Bikepacking-Friendly Shoe Roundup—Vol. 3

Hiking performance and comfort. The combination of a loaded bike, tired legs, and challenging terrain often makes pushing your bike easier than riding, if pedaling is even a possibility. To evaluate the performance of these shoes for a hike-a-bike, we did just that. The most comfortable shoes for hiking generally have a rubberized sole with good traction, a somewhat flexible sole in front of where a cleat mounts, a slightly broader footprint for better traction and stability, and perhaps extra padding in the footbed. Shoes with an inflexible sole tend to be much less comfortable for hiking, and conversely, shoes with too flexible of a sole often are less comfortable for sustained pedaling. Reviewers found that shoes with a sole stiffness of 3 to 4 (on our scale of 1-5) are a great choice for bikepacking trips with a fair share of hiking, and stiffer shoes are, as expected, best for longer days on gravel roads or pavement. Durability. The downfall of some hike-a-bike-friendly shoes is that the tread material or construction doesn’t hold up to the abuse of actually hiking. Soft lugs can get chewed away and tear off, and multi-layer soles can begin to peel apart. The upper part of the shoe also needs to stand up to the rigors of bikepacking. Ventilation. No one wants their feet to bake inside a damp shoe on a hot day, right? Counter-intuitively, there seems to be a trend in the world of mountain bike shoes toward less breathable shoes. Mesh panels are being replaced by uppers perforated by just a small number of pinholes, and this just leads to uncomfortably hot feet during warm-weather riding. Hopefully more shoe designers will recognize this shortfall and return to include more breathable materials in new shoes designs. The Top Picks. Our favorite shoes from this round of testing are the Lake MX 168 and the Pearl Izumi X-PROJECT 2.0. The inexpensive Bontrager Evoke came in right on the heels of these other two models. These kicks join the Lake MX 168 Enduro, Pearl Izumi X-ALP Elevate, and Northwave Outcross Plus as overall top-ranked shoes from past testing. Several of these are available in both men’s and women’s versions.

Few bikepackers choose the carbon-soled, oft-poorly-ventilated, race-inspired option for adventures straying off well-traveled gravel roads. For some riders, the best bikepacking shoe may be more of an enduro-style shoe, or perhaps it’ll be a relatively inexpensive nylon-soled cross-country shoe. For others, flat pedals and trail running or approach shoes (for which there are endless options) are preferred. Everyone obviously has different feet and preferences, so in these reviews, we try to convey what we can about these different models in the most impartial and informative manner possible. Testing of these kicks involved the full range of riding that bikepackers may encounter—long days on gravel roads, rugged mountain trails with more hiking than pedaling, strenuous week-long trips that were particularly hard on the body, heatwaves and rainy spells. This brought out both the highlights and shortcomings of these different shoes, and we share our opinions about each model and for what sort of riding experience they are best suited. The characteristics we evaluated are explained below, and a summary chart with all the shoes from both years of testing can be found in this summary table in PDF format. Ridingperformance and comfort. The longer your day in the saddle, the more important it is to have a shoe that’s comfortable for your foot. For on-the-bike performance, we evaluated the fit of each shoe, its closure system and sole stiffness. More flexible soles are great for hiking, but they’re less efficient for pedaling and can cause foot fatigue and bruising. We found that, in general, ratchet buckles, dials, and hook-and-loop straps were the most comfortable, efficient, and easily-adjustable closure systems.

Top pick #1 – Lake MX 168: The MX 168 features a floating Boa dial (very easily replaceable should it fail) and two hook-and-loop straps up top and a very grippy rubber tread compound below. The nylon sole has enough flex that it hikes quite comfortably, but that sole is stiff enough that pedal pressure is particularly noticeable even after a full day of pedaling. This shoe fits like a more traditional cross-country shoe with minimal bulk, and it is notably lighter but less stable on rocky terrain than its MX 168 Enduro brother. Both these models are a great option for riders with wider feet, and those like me with a narrow foot may benefit from adding a thin insole to take up a bit of volume. The MX 168 is a solid choice for big days of pedaling that still involve quite a bit of hike-a-bike. If I was going to be hiking for miles continuously, I might choose a shoe with a bit of a wider sole for more stability. After countless rugged day rides and a few weeks of bikepacking trips, this shoe shows fairly noticeable wear on both the tread and the uppers, but it has held up better than many other models in these tests. Retail price on the MX 168 is $180.

Top pick #2 – Pearl Izumi X-PROJECT 2.0: Using a full-length carbon sole that flexes beneath the toes while walking, the slim X-PROJECT 2.0 is ideally suited for both long days on gravel roads and rugged trips with ample hike-a-bikes. It may not be particularly well ventilated, but it does dry quickly. This shoe has been extensively tested on several month-long expeditions with impressive results both in 2016 and again this year. The rubber-capped lugs tend to wear faster than the rest of the shoe, but the wear isn’t necessarily unreasonably fast. For riders who want the snug fit of a cross-country style mountain bike shoe, a stiff sole for pedaling, and decent comfort while hiking, this shoe hits the sweet spot. For longer and particularly rugged hike-a-bikes, I’d prefer a shoe with a bit of a wider tread like the X-ALP Elevate, but the X-PROJECT series offers a much more svelte alternative. This model retails for $240, and there are both less and more expensive models available; all come in both men’s- and women’s-specific versions.

Top pick #3 – Bontrager Evoke: The Evoke was the surprise of this testing—a $110 shoe that is quite comfortable both on and off the bike. It runs a European size small, and some riders may prefer a more secure or easily adjustable closure than the three hook-and-loop straps, but the value of this shoe is impossible to beat. The tread offers reliable traction, the heel cup is snug enough that my narrow heel stayed put even during extended, steep hike-a-bikes, and the bright orange color option may even keep you safer during hunting season.

Other shoes:Giant Line: The Line is a relaxed-fit shoe with a moderately stiff sole and a tread covered in enough rubber that it’ll take ages to wear through it. The shoe is reasonably comfortable for both pedaling and hiking. The lack of discrete lugs on the sole means that traction on loose or slippery surfaces isn’t particularly great, but for $150, this could be a great all-around bikepacking shoe for less demanding adventures.

Shimano ME5: For riders looking for a light enduro-style shoe that fits snugly, hikes reasonably well, and feels moderately efficient while pedaling, look no further than the Shimano ME5. This shoe offers a bit of extra ankle protection, is well ventilated and offers great traction on both loose surfaces and slickrock. The sole stiffness on the bike is such that pressure from the pedal is rather noticeable, but it wasn’t a problem at all for shorter days on the bike. The shoe dries very quickly, holds up to abuse well, and sells for $160. Note that this model runs a European size or so big.

Northwave Extreme XCM 2 GTX: The final shoe included in this round of testing was a bit of an outlier: the sloppy-weather-oriented Northwave Extreme XCM 2 GTX. Featuring a Neoprene ankle collar and a Gore-Tex liner, this shoe was designed with chilly and damp shoulder season riding in mind. There is no additional insulation in the shoe, but the lack of ventilation and the liner material add a bit of warmth over a typical shoe—perfect for rainy November adventures. The stiff carbon sole shines during long days in the saddle, and the sticky rubber on the lugs helps with traction off the bike, but that stiff sole doesn’t lend itself particularly well to extended hikes. I also feel that it’s worth mentioning that Gore-Tex shoes may not be the ideal choice even for wet weather—water still easily gets down into any 'waterproof' shoe at the ankle, and these shoes take much longer to dry out once they’re soaked inside. And for anyone with sweaty feet like mine, the inside of the shoe will likely be wet no matter what within a few hours of riding without the use of some sort of vapor barrier liner over the foot.