Are special MTB shoes a necessity?

[steveindenmark]

My partner rides just as far and as fast as I do. She wears trainers. I wear mtb shoes. I like to be clipped in because it keeps my feet in the same place all the time and I find it comfortable.

Clipping in will not make you miraculously faster IMO.

 

[Dan Ferris]

An interesting / relevant topic as i am in the same situation. I use my trail running shoes which have a slightly stiffer sole when on the MTB and find them fine. As mentioned in the comments above there will be times where you want to be able to get your foot down quickly. I'd only consider trialling a set of shoes if i find a cheap pair on eBay.

 

[MachersMan]

I wear my old Shimano MD76 shoes on my MTB with M324 combo pedals so best of both worlds and the shoes are super comfortable. For shorter rides trainers are fine but imo longer rides need harder soles and best get some dedicated shoes.

 

[Black Sheep]

I buy skate shoes cheap from Sports direct for about £20.

They're a bit stiffer than normal trainers, have a fair bit of tread on the underside for the pins on my pedals to grip into and I don't really care much if I get them soaked and muddy as I can replace them again easily and cheaply.

I tend to go for Airwalk ones, but that's just because they fit me nicely.