Sole-mates: Crankbrothers Mallet Speedlace MTB shoes review

Buying separate clipless pedals and shoes is a bit like making a jam sandwich with two different types of bread – you might get two bits of sliced white, or you might get a bagel and a baguette. The solution is either to keep trying different recipes until you come across one that works, or buy both at the same time, as with the Crankbrothers Mallet shoes and matching pedals.

Available with a Speedlace closure that looks a bit like a BOA without the dial, are these shoes worth considering over offerings from Shimano, Five Ten or Fizik?

Verdict: It should be no surprise that pairing a set of clipless pedals with shoes that have been designed alongside them will result in optimum performance. These shoes were created to clip into the manufacturer’s pedals of the same name (which we’ve also covered in our Crankbrothers Mallet DH pedal review) and come with clever features that make the two work together perfectly. If they were waterproof I’d give them full marks.

What’s good?

The main benefit of these shoes is the cleat housing, so it makes sense to cover that off first. For a start the Mallet shoes come with Crankbrothers cleats installed, so if you buy a pair of pedals at the same time you’ll have a spare set from the word go.

They’re set in a neutral position (you do have to tighten them up before you go for a ride though, don’t ask me how I found this out) somewhere in the middle of the 32mm track. The shoes come with an additional 5mm of rearward length specifically for mountain bikes so you can get the cleats really far back, which I love, because it’s way more confidence inspiring on tough terrain.

Although set up for Crankbrothers pedals, you can swap SPD cleats onto them easily enough (there’s a spacer you’ll need to remove first) and they work just as well with a pair of Shimano pedals in my experience.

The sole fore and aft of the cleat is ramped to your foot glide into position, and the cleat box itself is offset towards the inside of your foot, giving your heels a bit more space to move laterally when weighting the bike in and out of corners.

You don’t need super grippy soles on clipless shoes (in fact the opposite) and Crankbrothers has used a mid-friction compound here. Not only does this avoid the pedal pins hanging up on the surface when you’re trying to clip in or out, but it also increases the overall durability.

That said, they feel pretty good against the pedal platform when you’re unclipped and are easy enough to walk in despite having quite a stiff shank. They’re also the only clipless shoes I’ve worn where you can’t hear or feel the cleat grinding into the ground when walking around.

Power transfer feels great and the rigidity of the shank prolongs the duration of your ride before your feet tire out, but there’s enough cushioning in the midsole to ensure it doesn’t feel like jumping onto concrete in bare feet when you hit a big drop or rough section.

The lacing system is super too – these shoes come with standard laces or a BOA closure, and this Speedlace version, which sits somewhere between the two. Plastic laces with nylon eyelets are pulled tight and secured with a toggle that tucks up into a pocket on the tongue.

It’s less of a faff than tying regular laces but avoids having to have a big BOA dial stuck to the outside of your shoe. I always worry about damaging or even ripping those off in the event of a crash, so this Speedlace system seems like a decent compromise.

What’s okay?

The styling doesn’t make a huge statement, and that’s fine, but this Speedlace version further restricts you with only a couple of colour options. Either black and white like the ones in this review or a similar pattern with some extra red.

It's not the end of the world but if you like coordinating your kit to your bike (guilty) then there aren't many choices. The regular lace ups offer a wider range of colourways, including some particularly attractive tan soles, and to my eyes look a bit tidier by doing away with the big Velcro strap.

That’s all pretty subjective, in fairness, and my only other gripe is that the Speedlace system can tighten up a bit unevenly, especially when the shoes are wet or muddy. It’s easy enough to just flex your foot a bit when you put them on though, which seems to solve the problem.

Any negatives?

Hardly any really, other than the lack of waterproof option in the Mallet shoe range. I quite like the idea of having one pair of shoes to match my pedals and these work so well it’s going to feel like a backwards steps putting on a pair of winter boots when the weather turns. If they were winterproof I’d wear them all year. Hopefully they'll fit over my bulkier waterproof socks.

The front half of the upper does appear to be constructed from one piece of material and although there are some venting holes, it does quite a good job of deflecting water from puddles. Durability is enhance too with no raised sections of trim to peel off.

More items to consider

How the product was tested

I tested these shoes on my Santa Cruz 5010 trail bike, with a pair of Crankbrothers Mallet DH pedals and the relevant cleats, and separately with an ancient set of Shimano SPDs. This included cross-country rides, uplift days at Dirt Farm, and some very modest-sized jumps at my local bike park. Testing was conducted in late winter and spring and included a wide range of weather – from rain and wind to unseasonal heat.

Adam Binnie is a reviewer for WhatsTheBest, specialising in bikes, fitness, cars, parenting and cooking.

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