When it comes to shoes for mountain biking, you’d be hard-pressed to find a brand with a range that’s as comprehensive as Shimano.
Having pioneered the SPD clip-in pedal system back in 1990, Shimano has been expanding and refining its lineup of clip-in shoes over the last three decades. These days you’ll find options for everything from gravel and XC racing, through to enduro and downhill. Additionally, Shimano offers specific models in a ‘Wide’ variety, and it also produces a select range of women’s specific shoes too. Here we take a look at the snazziest option; the XC5.
Shimano XC5 Women’s MTB Shoes
- Sizes: 36-44 EU
- Weight: 290g (claimed)
- Price: $239 AUD
As the name implies, the Shimano XC5 Women’s shoes are predominantly designed for XC riding and racing. Of course they’re just as suitable for gravel riding, and thanks to the generous rubber outsole, we’ve found them to be great for everyday trail exploring too.
Compared to the cheaper XC1 and XC3 shoes, the XC5 incorporates a stiffer glass fibre reinforced midsole. This reduces flex between the shoe and pedal body, creating a more stable platform that helps with power transfer. It also makes the XC5 quite lightweight, coming in at a claimed 290g for a size 40 EU.
Shimano wraps almost the entire outsole with its Ultread rubber compound, which features aggressive triangular-shaped lugs to help dig into soil and mud for grip when hike-a-biking. There’s also a section of tread underneath the arch that provides a surprising amount of traction over roots and rocks, or when you need to rest your foot on the pedal body while unclipped.
We’ve also appreciated the elongated cleat channel that allows you to position the cleat quite far back. This helps to achieve a modern mid-foot pedal position that provides better descending stability with less strain on your achilles.
Being a women’s specific shoe, the XC5 gets a slimmer volume compared to the unisex version. Jo has found the snug profile to work well for her size 39 EU feet, and the single BOA dial and Velcro strap makes it easy to dial in the tension for a stable but comfortable fit. However, those with wider feet may want to look towards the unisex version for more volume. On that note, the unisex XC5 shoe shares all of the same features and an identical price, albeit in a broader 38-50 EU size range.
