Gravel Grinder News: Shimano and Lazer Partner on Tropical Leaves Shoe and Helmet Combo
Shimano and Lazer have teamed up to help you shed the winter blues with a new limited-edition “Tropical Leaves” color scheme.
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Shimano and Lazer have teamed up to help you shed the winter blues with a new limited-edition “Tropical Leaves” color scheme.
In the news today we have a new gravel handlebar from Easton for the racer out there and news concerning some gravel events. Let’s dig in and take a look….
While it may seem, on the surface of it, that the RX801 and RX8R are just “RX8’s” with different colors and one has a cuff”, that would be far too simplistic a take here.
You know how sometimes a product leaves you with that “Just OK” feeling? It’s not bad, but never quite gets to great either, just kind of lives in the middle ground? That, for me, has been the Foray gravel/MTB shoes from Bontrager.
Here we have, from Trek, a Sampler Platter: Bontrager Shoes, a waist pack, and a jacket for really bad weather.
Last time we debuted some new riding kit from Bontrager that is very applicable to gravel or light MTB riding. It is warmer weather gear, so once spring hit in So Cal, we suited up and got riding. This is what we learned.
If you are not a big fan of Lycra or you tend toward more casual options, then technical clothing like this Adventure line from Bontrager falls into the gap between hucking and crits. This approach of a snug fitting short, not loose like a full baggie, and good looking enough to wear around town, when combined with casual looking jerseys or shirts in high tech fabrics…well it reminds me a lot of what was called ‘Touring Clothing’ in days gone by.
The RX8 does what a gravel bike does. It takes what was a road thing, for smooth paved surfaces, and it makes it into a rough road, dirt road thing. Gravel riding is not mountain biking, (despite the cross-over at some points), and the demands of road riding are a bit closer related to what we do on gravel “roads” than what people need to have for single track. Therefore; it is my opinion that a slightly modified road shoe is what will do the job best, and Shimano has knocked it out of the park with the RX8
As is often said, the best apparel and components simply “disappear” while riding, leaving you to enjoy the ride. The RX8 shoes from Shimano are the definition of such an apparel item. While either walking a gnarly, muddy dirt road or riding up and down hill and vale, the RX8 just got out of my way and let me do my thing.
Flat pedals are just fine for gravel and adventure riding too. Yes…..racers are turning up their noses now, but for the general purpose rider, flats are perhaps the best pedal to use.
Finally, remember that “kickstand” knob at the end of the toe? Well, I laughed out loud when I read the marketing copy about this “feature”, but while commuting to work in the RX8’s the other day I found myself at a stop sign waiting on a traffic light, and you know what? I noticed that little knob was actually kinda nice to have.
My opinion is that the Line Shoe might be best for someone that has a mountain biking first bent to their riding, and if they ride back roads, well then these shoes would be a comfortable, durable choice, with the caveat that they might be a bit toasty on hot days and that their wide stance may interfere a bit with certain bikes/riding styles.
As long as it isn’t too hot, these are actually pretty nice shoes for pedaling out on the gravel. My thought is that these would be better choices for warm to cool weather climates. Hot, humid areas will require shoes with more venting than the Line shoes have. Wide feet? These could be your shoes then.
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The Line model from Giant is actually a development in conjunction with the Giant racing team and aimed at enduro mountain bikers. These types of shoes typically have more foot protection and a nod to walk-ability and with that, traction off the bike. Giant felt as though these might also be traits a gravel road rider might be interested in.
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