All Arround MTB

SHIMANO’S AM45 IS a superpopular shoe among gravity riders and for good reason. There’s a flat pedal version too – the 140$ AM41 – but the AM45 sole is still flexible enough for plenty of feel on platform clipless pedals. It droops a bit when you’re pedalling hard but not so much that you get painful hot spots over the cleats.

GIRO’S ALL-NEW enduro shoe goes straight in at the top of our ratings with a great mix of performance characteristics for all-round technical riding. The thing all our testers noticed straight away was that the very low sole height gives you a really ‘connected to the bike’ feel even with smaller, uncaged pedals.

THE CHAMBER ISN’T cheap but it’s so versatile it’s a great investment for all sorts of riding. As you’d expect from a DH shoe designed with Aaron Gwin, it syncs brilliantly with platform clipless pedals, with plenty of grip and broad support for traction feedback. It’s comfy to walk in without any cleat clatter and reasonably weatherproof too.

THE M162 IS Shimano’s armoured all-rounder, beefed up with rubber toe and outside edge bumpers to shrug off rock scrapes. The chunky soft-compound tread wraps round the sole for extra protection and there are toe stud threads.

BONTRAGER’S TOUGH-TRAIL/ENDURO family now has shoes to match. The Rhythm’s bright neon tread lugs are made from properly grippy Tachyon rubber and wrap right round the sole, which is low enough for a connected feel even on smaller clipless pedals.

THE M5 FEELS flimsy at first but we enjoyed its super-light performance the more we rode. While the sole isn’t carbon fibre like many XC price rivals, it’s extremely stiff and puts all your power straight through the pedal and on to the trail. The red tread lugs provide trustworthy traction on foot and there are toe stud threads for extra grip.

THE FILTER IS a super-heavy but sturdy and well priced BMX style shoe for all-round gravity use. Cutting the sole to expose the cleat holes is a pain but there’s enough space around them to stop clogging. The flat sole gives plenty of outboard overlap on wider pedals and the shoes work OK if you’re unclipped.

SHOES DON’T GET much simpler than Spiuk’s Uhra-M but what there is of it is really well done. The rounded-edge sole gets moulded-in toe studs for extra grip and the compound is soft enough not to skate around on rocks. Stiffness is OK for power pedalling without making you walk like a penguin too.

PEARL’S EVOLVED X-ALP sole is flexible enough in the right places for rock scrambling and even gets a trainer style EVA cushioning layer for extended walking/running comfort. The Enduro IVs are still stiff enough that you’ll think you’re wearing a mid-range race shoe when you power kick on climbs though.

THE RIME’S ‘BODY Geometry’ insole feels weird at first but there’s sound orthotic science behind the shaping and we know plenty of riders who won’t use anything else. The shoe comes in a good range of sizes too but we’d definitely try the distinctive fit before you buy.

WITH ITS PROTECTED laces and big mid-foot cross strap, the Hermes is an instantly secure shoe. The minimally perforated synthetic leather upper is usefully splash/showerproof and the shoes dry fast if they do get wet.

THE TORQUE GIVES plenty of protection for riders who use platform clipless pedals. It sits well on bigger pedals and the flexible sole gives plenty of grip and trail communication if you’re unclipped. 

THE MONTANA’S OPEN-TREAD sole gets removable toe studs for extra grip and sheds mud fast. It’s reasonably stiff but can be softened via a unique removable shank that also opens up vent slots. The dualcompound ‘hard and harder’ tread is slippery in the wet though.

NORTHWAVE’S ‘ADVENTURE’ STYLING is backed up by a chunky lugged Vibram sole made from a properly grippy compound that gives great scrambling traction when your tyres can’t get you up.

WITH A TOTALLY new upper and other refinements, the Maltese Falcon LT is aimed at riders looking for a lightweight trail shoe that offers the durability and aggressive capabilities of more gravity-focused footwear.