Shoes and Pedals For Mountain Biking
Navigating shoe and pedal systems for maximum comfort, efficiency, and power.
Your shoe-to-pedal interface is extremely important. It is one of only three contact points between you and your bicycle, but, unlike handlebars and saddles, your pedals convert your work to power. This is why it's worth spending some extra time to find the right system for you. Ideally, your choice should be comfortable, easy to use, and help you feel connected to your bike in any riding conditions. Read on to learn more about pedal types and clipless systems!
Pedal Types
There are two types of mountain pedals: flats and clipless.
Flat pedals
Basic flat pedals, sometimes called platform pedals, come standard on new bicycles (though higher-end bikes often require pedals to be purchased separately). Made of hard resin or aluminum, it's a simple design that does not require special footwear.
Some flat pedals are made of more durable materials like aluminum and feature small pins that grab your shoe's rubber tread to promote foot retention when the trail gets rough. This style helps keep your foot on the pedal and is good for emergency bailouts, but is not as efficient as a clipless interface. Many downhill-oriented riders use these and are most effective when combined with dedicated flat pedal shoes.
Clipless pedals
Clipless pedals (named because they don't have plastic clips) combine maximum foot retention, easy and safe pedal entry/exit, and superior power transfer. The epitome of performance and comfort, clipless pedal systems can reduce foot fatigue, but have a small learning curve and require special footwear. Many cross-country-oriented mountain bikers eventually graduate to one of the clipless interfaces featured, below.
Mountain Bike Shoes
Your shoes should keep you comfortable, injury-free, and ready to put down power no matter the trail ahead or the miles behind. They should be durable, lightweight, stiff to provide a stable platform for power transfer, and built from materials to regulate your foot temperature and adjust shoe fit. Flat shoes will be slightly less stiff, but easier to walk in and a bit more fashionable off your bike. Two-hole clipless mountain shoes have cleats screwed into the bottom of their soles, are more rigid, and benefit from the efficiency of clipless systems.
Clipless Systems
Mountain clipless systems consist of three parts: pedals, cycling shoes, and a removable cleat bolted into the bottom of your shoe. Mountain-specific cleats are attached with two screws, so road-specific shoes with three holes are not interchangeable with mountain systems. Before you buy, make sure your shoe, cleat, and pedal will all work together!
Popular two-bolt mountain systems include Look, Crankbrothers, and Shimano SPD.
All clipless systems function in the same way; the rider pushes their cleat into the pedal's clamping mechanism to clip-in. To unclip, the rider gently pivots their foot a few degrees on the pedal to make it release the cleat. With a little practice, these actions become habit. Proficient clipless riders can clip-in and unclip as quickly as riders using flat systems.
Remember: components of two-bolt and three-bolt systems are not interchangeable, this includes Shimano's SPD-SL (three-bolt road) and SPD (two-bolt) systems. The removable cleat screwed into the sole of your shoe must match the clip mechanism on the pedal.
Clipless Cleats
Your new pedals will include clipless cleats, but the cleats eventually wear out and need replacing. When pedal entry and exit feels sloppy, or too easy no matter how you adjust your pedal's tension, it's time to replace your cleats. Check out our selection, here.
Staff favorites
Brandon’s choice for clipping in was to improve his climbing ability. Here in Chico there is a lot of steep technical climbing that the clipless combo makes much more rideable.
Shoes: SHIMANO XC7 MOUNTAIN SHOES
Pedals: LOOK X-TRACK EN-RAGE PEDALS
When at bike parks or during a shuttle day Jack will rock some Ride Concepts Vice flat pedal shoes and Race Face Chester pedals. A great combination of grip, but also the ability to bail when things don’t go as planned.
Shoes: RIDE CONCEPTS VICE FLAT PEDAL SHOE
Pedals: RACE FACE CHESTER COMPOSITE PEDALS
Ryan’s setup maximizes pedaling efficiency with a very stiff shoe. This will increase the amount of power he puts out that actually goes into the drivetrain. But, he might slip around when it is time to hike a bike.
Shoes: SHIMANO RX8 GRAVEL SHOES
Pedals: SHIMANO DEORE XT M8120 TRAIL SPD PEDALS W/ CLEATS