Our top-rated flat and clipless shoes for mountain bikers
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The best mountain bike shoes will be comfortable and breathable, provide a stable pedalling platform, protect your feet from trail debris and crashes. They’ll be easy to get on and off, dry fast and not weigh too much.
Struggling to find something that meets all of these needs? Well, you’ve come to the right place. Our in-depth buyer’s guide to the best mountain bike shoes will help you choose the best kicks for you, as well as provide some information on the foundations of a good mountain bike shoe.
You’ll find all the best mountain bike shoes we have reviewed here – whether you ride cross-country, trail, enduro or downhill on flat or clipless pedals, we’ve ridden and rated the best mountain bike shoes on the market.
To make things easier, we’ve split this list into different types of mountain bike shoes:
These categories aren’t fixed, and many of the shoes are compatible across riding disciplines, but it’s a good place to start if you’re not entirely sure what you’re looking for.
Trail and enduro shoes tend to have solid, robust designs that can withstand a battering. The soles are stiff, but not so stiff you can’t take part in a bit of hike-a-bike. Many look like flat-sole mountain bike shoes, but others are more similar to typical clipless XC shoes.
All the shoes here take cleats for clipless pedals. Keep scrolling for our selection of the best flat MTB shoes.
Designed for enduro and downhill riding, the Crankbrothers Mallet BOA shoes are incredibly comfy well-designed cycling shoes.
They have enough feel and flex from the sole, ensuring you get a good level of feedback, without ever feeling droopy around the pedal. There’s plenty of cleat adjustment and the shoes shed mud easily too.
The shoes close with a Boa dial, which makes for quick opening and closing, but it does make these shoes £30 more expensive than their speed-lace equivalents.
The Kestrel Boa is designed for downcountry riding, with the shoes covering cross-country and trail duties thanks to a stiff sole and secure fit.
We found the Kestrel Boas to be less awkward to wear then XC shoes, while maintaining high levels of power transfer through their stiff sole.
The shoes remained comfortable on long rides thanks to their great fit, which resulted in zero pressure points or hotspots.
Although the Kestrel Boas are priced towards the top end, we’d say the features make them worth the money.
Giro’s Chamber II shoes are standout performers with loads of cleat adjustment that are easy to clip in and out of the pedals.
A thin sole gives enough feel while remaining efficiently rigid for sprints and climbs.
The shoes’ wide camo-print sole and toe bumper help to protect your feet, and the collar is well padded too.
Leatt’s 6.0 Clip V22 shoes are manufactured using a single woven upper with various abrasion and impact-resistant panels. The brand uses cat’s-tongue material on the inside of the heel to reduce heel lift.
The well-considered fit and breathable upper impressed, as did the ventilated mesh weave. The mesh holds very little water and if they do happen to let a little in, they’ll dry fast. We didn’t find any fault with the ATOP dial, with the clicks defined in feel and noise when tightening.
Shimano’s ME5 shoes are aimed at trail and enduro riding, and feature a Boa dial closure that locks the shoes solidly to your feet.
We found the ME5s comfortable out of the box, with the supple upper creating zero pinch points when tightened by the Boa dial.
The soles feature just enough flex so you feel feedback from what’s below you, while being supportive enough to transfer deep efforts into forward momentum. However, the sole does slightly flex around smaller pedals.
The ME5s offer great levels of comfort and performance at a decent price.
Specialized’s 2FO Roost Clip may have a casual appearance and a relaxed yet comfortable fit, but it is still a top-performing shoe on the trails. They provide less toe protection than some shoes as the upper is quite thin, which contributes to a low weight, but this does make them more comfortable for longer rides.
Safety Boots The laces are secure and the brand’s tried-and-tested Body Geometry insoles deliver ample arch support. The only real negative is the eyelets for the laces aren’t the smoothest running, so getting the shoe on and off is a bit of a hassle.