Giro Riddance Flat MTB Cycling Shoes

The type of shoes you will need depend on the pedals that you use. Most mountain bikers will have a preference for either ‘clips’ or ‘flats’. Each has their own advantages and disadvantages.

The great advantage of flat pedals is that it is much easier to take your foot off the pedal and then put it back on again. This is especially useful when riding loose corners. A quick dab of the foot can keep you upright when the bike begins to slide. Riding with flat pedals also forces you to develop proper bike handling skills as you can’t pull up on the pedals to get the back wheel off the ground.

Flats are ideal for beginners and recreational riders as you don’t need to learn how to clip in and out. Flat are also popular with MTB enthusiasts, and you will even find some topflight gravity riders who race on flats.

Clipless pedals have a major advantage over flats as they stop your foot bouncing off the pedals when riding over rough terrain. This means that you can still pedal efficiently over very rough ground. Without the need for sticky rubber soles, clipless pedals also transfer your pedalling power to the wheels more efficiently. It does take a bit of practice to get used to clipping in and out of clipless pedals, but most riders master this quickly.

Clipless pedals and shoes are best for racing but are also a good choice for recreational cycling. All Cross-country racers and most gravity racers use clipless pedals. It is more of a personal choice when riding for fun. Clipless pedals are best for climbing but many riders prefer descending on flats, the choice is up to you.

Some SPD compatible pedals are also suitable for use with flats as they have a cover over the recessed area used to attach the cleat. These shoes don’t have sticky rubber soles though, so they won’t perform as well as dedicated flat pedal shoes in wet and muddy conditions.

BOA is a lace up system without the laces. Instead they use steel laces with nylon guides and a dial for easy closure and adjustment. As well as offering a very snug fit, BOA systems equalize pressure across the whole foot which is a major advantage. The BOA system is micro adjustable, so you can fine tune the fit more closely than with a ratchet. Two-way BOA dials make it very easy to adjust the fit during a ride.