Best Mountain Bike Shoes Under $150

Looking for a high-quality mountain bike shoe but don’t want to break the bank? Look no further than our list of the best mountain bike shoes under $150. With a variety of styles and features, these shoes are perfect for riders of all levels and experience. Whether you’re looking for lightweight and breathable options or supportive and durable shoes, we’ve got you covered with our top picks.

Our Top Mountain Bike Shoe Picks

Five Ten Freerider

With its iconic grip and comfortable interior, Five Ten’s Freerider Flat pedal shoes is renowned for its superior performance. This unrivaled shoe boasts Stealth S1 rubber soles with a dotty tread pattern that offers an unbeatable connection to your pedals – whether it be during long climbs or when taking on jumps and technical features. Get ready for the best ride of your life!

Moreover, the midsole of this flat pedal shoe is designed to provide just enough stiffness so that it avoids hotspots but still remains flexible and offer good traction on rocks. While its dotty tread may not be optimally suited for mud, it’s more than capable for short hikes or bike rides and it almost looks like it’s fit for clipless pedals.

Lastly, the reinforced toe box and robust upper material provide excellent protection while giving the shoe its signature stylish flair.

Bottomline

Riding with the Five Ten Freerider is a great experience, yet there are some downsides. Pedal connection may be slightly less efficient and powerful when compared to other shoes due to its design. Furthermore, users have noted that the soft rubber wears down faster than expected, typically needing replacement after 1,000 miles of trail riding.

Giro Berm

Giro’s Berm clipless mountain bike shoes are the perfect choice for trail riders seeking quality and comfort without breaking the bank. At a fantastic price of only $75, you can expect durability with breathable protection in its upper material, customizable fit capabilities, plus an outsole with remarkable amounts of grip when riding off-road and a velcro strap to complete the security. Don’t settle for anything less than optimal performance – get your pair of Giro Berm at an incredible value today!

Bottomline

Though the midsole presents a comfortable ride, its flexible construction doesn’t offer much efficiency. The dual Velcro closures also lack the precision and convenience of more popular Boa or ratchet-style systems. Additionally, while it boasts an aggressive outsole shape, it lacks in grip on rockier terrain or steeper sections of trail compared to other XC shoes.

Giro Chamber II

Giro’s Chamber II is the preferred choice of downhill riders, and its design allows you to tackle downhill and enduro courses like never before. Equipped as well with velcro straps to keep you riding securely.

Its upper has an almost seamless finish that looks natural yet deceivingly offers top-notch performance with a shank providing rigidity in the middle of your foot while being flexible enough for comfortable hiking.

You can further tweak it with adjustable cleat position to truly customize this shoe according to your needs.

Bottomline

Even though the Chamber II has lost some weight in comparison to its predecessor, it’s no lightweight.

Its durable stiff sole design supports intense trail riding and doesn’t make much effort to stay slim and trim. Although you can pedal comfortably on this shoe, we wouldn’t advise wearing them for long rides or XC mountain biking.

Ride Concepts Livewire Shoes

Ride Concepts is a fresh face in the MTB shoes market, yet that hasn’t stopped them from rising to the top. The Livewire trail clipless mountain bike shoe stands as their flagship entry-level offering, including an outer sole made of durable rubber and modern design that almost looks like skate shoes – all for just $110 MSRP! This amazing value makes it hard to ignore Ride Concept’s rise into fame.

Bottomline

The biggest downside to the Livewire is its weight, which is stretching into the downhill world at nearly 2 pounds for the pair considering it’s a clipless shoes. It’s still manageable and not overly clunky for pedal-heavy days, but we prefer the lighter and nimbler feel of the Freerider above for flat pedals.

Five Ten Kestrel Lace 

Five Ten’s MTB shoe collection offers nearly everything a rider could need, and the Kestrel is its wildly popular all-mountain design. Whether you choose standard laces or Boa closure (for an extra $50), this clipless option was made with serious riders in mind with its stiff armor-like trail shoes construction to guarantee optimal performance every time.

Bottomline

Although the Kestrel offers a strong and protective construction, it isn’t necessarily ideal for most trail rides. The stiff collar caused us some minor discomfort around our ankles initially; however, this decreased over time.

Additionally, because of its rigid platform we found ourselves less secure when hiking uphill. For these reasons, we ultimately opted for a softer shoe that provided better all-around coverage during our ride.

Conclusion

Mountain biking shoes are an essential part of your mountain bike gear. Whether you’re a downhill rider or prefer to stick to the trails, there’s a mountain bike shoe that can meet your needs and budget.

We’ve reviewed some of our favorite mountain bike shoes under $150 for 2023, including Giro Chamber II, Ride Concepts Livewire Shoes, and Five Ten Kestrel Lace. Each one offers unique features and benefits depending on what kind of riding you plan to do. No matter which one you choose though, make sure it fits properly so you get the most out of each ride!