Modular contact blocks that move with your SPD cleats rather than staying fixed to the shoe sole—that's the concept behind Shimano's Pontoon system. The SH-RX9 pontoons from Shimano mount alongside your cleats on the RX910 gravel shoes, creating a wider platform that contacts the pedal body and delivers stability closer to what you'd get from a road pedal setup. When the TPU blocks wear down from repeated use, you swap in fresh ones instead of replacing your shoes or accepting degraded performance.

The pontoons bolt directly to the carbon mounting points on the RX910 sole, positioning one block on each side of your SPD cleat. Because they're attached to the cleat interface rather than molded into the outsole, they follow your cleat position wherever you set it. Move your cleats inboard, outboard, forward, or back, and the pontoons maintain their relationship to the pedal engagement point. This differs from conventional gravel shoes where fixed tread blocks can end up misaligned with the pedal platform depending on cleat position.

Installation requires correct orientation. Each pontoon has directional arrows that must point toward the toes for the system to function properly. Reversing them compromises the pedal interface and defeats the purpose of the design. The mounting hardware comes included, and the process is straightforward once you've identified the correct direction.... Read More