The Best Clipless Mountain Bike Shoes

We took 7 of the best clipless mountain bike shoes available and put them through months of abuse and testing to help you find the best model for you. Working in tandem with our Mountain Bike Pedal Review team, we were able to test the shoes with a multitude of pedals and during different styles of riding. From trail rides, bike park laps, to XC and cyclocross racing, these shoes have seen it all. Which shoes came out on top after months of head-to-head testing? Read on for a detailed analysis.

Best Overall Mountain Bike Shoes: Pearl Izumi X-Project Pro

Pearl Izumi X-Project Pro

  • Lightweight
  • Comfortable
  • Boa retention system
  • Carbon sole
  • Customizable insoles
  • Expensive

New on the market in 2018 is the X-Project Pro. With notable updates to the sole and upper, the new version should rival the original. We loved its predecessor, and after researching this updated model, we expect performance to improve.

The Pearl Izumi X-Project Pro is our top pick. It is truly a unique shoe, with a level of versatility that is unmatched by any other shoe we tested. It is well suited to cross-country, enduro, and even cyclocross.

The carbon sole gives the shoe excellent power transfer characteristics, with a stiff feeling under even the hardest out-of-the-saddle pedaling efforts, while still maintaining a surprising amount of flex when off the bike walking or running. The tacky rubber outsole almost completely covers the carbon midsole, protecting it from wear and rock strikes, and utilizes an aggressive lug pattern that clears mud well.

A well-designed Boa retention system uses two dials and allows for an unmatched level of micro-adjustability while riding or racing. The upper is seamless with lots of mesh panels for ventilation. An adjustable insole system, with different arch and various inserts, complements the well-designed upper for an unmatched level of comfort and customization. The Pearl Izumi X-Project Pro should be on your shortlist no matter what type of rider you are.

Best Bang for the Buck: Giro Privateer R

Giro Privateer R

  • Lightweight
  • Durable
  • Stiff sole
  • Comfortable
  • Affordable

The Giro Privateer is not the least expensive shoe we tested, but you get a lot of performance for your money. The Privateer is an entry-level shoe; with a stiff Zytel Nylon sole and a firm lugged rubber outsole. It is geared more towards the cross-country racer than the gravity crowd, but it is a capable shoe and we would recommend it for just about any type of riding short of a day at the bike park.

The Privateer looks nearly identical to Giro’s higher-end Code shoe but has nylon sole instead of the carbon utilized by the Code. Power transfer is not quite as good as with the Pearl Izumi X-Project, but for a shoe without a carbon sole, it is impressive. The shoe is very comfortable and utilizes the same insole as the Terraduro, but has a much more supple upper.

The Privateer is not super cheap, but we challenge you to find a better shoe in this price range. Giro recently released a new version called the Privateer R, with notable updates to the sole and upper. We are currently testing the new version. For all the details, and comparison of the differences between the models, keep reading.

Top Pick for the Enduro Racer: Giro Terraduro

Giro Terraduro

  • Durable
  • Good foot protection
  • Comfortable
  • Vibram sole
  • Versatile
  • Heavy
  • Does not clear mud well

This shoe is marketed as an enduro race shoe, and while it excels in that capacity, it is also one of our favorite all-around shoes. Not as stiff, or lightweight as the Pearl Izumi X-Project Pro, it might not be on the top of the list for cross-country racers, but everyone else should at least consider this shoe.

To say it is durable is an understatement. The Vibram sole was one of the most resistant to wear during our testing and nearly every spot on the shoe in danger of abrasion is coated in a tough rubber-like abrasion resistant material. The Giro Terraduro is comfortable both on and off the bike, if you spend a lot of time off the bike inspecting lines or hiking sections of backcountry trail, this is the shoe for you.

When walking or running the Terraduro feels more like a firm hiking shoe than a typical mountain bike shoe. Power transfer is not as good as with top end cross-country shoes such as the X-Project Pro, but when paired with a platform or mini-platform clipless pedal, the efficiency is more than acceptable, even on long backcountry rides. Our only complaint with the Terraduro is the lack of ventilation, on hot days your feet may get a bit warm. The Terraduro is a fantastic shoe that meets the needs of a broad range of riders.

best mtb shoes
Just trying to pick out the right shoes for this outfit… The fleet is ready for action

Choosing the Best MBT Shoes

In the early days of the mountain bike most people were using flat pedals and sneakers, and maybe some toe clips for the skilled and brave. In 1990 Shimano released the SPD Pedal and everything changed. Shimano was not the first to bring a clipless mountain bike pedal to market, but they were the first to make one that took the market by storm.

Overnight the mountain bike shoe market was born. In order to reap the benefits of the new clipless SPD pedal, a purpose built shoe with a slotted sole was needed to mount the cleat that would interface with the new SPD pedal.

Clipless compatible mountain bike shoes are now ubiquitous equipment for use with every type of mountain bike. Riders from every discipline of the sport have found the benefits of increased pedaling efficiency and better control. We at The Adventurerr discovered the sport on flat pedals with tennis shoes but you won’t catch us riding without Shimano or Crankbrothers cleats stuck to our shoes now.

In the early days of clipless mountain bike shoes, there were not many options. Most brands only offered one shoe for mountain biking. As time has gone by, mountain biking has diverged into many sub-disciplines. So, in the same way that bike manufactures design bikes differently for cross-country racing than they would for enduro, shoes are now produced to excel for demands of different disciplines.

All of the shoes we tested are clipless, with a standard two-bolt hole pattern for mountain bike specific cleats. There are many approaches when it comes to shoe construction, soles vary from rigid carbon to semi-flexible nylon and retentions systems run the gamut from laces to BOA closures.

We tested a wide range of shoes, some of which are clearly marketed for specific disciplines, such as enduro racing, or cross-country rides. Often the shoes also have specific design characteristics intended to improve upon performance or to appeal to the style of the intended user. For more on how these shoes stacked up in head-to-head testing, read on.

Types of Clipless Mountain Biking Shoes

Shoes for biking are typically tailored to different specific styles of riding. Here we briefly elaborate on the primary types. Wondering which style shoe is right for you? See our Buying Advice article.

Cross-Country Mountain Bike Shoes

Cross-country mountain bike shoes are generally designed with a very stiff midsole for optimum power transfer and tend to be constructed of lightweight materials in order to reduce weight. They are often less durable than Enduro or Gravity oriented shoes. Examples include the Giro Privateer, Sidi Dominator 5 Fit, and the Shimano XC31.

Enduro and Downhill Mountain Bike Shoes

Downhill riding and racing has grown in popularity as more ski areas have added lift-serviced trails. The explosion of enduro racing has seemingly happened overnight and spawned a range of shoes that, while designed for enduro, are perfect for the average trail riders’ needs.

Downhill oriented shoes such as the Fiveten HellCat look casual and are designed to provide a pedaling platform. While maintaining a high degree of walkability, they are ideally paired with pedals that have a platform. Enduro oriented shoes such as the Giro Terraduro and the Fiveten Kestrel provide very impressive power transfer, excellent walkability, and traction, as well as a high degree of foot protection.

Blurring the Lines

Shoes such as the Pearl Izumi X-Project Pro are blurring the shoe genre lines, by using variable thickness carbon midsoles combined with a grippy rubber outsole. Shoes designed in this way can provide incredible pedaling characteristics while still being very efficient for hiking or running. Essentially they are everything a trail rider wants, while still having the power transfer of a top end cross-country shoe.

How We Chose

After months of tests on different styles of bikes and a wide range of terrain, we evaluated these shoes on what we deemed as the most important metrics of comfort, weight, power transfer, traction, and durability.

Shoe Comfort

When it comes to mountain biking shoes, there are not many things more important than comfort. No matter how great they look or how amazing the power transfer is, if the shoe feels like a medieval torture device you are not likely to wear it, or notice any of the shoe’s other attributes.

How do we measure comfort? If you try out a new shoe on a ride and quickly forget about them, that is always a good sign. Ideally, your shoes should be the last thing on your mind when you are riding. Many factors are at play when it comes to comfort: the design, construction, and materials of the shoe all play a role. Our highest rated shoe is the Pearl Izumi X- Project.

The dual Boa retention system offers micro adjustability that allows for extremely precise tension over the entire length of the shoe. In contrast, the Five Ten Kestrel, which does not rate as high, uses a single Boa dial, and it is much more difficult to achieve even tension. Insoles also make a big difference in comfort.

The X-Project utilizes a class-leading customizable insole to dial in the fit to meet almost any rider’s needs, while insoles seem to be an afterthought in other shoes we tested. Other high rated products include the Giro Privateer, and the Giro Terraduro, which both feature ratchet closures, a supple upper, well-padded interior, and excellent stock insoles.

Shoe Weight

Does weight matter? There is no piece of cycling equipment that is not subject to weight analysis. After all, the cumulative weight of the rider, his equipment, and the bike all impact the speed a rider is able to climb, and the amount of energy that will be expended to accomplish a ride or race.

Lighter gear means less work, which to us means more riding, and potentially feeling fresher later in your ride. That being said, we have placed less emphasis on weight than on other criteria such as comfort, because the relative differences in weight are not huge, and other factors are likely to make a larger difference in your satisfaction with a pair of riding shoes.

The lightest pair of shoes we tested are the Shimano XC31 at 1lb 8oz, followed closely by the Pearl Izumi X-Project at 1lb 10.8oz per pair. The Five Ten Hellcat sits at the other end of the spectrum weighing in at 2lbs 9oz, almost a full pound heavier than the lightest shoes we tested.

Power Transfer

Conveying power from your legs to the pedals and on into the drive train starts with your shoes. One of the biggest benefits of clipless shoes and pedals over flat pedals is that the shoe is always positioned over the pedal in the optimum position to deliver power. In order to take full advantage of shoe positioning, you need a shoe with a minimal amount of flex in the sole, particularly in the forefoot area directly above the cleat. The idea being that as the stiffness of the sole increases, the potential to lose power into the flex of the shoe decreases.

So all things being equal, a stiffer sole equals superior power transfer and less wasted energy. Road biking shoes are designed to be extremely stiff, and high-end cross-country mountain bike shoes are often equally as stiff as a top-end road shoe. Carbon fiber is the material of choice when it comes to achieving stiffness, with minimal stack height and low weight.

Various types of plastic and nylon composite materials are also used in sole construction and can offer a good degree of stiffness, but often at the expense of increased weight. Our top-rated shoe in this category is the Pearl Izumi X Project, which uses a variable thickness carbon sole that is quite stiff and offers excellent power transfer. Other top-rated products include the Giro Privateer, with a Zytel Nylon sole and the Sidi Dominator Fit with a plastic sole.

Traction, Walking and Running

It would be great if we all had the skills to negotiate every steep rocky climb, and the nerve to clean every technical descent. But let’s face it, most of us occasionally have to do a bit of hiking with the bike, or at the least get off to preview the gnar before we ride it with ease. Beyond that, many of us mix it up in the fall with a bit of cyclocross, and that requires intentional running. So what makes a shoe good off the bike?

Traction. There is nothing worse than getting off your bike, intentionally or unintentionally, and finding that walking in your shoes is more dangerous than staying on the bike. If you ride in terrain that includes rock features, such as Moab or Tahoe, you will want a shoe that offers security and traction when navigating over rocky terrain. The tread design and outsole material determine the traction qualities of the shoe. Some shoes we tested, such as the Giro Terraduro, offer great grip on slick rock, but are not the best when it comes to muddy trails or cyclocross courses.

The ideal shoe combines a semi-aggressive tread that can clear mud with a softer rubber material that can grip the rock. Our top-rated shoe is the Pearl Izumi X-Project, its aggressive tread lugs comprised of soft rubber combined with a unique carbon sole designed to flex in the right places provide unparalleled off the bike performance. Another top contender is the Giro Terraduro, which is the only shoe we tested with a full Vibram Rubber outsole. The Five Ten Kestrel has a Stealth rubber outsole, and it great on rock, but lacks the more aggressive tread that gives the X-Project the edge in muddy conditions.

Modern designs like the Giro Terraduro have grippy rubber outsoles and flex through the toe for improved traction and walkability.

Durability

Shoes are not cheap, and a longer lasting shoe provides more bang for the buck. Beyond cost considerations, a durable shoe is less likely to leave you stranded on a ride, or without a pair of functioning shoes after an untimely rock strike. We took several factors into consideration during our durability assessment of our test shoes, including outsole durability, abrasion resistance of the upper, and type and position of the retention system.

It stands to reason that shoes with harder rubber lugs would wear less quickly than those with a softer outsole. In general, we found this assumption to be correct, but the shoes in our test with hard lugs such as the Sidi Dominator Fit and the Giro Privateer also have exposed unprotected sole material that is prone to abrasion from missed pedal entry attempts and rock strikes while walking.

The shoes in our review with softer rubber soles such as the Pearl Izumi X project show tread wear more quickly, but also feature a rubber coated midsole which protects the portion of the shoe that provides structure and stiffness with a barrier against abrasion.

All of the shoes we tested use some form of synthetic upper. The abrasion resistance of the various materials varies widely. The shoes with the best performing uppers have some wrap-around rubber protection from the sole or patches of rubber or tougher material in areas that are prone to abrasion and wear. The Giro Terraduro is a good example of a shoe that relies on an extension of the outsole to better protect the abrasion-prone areas of the upper.

The type of retention system used by the shoe has a big impact on the overall durability as well. Ratcheting straps are the most common amongst our test shoes, and they are often the most economical choice.

While ratchets can provide years of solid performance, the position of the primary ratchet is in most cases on the outside of the shoe and protrudes farther out than any other portion of the shoe. This position leaves the ratchet mechanism vulnerable to impacts with rocks and other trail debris or features. Velcro straps offer good adjustability but are prone to rapid wear, especially when used in wet muddy environments.

We found Boa type retention systems to offer the greatest durability. Boa dials can be placed on the top of the shoe or higher up on the side of the shoe than a standard ratchet strap. The Pearl Izumi X-Project has an ideally positioned Boa retention system, with the dials placed on the tongue of the shoe. This position protects the dial from rocks and other potential impacts.

The strategically positioned Boa dials of the Pearl Izumi X-Project Pro make them less prone to damage than other design.

Our highest rated shoe for durability is the Giro Terraduro, which features a durable Vibram sole that wraps up and over the toe of the shoe, providing excellent protection and wear resistance. The Pearl Izumi X-Project also receives top scores with a well placed BOA closure system and a carbon sole that is well protected with a layer of rubber.

Conclusion

There are a number of things to consider when deciding what mountain bike shoes are right for you. Depending on the type of riding you enjoy, whether it be cross-country, downhill or gravity riding, you will benefit from the features of different shoes. This review is designed to help you answer those questions and sort through the available options to make your decision.

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