1. Best overall
2. Best value
3. Best grip
10. Best for winter
11. Best casual shoe
As rider-to-bike contact points go, the secure connection provided by the best MTB flat pedal shoes is definitely something to look for.
If you're starting out, riding with flat pedals is a great way to properly hone your riding skills using the correct techniques. While clip-in shoes and pedals are great for pedaling efficiency, they're less useful when it comes to learning how to properly control your bike.
Flat shoes and pedals are not just for novices though; many gravity-orientated pros prefer them to cleated shoes for their greater freedom, and they can still be very secure – especially when paired with the best MTB flat pedals. Dropping a foot through a sweeping turn is a pretty good feeling too.
We're big fans of riding with flat pedals and know exactly what to look for in a riding shoe to keep your feet glued to the pedals while maximizing feel and comfort on the trail. The Five Ten Freerider Pro is our top pick, with the Pinnacle Cedar our best value recommendation.
In the following guide, we run through our pick of the best flat pedal MTB shoes for men, so if you're looking for female-specific shoes, head to our guide to the best women's mountain bike shoes. And while we're on the subject of feet, you might also want to check out our guide to the best cycling socks.
At the bottom of this article, we've also included a detailed guide on exactly what to look out for when choosing the right pair for you.
The quick list
A long-standing classic that's still the best
With its winning combination of great grip, feel, style and durability, the Freerider Pro is the best flat trail shoe around.
Top value trail shoe
At far less than half the price of many of the other shoes here, the Cedars are a really good budget option for lighter trail riding.
Well damped yet communicative
The 2FO's SlipNot ST rubber sole offers impressive dampening and is superbly grippy, keeping your feet glued to the pedals.
Super-tough with top-class grip
A sturdy shoe with excellent grip on and off the bike, the Tallac is a great option for those looking for maximum protection.
Excellent grip and protection
A top class all-rounder offering superb grip, protection, support and comfort. Ideal for trail and gravity use.
Excellent grip and feedback
With a super-sticky sole for maximum grip, and flexible enough for confident connection to your pedals.
See the next 5 shoes ↓
Designed to hike as well as bike
Excellent hike-up shred-down trail shoes with a superbly grippy sole that offers a comfortable damped feel on and off the bike.
Good looking with plenty of protection
An excellent all-rounder that looks amazing, has great grip, and is designed to take a whole ton of abuse.
Low weight and maximum feel
Gravity-focused kick with an ultra-thin sole for superb pedal feel, plus decent grip, lace flap and speed lacing system.
Game changing for winter rides
Packed with brilliant winter-tackling features for warmth and comfort, as well as excellent grip and damping.
Competitively priced and feature packed
With toe, heel and ankle protection, and featuring Leatt's RideGrip grippy sole and weather resistant uppers and tongue.
The best MTB flat pedal shoes
Why trust BikePerfect Our cycling experts have decades of testing experience. We'll always share our unbiased opinions on bikes and gear. Find out more about how we test.
1. Best overall
Despite having been around for years, the Five Ten Freerider Pro still has the highest grip, the best damping properties and the best stiffness-to-pedal-feel balance out of any shoe we've ever ridden. While it has lots of worthy rivals these days, we still rate it as the best flat pedal mountain bike shoe available.
At the heart of the Freerider Pro is Five Ten’s proven Stealth S1 rubber sole with its signature dot pattern. It creates a maximum-hold feel on the pedals resulting in the confidence to constantly attack, without the thought of your foot ever bouncing off or losing grip unexpectedly, regardless of the trail.
The vibe-damping characteristics mean it does a great job of soaking up impacts and high-frequency buzz too, and we found even on long alpine descents they offer protection against foot cramps or discomfort.
Unlike the standard Freerider, the Pro version uses a shank in the midsole for more support for pedaling and greater protection on longer runs – but it doesn't compromise on pedal feel.
The simple synthetic upper is weather-resistant, quick-drying and get hardened toe and heel boxes for protection. We found the fit snug, secure around the heels, but not restrictive.
The uppers can take a few rides to bed in, but after months of hammer both in the UK and abroad, our review pair is still only showing slight signs of wear.
Check out our Five Ten Freerider Pro review or our Five Ten Freerider Pro vs Fox Union Flat head-to-head for more.
2. Best value
If you're looking for a flat pedal shoe that won't break the bank, Pinnacle's Cedar shoes should definitely be on your radar. Not only is their RRP extremely competitive, but they offer a range of top features too.
While the soles bear a definite resemblance to the Stealth rubber soles found on Five Ten shoes, we found the compound to be slightly harder and so not quite as grippy during testing. The uppers are narrower than Five Ten Freeriders and while the Cedars sport toe and heel reinforcement, there's less protection than most of the leading shoes.
The advantage of less protection means lower weight, and at 680g per pair (size 10 US, 9 UK, 43 EU), they're definitely some of the lightest shoes around.
We'd recommend the Cedars as a good budget option for hitting less threatening trails and they're vastly superior to riding in regular trainers/sneakers. But if you want maximum foot protection, they're not the best choice. In addition to the men's version, women's and junior models are available too.
3. Best grip
The Specialized 2FO DH Flat is the third iteration of Specialized's downhill-specific shoe, with the most notable change being the new SlipNot ST rubber. It gives a really well-damped quality and offers barrel loads of grip in conjunction with the hexagon-shaped tread.
Visually, the third generation has been toned down for a more casual aesthetic, although the performance is still right up there with the best. The 2FO DH offers loads of protection and an Xpeltm hydrophobic mesh construction to help reduce heat build-up and stop them from becoming sponges in wet weather. Drying time is also improved, which is usually a huge weak point of overbuilt DH shoes.
The 2FO sports Specialized’s Body Geometry for a snug and supportive fit around and under your foot. On the bike, we found this is genuinely noticeable and high-power stamps on the pedals feel more effective when compared to any other shoe on test. The only negative is that the laces don't extend very far down the foot, which limits tensioning around your toes.
Read more about the Specialized 2FO DH Flat in our review.
4. Best bombproof
Ride Concepts Tallac comes in the flat variety here, a clipless version and a female-specific model called Flume.
The shoes use a dual layer sole with a Ride Concepts' Max Grip rubber outsole that partially wraps around the sides of the Tallacs. A thick EVA midsole adds comfort and shock absorption.
The Max Grip sole is excellent and it gave us a properly locked in pedal feel that's as good as anything else on the market. Big lugs at the toe and heel give really good walking traction too.
Sturdy toe and heel boxes give plenty of foot protection and you've got plenty of protective rubber under your feet. The flipside of all this sturdiness is limited pedal feel and extra weight as the Tallac is significantly heavier than its rivals. Having said that, we did not notice the extra grams while riding.
For more info, head over to our full Ride Concepts Tallac review.
5. Best all-rounder
Fox have returned to the flat shoe market with a bang as the Union Flat shoes are really excellent all-rounders. Bike Perfect editor, Rich, has spent a few months testing them so far and reports that pedal grip is superb and there's plenty of foot protection with a sturdy toe box and reinforced heel. The one-piece manmade uppers do an excellent job of keeping trail debris and water splashes at bay and they're holding well durability-wise over the course of testing so far.
On the pedals, the shoes give a good balance between feel and power transfer. Sizing seems bang on too. His only gripe is at the laces are too short and they're not the best quality either, but that is easily remedied with replacements when needed.
The shoes come in a range of colors and are widely available. For more info, see the full Fox Union Flat review.
6. Best for feedback
Bontrager's Flatline shoes use a super sticky rubber sole that's on a par with Five Ten's Stealth S1 rubber – you won't be lacking any grip. The whole thing is flexible enough you feel in control without lacking any support.
In addition to great grip, we found these shoes are durable, comfortable, and reasonably weather-resistant.
While previous Bontrager shoes were frequently on the tighter side, the sizing on these runs large, so try a pair on before you buy. Note the long laces can get a bit annoying too, but it's good to know that Bontrager offers a 30-day return guarantee.
For more details on the Bontrager Flatline shoes, read our in-depth review.
7. Best for hiking
We have ridden a number of Specialized's new clipless and flat pedal shoes and they've all performed very well, but the Rime stands out. That's not just because of the bold looks – it's because they're designed for adventures rather than just trail or enduro riding, and good whether hiking or riding.
In our tests we found the grip and vibration damping are very impressive and, although the shoe is designed to walk well, it doesn't suffer from a flexible sole that will cause foot fatigue on long trails. That said, the toes still have enough flexibility when you are striding up the hill, and chunky horizontal lugs help you dig in and scramble up loose surfaces.
The Rimes are finished with a TPU and Xpeltm hydrophobic mesh construction for tough, breathable and quick-drying uppers, and secured with standard laces.
Want to know more? Check out our Specialized Rime Flat shoe review
8. Best protection
A newer entry to the market, the Hellion from California-based Ride Concepts is essentially an all-rounder aimed at trail and enduro riders. Boasting a range of quality features, the Hellion has proved to be one of the best options available.
Constructed using a two-piece synthetic upper with an anti-peel coating, it’s designed to take a whole ton of abuse while soaking up minimal water and keeping drying times fast.
These shoes were tested for a few months while visiting Queenstown, New Zealand, and faced countless bike park laps and a serious amount of trail riding – and they're showing next to no signs of wear. The high-quality laces are a nice touch too, and while it’s a small difference, it’s noticeable as they don’t lose tension or become baggy.
The Ride Concepts flat pedal shoe range features three levels of sole compound, and the Hellion gets the mid-level 6.0 DST rubber. This is actually claimed to be the "high grip" option, and it lives up to its name, securely holding pedal pins in pretty much every situation.
The Five Ten Freerider Pro still has the edge in rough, high-frequency impact terrain, but interestingly that's not because of the soles – it's the insoles. The Hellions feature sections of D30 – the stuff you find in pads that goes rigid under impact – and it stiffens noticeably under high-frequency judder, ultimately reducing grip and causing your feet to shift.
Swapping to a non-D30 variant of the same shoe saw the issue go away. It’s worth stressing this is only apparent in certain situations, but it is enough to separate the Hellion from the test winner.
9. Best low profile
The GR9 is Shimano’s new top-of-the-range, gravity-focused, flat-pedal kick, and with a new exclusive sole from Michelin, there’s a big leap forward in pedal traction over the older Shimano models.
The first thing you notice is how the ultra-thin sole exaggerates that ‘in-the-bike’ feeling. Being on the floppy side of the spectrum, it concaves nicely over the pedal, allowing for great feedback from the pedals.
This isn’t all positive though, as on longer descents fatigue is more apparent. Surprisingly, midsole stiffness feels good when pedaling though, and it doesn't feel floppy under power the way its predecessors could. The GR9 is light too, which is noticeable from the first pedal stroke where you’re greeted with a sporty, easy to rotate feeling.
While switching from the older Vibram sole to the new Michelin (with a more aggressive tread pattern) has really improved grip, it’s still not as sticky or as well damped as some.
The upper retains Shimano’s signature lace cover, which helps keep puddle splashes out as well as protecting the really convenient quick-lace system. This toggle-style design offers good overall tension and makes getting them on and off a cinch.
Unlike older Shimano shoes, which had a tendency to soak up water like sponges, the GR9 sucks up next to no water when things get soggy – another great improvement for Shimano.
10. Best for winter
For a long time, the best winter MTB boots have only been available for clipless pedal users. This was until Five Ten released a fully winterized version of its ever-famous Freerider flat-pedal shoe. The Freerider EPS sports a ton of winter-tackling features which combine to make the EPS a must-have for the colder months.
Features include a heat-reflective footboard beneath the insole, a fully gusseted tongue, a stitchless one-piece front panel, and a synthetic leather upper that's insulated with Primaloft.
The extra height adds warmth as well as splash protection (there’s a low-top version if you find it restrictive) and together it all genuinely transforms comfort in the winter months. They do a truly exceptional job of keeping the heat in and the water out.
As you might expect the EPS is the heaviest shoe on test, but we’ll happily accept that to have warm feet in the bleak winter.
As it’s Five Ten, it’s not surprising that a Stealth rubber sole takes care of pedal traction, and similarly unsurprising that it gives excellent grip and damping. The only thing we would like to see is the midsole shank from the Freerider Pro, as the extra support is very welcome on longer downhills and would boost the EPS High to a perfect 5/5 rating.
Even without that, the combination of warmth and grip means we can’t recommend this shoe enough for people who continue to battle through the grim season.
11. Best casual shoe
If you're looking for a casual looking MTB shoe that's more like a lower cut BMX model, Leatt's MTB 2.0 Flat Shoe is well worth a look.
The upper is made from synthetic suede, but it has a glossy finish and so does a decent job of repelling water and giving good breathability. The soles use Leatt's stickiest rubber compound – RideGrip Pro, and while it offers pretty good grip, in our testing we found it's not as locked in to the pedals as the likes of Five Ten's Stealth S1 or Specialized's SlipNot ST.
Toe and heel boxes provide foot protection, while a reinforced band in the upper heel is designed to help prevent heel lift while pedaling or walking. While it does its job of keeping the shoe securely on the foot, it can cause some irritation if pushing up steep trails.
The shoes come in male and female specific models, for more info check out our Leatt Women’s MTB 2.0 Flat Shoe review.
How to choose the best MTB flat pedal shoes
How much money should I spend on flat pedal shoes?
While the answer is usually to buy the best shoe you can afford, the good news is that if you're on a limited budget, there are lots of worthy options too.
For example, while the standard Five Ten Freerider is more basic than the Pro version, it's still an excellent model in its own right. At the time of writing, you can pick them for around $60 / £60, which is well below the RRP.
If you're looking for some bargain pedals to go with your flat shoes, our guide to the best cheap MTB pedals may well be of interest.
Do flat pedals require dedicated riding shoes?
In theory you don't need special cycling shoes to ride flat pedals. That said, investing in the best MTB flat pedal shoes will bring a number of significant performance gains over regular trainers.
For a start, shoes designed for flat pedals have very soft rubber and a special tread pattern to maximize grip. The sole will often be a lot stiffer to provide a better pedaling platform, improve stability and reduce foot fatigue.
Most flat-pedal users tend to be more gravity-focused, so speeds are high and impacts are frequent – and potentially harsh. Hardened toe boxes and heel cups are essential for protection against rock strikes and trail detritus. The sole also needs to be able to absorb the feedback and hard impacts associated with ripping down the toughest trails.
How long do flat pedal MTB shoes last?
Well, that mostly depends on how often you ride and how harsh the conditions are. That said, we'd expect flat shoes to last around a year. The sharp, narrow pins found on flat pedals means that the soles are usually the first part of a shoe to go. Shoes from Five Ten can be resoled at independent shoe repairers though. So if you have a pair of worn out Freeriders, search for repairers in your area who can resole them at a fraction of the cost of a new pair – you'll also be helping to reduce waste too.
How should the best MTB flat pedal shoes fit?
As with most things mountain bike-related, fit is very important. For flat-pedal riders, 'feel' is vital and allows you to maximize the advantages of not riding clipped in. A tight fit might be secure, but if it's too tight it can cut off the circulation to your feet and cause numbness – leaving you with little idea as to where your feet are positioned on the pedal.
On the flipside, if the shoe is too loose then correct foot placement can seem impossible, especially on rough terrain. While we have done our best to decipher how each shoe fits, we still recommend physically trying them on, as ultimately everyone’s feet are different, and size/cut differs from manufacturer to manufacturer.
Is MTB shoe weight important?
The lighter the shoes, the less energy it takes to spin them up to speed. But while lighter shoes are more efficient, there comes a point where protection, stiffness and support are compromised; where that point is varies with different styles of riding though. Trail riders who spend a chunk of their time climbing will value a lighter shoe than a more gravity-focused shredder who prioritizes damping and protection.
Which are best, laces or Boa systems?
Unlike clipless pedals which commonly use Boa dials and ratchets, every shoe here (besides the Shimano GR9) uses a traditional lace-up design. While more complex fasteners may seem smart, it’s hard to beat the simplicity, adjustability and reliability of a solid set of laces. Note some shoes will use additional Velcro straps to add a little extra support and security, too.
What is damping and why does it matter to shoes?
With regards to shoes, it's the ability of the soles to smooth out vibrations and dull heavy impacts. These obviously cause discomfort, and over time will cause fatigue, too – your feet will start to ache and lose power.
Too much squish here can reduce the feeling and feedback you get through the pedals, though, so it's not just a case of piling in the padding – the damping characteristics of the best shoes are finely tuned for both feel and comfort.
How we test
Every shoe tested here has been subjected to as much riding abuse as possible on every kind of trail imaginable. We know that flat pedal shoes need to offer dependable grip, so we ensure to expose them to the filthiest conditions possible, as that's when pedal grip is seriously tested. We even ride with rival shoes on opposite feet as we discern which one has the edge over the other, so if you bump into us on the trail in odd shoes, now you'll know we haven't lost our marbles (or shoes).
Meet the testers
Rich has ridden mountain bikes since the early nineties and has been testing bikes and kit for well over a decade. His pedal of choice is definitely of the flat variety and he's tested a huge number of flat MTB shoes over the years.
Jim Bland is a product tester and World Cup downhill mechanic based in North Yorkshire, England, but working Worldwide. Like Rich, Jim's preferred shoe is of the flat variety.
