Cycling shoes for an optimal riding experience

Compared to regular street shoes, you'll have a much better riding experience with professional cycling shoes. The wearing comfort is also much higher in comparison to conventional sneakers. If you ride longer distances on your bike or train properly, you should definitely get special bike shoes. We explain which type of shoe is best for you!  

Mountain Bike Shoes

First and foremost, when buying bike shoes, it depends on which bike you are riding. If you are mainly in steep terrain with your mountain bike, you definitely need suitable footwear. In this case, so-called mountain bike shoes, MTB shoes for short, are right for you. This type of shoe has a very robust, yet soft sole with a pronounced profile to have perfect grip even on challenging trails.

Weather-resistant materials ensure that your feet stay nice and dry even at peak performance or in bad weather. To protect the toe and heel area to the maximum, extra caps made of fiberglass are incorporated in this area in many MTB shoes.

MTB shoes are available for both clipless pedals and platform pedals. If you are more of a freerider and on your descents also like to incorporate occasional jumps, you should choose shoes for platform pedals, so that you can always move your feet freely. These shoes then again have a softer sole with a little less profile, as they hold better on the pins of the platform pedals. 

Mountain bike shoes for clipless pedals usually have specially recessed cleats, which provide particularly high comfort when walking (cleats are plates that are individually screwed to the sole of the shoe, so that they can lock onto the clipless pedal). Because it is not uncommon in mountain biking that you have to carry or push your bike sometimes for a certain section. 

>> See all MTB-Shoes

Road Bike Shoes

Your plan is to really let loose on the road with a road bike? Then you need special, extra light, road bike shoes for optimal pedaling. Here, professionals rely almost exclusively on road bike clipless pedals in combination with corresponding clipless pedal shoes. Thanks to the clipless pedal, the foot locks firmly into the pedal through cleats on the shoe sole - so nothing stands in the way of particularly energy-efficient riding. With this system, the pedaling force is perfectly transferred to the pedal both in the upward and downward movement of the feet. 

Since road bike shoes are less suitable for walking, you should only opt for this type of shoe if you want to practice the sport of road cycling effectively. A plus point of some road cycling shoes: certain models are moldable under heat, so you can adjust them perfectly to your foot shape. 

If you're afraid that you might not be able to get off the pedal in time in the event of a fall, we can reassure you somewhat. With a slight sideways twist of the foot you come out of the pedal in a flash. With a little practice you will get used to this move very quickly. 

>> See all Road Bike Shoes

(Photos: Scott)