RX8 Cactus Berry Gravel Shoes

$360 ( bike.shimano.com)

In July, Shimano announced an addition to its rx8 gravel race shoe line. While the rx8 debuted in summer 2019, it got the “cactus berry” colour treatment recently. The inspiration for the funky colour is the Santa Rita prickly pear cactus that Jessie Gascon, Shimano’s lifestyle gear product manager, would see on local trails. The cactus berry shoe, like its fellow rx8 siblings, is designed for going fast. The carbon composite sole has a stiffness rating of 10 on Shimano’s scale, which goes to 12. Thermoplastic polyurethane lugs give you solid grip when you are off the bike, possibly tiptoeing through the prickly pear.