Shimano has launched new high-end gravel race shoes today and claims that, for the first time in thirty years, some changes have been made to its much-loved SPD clipless pedal cleats.
Shimano MTB and gravel categories have seen some updates and new releases this year. Specifically, a new GRX wireless Di2 gravel groupset and the MTB range-topping XTR wireless groupset.
A new Shimano SPD cleat
Shimano has released a new SPD cleat, which is called the CL-MT001. Catchy eh? Shimano claims the new cleat will allow riders to ‘engage the pedal in multiple ways’. The cleats themselves look pretty much identical to the standard black SH51 cleats, but we assume they employ some different profiling to make clipping in even easier.
The brand says you will be able to clip into the pedal using a traditional front of the cleat first, then the rear movement, or the rear of the cleat first, then front, or by simply stomping straight down onto the pedal to clip in.
Shimano is calling this the first major update to its SPD cleat platform in nearly 30 years. The original SPD cleat was the SH50, followed by the SH51, which launched in 1995 and, impressively in the cycling world, given the rate of change in the last decade or so, is still on the market today in the same form.
Shimano also released another cleat in 2006, in the form of the silver SH56 SPD variant, which is listed as a ‘multi-release cleat’.
You can unclip when using the SH51 cleat by twisting your heel outward; this is probably the classic and most popular way to unclip. The SH56 cleat allows users to unclip by pulling up, or to either side, i.e ankle in or out. So what do the new MT001 cleats bring to the table?
We haven’t tried these new cleats out ourselves, but it sounds like they will make clipping into SPD pedals even easier. SPD pedals are popular 30 years after their launch for several reasons, one of which is that they are very user-friendly.
Experienced cyclists and riders familiar with clipped-in pedals find them very easy to use, but clipping in might still be daunting and unfamiliar for new cyclists or tricky for riders operating under duress or during very technical riding.
The ability to clip in even more easily may accelerate the learning process for newer cyclists and save precious time and energy for cyclocross racers or downhill riders, for instance, in the heat of the moment. We will add our own test experience here once we have tried the cleats for ourselves.
The CL-MT001 cleats will be backwards compatible with all Shimano SPD and shoe systems, meaning any rider with SPD pedals will be able to switch to them and try them out. No pricing figures are currently available to use regarding the new cleats.
Road level power transfer or optimised setup?
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Next is the new RX910 S-Phyre gravel race shoe, which the brand says has been developed with the help of Shimano pro gravel athletes like Peter Stetina.
These shoes are specifically for gravel, and Shimano claims riders need road shoe-level power transfer but traction for muddy sections and technical terrain. Features that the best gravel shoes attempt to bring together.
This shoe is apparantly not a compromise between road and mountain but a new design specifically for gravel competition, which does throw up some unique demands.
To this end, Shimano has developed what it calls the ‘cleat pontoon system’. The sole of the RX910 features a removable, replaceable pair of TPU pontoon blocks that sit on either side of the cleat mounting point and move with it to suit your cleat position.
Shimano claims this feature ‘dramatically improves shoe to pedal contact and optimises power transfer’; in short, it attempts to make the pedal and cleat interface larger to provide more stability and power, given MTB pedals are generally smaller than road pedals.
This is a similar system to the one found on the Specialized S-Works Recon shoe; that model comes with spacers for the non-removable pontoons on either side of the cleat to fine-tune rider fit and feel when clipped in.
More support from an off-road pedal could provide an advantage or a preferable feeling for some riders racing off-road. Plenty of gravel racers also seem to be using regular road pedals and shoes off-road road in recent seasons.
A correctly fitting pair of shoes and or cycling shoe insoles and optimised cleat setup may well be more beneficial than more support around the pedal and cleat for many riders, but this is a development that could well make sense for off-road racers.
The shoes feature a carbon midsole, which features Shimano’s highest stiffness rating, a pair of drainage holes, Boa Li2 dials and an Anti-Twist stabiliser heel cup.
The RX910s are priced at $480.00 USD, €419.95 EUR, £369.99 and are available in Black, white, blue and deep sea colours and in standard, half and wide sizes, with a size 43 shoe weighing in at 304 grams.
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