Selecting Mountain Bike shoes

Selecting mountain bike shoes for trail, cross country and other use

Cycling shoes for mountain biking usually have stronger build than road shoes because of the requirements for coping with impacts with trails, whether its gravel, tree roots or general rocky terrain.

They have harder soles than standard trainers, but not as rigid as road shoes, otherwise walking would be uncomfortable and difficult.

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Recessed Cleats

Whereas the cleats on road shoes often stick out, the ones on mtb shoes are always recessed, to allow easy walking.

Because of this, the fitment to pedals needs to be carefully considered to ensure compatibility.

If you see SPD in reference to a pedal, it stands for Shimano Pedalling Dynamics and was their original cleat system designed for mountain biking. You need to check compatibility when using the SPD system as not all shoes will adapt to the cleat system and the cleat must obviously fit the pedal and the shoe.

Tread patterns on mtb shoes

Mountain bike cycling shoes are also available with a variety of tread patterns and depths depending on what sort of ride you are taking part in. For instance for dry trails, a fairly mild tread would be workable, whereas for rocky or muddy terrain you would need a deeper more grippy tread.

Some mtb shoes also come with screw in studs for riders who are frequently dealing with muddy trails by having to get off the bike. Some pedals for competitive mtb are extra wide to allow pedalling without clipping on technical sections and the cycling shoes may have ankle support and toe cap reinforcments.

Sole materials

You will get plenty of choice for the sole in an mtb shoe from plastic to carbon. However, you would need to be sure that you weren't going to walk much or need much grip if you bought a carbon soled shoe. For mountain biking the choice is always going to be a compromise between the efficiency of a stiff sole versus the comfort and grip when walking on the trails.