Whether your kid rides clipless or flat pedals, if they’re going to be hitting the trails they’ll need an appropriate pair of kids mountain bike shoes.
Often kids will want to start using clipless pedals to be more like mummy and daddy but there are lots of arguments against letting them do this too soon. Firstly, kids feet grow so fast and as clipless kids shoes is such a niche market they’re expensive to buy. Even if you manage to find a bargain pair on eBay within a year you’ll be on the hunt for a new pair as your kid will have outgrown them.
It’s also arguable that kids will be comfier on flat pedals. This is especially true whilst they are still honing their bike handling skills and are still growing. For these reasons many parents choose to wait until their kids are in their teens before letting them switch to clipless. In the interim purchase a pair of thick-soled mountain bike shoes for them to ride with.
Battle of the Trails: Trail Centres v Natural
For those kids that are determined to switch to clipless now (or have already done so) and are comfortable riding in this style, they will have no choice but to wear the correct shoes. There isn’t a huge market for kids clipless shoes but once your child grows to be a size three they will be able to start wearing ladies shoes and have more choice. If your child is a boy, pick a neutral pair and he’ll never know that they are technically women’s shoes.
View the gallery below to see the most popular child-specific mountain bike shoes for both flat and clipless pedal riders.
To purchase any of these shoes, click on the link below:
Five Ten Freerider Kids Flat MTB Shoes
Northwave Hammer Junior MTB Shoes
Liked this? Check these out too:
