Whether you’re a keen road cyclist, a hardy mountain biker or a lover of gravel trails, there’s one bit of kit guaranteed to take your bike adventures to the next level - cycling shoes.
While beginners will be fine getting started in their favourite trainers, keen cyclists should invest in bike-specific shoes if they’re looking to progress. We’ve rounded up ten of the best styles of cycling shoe to suit all bike disciplines, including female-specific designs, clip-in road shoes and even cycling sandals.
What are cleats?
The main reason cycling shoes are such a specific purchase is that most of them are compatible with clip-in (also confusingly called ‘clipless’) pedals. What this means is that the bottoms of the cycling shoes can clip into ‘cleats’ on your pedals, effectively locking your feet in place. This allows the cyclist to pull up as well as push down with every pedal stroke, which adds power to your ride.
There are two kinds of cleat systems on the market – two-bolt (usually easier to walk in) and three-bolt (more often found on high-end road pedals). Shoes fit either, or may fit both. Most road cyclists pick clip-in pedals, but many mountain bikers stick to traditional ‘flat’ pedals – we’ve got recommendations for both in our roundup below.
Key features to look for
Cycling shoes for road riding are usually far stiffer than your average sneaker, and premium designs often use carbon soles to achieve this. They’re also designed to be lightweight, streamlined and easy to adjust for a snug fit, either with ‘Boa dials’ which tighten the shoe around the foot, with more classic laces or with Velcro straps.
Mountain biking shoes are a little more relaxed in fit, but still need solid bottoms, and often also feature grippy rubber soles and recessed cleat mounts, so that you can walk in them when you’re off the bike.
How to get the right fit
Bike shoes are more likely to be unisex in design than other sporty footwear, so check each brand’s sizing guide when you shop. Female cyclists with small or narrow feet may get on better with a female-specific design rather than a small unisex men’s shoe. Try on your new shoes in person and while wearing your cycling socks – they should be easy to adjust for a snug fit, but there should be no rubbing at your toes or heels. It’s important to check that your heels don’t move around at all as you pull up or push down on the pedal.
Here’s our pick of the best cycling shoes for your next on-road adventure.
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Specialized Torch 1.0 Road Shoe
Specialized’s Torch 1.0 road shoes are a popular choice with beginner-to-intermediate road cyclists, and for good reason – this model takes the brand’s biking nous from their high-end shoes and puts it in a more affordable package that newbie road cyclists will get on well with.
The Boa dial ensures a snug fit, and this moderately stiff shoe offers good support on longer road rides. Eight colourways, from acid yellow to neutral black, will appeal to anyone who likes their bike kit to be matchy-matchy. A great value entry-level shoe.
Buy now £65.00, Sigma Sports
QUOC Gran Tourer Gravel Shoe
Gravel cycling (usually defined as riding a drop-bar bike on unpaved roads and trail) is the new big thing in cycling – and if it’s how you love to cover the miles, then it’s worth investing in gravel-specific shoes that’ll be able to keep up with you. Enter QUOC’s Gran Tourer, a good-looking clipless shoe that’s a bit of a favourite with the gravel crowd.
This design is lightweight on and off the bike at 335g, and a lacing system helps get a good fit. The cleat mounts are recessed, so you can walk or even hike in these shoes comfortably, and the Gran Tourer offers great grip, keeping your feet firmly on the pedal over rocky ground even if you don’t clip in.
We like the looks of these shoes, too – the smart tan leather upper and pink accents are easy on the eye, and there’s a reflective strip on the back to make you easier to spot on twilight rides.
Buy now £190.00, Sigma Sports
On Running Cloudflyer Trainer
If you’re starting out in road cycling or mountain biking and aren’t branching out into clipless pedals yet, you might be in the market for footwear that’s more versatile than a bike-specific shoe, but that is still comfortable and light for covering miles in the saddle. Our favourite multi-sport all-rounder is On Running’s Cloudflyer.
This trainer offers good sticky grip that’ll keep you firmly on the pedals, is pleasingly lightweight at just 243g and is comfortable for hiking in, running in or just wearing casually when you aren’t on the bike. A versatile choice for outdoorsy all-rounders.
Buy now £140.00, On Running
Liv Women’s Macha Pro Road Shoes
Liv is well-known for its well-designed women’s biking kit, and the popular Macha Pro shoes are also designed with women in mind, using a female last to get the right foot shape (as women tend to have narrower feet at the ankle than men).
This shoe is built using carbon for good stiffness, and on test we were impressed with the balance of comfort and drive that Liv’s flagship shoe offered. It’s a pity this design is so blindingly white, but it does wipe clean easily.
The Macha Pro is not available via Liv in the UK, but Rutland Cycling stock it in sizes EU36-EU42. It’s worth seeking out if you find unisex bike shoes don’t suit you.
Buy now £154.99, Rutland Cycling
Giro Riddance Flat Mountain Bike Shoes
Hit the dirt in the Riddance, our top pick if you’re after trail shoes with cleat-free bottoms that still offer great grip on flat pedals. We always rate soles made with Vibram-branded rubber, and these trainer-like kicks are no exception. They offer sticky, confidence-giving grip that’s ideal if you’re progressing your mountain biking skills and pushing the grade of the trails you tackle.
We found the Riddance to be very breathable on test, so it’s a good choice for the hottest days of summer. The sneaker-esque design makes the Riddance easy to wear off the bike, too, so you’re getting more bang for your buck than with a clipless shoe. A women’s specific version is also available.
Buy now £66.00, Merlin Cycles
Dhb Dorica Mountain Bike/Road Shoes
There are two versions of the Dorica available, one designed for road bikes and one for mountain bikes, and we think both make a great first pair of cleat-compatible shoes at an affordable price.
Despite the wallet-friendly prices, both the Doricas feature pleasingly stiff soles and are well ventilated, so your feet will stay cool even on sweaty summer cycles. Synthetic leather is easy to keep clean, and the soles can fit both two- and three-bolt cleats. Available for well under £100, you could even invest in both versions if you like to hop between two bike disciplines.
Buy now £42.00, Wiggle
Shimano SD502 Cycling Sandals
Yes, you can cycle in sandals. Biking purists and keen road cyclists might stick to shoes even in summer, but more casual riders and bikepackers will often swap to open-toed footwear in hot weather because they are far more breathable, comfortable and quick to dry than closed-toe designs.
Most sporty sandals will work for cycling, but Shimano’s SD5 design stands out because it’s compatible with two-bolt cleats and has a stiffer sole than most sandals, so it works really well for covering longer distances. Off the bike, you can also walk in these sandals, and the comfy straps are easily adjusted with Velcro.
Buy now £72.00, Sigma
Adidas Five Ten Hellcat Mountain Bike Shoes
Keen mountain biker? Meet the Hellcat, a clip-in mountain biking shoe that manages to combine the stiffness you need for hard pedalling with the comfort and casual styling of a trainer.
The recesses of these soles make it easy to walk and to ride flat when you aren’t clipped in, so they’re a great choice if you like to swap between pedals, and we like the combo of laces and Velcro straps for a snug fit.
Another reviewer called this design “great for long days messing about on bikes with your mates”, and it’s hard to argue with that. The Hellcats do fit on the small side, so we recommend trying at least a half-size up from your usual.
Buy now £130.00, Adidas
Fizik Vento Infinito Knit Carbon 2 Road Shoes
Meet Fizik’s fancy-pants Vento Infinito, a premium road shoe designed with input from pro cyclists to offer ‘sublime lightweight comfort’. This is as stiff as road shoes get, so the Vento Infinito is better suited to keen racers rather than chilled beginner riders. But if you need a pacey shoe, they do still deliver great comfort, and the knitted upper offers brilliant breathability in hot weather as well as reducing weight and bulk.
Responsive, light and easy to adjust and clip in with, these shoes are likely to take you to that next level. “Only fitness is holding you back”, reckons Fizik in the description of these shoes, slightly passive aggressively but probably truthfully....
Buy now £269.99, Wiggle
Rapha Classic Cycling Shoe
Hey, good-looking. The first impression of Rapha’s Classic clip-in design is all about its lovely retro looks, and if you’re into vintage cycling kit you’re likely to admire this shoe.
There’s plenty of technical know-how here too, though – the lacing system is designed to ensure a snug but comfortable fit, and the straps are made of reflective material to keep you visible on twilight rides.
These shoes do fit on the narrow side, and are best suited for spring and autumn rides as they trap in warmth well but aren’t super breathable. Available in four colours and a good size range, this is a stylish all-rounder.
Buy now £190.00, Rapha
Verdict
Specialized’s Torch 1.0 is the ideal first clip-in shoe for road cyclists - with a snug fit and eight gorgeous colours they’re a great price point for a beginner. Gravel riders will love the sumptuous comfort of the QUOC, while MTB fans should give the Adidas Five Ten Hellcat a spin.
