Rapha serves up new Cross Shoes at Eurobike

Rapha have had a long history with cyclo-cross and they strengthen that relationship with their brand new Cross Shoe.

Like Rapha's GT shoes, the Cross model is made by Giro, but they aren’t just a rehash of an existing shoe with some colouring in; they have been designed from the ground up by the folks at Rapha.

The CX shoe is built around the Easton EC90 unidirectional carbon sole that features on Giro’s top-end road and mountainbike shoes and the upper is made from a synthetic leather with absolutely no holes or vents in so your feet should stay nice and warm and dry through the worst a 'cross course can splash up at you.

To save the shoe from getting a trashing from remount fumbles and tired last-lap tumbles the toe and heel are protected by abrasion resistant rubber bumpers.

Closure is via an alloy buckle and two Velcro straps.

The Rapha shoes come in winter-friendly, go-with-anything black but are decorated with blue grip on the sole and some very subtle stitching on the upper in the Rapha CX colour scheme so your shoes can match your socks, can match your top, can match your scarf, can match your umbrella. Even the insole has the Rapha CX pattern on it, but as your foot will hide that you’ll have to tell everyone.

A pair of size 8 shoes weigh 375g.

The Rapha Cross Shoes don’t just come to you in a shoe-box, that would be boring. They come in a tough nylon drawstring shoe bag, which isn’t all that either, but inside that bag is a recycled and recyclable cardboard container.

Open that up and you’ll find your spanky new Rapha shoes, and two pairs of shoe wedges and some aggressive toe-studs for the inevitable run up.

Excitedly take all that out of their respective compartments and you’ll find that the box can be used as a container for beer and frites, which as everyone knows are the essential accompaniment to cyclo-cross.

The Rapha Cross shoes will cost you £250. You will need to supply your own beer and frites though, the cheapskates, and sense of humour.

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