivery and efficiency with the stiff sole and lightweight package (half the weight of my previous shoes)! The BOA system works really well and can't imagine going back to full velcro straps.

Excellent product by Shimano!

Shoes fit like glove and are very comfortable, light weight, and stiff. I wear a 46 in Bonts and Lakes and the 46 in Shimano fit well. I have narrow heel and relatively wide forefoot. The heel fits well and doesn't slip around. I like the closure as it provides an even pressure across the top of my foot and I can snug it up without causing any numbness or hot spots on my feet. Adequate room around my toes. Would recommend going up a half size if you need to wear winter socks. For me the tread is just right for gravel.

Very comfortable. The single boa works well and produces even pressure. Weight of my size 45 is 604g for the pair without cleats. The stiff sole doesn't cause an issue when walking; it seems about the same as my previous shoes. The shape of the rubber pads on the shoe match the shape of my Shimano M8020 XT pedals.

I really like these shoes. Great fit , lightweight and look good. Here are the cons: hard to get on, the boa straps are not real smooth when releasing and a little hard to get off. The cons are all about their convenience but once they are on and you are riding they are a great shoe. I have a pair of s-phire road shoe and they have a similar fit but not quite the quality, but hey they are half the price. Performance wise they are on the level of the s-phire.

Love these shoes. Super lightweight and extremely stiff. I use them for both road riding and gravel. I have generally wide feet and these fit way more comfortable compared to Fizik and Giro for me. The velcro is a little useless and I wish it had two boas, but honestly these fit down snug fine.

This is a great shoe that fits my feet really well. Light, rigid and comfortable. Also comes with arch inserts for people (like me) with high arches. I perfect match for my Shimano XTR PD-M9100 pedals.

You can pay more but, why?