Adidas has released its first gravel cycling shoe. Simply called The Gravel Shoe, Adidas says the shoe “has been designed as an accessible option” and is for “a generation of cyclists looking to explore new adventures both on and off-road.”
The shoe shares some material and stylistic features with Adidas’s The Road Shoe, which launched in November 2020, but this gravel shoe is tailored to the demands of off-road riding and features many of the same details as the best gravel bikes shoes.
The shoe is compatible with two-bolt cleats and has TPU pods on the sole for easy walking. The upper is made from ripstop material and has reinforced materials for increased durability and protection.
Like The Road Shoe, The Gravel Shoe closes with laces and uses Primegreen materials. These are high-performance recycled materials, and Adidas says the uppers of these new shoes are made from at least 50 per cent recycled yarns.
One of the most notable design features of the shoe is the internal sock that extends up the ankle. This is rarely seen in the world of cycling shoes but is a common feature on trainers and football boots, which Adidas is best known for.
That said, Adidas is no stranger to cycling. The Road Shoe was Adidas’s first road cycling shoe in 15 years and this was soon followed by the Velosamba, but prior to that, the brand was in and out of cycling for much of its history.
Since the 1950s, Adidas has produced cycling shoes and its shoes with their unmistakable three-stripe design were most famously worn to many victories by Eddy Merckx. Adidas’s sub-brand Five Ten also makes some of the best mountain bike shoes.
When researching cycling shoes, Adidas says that consultation with cyclists in London, Los Angeles and Germany revealed that “the culture of cycling is changing” and that there is a “greater demand for versatile products that fit into their lives on and off the bike.”
Anyone who has followed cycling for the last few years will be aware that the sport is booming and that gravel, in particular, is growing in popularity, so it comes as little surprise that Adidas has entered what it calls “one of the fastest growing communities in cycling”.
The Gravel Shoe is available in two unisex colourways, a blue, purple and orange design and an all-black design. The shoes retail for £160 (further pricing to be confirmed) and are available exclusively through the Adidas website and app.
