Rapha’s next generation of top-tier Pro Team Powerweave road & gravel shoes get a ground-up redesign with all-new uppers, new soles, new reinforcement, and a completely new slip-on sock-like fit. Really, the only thing that carries over is the main Powerweave upper fabric that gives the shoes their name. And even that has been rewoven for greater durability.

We’ve just received the new shoes in to test. And as a long-time fan of the fit & usability of the previous generation, these shake things up a lot!

Rapha Pro Team Powerweave road & gravel shoes (Photos/Cory Benson)

Rapha Powerweave is back with refreshed road and gravel shoes. And they get a completely new construction in the meantime.

Rapha describes the new shoes as the direct result of their global athlete Wear Test Programme. With 130 pro & amateur athletes riding in the latest next-gen shoes over all surfaces, they set out to create something more durable than ever.

new (top) vs. old (bottom)

From their first use of 3D-woven synthetic fabric in shoes five years ago, Rapha Powerweave delivered a unique blend of strength, support & yet still a soft, close fit by mixing both stiff & supple fibers in alternating weft. It is generally less stretchy than knit uppers, offering more structure, but is still form-fitting. But it was susceptible to abrasion – quite quickly even for my Explore Powerweaves. Yet still, they were one of my favorite pairs of gravel shoes because of their comfort.

So what’s actually new?

Key updates & Tech details

The biggest change comes from the soft knitted ‘sock collar’ construction. A conventional tongue is replaced with a soft, stretchy material that encircles the foot and closes the gap where the tongue would be. The sock fits snugly against your foot, but can still stretch out of the way to get in or out of the shoe. Then, a 6cm long padded insert in the sock weave of the virtual tongue evenly distributes pressure from the upper 3 thin Boa wires where you are likely to have the greatest tension.

…on the road (Photo/Rapha)

The road shoe features a completely new Powerweave structure that has a smoother overall texture, and is made of 100% recycled polyester. And it includes larger vent openings into its weave. It still uses the same 2 Boa Li2 setup with plastic-coated wires and plastic wire guides.

The new Rapha Pro Team Powerweave road shoes still use a full carbon sole and Pebax plastic-reinforced heel cup construction, which looks unchanged besides a slightly tweaked heel tread.

Weight claim of just 227g per shoe, size 42.

…on groad and off-road (Photo/Rapha)

The gravel shoe Powerweave structure is closer to its previous version, but looks to use more of the hard-wearing plastic-y TPU fibers on the outside, presumably to boost durability. Now 40% TPU and 60% recycled polyester for the gravel Powerweave. The Rapha Pro Team Powerweave gravel shoes also still use 2 Bo Li2 dials. Now they adopt plastic-coated wires (instead of the woven cord). But they still stick with more impact-resistant webbing lace guides, which now are tucked inside the Powerweave fabric.

The gravel shoes feature an all-new full carbon (although not full-length in carbon) sole with new Vibram MegaGrip rubber for improved grip, especially on wet surfaces. The new sole feels as stiff as before. But the last ~5cm or so of the toes is more flexible, which helps hike-a-bike-ability without compromising pedaling efficiency.

You can see at the toe of the shoe where the stiffer UD carbon ends and the more flexible sole construction takes over.

Maybe the most important functional upgrade in my mind is new toe protection. There’s a small rubber toe bumper that extends up a tiny bit from the new Vibram sole. But even more practical is a thin rubberized coating over the entire toe cap – the same as was already on the heel. This will do wonders for keeping the shoes looking fresh, even after plenty of hike-a-bikes. It probably will also help keep some water out, either from groad spray or that morning walk around camp in dewy grass.

They also have the added benefit of being a full 15% lighter than before!

My size 43.5 shoes weigh just 602g for the pair – 301g a piece, since that’s how shoes are often referenced. (Official weight claim is 282g per shoes, size 42.)

First Impressions

The sock fit is snug. And Rapha actually recommends sizing up 1/2 a size vs. the previous generation, which I did.

The sock-like opening doesn’t open anywhere nearly as wide as the old shoes. I could stretch the opening a max 15 cm, while I could open the old shoe up to ~20cm. It is definitely harder to get the new shoes on & off, so pretty much every time you’ll be pulling hard on the heel loop to get them on your foot. Hopefully that stretch will last over time, as the snug fit is quite comfortable once it is on.

The other downside of losing the tongue is that the Boa wires bunch up the fabric a bit if you have a low-volume foot and wear thin socks. Also, there’s only a tongue pad under the 3 upper Boa wire crossings, so you may feel the 2 lower wire crossings against your forefoot. This shoe fits very snugly, though. You’ll likely not need to really lock those Boa dials down super tight, so it might not be a real issue in the end.

Rapha Pro Team Powerweave shoes – Pricing, options & availability (Photo/Rapha)

Rapha just launched the new Pro Team Powerweave shoes today, and you can find them online now, whether you prefer road or gravel riding. Both are available in half EU sizes 40-46, plus whole sizes from 36-47. Rapha says that their sizing comes up small and recommends “to go half a size up compared to your normal size“, even though the shoes actually have more volume in the toe box “for improved comfort”.

The new road shoes come in all-white, all-black, or a two-tone gray with reflectivity woven in.

(Photo(Photo/Rapha)(Photo

And the new gravel shoes come in this multi-colored beige called Dove/Rock Ridge or simple black.

Either one you pick, both sell for the same $480 / 420€ / £350, about a twenty percent increase over the previous generation.

Rapha.cc