Cycling shoes are different from other types of shoes, and certain considerations must be made when purchasing bike shoes. There are five types of bike shoes: casual, road, off-road/mountain bike shoes, indoor and downhill cycling shoes. Casual bike shoes are used only for recreation and are more comfortable to walk in than mountain bike shoes. They are usually used with platform and toe-cage pedals. Road cycling shoes have very rigid soles and are almost always compatible with clipless pedal systems. Mountain bike, or mtb, shoes are used with toe cages and clipless pedals. MTB shoes have very aggressive treads or cleats on the outsoles to provide traction when climbing steep hills and are very durable. MTB shoes have slightly softer soles than road shoes. Cycling shoes by Carnac, Time Sport and Pearl Izumi are designed for maximum performance.
