Five Ten has been expanding their women’s line with help from the ladies with testing, design, and feedback. Five Ten’s women’s shoes are designed taking women’s foot shape into consideration and using a modified last for the shoes. They’ve found that it’s a misconception that women have narrower feet. The circumference of the forefoot is less but the width is actually wider. The women’s shoes also have a changed heel so that the heel locks in better and the cuff is cut out differently because bone placement is different.
The Freerider Pro (top) received an update to the sole pattern. This shoe now features an all Phantom and S1 outsole with a full grip pattern doing away with the flat section of sole featured on the shoe before. It is also a fully stitched sole which keeps it from delaminating. The reinforced toe-box is backed up with Poron foam around the toe. When you hit your toe, the Poron firms up similar to the foams found in a number of body armors. A fully synthetic upper allows the shoe to dry overnight with added perforations for breathability.
In addition to new Freerider Pro, Five Ten has added a couple more colors to the Freerider Canvas and Freerider Contact.
The Hellcat Pro is built off the Impact vxi clipless with an improved design. The Hellcat Pro has a 2-piece TPU shank which allows the toe box to flex up while hiking, but while putting down the power on the pedals, there is no flex ensuring maximum power transfer. The shoe uses C4 rubber rather than the stickier S1 or MI6 compound rubbers. The C4 is a bit harder yet is still grippy off the bike. The firmness gives a catch free interface with the pedal when clipping in and out. Other features include a fully stitched sole, reinforced toe box, EVA bumper, full synthetic upper, micro perforation for breathability, and long line cleat position which is 6mm longer for better foot placement for gravity riding.
More details at www.fiveten.com.
