# good mtb shoes for flat pedals and one-off foot climbs?



## titus (Feb 18, 2008)

My mtb has flat pedals. I was mainly riding around the city in a pair of Adidas Samoa soccer shoes which worked great. However, I was riding Buffalo Creek Nice Kitty trail last week and hit the steep rock slab section and the surface was covered with gritty/granitic dirt. I hopped off of my bike to walk my bike up the slope and it was hard to get traction with the shoes I was wearing. 

Looks like a lot of the specialized flat pedal shoes have a similar outsole that isn't intended for climbing one-off terrain like that. Have you found a good hybrid shoe for mtb flat pedals which provides a better outsole for climbing up one-off terrain like that?

I was riding my mtb to the bike shop today and I was randomly wearing a pair of Scarpa R-evolution light hiking boots. I thought they would feel clunky but the stiffer sole provided a nice even weight distribution across the pedal and the Vibram sole felt securely gripped on the pedal. Which makes me think that there might be a good trail running/hiking shoe which could be a good fit for what I'm looking for. Any recommendations?


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## Forest Rider (Oct 29, 2018)

I rode in trail running shoes for years and never had a problem. The provided really good grip. Shoes were retired from running and demoted to the bike. Two pair finally wore out an I needed shoes again and wasn't going to purchase running shoes for the bike.

Running shoes (shoes I'd wear for run training) are as expensive as cycling shoes.

A dedicated flat pedal shoe is more stiff than a running shoe. Not super stiff, but stiffer.

You should look into the shoes designed for flat pedals if you want something stiffer. None of them do a teriffic job of off road walking though.


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## titus (Feb 18, 2008)

I just ordered some Salomon X Ultra 3 GTX hiking shoes to use with flat pedals. They will certainly help with scenarios like hiking up rocky mountain terrain. Hopefully they will provide decent general flat pedal performance as well


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## Pizzaiolo Americano (Aug 10, 2018)

I hate my Salomons on flat pedals. The tread is too high and they feel pretty unstable...If you ordered them for biking specifically, I'd try to cancel. They are great at everything else outdoors though...


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## MarcusBrody (Apr 1, 2014)

The type of terrain you're talking about is tough for any shoe that's not going to be bad for flat pedals. A loose top surface is dealt with best by shoes with substantial lugs, but that's basically the opposite of what you want on a flat pedal show as it doesn't give you even/consistent pin contact. 

Some mountain bike shoes (the Adidas Trailcross is one) try to get around this by having deeper lugs on the toe and heel and smaller, shallower, more even ones where the pedals will go. Seems like a good compromise. If you do use hiking shoes, look for smaller, even patterned rubber. I find approach shoes are the most likely to work.

That being said, you can also use better technique in a a lot of loose situations. If you're in a somewhat stiff shoe (as approach and mtb shoes often are). you can use the edges of your shoes to dig into the soft surface and get better traction by either walking a bit duck-footed or side stepping.


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## Forest Rider (Oct 29, 2018)

If the hiking shoes you purchased have a tall tread pattern they may not work well....the pedal pins may not extend into the sole of the shoe, and may not engage enough of the 'knobbies' to be effective.

My work boots are the best feeling shoe. Stiff sole, soft enough rubber for the pins to engage and have many points of contact with the pins.

They are um.....heavy and I don't ride in them. I do sometimes hop in the bike when I've been outside working. Before I quit I hop on and take a spin in the street.

If your hiking shoes have deep tread, use caution before trying them on the bike to where they cannot be returned as they will have been 'used' and may have crank arm scuffs or holes in the soles.


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## TwiceHorn (Jun 18, 2014)

Although the tread is more like Five 10s than heavy lugged trail runners, the Adidas Trail Cross SL has stealth rubber and a bit of tread to it. They're pretty decent on limestone and scree-y type stuff.

And many sizes of the 2018-2019 are on sale at Amazon.

Also stiff as heck, and that's pretty nice.


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## titus (Feb 18, 2008)

@TwiceHorn - thanks for that tip. "Adidas Trail Cross SL" shoes are described as

"A LIGHTWEIGHT, HYBRID BIKE-AND-HIKE SHOE FOR TECHNICAL TRAILS"

https://www.botach.com/adidas-mens-terrex-trail-cross-sl-umber-core-black-energy-shoes/

So it sounds like there's a specific subcategory of shoes designed for what I'm looking for


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## titus (Feb 18, 2008)

This article also refers to a category of shoes known as "bikepacking":

https://www.bikemag.com/fully-loaded-bikepacking/tested-bikepacking-shoes/

I'm not sure if "bikepacking" has become a broadly accepted category of shoes now or if "bikepacking" was just used as a clever one-off term used for this particular article


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## TwiceHorn (Jun 18, 2014)

Re: the Trail Cross. Adidas/FiveTen seems to be rebranding it as 5.10 for the future and calls it a shoe for trail work and riding. Previews show them to be pretty similar to the current(ish) model.

Best price for any MTB shoe, currently. https://smile.amazon.com/adidas-out...keywords=trail+cross+sl&qid=1571014173&sr=8-1


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## Trinimon (Aug 6, 2019)

Gonna have to check out those Adidas Terrex Trail Cross SL shoes if I can find them in Canada. I've lost count on how many times I've slipped on greasy trails/rocks hiking the bike wearing 510. Grrrrr.


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## 839138 (Jun 7, 2018)

Altra graftons


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## titus (Feb 18, 2008)

I was at the LBS today and I randomly test rode a bike while I was wearing some TNF Hedgehogs. They were a tad bulky but I didn't notice any grip issues and those shoes can hike up anything. So those shoes may not be optimal but they would probably get the job done for short mixed terrain rides. But honestly there are better less bulky options from the Adidas Terrex range


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## TwiceHorn (Jun 18, 2014)

Trinimon said:


> Gonna have to check out those Adidas Terrex Trail Cross SL shoes if I can find them in Canada. I've lost count on how many times I've slipped on greasy trails/rocks hiking the bike wearing 510. Grrrrr.


Take a look at some of the pix of the sole. In the forefoot, it is a lot like 510, except triangles, not dots. There's some more tread in the very front and the rear. Works pretty well in loose over hard, dry limestone, and limestone scree. We don't ride when it's wet, so I can't speak to greasy/mossy limestone, shale, etc. YMMV.


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## titus (Feb 18, 2008)

The FiveTen TrailCross seem perfect but unfortunately they're not scheduled for release until "the beginning of 2020":

https://enduro-mtb.com/en/five-ten-adidas-trailcross-shoes/


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## titus (Feb 18, 2008)

has anyone here tried the adidas terrex swift r2 gtx for bikepacking?:

https://www.adidas.com/us/terrex-sw...E&gclsrc=aw.ds&kpid=BC0383&sourceid=543457011


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## 93EXCivic (Mar 12, 2018)

^^^ this sure seems like spam to me...


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## ImaFred (May 16, 2009)

x-alps work great HaB'ed many a mile in em, also built a few miles of trail in them too


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## }{yBr!D^ (May 23, 2019)

I originally thought of getting mtbing flat pedal shoe specific to ride but quickly found out that it was not really needed. I'm currently using Nike's Pegasus 36 Trail, Wildhorse 5 (pretty much the same shoe) and Metcon 4. Nike's Terra Kiger 5 is a good option too.

The one's I'm using are rather stiff with a bit of squish... the Metcon 4's are a running shoe but the pattern is symmetrically placed for the pedal pins and stiff enough to withstand abuse and maintain balance with minor bend/flex. The Trail running shoes are quite stiff but the Pegasus is more forgiving than the Wildhorse. Deep jagged pattern with a lot of sticky traction, does not slip in mud nor rain.

Pegasus 36 Trail









Wildhorse 5 









Metcon 4


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## cyclelicious (Oct 7, 2008)

My husband has Adidas Terrax shoes. He purchased them over a year ago at an outlet store. He likes them for hike and bike rides, bike and trail building etc. They have a good tread , grip the pedals and not as stiff as the 5.10's. (I have 5.10's which are good for riding but not so good for walking/hiking any terrain) The Terrax shoes are pricy so shop around for last season's or overstock.


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## charlatan (Aug 14, 2010)

I bought some Scarpa crux approach and like them. They do have a tread on the bottom, but I haven't had any issues slipping. I found them more comfortable than my old 5/10s too.

Buy local if you can 

https://www.amazon.com/SCARPA-Mens-...=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B074QT67FS


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## Mikes70 (Oct 24, 2016)

Looking also. 
Yesterdays ride confirmed I liked to be clipped in and platformed. 
I have the Shimano pedals that can do both although no where near as "grippy/pinned can't find the word I'm looking for).
Came on here for "advice" this morning and this thread was at the top.
Post #9 was a great link. Thanx.

Mike


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## TwiceHorn (Jun 18, 2014)

titus said:


> The FiveTen TrailCross seem perfect but unfortunately they're not scheduled for release until "the beginning of 2020":
> 
> https://enduro-mtb.com/en/five-ten-adidas-trailcross-shoes/


As noted above, you can get the Adidas-branded version, which is similar if not identical at amazon for around 75 bucks. It's the best deal in MTB shoes going right now.


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## Nat (Dec 30, 2003)

titus said:


> Looks like a lot of the specialized flat pedal shoes have a similar outsole that isn't intended for climbing one-off terrain like that.


I'd never heard the term "one-off" applied to terrain but rather to manufacturing, as in a "one-off component." Interesting usage there.


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## romulin (Apr 23, 2017)

cyclelicious said:


> My husband has Adidas Terrax shoes. He purchased them over a year ago at an outlet store. He likes them for hike and bike rides, bike and trail building etc. They have a good tread , grip the pedals and not as stiff as the 5.10's. (I have 5.10's which are good for riding but not so good for walking/hiking any terrain) The Terrax shoes are pricy so shop around for last season's or overstock.


Definitely this shoe, it's found to be about 5 years I wear them, not just biking, hiking, everywhere. Very durable, great grip on wet rocks etc same as on pedals. I'll buy a second pair for sure

Odoslané z M1 pomocou Tapatalku


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