Five Ten Freerider Shoe

A great shoe at a great price. That performs on the bike but can be worn as a casual shoe off it. 

The traction on these things is incredible, and your feet don't get too sweaty either. They are snug, and fit really well, but the toe box seems small for the size, and the durability was a bit less than hoped, but they faced a season of hard riding in rough conditions.

After many years of riding clipless, I have been riding flat pedals again. About six months of dabbling later, I decided to upgrade my shoes to something newer. The Five Ten Freerider is the industry standard for the function so I picked up a pair for $80 direct from the Adidas website. The design and construction looks really good. My feet are narrow so my only complaint is the toe box seems quite large. The shoes are only three rides old at this time so that fit may change as they further break in. This extra space could also be a good thing if I want to wear thicker socks. One weird details is the extra long shoe laces. Not sure if I am missing some special way to tie them or if I just need to cut them shorter, but they are way-y-y-y long. As expected the stealth rubber sticks like a spoonful of honey has been added to each sole. I have regular height pins and they do not seem to be causing that eventual damage to the soles yet either. I went with standard Freerider model because of the ventilation and happy with that aspect. I have seen complaints about the longevity of the design since Adidas took over so we will see how well they wear. Really good riding experience so far (sticky and stable) and I am learning new ways to ride (without pulling upon the pedals). If Sam Hill can have that much fun riding up and down on flats, I can surely have half as much fun riding much, much slower on flats! So far, so good.

I recently became an IMBA certified bike instructor, and for the course you had to ride flat pedals. Picked up a pair of freeriders, and have never looked back. These shoes offer a semi stiff sole which aids in pedal feel and grip, but aren't so stiff that walking around is awkward and uncomfortable. Although I have noticed that for longer hikes they can be a touch stiff. I have the freeriders with the standard black sole, and they offer legendary grip, but I can still shift my foot without too much issue. It did take a bit of getting used to as I do have to lift my foot a bit at times if I am cemented to the pedal.

These shoes are my go to when practicing new skills with flat pedals, as well as a durable and comfortable shoe I wear almost everyday. I went through a set of vans every couple of months, but thus far these have held up great and should last significantly longer. I was a bit leary of the suede outers, but threw some waterproofing spray on them and haven’t had issues. Overall a great option for those that want a shoe that can handle DH trails to trail riding to hitting the town. Don’t let the price scare you off from having a solid pair of shoes that if taken care of should last a good while.

The 5.10freerider shoe is my second 5.10 shoe that I bought. The first one was the sam hill high top used for DH and now that I ride trail mostly, I needed a new shoe that was lighter and more breathable but still had the grip I came to love with my DH shoes. It was great that I didn't even have to shop around much for different shoes. I know the quality that is brought to the table with 5.10 and that my money will be well spent on them, no matter what the initial cost is. I looked at the shimano and the specialized shoes too but for the price, I didn't want to take a risk knowing that there was a solid winner right there for the taking. 

The fit is comfy and stiff at the same time so it gives you better grip on the pedals. The flat pedal sole is still in great shape and hasn't worn that much at all in the 2 years that I have owned them. If anything, it just became a bit easier to move my foot around on the pedals while riding, which is not a bad thing. The ONLY complaint I have is that the laces were wayy to long when I first got them, even tying them in a triple knot didn't shorten them up enough.  Being the cheapskate that I am, I cut the laces and tied them back together again and put them back in my shoe instead of getting new ones and they have worked perfectly ever since. These aren't waterproof but I'm sure you can spray them with some of the water replant and get them pretty close to a waterproof shoe. Buy these shoes and don't look back!

I wanted a shoe that I could wear while out trail riding because I was tired of using my stiff impacts for downhill and trail riding. I started a paper route and saved up my pennies, purchased these bad boys online, not sure where, prob from Amazon or something because they have good return policy.  They arrived and viola I am wearing comfortable new shoes.  I figured they would be good for mtb but turns out they are good for anything, ya know, go mtb w/ your mates for the day, change out of something less stinky, head to the pub for a pint and a bite to eat type of shoe.  My friend white Chris got a pair on my recommendation and he loves his so we got that going for us too. 

I’d consider these a game changer in terms of items you can buy for biking, once you wear a pair of 5.10 shoes it would be very hard to go back to anything else.