Salomon’s Launches ‘Gravel Shoe’

Salomon launches the “Drx Defy Grvl” (what a name, lolz) with a marketing campaign calling it the first “gravel shoe”. Aiming to capture a similar hype that the bike industry experienced a few years ago when they put stubby tires on road bikes and created the gravel bike boom. These shoes are beefed up road running shoe with a bit more tread and a bit more stability. But don’t call it a trail running shoe yet.

Road running conjures images of navigating the cityscape—pounding the pavement, traversing busy streets, and weaving through sidewalks in the “concrete jungle,” one stride at a time. Trail running, on the other hand, takes you off the beaten path, through rugged terrain, rocky trails, dense forests, and steep mountain ridges. But what about the runs that blend both worlds? The ones where you cover a few kilometers on asphalt before hitting the dusty trails of your local park? 

We call this new hybrid experience gravel, gravel running, or GRVL.

What I like about the shoe launch is the price point: At $140 it’s almost cheap consider what price point other brands have released their new shoes at. This new marketing focus isn’t trying to wrap an overpriced shoe with all the bells and whistlers into palatable language.

It’ll be interesting if other brands will jump on this train or if it’ll stay a one-off marketing stunt.