I’m currently using some really cheap Muddy Fox shoes which I picked up from Sports Direct because I needed some shoes in a rush.

Now I’m building up a racey XC bike and am looking for some decent shoes to match, not looking to spend the world, maybe £100ish, anyone got any suggestions?

On the road bike I use Lake and Bont, previously had Adidas (Mavic) which were excellent, but am happy to try other brands if they’re good.

Mavic Rush, around your budget – £99 or less. Excellent sole unit – Salomon Contagrip rubber = plenty of grip off the bike, unlike others’ hard plastic Teflon/ice soles; threaded for toe studs if needed; stiff enough for occasional racing but enough flex for hike-a-bike.

Got a 2011 pair that have been used for everything from CX racing, including running the length of Whernside in them at last years’ 3 Peaks, to all day XC rides, to trail bashing.

Lake MTB shoes, although harder to find in the shops, come up well in reviews too – the (Vibram) sole unit is similarly grippy with a decent balance between stiffness and flex. Reviewed in an STW issue about a year ago IIRC, might have been the MX236 or something like that.

Always had good experiences with the Specialized mtb range, you can probably pick up some previous years models at bargain prices.

Worth looking at bontrager rxl mountain, you can pick them up for silly prices, light and stiff carbon sole too

bargain

On-One/Planet-X have some SIDI shoes for about £60, are they any good? What’s the sizing like?

Shimano are pretty good value, you’ll need to go a size up though. SIDI are a good brand, my previous shoes were SIDI and they lasted at least 5 years before needing replacement. Sizing was fairly normal IIRC.

Great advice so far, thanks guys!

Got some trail-tastic M162s last year but I would hesitate to recommend them. The soles feel impressively stiff and definitely have a pedalling advantage compared to more flexible shoes but to save weight the uppers are thin and apart from the three straps keeping them on there’s not much support. It’s not so noticeable when they’re new but after a while they feel feeble and insubstantial. 520g per shoe inc cleat.

Have also got some AM45s they’re much tougher and I prefer them. The styling isn’t to everyone’s tastes but I think the bigger sizes (mine are 47) carry it off OK. The laces are nowhere near as good as the straps on the 162s when it comes to tightening them up and they’re very heavy (670g inc cleat) but much more trail and weather proof.