By Cycling shoes come in many styles, with different features and for different types of riding. There are dedicated models for everyone—commuters to roadies, mountain bikers to BMXers, indoor spinners, even those among us who dare wear sandals that clip in. For the sake of keeping this collection of our favorite cycling shoes focused, however, we’ve included only traditional road and mountain bike shoes for both men and women.
See at-a-glance reviews below of five of our top-rated shoes, then scroll deeper for more helpful buying info and full reviews of these and other high-performing options.
Super stiff carbon sole and synthetic upper.
The standard in flat-pedal shoes.
Small heel cup holds small feet securely.
Full lace closure and women-specific fit.
Combination Boa and Velcro closure.
Road Cycling Shoes
Road-shoe soles are typically stiff (for maximizing pedaling efficiency) and smooth (no tread equals lighter weight). Many—mostly higher-end models—utilize a triangular, three-bolt cleat-mounting pattern that’s compatible with the most common road-pedal systems—Look, imitation Look, and Shimano. Some road shoes offer a four-bolt sole compatible with Speedplay pedals. Low- to midrange road shoes often have a two-bolt pattern, in addition to a three-bolt pattern, to also accommodate mountain bike-style cleats. This allows the rider to use dual-sided pedals (which are easier to step into) as well as pedals that have a clipless mechanism on one side and a platform on the other (for shorter rides in regular shoes).
Get our exclusive ‘Ride Lots’ tee in the BICYCLING shop!
Get our exclusive ‘Ride Lots’ tee in the BICYCLING shop!
Uppers are light and made from soft and supple leather or synthetic materials that provide a comfortable and snug fit. Some have nylon mesh to keep your feet cool. A stiff, reinforced heel cup will stop your foot from slipping out while pedaling. Knit uppers are also starting to become popular for their comfortable fit and ventilation.
Join Bicycling All Access for more great gear reviews!
Mountain Bike Shoes
Mountain bike shoes come in two styles: clipless and flat. Compared with road shoes, clipless mountain shoes have grippy lugs and are built exclusively to accept two-bolt cleats. While top-end mountain shoes can have carbon soles and be every bit as stiff as a road-racing shoe, many clipless models have a bit of flex in the toe to make hiking easier. Mountain shoes usually use heavier-duty upper materials to withstand more rugged conditions—dirt, mud, rocks, roots—and often have armoring on the toes and heels to add durability and reduce the pain of rock strikes.
Flat shoes don’t have clipless cleat mounts and, like skate shoes, have sticky rubber soles. You ride them with platform pedals, and the absence of cleats means you can get on and off easier—good for stop-and-go commuting or bailing on downhill runs. And since you’re not locked in, the feeling is free and more surf-like. You’ll pedal differently with flat pedals because you can’t pull up on them. Brands like Five Ten and Vibram make extra-grippy soles that stick to pedals better.
Stiffness Is Important, But It’s Not Everything
A very stiff sole will make power transfer more efficient, but the lack of give can cause hot spots and discomfort. Brands typically use nylon in lower-cost shoes, which can feel less efficient but is more flexible and thus more comfortable, especially on bumpier terrain. Midrange shoes include some carbon-composite-enhanced materials. And the stiffest, highest-end soles will be entirely carbon, which is so stiff that not as much of it is needed, resulting in a lighter shoe.
Choose the Right Closure
Laces: After being spotted in the professional road-racing peloton, the laces trend has grown on the highest-end road shoes. The retro look has its fans, plus laces are light. They’re also found on entry-level shoes and almost all flat-pedal shoes. Laces provide a simple, effective, and easy-to-repair/replace closure. Another benefit to a laced shoe is that it tends to be very accommodating to unique foot shapes. The only downside: Laces are difficult to fine-tune mid-ride.
Hook and Loop: This Velcro-type closure system is found on shoes at all prices. It’s light, easy to adjust, easy to fine-tune, and can be placed at multiple points to provide tailored snugness. The downside: The hook-and-loop system can easily get caked with mud and other debris and lose its grip over time.
Dial: A system with a hub that, when you rotate it, tightens a cable, which acts as the lacing of the shoe, snugging the upper down over your foot. Boa is the king of dial closures, and you’ll find this system on mid- to high-end shoes from many companies. There are other dial-closure systems, though, such as Atop and Northwave’s SLW2 system. Dials usually offer the most closing force and are micro-adjustable, weather- and mud-resistant, secure when locked in place, and easy to adjust on the fly. They can get jammed or damaged, however, rendering them unusable (though they’re often easy to repair or replace).
How We Tested
Every pair of shoes on this list has been used and abused by our team of test editors. We’ve used these shoes for racing, training, commuting, and of course social riding. We’ve clambered over rocky hike-a-bike sections and walked through muddy fields to connect roads that didn’t really connect. We’ve ridden through rain storms and put the shoes away wet. We evaluated them on performance, price, comfort, fit, and value to determine this list of best men’s and women’s cycling shoes for the road and mountain.
Men’s & Unisex Cycling Shoes
Specialized Torch 1.0
Pros
- Combination Boa/Velcro closure
Cons
- Nylon sole isn't as stiff as carbon
This is a stiff, comfortable, good-looking road shoe that’s just $110. The single Boa dial doesn’t crank down the shoe as tight or as evenly as two dials, but the Velcro strap across the toe box is a good compromise. The nylon sole accepts three-hole cleats and has rubber bumpers under the toe and heal for safer walking on slick surfaces. This shoe brings a level of high performance that’s uncommon at this price.
Sidi Alba 2
Pros
- Carbon sole
- Dial and Velcro closure
- Heal and toe lugs, as well as Techno 3 dial closures, are replaceable
Cons
- Velcro straps on the toe aren't as secure as dial closures
Sidi has built a strong reputation on high style, high performance, and commensurate high price. But the Alba 2 bucks that trend with a level of performance and value that’s uncharacteristic for the flashy Italian brand. The Millennium 4 Carbon Composite sole is the same as what’s found on some of its pricier models, and has replaceable rubber lugs on the toe and heel. We were pleasantly surprised by the stiffness of the sole, as it far surpassed expectation for a shoe at this price. The upper is made from a synthetic material called Politex that gives the luster of leather with extra durability to resist scuffs and scratches, and conformed to our tester’s feet in a way you’d expect from a pair of swanky Italian kicks. The Techno 3 dial closure at the top of the shoe functions in a similar fashion to a Boa dial, with small buttons on the outside that we found easy to adjust on the fly. Though not as easy to use as Techno 3 dials, the two Velcro closures at the toe and mid-foot were good enough to dial in the fit. And we can’t ignore the style. Although the Alba 2 falls on the cheaper end of the Sidi spectrum, they retain the level of style Sidi is famous for.
Specialized S-Works Ares
Pros
- Holds foot more securely than any shoe we've tested
- Very comfortable
Cons
- Harder to put on your feet than most
The newest addition to the S-Works family of shoes is not lighter or more well-ventilated than its brethren. It does, however, boast the most secure fit of any shoe we’ve tested. That’s remarkable in two ways. First, the two-dial Boa closure created such consistent pressure across the foot that it allowed us to tighten the shoes far more than usual without creating hot spots. Additionally, the shoe held our feet so well that even without cranking down the dials there was hardly any movement inside the shoe. Our only complaint is that we found it tougher than usual to slide these on. But that feels like a fair price to pay for one of the best-fitting shoes we’ve ever worn.
Five Ten Freerider Pro
Five Ten Freerider Pro Primeblue Cycling Shoe
Ever noticed all those people riding flat pedals—the ones in bike parks, downhill races, even on your local trails? This shoe (and earlier versions of it) helped make that happen. Though Five Ten didn’t invent bike shoes for riding with flat pedals, it pretty much perfected the category with this shoe. The Freerider Pro is light and comfortable, has the right amount of stiffness (good for riding, okay for walking), and the sole sticks to your pedals like glue. The latest version is well-ventilated, dries quickly, and has extra protection on the toe as well as some modest protection around the heel. Bonus: It looks almost like a street shoe, so your significant other won’t cringe when you wear yours to dinner. And at $150, the pair is pretty reasonably priced.
Specialized S-Works Recon Mountain Bike Shoe
Specialized S-Works Recon
The magic of the Recon is largely in the materials. At the bottom, where your foot meets the pedal, Specialized uses its stiffest, lightest carbon footplate. That insane lightness extends to the strong upper, made of Dyneema Mesh. The shoe has a nice roomy toe box and incorporates Specialized’s Body Geometry design, which the company claims reduces injury risk, improves efficiency, and, of course, boosts power. At $425 for the pair, the Recon is not cheap. At all. However, it’s extremely durable and should last several seasons of seriously hard wear.
24-Month Update: These shoes don’t break down with lots of abuse, although they will show visible signs of wear and tear. Despite getting numerous other shoes to try, our tester keeps coming back to her Recons because she asserts they are her favorite off-road shoe ever.
READ FULL REVIEW VIEW 23 IMAGES
Shimano RC3 Wide
One of our 2020 Gear of the Year picks, Shimano’s RC3 is one of the few lower-cost shoes offered in multiple widths. This wide version fits E-width feet (the standard RC3 is a D-width), giving wider feet more room and less pinch. The RC3 is a surprisingly light shoe at 476 grams a pair (size 41, on our scale). That makes it a bit lighter than Shimano’s $430 RC9 (also offered in wide if you're looking for something more premium). The three-bolt-cleat compatible sole is stiff enough for most riders (Shimano rates it a six out of 12 on their scale), and the unique closure with single centrally-located Boa dial wraps your foot snugly.
Giant Bolt
Pros
- Compatible with two- and three-hole cleat patterns.
- Three Velcro straps.
Cons
- Velcro straps are short and hard to pull tight.
With ample mesh panels on the Bolt’s upper, we expected to be left with cold feet after some chilly winter rides. But even on a day in the low 40s, and with lightweight socks underneath, our tester was pleasantly surprised to come home without frozen feet. While that bodes well for winter rides, it leaves us wondering how hot these shoes might feel during the peak of summer. Giant uses its Force Drive Clipless Composite sole on these shoes, which isn’t as stiff as carbon but offers a reasonable compromise between stiff enough to provide adequate power transfer while pedaling and soft enough to dampen vibration. The flexible sole is also more comfortable and easier to walk in during midride coffee stops. In terms of fit, our tester found the hook-and-loop straps to be a bit short, which could be attributed to his high arches—he found it difficult to pull the straps tight enough and suggested this shoe might be a better fit for someone with flatter feet. However, when you factor in the $105 price tag, this shoe still presents a solid value.
Bont Vaypor S
Pros
- Heat-moldable sole
- Low stack height
Cons
- Wide toe box can take some getting used to
The Bont Vaypor S is a semi-custom road shoe at a relatively affordable price. Its shape is noticeably different from that of a typical road model; our tester described it as being reminiscent of a paddle or flipper, and he appreciated that his toes had room “to just sort of hang out.” As for the custom part, that comes in the form of a heat-moldable sole that you customize at home using your oven (15 to 20 minutes at 160 degrees is all it takes, and you can redo it as many times as you want). Heat the entire shoe, sans cleats and inner soles, then step in and wait until it cools. Presto. On the bike, the stiff carbon sole offered an extremely efficient feel while pedaling. The low stack (the distance between the outsole where the cleat attaches and the top of the insole where your foot rests) felt strange at first, but our tester dropped his saddle a few millimeters and was back in business. This is a great option for riders who have trouble fitting their feet into stock shoes but are leery of making the leap to (or paying the price for) full custom.
Ride Concepts Hellion Elite
Despite the how good of Five Ten’s Freerider Pro is, the Ride Concepts Hellion Elite is now our go-to flat pedal shoe for trail riding. It’s a bit stiffer, a little more sticky, and a smidge more protective than the Five Ten. It grips pins very well with just enough forgiveness that you can reposition your foot when needed. The Hellion Elite is surprisingly light and not overbuilt either: It offers good pedal feel and is comfortable and sneaker-like, not boot like. With so much comfort and sleek looks, so you can wear it all day.
Shimano S-PHYRE RC9T
Pros
- Boa closure pulls the shoe very tight with even pressure
- Snug fit with great heel retention
Cons
- Not the easiest to put on or take off
This is a high-performance shoe that makes no performance sacrifices for the sake of increased comfort. The sole is crazy stiff—even stiffer than the standard RC9—and the synthetic leather upper felt like it was getting molded around our feet when tightening down the Boa dial. That single dial does an impressive job of uniformly distributing pressure across the entire foot when tightened, with no pinch points or hot spots. In fact, it does such a good job it renders the Velcro toe strap useless. Our feet felt extremely secure ensconced in these kicks, and the direct connection to the pedals was palpable. Adding to the secure feeling is directional material and a rubber strip inside the heel cup. This is a superb shoe for high-powered racing, and track riders who use toe straps will appreciate the single dial located high enough on the shoe that it’s out of the way.
Giro Imperial
Pros
- Very light
- Snug yet supple upper
Cons
- Some heel lift
- Boa cables stick to tongue
Although Giro jumped on the twin-Boa bandwagon, it’s taken a unique approach to how the dials function. Loops of webbing, as opposed to plastic guides, direct the cables. The company claims these “soft guides” reduce hot spots. The Imperial’s upper is lightweight mesh reinforced with the Teijin TPU found in Giro’s other shoes, and the materials are welded together, making the upper almost seamless. This shoe is built on the same last as Giro’s other road models for a fit that leans toward the snug and low-volume end of the spectrum. However, the upper is exceptionally supple and forgiving, so riders might find the Imperial more accommodating than they’d typically expect from Giro. The Imperial carves out space as one of the lightest dual-Boa shoes you can buy. It offers enough support and stability for all situations, and it’s extremely breathable, too.
Fizik Infinito X1
$399.95 X1 Infinito Cycling Shoe
Pros
- Very short break-in period
Cons
- Sole may be too stiff for long days on the trail
The X1 is a no-nonsense shoe designed for high-performance mountain bike and gravel racing where every watt counts. It features a full carbon sole and dual Boa dials, and the outsole has large lugs and a little bit of reinforcement to guard against the inevitable abuse of riding in the rough. The two-Boa wire closure cinched around our feet nicely, and the break-in time was remarkably quick. The best part, however, is how well the shoe interfaces with the pedal; there’s almost no side-to-side play. Some riders may find the sole too stiff for longer days in the saddle, but it’s tailored to racers who are interested in maximum power transfer.
6-Month Update: After half a year of abuse on trails and cyclocross courses, the heel and toe protectors show signs of wear, but the lugs on the outsole are intact. And despite numerous muddy races and several crashes, the Boa dials work as well as they did when they were new.
Women’s Cycling Shoes
Giro Empire ACC
Pros
- Full lace closure for perfect fit
- Women's-specific fit
Cons
- Laces aren't as convenient as dials and straps
We’re huge believers in #SockDoping, and the Empire ACC allows you to take that game to the next level. The Evofiber upper provides a lightweight, comfortable fit with a carbon outsole that proved to be plenty stiff when sprinting for points in a local training crit. They kept our toes cool in summer with the added perforations for ventilation. Plus, the women-specific contoured fit hugged our tester’s heels without being too tight. With the shoes’ iridescent logos and bright color options, part of the fun is finding the perfect pair of socks to complement them. You’ll spend a few extra minutes lacing them up before your ride, but it’s worth it to get that custom fit. Just make sure to use the lace-securing tab before riding off.
Shimano XC5 Women’s
Pros
- Low and narrow heel cup for a better fit on small feet
- Combo Boa and strap closure
Cons
- Fiberglass sole isn't as stiff as carbon
These subtle kicks are an affordable way to upgrade your next mountain bike ride or ’cross race. The upper and tongue are constructed from one piece of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), which tightens snugly around the mid-foot with a Boa dial. The stiff Michelin rubber sole has large, grippy, mud-shedding tread, as well as a spike mount for messy conditions. (if you’ve ever missed your cleat when stepping back onto the pedal, only to slip when the pedal meets the slick carbon or plastic in the midsole, you’ll appreciate the full-length rubber covering on these shoes.) Even with all this reinforcement, the shoe remains lightweight and comfortable. The women-specific last doesn’t just mean they are available in smaller sizes; in this case you get a lower and smaller heel cup for more ankle movement without slippage or unwanted pressure on your ankles.
Liv Macha Comp
Pros
Cons
The Macha Comp is everything you want in a performance-oriented model: breathable, comfortable, and lightweight. It’s built from a women-specific mold, with a narrower midfoot and smaller heel, and is best suited to riders who prefer a narrow fit. The Boa system cinches tight, the grippy material in the heel cup stopped our feet from slipping, and the carbon sole is extremely stiff. All that, alongside the adjustable upper, provides a stable pedaling platform while still feeling relatively comfortable and flexible. The plastic heel and toe pieces protect the sole from wear—and prevented us from slipping on the coffee shop floor.
A gear editor for his entire career, Matt’s journey to becoming a leading cycling tech journalist started in 1995, and he’s been at it ever since; likely riding more cycling equipment than anyone on the planet along the way. Previous to his time with Bicycling, Matt worked in bike shops as a service manager, mechanic, and sales person. Based in Durango, Colorado, he enjoys riding and testing any and all kinds of bikes, so you’re just as likely to see him on a road bike dressed in Lycra at a Tuesday night worlds ride as you are to find him dressed in a full face helmet and pads riding a bike park on an enduro bike. He doesn’t race often, but he’s game for anything; having entered road races, criteriums, trials competitions, dual slalom, downhill races, enduros, stage races, short track, time trials, and gran fondos. Next up on his to-do list: a multi day bikepacking trip, and an e-bike race.
