Bicycle Touring shoes are an essential part of bike touring. Without the right cycling shoes, your tour can quickly become a nightmare and end abruptly. As such, you must own a good pair of touring bike shoes before setting out on your journey.
In this article, I'll share with you the best bicycle touring shoes I've found over my years of touring cross country in every situation. These cycling shoes will make your bike touring experience one with fewer issues since they all feature just the right specs to complete any tour and last longer than a few months.
I handpicked the top 14 bike touring shoes from hundreds of cycling shoes that I vetted to based on comfort, ventilation, cleat compatibility, closure type, and lastly the price. Plus, I've even included the best bike touring sandals that I've ever owned for those that prefer biking without a hard shoe.
So if you're interested in saving loads of time and money trying out a bunch of bad options on your own, read on!
Best Touring Bike Shoes:
- Tommaso Milano Commuter/Touring Bike Shoe
- Five Ten Kestrel Lace Mountain Bike & Touring Shoes
- Giro Rumble VR Mountain Tour Shoes
- PEARL IZUMI X-Road Fuel V5 Tour Cycling Shoes
- Tommaso Vertice Bicycle Touring Shoe
- PEARL IZUMI X-alp Journey Bicycle Touring Shoe
- Giro Terraduro Bike Shoes
- Pearl iZUMi Men's X-Alp Seek V Cycling Shoes
- Tommaso Strada 200 Touring Road bike Shoes
- Exustar E-SS503 Touring Bike Sandal
- SHIMANO SH-CT5W Women's Road Touring Cycling Shoe
- SHIMANO SD5 Touring Sandal
- SHIMANO SH-MT301 Touring Shoes
- Pearl Izumi Women's W X-Project Elite Cycling Shoe
Bicycle Touring Shoe Reviews
Here's my detailed review of each of the top cycling shoes for bike touring:
Tommaso Milano Review
Click Image to See More Reviews and Price on Amazon
For commuting, bike touring, and even bikepacking, I always turn to the Tommaso Milano bicycle touring shoes as it has been one of the most reliable cycling shoes. It is built like a sneaker and has grippy outsoles that I found offers excellent traction for the times where you need to hike or descend steep terrains.
As a sneaker style bicycle touring shoe, you can expect exceptional comfort from the Tommaso Milano. Internally, the shoes have just the right amount of padding so they don't feel hard like a traditional cycling shoe. Furthermore, thanks to the sneaker style design, you can use them to walk around all day or even wear them like regular shoes with no problems.
I've owned a pair of these shoes for since it was released in 2019 and even till this day its still going strong. So I know it has great durability to take you through all your bike tours.
The Tommaso Milano lets you achieve optimum power transfer to your road bike pedals and reduces wasted energy for those long bike touring trips. It features SPD cleat compatibility in addition to mesh inserts and a breathable mesh tongue. Those additions to the shoe allow them to dry quickly and provides terrific ventilation while you power through your commute or bike tours.
One thing I'm happy about with these cycling shoes is that Tommaso provides two (2) years manufacturer warranty on top of the shoe's already affordable price. With all that considered, I highly recommend this pair and think you'll love them as touring bike shoes.
Specs
- Closure System: Lace
- Upper Material: Synthetic
- Cleat Compatibility: SPD
Five Ten Men's Kestrel
Click Image to See More Reviews and Price on Amazon
Comfort is the number one factor I consider when choosing shoes for bicycle touring. And that's exactly what you can expect from the Five Ten Kestrel Lace shoe. This shoe is branded as a mountain bike shoe, but I found it very comfy to wear during my last bike touring adventure. At no point throughout the tour did I ever feel the need to rip the shoes off my feet due to discomfort. So I that for me gave it a huge boost and made me rank it higher on this list.
The Five Ten Kestrel cycling shoes features a regular lace-up design with a top hook and loop strap that makes securing the shoe easy. Moreover, it is built with excellent materials that offer good water resistance. The outsole uses Five Tens' stealth c4 rubber material and offers enough grip for times where I needed to trek on foot.
Related: How to Choose the Perfect Cycling Shoes for Wide Feet
Moreover, it has recessed cleats, so there was no issue walking in it even while cleats where added. If you know that the tour you have planned will involve a lot of walking, getting a shoe with recessed cleats is invaluable. So you should definitely consider this one or the tommaso milano's for your trip.
Another point to note about these cycling shoes have a nice sole design that will allow them to grip perfectly to your mountain bike pedals. And best of all, they are very lightweight and offer enough durability to take on whatever you journey you have planned.
Specs
- Closure System: Lace and Velcro
- Upper Material: Synthetic
- Cleat Compatibility: SPD
Giro Rumble VR Men's Mountain Cycling Shoes
Click Image to See More Reviews and Price on Amazon
The Giro Rumble VR cycling shoes is one of those shoes that look totally unassuming but is, in fact, a great touring cycling shoe underneath. It offers superb outsole traction for when you need to walk around. Moreover, it hugs your feet like a sock and feels natural to cycle in.
With the Giro Rumble, you get a shoe that is breathable and offers excellent comfort. It is built with synthetic suede and uses laces instead of straps. Furthermore, they've included a nylon plate in the soles of this shoe that, when paired with the recessed spd cleat offers efficient power transfer.
If you want a regular sneaker-like feel for your bike touring shoes, consider the Giro Rumble VR.
Specs
- Closure System: Lace
- Upper Material: Synthetic
- Cleat Compatibility: SPD
PEARL IZUMI Men's X-Road Fuel V5 Cycling Shoe
Click Image to See More Reviews and Price on Amazon
Are you looking for stylish touring bike shoes that still offers excellent functionality and features? If you are, then the Pearl IZUMI X-Road Fuel V5 is one to consider. It comes in two (2) good looking colors with a two-toned design. Moreover, the X-Road Fuel V5 offers quick-drying thanks to the bonded seamless upper with a breathable mesh design; this makes Pearl IZUMI shoe a great touring bike shoe for trips where any weather is expected.
The X-Road offers excellent stability and power transfer thanks to the nylon plate in the soles to provide superior functionality. Moreover, this cycling shoes has recessed cleats that won't impede your ability to walk around in them.
Specs
- Closure System: Lace
- Upper Material: Synthetic Suede
- Cleat Compatibility: SPD
Tommaso Vertice Bicycle Touring Shoe
Click Image to See More Reviews and Price on Amazon
The Tommaso Vertice 100 is one of the best touring cycling shoes available right now. This shoe might not be the most beautiful shoe of all the options on this list, but it does offer excellent functionality as a touring shoe. It has a monster like outsole thanks to the ultra-rugged Vibram material.
With the Tommaso vertice, it's next to impossible to fall while trekking in them if you are careful. But that's not all that this shoe offers. It is one of the most comfortable shoes of the bunch. Moreover, the shoe has recessed two (2) hole spd cleat compatibility that makes walking in them very comfortable. It also has a breathable mesh upper with great internal padding to cushion your feet.
You can get the Vertice 100 in two styles that feature either the three (3) velcro straps or two straps and buckle closure top strap. So if you know that you'll be walking a lot during your bike tour, getting this shoe will be the right choice.
Specs
- Closure System: Hook and Look Velcro
- Upper Material: Synthetic
- Cleat Compatibility: Velcro
PEARL IZUMI Men's X-alp Journey Cycling Shoe
Click Image to See More Reviews and Price on Amazon
The Pearl Izumi X-Alp journey is another great pair of shoes that are perfect for bike touring. It is one of the best spd touring shoes out there that looks stylish while offering excellent functionality. Most persons also know that Pearl Izumi only builds with the best quality and comfort. And the X-alp Journey cycling shoe stays true to their reputation.
With this shoe, you get a mesh upper-bounded together to provide maximum breathability and is built to last. The shoe features a quick-lacing closure and is very easy to slip on and tighten to your feet. Moreover, the fiberglass injected composite plate provides the valuable power transfer needed from a touring shoe.
The Pearl Izumi X-Alp has a recessed cleat design for compatibility with SPD cleats. Furthermore, it has a unique rubber sole with superb gripping performance. This Bicycle Touring shoe is one we know you will never regret buying as it'll provide the best performance for touring or commuting by bike.
Specs
- Closure System: Quick-Lace
- Upper Material: Synthetic
- Cleat Compatibility: SPD
Giro Terraduro Men's Cycling Shoes
Click Image to See More Reviews and Price on Amazon
This pair from Giro is one of our favorite touring road or mtb bike shoes. It offers excellent comfort and is very stylish while providing great functionality. With four (4) color options to choose from this shoe is perfect for bicycle touring. It is one of the most ideal shoes for cases where you are on and off the bike quite a lot.
The outsole of the Giro Terraduro features nylon shanks that promote rigidity and maximizes pedaling power. Moreover, the inclusion of the recessed cleats makes walking around in this shoe feel natural. They've also equipped it with Vibram rubber soles that are very durable and offer excellent strength and grip to tread even the worst terrains.
The comfort and fit of the Terraduro Touring Cycling Shoe are also top-notch. It has a hook and loop closure system that makes it easy to put on and hugs your feet very well without feeling too tight or uncomfortable. Moreover, the microfiber upper offers excellent breathability while allowing ample water resistance.
All these excellent features come together really nicely and make this cycling shoes one that you must consider.
Specs
- Closure System: Velcro, hook, and Loop
- Upper Material: Microfiber, Vibram Rubber
- Cleat Compatibility: SPD
Pearl iZUMi Men's X-Alp Seek V Cycling Shoe
Click Image to See More Reviews and Price on Amazon
If a touring road bike shoe is what you need, the Pearl Izumi X-Alp Seek is a better choice. It is built like a running shoe, so it provides very good comfort. Moreover, it has recessed SPD cleat compatibility and grippy soles that make trekking easy and safe.
The shoe features a breathable mesh upper that is similar to the X-ALP journey we reviewed earlier. But it is a little more comfortable to walk around in than that one was. This extra comfort is due to the dual-density EVA X-ALP midsole that didn't really impede flexibility while providing ample foot cushioning.
So for touring road bikes, this is the one to get.
Specs
- Closure System: Lace
- Upper Material: Synthetic Mesh Upper
- Cleat Compatibility: SPD
Tommaso Strada 200 Road Touring shoe
Click Image to See More Reviews and Price on Amazon
Another outstanding road bike touring shoe to get is the Tommaso Strada 200. This shoe is very comfortable and offers proper functionality and excellent power transfer. However, if you know you aren't going to be sticking to the roads, I would skip this shoe.
It doesn't offer thick grippy outer soles, nor does it have recessed cleats. So it wouldn't be the best touring cycling shoes if you plan to be on and off the bike. But if you know that you'll be sticking to the streets and just need a road bike touring shoe, then you can give these a shot.
Specs
- Closure System: Velcro
- Upper Material: Synthetic Leather
- Cleat Compatibility: SPD and SPD-SL, Look Delta
- Weight:
Exustar E-SS503 Bike Sandal
Click Image to See More Reviews and Price on Amazon
If you are going bicycle touring in dry, mostly dry weather, you might fancy touring sandals instead of shoes. The Exustar bike sandal is the perfect blend of comfort, style, and function. It is easy to slip on and features compatibility with SPD Pedals.
This touring cycling sandal is built with polyurethane leather and has a very comfy rubber sole. The screw-on recessed cleats allow you to easily clip into the pedals or walk around without any discomfort from cleats. It has three velcro straps that make finding a snug fit easy. The outsole uses stiff bio rubber with plenty of grips to walk around on even the worse terrains.
This sandal is a great touring bike shoe option, and we highly recommend giving it a shot.
Specs
- Closure System: Velcro
- Upper Material: Polyurethane Leather
- Cleat Compatibility: SPD
- Weight: 820 Grams/ pair
SHIMANO SH-CT5W Women's Road Touring Cycling Shoe
Click Image to See More Reviews and Price on Amazon
The Shimano SH-CT5W is a good women-specific touring cycling shoe that most females will love. It is very comfortable and fits snuggly on your feet. You can most definitely wear these shoes for bike touring and keep them on for very long.
It has a breathable upper that allows good ventilation, and thick padding inside the shoe. In addition, the Shimano SH-CT5W has a hidden inner shank that provides good rigidity to the shoe and maximizes power transfer to the pedals. Plus, it has a recessed cleat design that will further make it very comfy to walk around in.
Specs
- Closure System: Lace
- Upper Material: Synthetic
- Cleat Compatibility: SPD
Shimano SD5 Touring Sandal
Click Image to See More Reviews and Price on Amazon
The Shimano SD5 touring shoes is another brilliant pair of sandals to go bike touring in. They are very comfortable to wear thanks to the wide rubber stole. Plus, they feature a simple two-strap closure that makes it easy to strap up and start pedaling.
In terms of performance and functionality, the Shimano SD5 doesn't fall short in any way. In fact, it quite excels here, to be honest. They've reinforced the sole of these sandals, which gives it a rigid feel. Neatly designed into the sole of the Shimano SD5 is the SPD compatible recessed cleats. This cleat design is so well done that you absolutely won't feel the cleats while walking around in this shoe.
For a touring sandal, the Shimano SD5 is one of the best we've seen and tested. So we highly recommend checking them out if touring in sandals is your thing.
Specs
- Closure System: Velcro
- Upper Material: Synthetic Leather
- Cleat Compatibility: SPD compatible
SHIMANO SH-MT301 Touring Shoes
Click Image to See More Reviews and Price on Amazon
If you've ever wanted a multi-purpose shoe that is ideal as a touring cycling shoe, commuting, or regular walking, then the SHIMANO SH-MT301 is the one to go to. This shoe has it all and more. Plus, it offers superb comfort and breathability thanks to the breathable mesh upper and padded internals.
The SHIMANO SH-MT301 features a lace-up design that is easy to tighten on the fly. They are also stylish but not too obtrusive that you start focusing on the look of the shoe.
With the SHIMANO SH-MT301, you get reinforced shank plates built into the outsoles, which provide just the right balance of rigidity and flexibility needed. The shoe also features recessed cleats built into the well-designed rubber soles that provide sufficient grip for walking.
Specs
- Closure System: Lace-Up
- Upper Material: Synthetic Leather
- Cleat Compatibility: Recessed SPD Cleats
Pearl Izumi Women's W X-Project Elite Cycling Shoe
Click Image to See More Reviews and Price on Amazon
The last Bicycle Touring shoes we've tested and approved is the Pearl Izumi X-Project Elite. This shoe is specifically for women but offers very solid comfort, style, and performance. It has recessed SPD cleat compatibility and offers good traction even over the worst terrains.
The X-Project Elite features a breathable upper with carbon composite soles. Plus, it has a single strap paired with a BOA IP1 bi-directional closure system. This design allows you to easily and quickly put on and tighten up this shoe without any hassle.
If you want a comfy bicycle touring shoe for women, get this one.
Specs
- Closure System: BOA IP1
- Upper: Breathable Composite Upper
- Sole Material: Carbon Composite
- Cleat Compatibility: Recessed SPD
Things to Consider When Choosing The right Touring Shoe
We've already listed the best bike touring shoes to buy above, and you can quickly read each review to see which shoe fits you. However, if you still aren't sure what to look out for here's a quick rundown:
Pay Attention to the Closure Systems
You don't want a touring shoe that features a complicated closure system. It is always best to stick to the basics and focus on comfort. As such, the best bike touring shoes will feature either lace, velcro, or quick lace/dial closure systems.
Stay away from complicated clips and buckle style shoes. Bike touring is an adventure, and like all adventures, it mostly unpredictable to know what situations you'll encounter. So having shoes that can get damaged due to buckles and clips breaking isn't a good thing. Moreover, you want your shoes to be as comfortable as possible, which isn't the case for most shoes with buckles.
Shoe Cleats
Most bike touring experts fancy cleats on their touring shoes, and we definitely recommend them in all cases. However, not all bicycle shoes have cleat styles suitable for bike touring.
Bike touring requires you to get on and off the bike frequently. As such, you need touring shoes that feature recessed cleats that will allow you to quickly clip in or get off and walk around in them. Our recommendation is to always go with shoes that have recessed SPD cleat compatibility.
Sole Design
Make sure you select touring shoes with ample grip for walking over tricky terrains. The best shoe soles should be rubber and have deep patterns that will provide sufficient grip even when the weather is terrible.
Ventilation
You can't predict the weather, nor can you know what you'll encounter while bike touring. There are times where you might need to cross streams and occasions where the rain starts pouring suddenly. So having shoes with great ventilation and dries easily is always a plus. Most of the shoes we've listed are breathable. However, none of them will dry faster than bike touring sandals.
Sole Stiffness
Avoid extremely rigid shoes as they make walking very uncomfortable. The best bicycle touring shoes offer a great balance of rigidity and flex so you can easily walk around in them. If you buy one of the items we've listed, you won't need to worry about this issue. However, if you don't like any of them, make sure whichever you end up selecting offers the proper balance of flex and rigidity.
Always have a backup.
On your first bike tour, always have an extra pair of shoes. So if you've never owned a pair of touring shoes, make sure you try to get two pairs from the list. Go with a shoe and sandal combination which will cover you in any case.
Wrap Up
Bicycle Touring Shoes are an essential part of the trip, so you need to make sure you choose the best pair for your needs. Our recommendations are all the best ones that you could choose from right now. They are stylish and feature great quality and performance for even the longest of touring adventures.
You can pick some of them up at some really great prices, and you can also subscribe to our newsletters to get notified on when we hear of the latest deals. If you're still undecided on which shoe to get, you can just get a bike touring sandal as those are the most versatile for any situation. They are comfortable, cheap, and will last throughout the entire tour. Moreover, they dry the fasted and offer the best breathability.
Join the discussion below and share your experience and reviews on the shoes you chose.
Last Updated on October 14, 2023 by Daniel White