MTB Shoe toe studs… What? When? Why?

Just bought some new MTB shoes – and they came with studs in the box.

What are the studs for?
When / why would you fit & use studs?

I am off to the Pyrenees next week. Would I benefit from fitting the studs?

Thanks, Rich

They are Enduro-specific. Use them for raking other riders during overtakes.

MTB shoes have always had toe studs, for running up muddy/slippery stuff, or indeed for raking competitors for super gnar rad core Enduro overtaking.

Not much use in the Pyrenees, I’d leave them off.

Have you got three feet?

Very useful when clambering up anything slippy, i think the theory is if you can’t ride it you will need help walking it.

Very useful when clambering up anything slippy, i think the theory is if you can’t ride it you will need help walking it.

Ahh yes 3 feet would make clambering up a slippy slope much easier!

The only time I’ve ever thought the studs would be useful was trying to push up a 45º slope in the mega – it was total gridlock and hundreds of people were just sliding back down it making it even more slippery. It was like something out of Takeshi’s Castle.

The rest of the time, no.

I lost one out of my mavics today, gutted

If you’ve ever tried to get up a very steep, muddy wet grass bank, you’ll know why studs can be a good idea. I have them in mine and don’t find any drawbacks when they’re not required.

What tinybits said. When they wear out you can get a box of 20 (for football boots but same difference) from any sports shop for about a fiver.

I always thought they were for cx style climbing up short steep muddy banks with your bike on your back. I try to avoid that sort of stuff but YMMV. Agreed that they’re unlikely to be useful for the Pyrenees.

Can be a good idea to put an allen headed grub screw or similar in the thread if you ever intend to use the studs after initially leaving them off as they soon get gunged up with mud and grit. The LBS will often have a grub screw lying around and some shoes even ship with them.

The studs came fitted in my Spesh shoes so I’ve just left them on- doesn’t do any harm. I guess another small benefit of the studs is that any walking on firm surfaces will wear the studs first and save the tread around the front of the sole (as the stud are taller than the tread). Really clutching at straws to benefits other than grip in steep muddy climbs though! 😀

I’ve got those very shoes (been great btw) I fitted the studs and often feel them working for me when scrambling up stuff. Can’t say I’ve ever felt they were doing me any harm.

Great for tap dancing.

Thanks. Hoping not to be clambering up mnuddy slopes so will leave them off.

(three feet means 50% power, init)

there there to dscourage, the eating of cakedrinking of beer or walking those steep rocky sections, meaning you benifit from becoming fitter stronger and healthier Mainly because they are leathal on any other surface than soft grass/muddy banks.

I have them in mine and don’t find any drawbacks when they’re not required.

If you have wood floors it means you can’t walk back into the house to pick up something you forgot without removing your shoes first. Also if you walk through an office or something with shiny floors the studs are rather slippery.

Took mine off one summer, only they’d siezed so the bolts sheared off. Also really annoys me that my winter boots don’t have studs 🙁

I’ve those shoes*.

I don’t put the studs in, cos particularly on those shoes with the slippery carbon bits they can lead to catching death clambering on rocks. Also, they’re summer shoes.

I put the studs in my winter boots, as they get ridden in the slop so the rocks are less of an issue (and they have more aggressive/rubbery tread anyhow which helps there).

*or very similar, mine have red velcro not white, making them 7% more disco.

When I’ve had shoes with stud holes I’ve used rubber studs.
Like these:
You get the benefit of the extra grip on the toes without the floor destroying side effect..

If you’re not fitting studs then it’s a good idea to refit the blanking screws with some threadlock – they always seem to fall out somewhere and you end up with gunged up holes when you do come to fit them

I think Specialized Body Geometry studs are the best.

I have them on my defrosters, they’re great for standing on peoples toes when you’re loading up your bikes into a van in a South Wales trail centre car park 😈
Didn’t realise I was doing it until I was shouted at…… 😆