LEATT MTB 2.0 FLAT PEDAL SHOE REVIEW

A QUALITY MTB SHOE OUTSIDE THE TRADITIONAL OFFERINGS

Words by Travis Reill  |  Photos by Sourpatch

In the early 2000s, Dr. Chris Leatt wanted to reduce the risk of head and neck injuries in motocross. A few years later, in 2005, Leatt opened its doors, specializing in motocross neck braces that would eventually make their way into mountain biking. As time passed, Leatt offered more protection, such as pads, chest protectors, and helmets. It wasn’t until four years ago that Leatt stepped (pun intended) into the world of mountain bike footwear, offering both flat and clipless shoes. With Leatt shoes only having been around for a handful of years, I was eager to lace up a pair of their flats for the first time.

ABOUT THE LEATT MTB 2.0 FLAT

With the MTB 2.0 Flat shoe, Leatt set out to create a shoe that offers high-quality performance on the bike but is casual enough to wear off the bike. The shoe’s body is made from durable synthetic leather, with a simplistic design and clean look that gives it an everyday wearer sort of look. Both the toe box and sides are ventilated, and compression laces lock the MTB 2.0 in place. Leatt offers the $109.99 MTB 2.0 Flat shoe in three colorways: ”Stealth,” “Glow,” and “Spinach.”

The tread pattern on the Leatt MTB 2.0 Flat shoe is their WaffleGrip Pro, which is effectively an inverse design of their original WaffleGrip. WaffleGrip used a concave waffle pattern with good lateral stability to guide pedal pins into place. The downside to WaffleGrip was that it is best suited for pedals with longer pins. WaffleGrip Pro inverts the tread pattern, allowing long and short pins to connect better with the shoe’s sole. WaffleGrip Pro also provides better traction off the bike for scouting the next feature or pushing the bike back up a steep section you’d like to try again.

Rubber compounds are another area Leatt worked on to make the MTB 2.0 perform better on the trail. Leatt jumps up from their RideGrip compound to their RideGrip Pro for this shoe. The RideGrip Pro is 20% softer, allowing for more contact and grip with the pedal, ultimately holding the shoe in place better than its RideGrip predecessor. A softer compound means more flex between the WaffleGrip Pro treads, providing complete contact between the shoe and pedal. However, with a softer compound comes less durability, which Leatt openly shares, so we imagine that in the long run, the RideGrip Pro will wear out faster than a Leatt shoe with the RideGrip compound.

THE DIRT

When testing mountain bike apparel, I found that one of the best things I can say about a product is that I didn’t notice it – it just worked. I didn’t have to make adjustments or switch anything out; I could put the product on for the first time, forget it was there, and allow it to do its job. This was my experience using the Leatt MTB 2.0 Flat shoes. Initially, I didn’t receive the shoes with a review in mind. Leatt sponsored our budget bike shootout, and I received the MTB 2.0 as a part of all the apparel they sent us. I was many rides in before I realized I hadn’t thought about the Leatt shoes once. Not because they are uneventful, but because they did their job so well.

When considering the different features that make a shoe perform well or poorly, none are more important than grip, which the Leatt MTB 2.0s had plenty of. I spent a substantial amount of time in the MTB 2.0s on three different pedal platforms: Crankbrothers, Spank, and E-Thirteen. These have varying pin lengths, and I found that my foot stayed connected to all of them well. Pedal pins quickly found their home on the inverted WaffleGrip Pro soles, as I didn’t need to adjust my foot position after I first made contact with the pedal. This could also be because of the large platform the sole offers, which did come with the downside of a bit too much room in the toe box, for my feet at least. I have a very average-sized foot – not abnormally wide or narrow – and could feel my foot move side to side a bit in the toe box. While I don’t believe this affected my riding, I would have liked a slightly snugger fit.

Undoubtedly, the softer compound of the RideGrip Pro helped those pedal pins find their homes in the soles. Because of the RideGrip Pro’s flex, I was impressed with how easily the pins set into the tread and how well they stayed locked in. The softer compound also made for a more comfortable shoe for everyday wearing, which typically doesn’t work for me. My riding shoes are my riding shoes; I don’t care how “comfortable” they are to use as everyday sneakers, especially if it compromises how the shoe performs. However, this wasn’t my experience with the Leatt MTB 2.0 Flat shoes. While remaining comfortable for hiking back up to a feature or even everyday wear, they still offered a supportive platform that contacted the pedal well without conforming around it.

And, despite almost always switching out of my riding shoes after a ride, I like that the Leatt MTB 2.0 Flats look like regular shoes for that post-ride beer. Leatt snuck up and surprised me with this shoe, and despite our budget bike shootout being over, I’ll be riding in the MTB 2.0 Flats for the foreseeable future.

The Wolf’s Last Word

Leatt may not be one of the traditional brands you would consider when shopping for mountain biking shoes, but they definitely should be. The Leatt MTB 2.0 Flat shoe is supportive, comfortable, and stays locked onto your pedals. Off the bike, Leatt’s clean design can have the MTB 2.0s crossing over into your daily wearers.

Price: $109.99
Website: Leatt.com