Gravel bike shoes

Gravel shoes: the perfect shoes for gravel fans

When heading out on your gravel bike , the optimum fit and the perfect connection between you and your bike result in truly enjoyable rides. Special gravel shoes are perfectly tailored to gravel riders’ needs. Read on to discover what you should consider.

Do you need special gravel shoes?

You can have as much fun on gravel tracks on a mountain bike as on a wide-tyre endurance road bike . Light cross-country MTB shoes or robust, comfortable road bike shoes are also somewhat suitable for gravel riding. So what are the additional benefits of special gravel shoes? It’s just like with the bike categories: you can naturally ride a mountain or road bike along gravel trails, but the true fun on the gravel only really begins once you’ve invested in a pair of specialised shoes. There are lots of small but important details that justify this new category of footwear.

The right pedals for your new gravel shoes

There are all sorts of different gravel bikes. Adventure models are inspired by the mountain bike and therefore feature wide handlebars and tyres. Other models are more like robust road bikes, designed for long rides and great comfort. These are usually extraordinarily light and efficient. In principle, these facets are also reflected in shoes for gravel bikes: some are similar to particularly comfortable road bike shoes and have a stiff sole and slightly deeper tread. Others look like lighter cross-country shoes. Despite this, there’s one thing that most gravel cycling shoes have in common: their clipless pedal system is usually the same as for mountain bikes. This means that they use small metal cleats like those on the Shimano SPD system. These are attached to the bottom of the sole by two screws. This system offers various benefits over far larger, plastic road bike cleats:

• Metal cleats are far more robust for off-road use.
• The small cleats are easier to combine with longer studs on the sole.
• They are usually less susceptible to dirt and therefore work reliably in any weather when off-road.

Finding the right cycling shoes

There are lots of different types of cycling shoes for lots of different areas of use. When choosing your shoes, the fit and comfort are particularly important. Gravel shoes with a warm lining and waterproof upper are ideal for winter. Gravel shoes are available with a practical hook-and-loop strap, a modern dial closure or classic laces. The style plays a role too: do you prefer a clean road bike look or that of a robust outdoor shoe? When buying a new pair of gravel shoes, where you intend to wear them is just as important as your personal taste preferences. But when it comes to quality, you can simply sit back and relax: all of the gravel shoes we offer have passed our extensive tests with flying colours.

Want to buy clothing and accessories from Canyon for even more fun on your bike?

The right bike shoes and pedal systems are important, but so too is having the right clothing for all weather conditions. The Canyon online shop offers a wide range of cycling clothing from rain jackets to cycling shorts. In autumn and winter in particular, Canyon’s specially designed weatherproof cycling clothing offers you the warmth and dryness that you need to prevent the weather from putting a dampener on your ride. In addition to Canyon cycling clothing, our online shop also offers a wide range of accessories such as water bottles, bottle cages, kickstands, pannier bags and much more.