Newbies’ Guide to CX - choosing your shoes
This is our second in a series of articles designed to help new riders learn about cyclocross. The first article, about finding the best cyclocross resources available on the internet, can be found here.
“Hi CX Down Under,
I’m a roadie who’s looking at getting into cyclocross for the first time. I’ve got a bike that I’ve put a pair of my old road pedals on, but they don’t seem well suited to the job - I keep bashing my pedals on trailside obstacles, and they seem to fill up with mud pretty quickly.
I’ve heard that mountain bike shoes are better for cyclocross than road shoes, but I’m not sure what I should be looking for when it comes to finding shoes for CX. Got any tips?
Seeking Hold Over Every Surface (SHOES)”
Thanks for getting in touch, SHOES. If you’re looking for footwear that will be well suited for CX riding and racing this year, there are a few things you should keep an eye out for.
Compatibility with MTB cleats
While the road cleats and pedals you’ve been using will be fine for summer conditions and rides where you don’t have to get off your bike, if you have to dismount the bike in muddy conditions (something that happens a lot in CX racing!) the cleats will almost immediately fill up with dirt and mud. In addition to road cleats being difficult to run in to start with, having them packed with mud will make it way more difficult to clip in once you’re back on the bike – not to mention that you can only clip in on one side! With that in mind, you’ll need a dual-sided mountain bike pedal, which will simplify the effort of clipping in, as well as allowing muck from the course to fall out of the cleat body much more easily. Another advantage of shoes of this type is that the small cleat body allows shoes to be made more similar to a standard set of running shoes, meaning you can fit grippy treads on the sole of the shoe around the cleat itself.
I’d recommend Shimano’s PD-M520 pedals (pictured left) for CX use – they allow you to clip in on both sides, shed mud fairly well, allow for a good degree of adjustability in terms of the tension in the pedal springs (so you can make it easier or harder to clip in/out depending on your preference), and have pretty legendary reliability. They’re the most popular pedal in CX and mountain biking communities for a reason, and also make it easier to swap between bikes if you have a mechanical issue and a spectator offers you their bike to finish on (which happens more than you think – the CX community loves to help those in need!)
If you don’t want to go down the Shimano route, the next two most popular options are Crankbrothers Eggbeaters (pictured below left) which have superior mud-shedding abilities, but a less stellar reliability record, and Time ATAC XCs (pictured below right), which are extremely reliable, though difficult to get your hands on. All three pedal systems have specific cleats for that particular brand, all three will come with a set of compatible cleats when you buy them, and none of the pedal and cleat systems is compatible with any of the others.
2. Soles that have some degree of flexibility
As a general rule in road and mountain biking, the more expensive a cycling shoe is, the more likely it will be to have a carbon fibre sole, and the stiffer that sole is likelier to be.
That’s great when you’re looking for maximum pedalling efficiency, but in a sport where you frequently have to get off and run over difficult terrain, having a little bit of give in the sole of the shoe is likely to help make you faster as well as more comfortable.
If you’re running with the bike, the odds are good you’re going so hard that you’ll already be uncomfortable. Don’t let overly stiff shoes make it worse. I’m not saying not to go for a carbon fibre sole if you can afford it; more that the very lightest and most expensive mountain bike shoes out there are likely not the smartest option. A moderately stiff sole is what you’re shooting for here.
3. Compatibility with toe spikes
As cyclocross is the only form of cycle sport that also incorporates running, one handy little purchase you can make is for metal spikes to attach to the toes of your shoes to increase grip in the mud and up steep hills.
Having shoes that can incorporate toe spikes is an advantage, but spikes aren’t a purchase I’d make until the racing season starts - as you likely won’t need them until things get really muddy in May or June – but having shoes that allow for that option are going to be a huge advantage when you and a crowd of 20 other people are mid-race and all trying to run up a muddy hill at once.
If you want to pick up some good ones, they’re sold at www.cxminded.cc. If you’re going to get them, start with a set of stainless steel mediums – they’re a great all-round option that aren’t too expensive.
Extra opinions and personal preferences
Those are the main recommendations that I think anyone in the CX community would make, but here are a few smaller things that I prefer personally:
Dark colours – most shoes in this category will be mostly (if not entirely) black. You can certainly get white or other bright colours if you really want, but keep in mind that they’re going to be more of a pain to keep clean.
Fastening systems – Most shoes will have a BOA dial or similar as a fastening system, which offer great adjustability, but can be harder to get off at the end of a long race when you’re tired, cold and everything’s covered in mud. There aren’t too many shoes that use laces in CX racing, but I’d avoid any that do – it’s way too easy to get them dirty to the point you’ll struggle to get your shoes on and off. Similar for shoes that ONLY have Velcro fastening straps – once they get dirty a few times they’ll lose a lot of their gripping power. I love a shoe with a ratchet and strap system personally, but they’ve fallen out of fashion with shoe designers over the past few years.
No vents – Plenty of shoes will have vented sections to allow heat to escape. These aren’t a great idea for CX use, as anything that allows heat to escape will also allow mud and water in, and no ride is ever improved by having damp socks.
Recommendations
Okay, so which shoes would tick all those boxes above? It depends on the sort of budget you’re working with, but if you can I’d recommend paying a little more for something that’ll last a while.
I’d use the Giro Cylinder shoes as a starting point. They come with a BOA dial and a Velcro toe strap, are a neutral black colour, have a stiffer sole than most and have compatibility for toe spikes. They have a few vents where water and mud might get in, but they’d be my first recommendation.
If you’re looking for more of a budget option, then the Scott Comp RS MTB shoes are a good option that won’t break the bank. They’re a little bit heavier than the Cylinders and have three Velcro straps rather than a dial, but they’re compatible with toe spikes, have limited venting, come with reflective details for safety and have quite a grippy sole.
They’re available for an RRP of $129.99 AUD, and you can find out more about them here.
If you’re looking for a slightly more colourful option, or have had trouble finding shoes that properly fit your feet, the Bont Riot MTB+ shoes have a heat-mouldable sole that can be made to conform to the shape of your foot by putting them in the oven.
A pair of Riot MTBs will set you back $279.99 AUD, and you can read up on them here.
Those are three of the more popular options, but we’d love to hear any recommendations from CX Down Under readers. Make sure to drop your thoughts in the comments below!