The Shimano SH-XC30 SPD Mountain Bike shoes have been my main shoe to use for commutes or for riding.
While I do have Shimano road shoes, I tend to do a lot of riding through the city and not in areas where there are straight riding without stopping.
I’m constantly having to release and if it’s in an area where traffic is bad, having to walk, which I can’t do on my Shimano road shoe.
So, I often use mountain bike shoes with my Shimano PD-520 MTB Mountain Bike Pedals with SPD cleats. But also have used them with PD-A530 and PD-A520 pedals as well.
Purchased these on sale with a coupon for under $50 and it was a steal.
Part of the reason is that since I wear wide shoes, I was looking for a shoe with a wider toe box and according to Shimano, the shoes provides all-day comfort and stability, plus it allows room for custom orthotics.
The Volume Performance last with a wider ball grid which provides superior comfort and stability. And also features low-profile, triple offset straps which prevent uncomfortable prssure on your feet and make the roughest terrain smooth pedaling.
Here are a few photos of the shoe:
Bare in mind that when you purchase Shimano shoes, they use a European sizing. And for these mountain bike shoes, they fit true to size at 46 (I wear size 11.5, so for Shimano road shoes, I have to use 47).
They are comfortable, don’t pinch my toes and are not too tight.
The shoes feature a fiberglass reinforced polyamide sole for increased sole rigidity, tough, stretch-resistant synthetic leather and mesh upper and the velcro straps hold your feet into place very well. Granted, they are not buckle-closure (you will want the Shimano M162 SPD shoes if you are on a budget).
But so far, I have ridden with these shoes many times and while I’m not sure if the shoes have been discontinued, I kind of wish I purchased more than one pair, if they were. Because they have worked perfectly for me in all-weather and most importantly, knowing I can release easily but also walk with them.
My go to cycling shoes for now!
