Drift Minna review: Sticky-soled SPD/flat mountain bike shoes for $189

With 29 muscles, 26 bones, and roughly 100 tendons and ligaments each, our feet are fairly complex. We clad them in things that look good, and the Drift Minna clipless mountain bike shoes have aesthetics locked down. Our foot shields also need to provide warmth, protection, traction, and a cozy fit. This pair checks most of those boxes in ink.

Drift Minna key specs

Sizes: Men’s 5 / Women’s 6 to Men’s 12 / Women’s 13. You might want to order up a size.
Removable plate lets you run flat or clipless
Available in four colorways
Price: $189
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Drift Minna fit and feel

I received my usual size 10 in this shoe, and it was a full size too small. You may want to try a pair of these on before buying, or order a size up and hopefully that works for you. This has happened with several pairs of MTB shoes, and fortunately it’s a simple fix.

The overall fit and feel of the Minna uppers is quite comfortable. I thought the gusseted tongue would pinch and press against my skin, but it’s thin enough to be largely unnoticeable. The shoe’s internals are smooth and unremarkable, which is exactly what I want in a shoe.

Minna kicks can be ridden as flats or clipless, simply by removing a tread plate that hides the cleat channel. I can’t speak to their flat-pedal prowess, as I only ride clipped, but their clipless performance is fantastic. The cleat channel is plenty long to suit most riders’ cleat placement preferences, and the shank provides ample stiffness to push on the pedals and not feel them in your foot.

The cut of the cleat channel provides more space than some trail shoes, which is great for muddy rides where compaction can cause issues clipping in and out. That extra space is so noticeable that I had to tighten the engagement tension on my pedals by a few clicks to prevent clipping out. It seems the other shoes I use with those pedals contact the pedal more, creating additional friction and platform connection. Once tightened down, I welcomed the ample clearance and the quick clips it provides.

Uphill walking is a summertime game in these shoes, as the soles provide little in the way of mud traction. The grippy sole sticks to rocks well, provided you keep weight off the cleat. For slab centers like Squamish, the Minna is an ideal option. I typically wear classic XC shoes with harder soles, and these gummy grips are a fantastic replacement.

Lace closure and waterproof

Lacing the Minna on your feet works just like it did when you were five. There is an elastic strap up top to keep the laces out of your chainring’s mouth, and a leather flap to tidy it all up. I wasn’t able to keep that leather flap snapped shut. At the end of every ride, one of them was waving about, wide open. To simplify things, I’ll be cutting them off after this review is complete.

They claim these shoes are waterproof, and I believe that to a degree. Leather shoes with tongue gussets and without holes in their leather can be waterproof, but when it’s really wet out, there’s nothing to prevent the water from running down your leg and entering the upper. I’ve slapped these shoes through plenty of puddles and kept my feet dry, proving they are waterproof, but for full effect, they would need to be high-tops that tuck under your pants.

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Despite the soft leather upper, sticky soles, and waterproofing, the Minna is overall fairly lightweight. They hit the scale at 564g per side, not far off the weight of my skinny little XC slipper.