For two years the Rapha Explore has worn the crown as the top overall shoe in our best gravel shoes guide. The Specialized S-Works Recon shoe comes a close second though, and its latest Recon ADV gravel shoe also scored well in our review.
With the Rapha shoe being a laced offering, I decided to pitch it against the very similar Specialized Recon S-Works Lace shoe to see if the king can be dethroned and find out which of these fairly equally priced, high-end gravel shoes is the best.
