Mountain Bike Shoes for Women

February 26, 2022 121 Views

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Choosing the right shoe for biking is a great way to improve efficiency and control when riding. Bikers use their feet a lot from pedaling up and down hills. Their feet are always engaged. There are many options to choose from but your type of riding style and what pedal your deciding on will ultimately determine what type of shoe you are going to need.

First things first you want to decide what type of riding you are going to be doing. MTB shoes fall into three different categories; road, mountain and casual/city riding. Within this category the shoes are again divided into two more categories: shoes that have clipless pedals and shoes with flat pedals.

Clipless VS Flat Pedal

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Clipless pedals allows you to connect your shoes directly to the bike pedal. This is a great benefit because your shoe is attached to the pedal, making it much easier for you if your biking long distances. The clipless pedals allows bikers to use their hamstrings to lift through the back half of the pedal stroke and quadriceps to push the front half of their bodies. With Flat Pedal all your power comes from pushing through the front half of the stroke. The shoe is not connected to the pedal and allows for easy moving on and off the pedals.

Road

Road is designed with three bolt cleats, meaning that the three hole clips fit into your pedals. The soles are designed stiff and provides great power transfer. Road shoes are designed more for long distances.

Cons:

Casual riders will find it difficult.
Has a smooth sole and protruding cleat from the bottom making it difficult to walk in.

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Mountain

Mountain biking shoes are more popular and work with a two bolt system. The soles are fairly stiff making pedal efficiency better. The shows have deep lugs and recessed cleat for traction on loose trails. Other mountain biking shoes

Other mountain bike shoes are designed for platform pedals. Platform pedals are flat, typically found on normal bike pedals. They don’t have the clips to clap your shoes in. These shoes have flat soles to better grip the pedal These two shoes are also greatly used in the city for commuting because they are easily used for walking around and easy to get in and out of the pedal.

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Casual/City

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Casual/City shoes are casual shoes with a built in bike functionality. Most shoes are designed for use with a flat pedal. They are perfect shoes for commuting, casual riding around and even indoor cycling.

Fastening System

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Lace: Shoes with lace offer a custom and comfortable fit. The lace must always be tucked away in the shoe prevent injures. A few models provide a pocket in the tongue of the show to hide the lace.

Hook and Loop: This type of strap handles well in wet and muddy conditions . Straps are a better alternative to lace because they are more likely to stay on securely.

Cam Buckle: Built to clamp tight to your feet giving you extra power. They are more on the expensive side but they offer great clamping power and security.

Features

Next you want to look into the stiffness this is how flexible the shoe is. With a stiffer sole there is more better power you can transfer to the pedal. Flexible shoes are great for shorter rides as well as rides that involve more climbing. They also provide a the rider with greater energy transfer and helps you pedal more efficiently.

Cons: It can leave more vibration back into you feet leaving you to have more fatigue.