As a important connection between you and your bike, discovering the very best mountain bike footwear is essential. Good footwear present stability, management, and safety whereas delivering energy into the pedals and hopefully remaining snug within the course of.

This seemingly easy piece of substances has developed considerably over time, and these days, there are as many various types of footwear as there are subgenres of mountain biking. Totally different types of driving have totally different calls for with cross-country, path, enduro, and gravity riders all in search of various efficiency traits from their footwear.

We gathered a various number of 16 of the very best clipless mountain bike footwear available on the market to check and evaluate. Over the course of a number of months, we took every pair to job on path rides, shuttle laps, cross-country loops, and even some lengthy gravel grinds whereas assessing every mannequin on necessary components like consolation, energy switch, stability, walkability, and foot safety to search out the very best footwear for every kind of rider.

Beneath you’ll discover our favourite clipless mountain bike footwear for all types of driving. To see all of the fashions we examined at a look, take a look at our comparability chart. In the event you need assistance determining what mountain bike footwear you want, you’ll want to take a look at our complete purchaser’s information and FAQ on the finish of this text. In the event you experience flat pedals and also you’re searching for a brand new pair of footwear, you’ll want to take a look at our complete evaluation of the finest flat pedal footwear.

Editor’s word: This evaluation was up to date on Nov. 15, 2023, with the removing of the lately discontinued Shimano ME7 footwear, and to make sure that the remainder of our product choice was and the data supplied was as up-to-date as potential.

The Greatest Mountain Bike Sneakers of 2023

Mountain Bike Sneakers Comparability Chart

Why Ought to You Belief Bikerumor?

For effectively over a decade, the group at Bikerumor has been reporting on the newest information, applied sciences, and merchandise throughout the spectrum of driving disciplines. Writing about bikes isn’t only a job, it’s our ardour, and we love making an attempt out new and attention-grabbing merchandise of all types for opinions or to search out the very best choices to reinforce our expertise, enjoyment, and efficiency out on the roads or trails.

Our mountain bike shoe evaluation writer, Jeremy Benson, has been professionally testing and reviewing mountain bike gear for the previous 8 years and has examined over thirty totally different pairs of clipless mountain bike footwear in that point. Having began mountain biking within the early Nineteen Nineties, he’s witnessed and skilled the evolution of clipless mountain bike footwear firsthand. From gravel and XC racing, all-day backcountry epics, and shuttle runs on steep skidders, he appreciates all forms of driving and understands the wants of various riders and driving types. His in depth testing expertise has additionally resulted in a eager capability to discern the efficiency variations within the merchandise he makes use of. Along with mountain bike footwear, Jeremy has examined and reviewed the finest mountain bike helmets to maintain your head protected and the finest hitch bike racks for transporting your valuable rides.

After researching the very best fashions obtainable in 2023, we rounded up a number of 16 totally different fashions to check and evaluate aspect by aspect. Every pair was totally examined over the course of a number of months (some fashions for effectively over a 12 months) to find out their strengths and weaknesses and the way they carry out in the actual world. Every pair was weighed for consistency and comparability to the producer’s claims, and necessary efficiency traits like match, consolation, air flow, pedaling effectivity, foot safety, and walkability have been scrutinized out on the path.

Purchaser’s Information: Methods to Select Mountain Bike Sneakers

With so many various fashions to select from, discovering the very best pair of mountain bike footwear to fulfill your wants could be a problem. We put collectively this shopping for recommendation that goes over the issues you want to contemplate when making your buy resolution. Please word that this evaluation and the data beneath are particular to clipless mountain bike footwear, that are footwear that settle for cleats that clip in to the pedals (complicated, we all know). Flat pedal riders worry not, we’ve examined the finest flat pedals and the finest flat pedal footwear for those who desire to not clip in. For the roadies, we’ve a complete highway bike shoe evaluation as effectively.

Kinds of Mountain Bike Sneakers

Given the assorted classes that mountain biking is split into, it comes as little shock that we’ve footwear specialised to fulfill the various wants of riders and driving types. Generally, mountain biking will be damaged into three major classes, cross-country, path/all-mountain, and gravity. We clarify the first variations in design and efficiency between the forms of footwear beneath.

Cross Nation Sneakers

Whereas it’s potential to experience cross-country in nearly any mountain bike shoe, cross-country-specific footwear are the popular instrument for the job for a number of causes. XC driving is about pace and effectivity, so cross-country footwear are designed with low weight and environment friendly energy switch as priorities. That is notably true in XC racing, the place high-end footwear can present marginal beneficial properties that may be the distinction between a podium or a mid-pack efficiency. Cross-country footwear sometimes have stiff soles, typically created from carbon fiber or inflexible plastic, that present a direct switch of energy into the pedals with little to no power wasted by way of sole flex. Additionally they sometimes have glossy, low-profile uppers that present a comfortable and safe match. Given the stiffness and help of the soles, this fashion of shoe works effectively with small, light-weight pedals that don’t have any platform or cage.

Given the prioritization of weight and sole stiffness within the design of cross-country footwear, they do make some compromises in different areas. They typically present a lot much less safety for the ft in comparison with path or gravity-oriented fashions. Stiff soles additionally don’t have a tendency to offer a lot in the best way of vibration dampening, so they could be a little harsher on the ft over tough terrain and lengthy descents. Strolling and climbing additionally are usually much less pure and cozy given the stiffness of the soles, and the outsole designs. Regardless, if transferring quick uphill and throughout the flats is your objective, cross-country footwear are usually the very best guess. Typically, this fashion of shoe additionally works nice for gravel driving and/or on the highway bike. Examples of cross-country footwear embody the Shimano S-Phyre XC9, Specialised S-Works Recon, Fizik Vento Ferox Carbon, and Giro Sector.

Path and All-Mountain Sneakers

Sneakers designed for path driving are the comfortable medium between the stiff, efficiency-oriented cross-country fashions and the protecting gravity-focused choices. Path footwear are usually extremely versatile and span the biggest vary of driving types and makes use of. Most are nonetheless moderately light-weight and supply environment friendly energy switch, although it isn’t the singular focus like with cross-country footwear. Path footwear additionally sometimes present the next degree of foot safety, however not fairly as a lot as downhill footwear. Outsole designs range, however most now characteristic grippy rubber soles with flex by way of the toe to facilitate extra pure strolling and traction for these inevitable hike-a-bikes.

Sneakers like these that may do all of it inevitably make some minor compromises. They aren’t fairly stiff or gentle sufficient to be the most suitable choice for cross-country racing. Likewise, they don’t present the extent of foot safety most riders search for true downhill driving. Nonetheless, path driving footwear just like the Specialised 2FO Roost Clip are sometimes the most suitable choice for the overwhelming majority of riders. Different fashions just like the Crankbrothers Mallet Boa and the Trip Ideas Hellion Clip present sufficient foot safety for enduro driving and even downhill, but they’re versatile sufficient to be nice path driving footwear as effectively.

Enduro Sneakers

Enduro-style driving and racing is actually a gravity-focused self-discipline, and the popular footwear for this kind of driving are sometimes these designed for gravity driving. Nonetheless, with timed downhill levels and untimed uphill transfers, enduro riders do sufficient pedaling that effectivity is commonly nonetheless a consideration. For that reason, beefier and extra protecting path/all-mountain footwear are sometimes a sensible choice, and the brand new breed of moderate-weight gravity footwear are sometimes stable choices for this kind of driving.

Gravity Sneakers

Gravity riders who spend their days driving chairlifts or shuttling the uphills to experience tough and steep trails or hit huge jumps sometimes search footwear that present extra foot safety and considerably extra forgiving sole designs. Gravity footwear are usually a bit bulkier with extra cushioning within the uppers and protecting zones built-in across the toes, heels, and typically the ankles. With much less emphasis on effectivity, the soles are usually not as stiff and so they often incorporate some vibration-dampening materials like EVA foam within the midsole to soak up some path suggestions and affect. These options sometimes lead to footwear which might be a bit heavier, although that may be a tradeoff for the safety and luxury they supply.

In fact, gravity footwear will be worn for on a regular basis path driving, although they might be overkill in lots of conditions. Nonetheless, path riders in search of added foot safety and cushioning usually go for this fashion of shoe, notably if their driving leans in the direction of the extra aggressive aspect of the spectrum and so they don’t thoughts a bit of further weight in change. Most of the newest gravity footwear, just like the Fox Union Boa and 5 Ten Hellcat Professional are lighter and fewer cumbersome than older fashions, increasing their versatility and making them viable choices for path driving as effectively.

What Kind of Using Do You Do?

The kind of driving you do would be the major issue to think about when choosing the proper pair of mountain bike footwear. If the vast majority of your driving falls into a selected class like cross-country or gravity, footwear designed for that particular goal will serve you the very best. In the event you’re extra of a generalist, then a flexible trail-riding shoe might be the best way to go. In the event you dabble in a number of disciplines, having a number of totally different pairs of footwear to match the kind of driving you’re doing will not be unusual.

Pedals

Very similar to your footwear, clipless pedals are available in quite a lot of types that will present distinct efficiency benefits for sure forms of driving. The clip mechanisms themselves range considerably between manufacturers, though the final concept is similar. Clipping into your pedals secures the foot to the pedal within the optimum place. The optimum place varies by private desire, but in addition by use case. Sometimes XC riders have a barely extra ahead cleat place to optimize pedaling effectivity, whereas most gravity riders have a rearward-biased cleat place to reinforce stability when descending. Fortunately, most footwear have a comparatively vast cleat adjustment vary so most individuals will be capable to place their cleats of their desired location.

Amongst mountain bike pedals, the Shimano SPD system and cleat are usually the most typical. Different manufacturers like Crankbrothers, Time, HT, Hope, and so forth, use proprietary cleats for his or her pedals, however all of them share the identical two-bolt attachment. There are few precise “requirements” within the bike trade, however the two-bolt cleat interface for mountain bike footwear is one that’s really a regular. Phew.

XC Pedals

Pedals for cross-country driving are designed for use with stiff-soled cross-country footwear. They sometimes include a spindle and a small pedal physique that’s primarily simply the clip mechanism, usually with a small platform to both aspect for some lateral help. They often prioritize gentle weight, and the vast majority of the help comes from the stiff sole of your footwear. Examples embody fashions like Crankbrothers Eggbeaters, HT M2, Time XC 8, and Shimano XTR PD-M9100.

Path Pedals

Path pedals sometimes have a small to mid-size cage that surrounds the clip mechanism. Designs range, however sometimes the cage is meant to offer a bit of extra help when clipped in or one thing to face on for those who occur to clip out. The bigger pedal physique can be useful for locating and orienting the pedal beneath your foot when clipping in. Some designs characteristic traction pins that may add grip when used with sure footwear. Examples of path pedals are the Shimano XT Path, Crankbrothers Mallet Path, HT T2, Time Speciale 8, and different comparable fashions.

Gravity Pedals

Downhill riders sometimes go for pedals which have a big platform surrounding the clip mechanism. The bigger platform helps present help for the comparatively softer-soled gravity footwear, each fore and aft, and aspect to aspect. The added help is important and offers further management when piloting your bike by way of tough terrain at excessive speeds. These pedals usually resemble a flat pedal with a clip mechanism within the middle, and so they usually have traction pins for added grip. Examples of gravity pedals embody the Time Speciale 12, Shimano Saint, DMR V-Twin, and Crankbrothers Mallet DH.

Getting the Proper Match

Discovering the precise kind of shoe to fit your wants and driving fashion is essential, however discovering the precise match will improve your management and guarantee your consolation on the bike. Too free and your ft can transfer round leading to a discount of management, whereas footwear which might be too tight could cause discomfort, sizzling spots, and even numb ft. Correctly becoming footwear must be the suitable size, width, and quantity, with closures that wrap the ft snugly and securely.

Sizing

Getting the precise measurement is the necessary first step. Like every other kind of footwear, mountain bike footwear are available in a variety of sizes which might be sometimes listed in EU, US, and UK sizes. If you’re not sure of your measurement, you may get your ft measured at most bike outlets or you are able to do it at dwelling (it’s simple to search out useful ideas for measuring your ft on-line). You probably have mountain bike footwear that match effectively, it’s usually as simple as checking the dimensions and ordering the identical factor, particularly if it’s the identical model. This doesn’t all the time maintain true, nonetheless, as there’s some variance between manufacturers and the way their EU and US/UK sizes line up on the dimensions chart. Each time potential, we suggest making an attempt footwear on before you purchase to make sure they match appropriately. When making an attempt footwear on, it’s additionally necessary to put on the socks you’ll be driving in, as sock thickness can straight affect how a shoe suits.

Width and Quantity

Width and quantity are additionally necessary issues that may make or break the match of a shoe. Most footwear are available in a “common” width that’s supposed to suit the vast majority of folks whose ft are neither very vast nor very skinny. For that reason, folks with average-width ft usually have the simplest time discovering footwear that match them correctly when it comes to width and quantity. Generally, cross-country footwear are inclined to have barely narrower and lower-volume suits. Fortunately, some manufacturers provide vast or high-volume variations to accommodate these with wider ft. Path and gravity footwear range when it comes to width, however usually talking, they sometimes have a bit of extra room within the forefoot than the snugger-fitting cross-country fashions. Additionally it is price noting that the majority footwear will break in barely over time because the uppers conform to your ft. Some footwear that really feel too tight out of the field could find yourself being the right match after a number of rides.

Arch Help

Individuals’s arches usually are not all the identical, so arch help could also be an necessary consideration for some folks. Sometimes, individuals who pedal exhausting and put in lengthy miles wish to guarantee their ft and decrease legs keep within the optimum alignment for transferring energy. These with excessive arches additionally profit from having an insole that gives ample help. Some footwear, sometimes high-end cross-country footwear, include insoles which have adjustable arch help. Nearly all of mountain bike footwear, nonetheless, have a tendency to return with comparatively fundamental insoles. These with particular arch help wants and desires can usually profit from the usage of aftermarket or customized insoles.

Pedaling Effectivity

Mountain bike footwear are our connection to the pedals and the way our pedaling energy will get transferred into ahead movement. The stiffness of a shoe’s sole is a significant factor that dictates how effectively your energy is transferred, and so they range fairly considerably based mostly on supplies used and supposed use. Pedaling effectivity is prioritized most by cross-country riders, notably racers, who purpose to maximise their effort, so XC footwear sometimes have the stiffest soles, usually constructed from carbon fiber or inflexible plastic. These soles flex little or no, if in any respect, and are usually rather less forgiving and tougher to stroll in. Worth and sole stiffness usually go hand in hand, with stiff, race-oriented fashions usually using carbon fiber of their soles and commanding a lofty price ticket. It isn’t simply the only real’s stiffness, nonetheless, as a exact match is equally necessary to maintain the foot from transferring round to maximise effectivity all through the entire pedal stroke.

Sneakers designed for path driving sometimes have a extra balanced sole that’s stiff sufficient for effectivity throughout lengthy days within the saddle, however has some forgiveness within the design to reinforce rider consolation and walkability. Path footwear usually make use of stiffening plates, or shanks, within the soles that usually run about 3/4 of the size of the shoe, offering construction from concerning the ball of the foot again to the heel. This offers help underfoot when descending and pushing on the pedals whereas leaving the only real underneath the toes and forefoot considerably versatile for strolling. Gravity-oriented footwear usually make use of comparable designs, though some are supposed to have a bit of extra flex and forgiveness. Additionally they sometimes have extra vibration-dampening supplies constructed into the mid-soles to soak up extra path suggestions.

Closures

Along with getting the precise match, having the shoe be comfortable and safe round your foot is necessary for consolation, management, and stability. Shoe producers use plenty of totally different strategies for tightening the shoe round your foot, together with laces, velcro straps, ratcheting buckles, Boa dials, and typically a mix of two closure sorts. Private desire usually dictates what somebody chooses, and a few footwear are even provided in a number of closure choices. For instance, the Crankbrothers Mallet footwear are available in Boa, Velocity Lace, and Lace variations with the first distinction being value. It stands to motive that the fancier closure methods have a tendency so as to add a bit of to the general value of a pair of footwear.

Worth isn’t the one distinction, nonetheless, and every closure fashion has some advantages and disadvantages. Laces are the only possibility and they’re low-cost and simple to exchange. They pull pressure evenly excessive of the foot, however they’re slower to placed on/take off, and so they can’t be adjusted on the fly. Velcro straps are sometimes used on their very own or together with laces, Boas, or ratchets both down by the toes or up on the prime of the tongue. Velcro is fast and simple to regulate, however it does have a tendency to wear down extra rapidly than different closures. Boa dials are sometimes discovered on costlier footwear, and so they tighten small wires excessive of the foot. Boa dials are light-weight and really simple to regulate, even whereas driving, however they are often extra susceptible to wreck from affect than different types of closures. Ratchet straps are much less frequent than they was, however they’re nonetheless used on some fashions of footwear. Ratchet straps use a small plastic ladder strap and a ratcheting buckle so as to add pressure over the foot.

Outsole Design

Outsole designs range wildly between totally different fashions and types of footwear and play a direct function in how simple it’s to stroll in some footwear and the traction they supply. Provided that we’re discussing footwear designed to clip-in to your pedals, sole grip isn’t almost as necessary as it’s for flat pedal footwear the place you depend on the only real in your connection to the pedal pins. That mentioned, those that experience trails that require dismounting for difficult sections or who hike a motorbike continuously will wish to contemplate that when selecting a pair of mountain bike footwear. Cross-country footwear are inclined to have stiff carbon or plastic soles, and so they sometimes have some rubber tread lugs added to the toe, heel, and on either side of the cleat mount space. These tread lugs add some lateral stability on the pedal, grip when strolling, and defend the inflexible soles barely from injury. Many cross-country footwear also can have toe spikes added, which is frequent in cyclocross racing for added grip on muddy programs.

Fashionable path and gravity footwear often have full-coverage soles created from numerous rubber compounds. These are inclined to cowl the whole sole of the shoe from toe to heel with solely the cleat mount space left uncovered. The tread designs range from model to model, however most intend for the only real to offer grip on various surfaces. The cleat sits in a recess within the sole and good designs enable for the outsole on the edges of the cleats to interface with the pedal physique for lateral stability. Some path driving footwear are designed for adventurous driving that features pushing your bike up steep slopes, and these usually characteristic lugged tread designs extra akin to a climbing shoe’s sole.

Walkability

Relying on the kind of driving you do, a shoe’s walkability could or will not be a priority. In case your rides are usually on mellower terrain the place you keep on the bike the vast majority of the time, it probably doesn’t matter a lot how simple your footwear are to stroll in. In the event you experience extra adventurous terrain or prefer to scramble as much as each viewpoint alongside the experience, then a shoe that performs moderately effectively off the bike is perhaps of higher significance. It stands to motive that footwear with extra versatile soles and rubber within the outsole design can be simpler to stroll in and supply extra traction on rock and variable surfaces. Most fashionable path and gravity footwear work effectively on this regard with a choose few having explicit emphasis on off-the-bike traction of their sole’s design.

Cross-country footwear are usually the least nice to stroll in given their stiff soles that inhibit a pure gait. Most have a slight little bit of rocker by way of the toe together with raised rubber sole lugs for some grip, however they don’t seem to be often the optimum selection for many who dismount their bikes continuously.

The safety of 1’s ft whereas driving varies in significance between the totally different driving types, though almost all mountain bike footwear present some degree of foot safety of their designs. Even skinny, light-weight cross-country footwear have agency heel cups and small bumpers surrounding the entrance of the toes, however their prioritization of weight financial savings sometimes ends in footwear that present little extra foot safety. For that reason, they’re finest suited to much less technical terrain, the place the chance of rock strikes and different impacts to the ft is usually decrease.

Path footwear sometimes provide extra safety than XC footwear with thicker uppers and strategically positioned padding or inflexible supplies to guard the ft in additional different terrain. Additionally they usually have extra cushioning built-in into the midsoles for vibration absorption on tough trails. Gravity footwear just like the Giro Chamber II have a tendency to supply the very best ranges of foot safety with inflexible toe caps, further cushioning, and typically extra supplies like D30 patches for added affect safety in key areas. Further foot safety tends so as to add weight and gravity footwear are usually heavier and bulkier than different types of footwear in consequence.

Breathability

Shoe producers strategy breathability and air flow in numerous methods with almost all mountain bike footwear having some kind of method for air to enter or escape of their designs. How successfully these designs work varies considerably, and the way necessary that is to you relies on a number of components, in fact, just like the local weather the place you reside and experience, what kind of driving you do, and the way a lot you sweat. Ventilating options embody mesh panels, perforations within the uppers, or uppers constructed from air-permeable supplies. Not surprisingly, light-weight XC footwear designed for high-intensity driving sometimes do effectively right here due to thinner uppers and fewer bulk of their designs. The Giro Sector, for instance, is among the best-ventilated footwear we examined due to its ethereal Synchwire materials.

Path and gravity footwear, usually talking, are usually a bit of hotter on the ft as a result of thicker supplies and extra cushioning and safety they supply. This tends to be least necessary for gravity riders the place the vast majority of your time is spent driving downhill as a substitute of pedaling up it. Nonetheless, most fashions make some try at ventilating the ft, although the effectiveness of their designs varies.

Sturdiness

Like anything in mountain biking, your footwear take a beating and so they put on out over time. Individuals who experience day by day or are notably exhausting on gear could simply undergo a pair of footwear in a season from common use. Much less frequent riders ought to count on to get a number of seasons of use from a top quality pair of footwear. In fact, there are a variety of things that may play a job in how lengthy your bike footwear final. Terrain, climate, and even your expertise make a distinction and can dictate the lifespan of your footwear. Awkward dismounts, repeated scrapes towards sharp rocks, or consistently being moist can lead to injury to your uppers, whereas extreme strolling on sharp rocks could outcome within the untimely breakdown of your soles. Typically manufacturing defects will lead to sole delamination or different points (most manufacturers guarantee footwear with defects).

Generally, lighter, thinner footwear are usually probably the most inclined to wreck and might put on out most simply if not handled with care. Beefier, burlier footwear usually have further supplies in high-wear areas to guard from abrasion. Velcro tends to wear down sooner than different closure sorts, and it could possibly’t actually get replaced. Laces can tear or break, however they’re reasonably priced and simple to exchange. Boa dials have a checkered previous from a sturdiness standpoint, although they’ll usually get replaced and are typically lined by guarantee.

Worth

The worth of mountain bike footwear varies fairly considerably with the fashions we examined starting from $80 as much as $450. Sometimes, the most costly footwear are the very best efficiency, though that efficiency will solely actually be appreciated by sure riders for very particular causes. Until you’re a cross-country racer in search of marginal efficiency beneficial properties from the lightest and stiffest footwear, you don’t must spend that a lot. The $150 to $250 value vary can be the place most individuals discover the very best price-to-performance ratio. Whereas not the very best efficiency, even a shoe just like the $80 Giro Berm will get the job completed fairly effectively for much less frequent riders or these on a finances. In fact, we haven’t examined each single shoe available on the market, and there could also be different nice worth choices not listed right here.

Often Requested Questions About Mountain Bike Sneakers