Five Ten Impact Pro Mid Flat Pedal Shoe

I've been using and abusing the Impact Highs since the beginning. At that point in time I was already familiar with the brands rock climbing shoes and actually using their skateboard shoe for mountain biking. My history with mountain bike shoes goes all the way back to a time when Nike Lava Domes were the shoe of choice and flat pedals were the only option. Went through the roadie influence phase and tried the original Look clipless on the MTB, then became an SPD user and thanks to those skate shoes, found my happy place on flats. Many shoe goo jobs, warranty replacements, and closeout specials later, I kept getting the feeling that the Impact High would become extinct. When shoes would appear that showed promise as a suitable replacement, I would give them a try but was never satisfied.

I had started to assume that Adidas would let this shoe fade into history. And then it appeared, the Impact Pro Mid, the update I had been anticipating and suggesting for years. When Adidas bought out Five Ten I said I was done with them, but now here I was gladly tossing $180 into their bank account. Had they put a lace cover on them I would have given them an extra 20. My only concern was sizing as my last two pairs did not fit. First there was the grey ones, which I believe had a shrinkage problem as they increasingly became more difficult to put on and take off to the point of being nearly impossible. When I discovered a half size larger pair on closeout, in black, I gave them a try thinking extinction was imminent. My feet were swimming in them but they still offered the hike, bike, dig performance that is unmatched, and I hoped for similar shrinkage as the previous pair. Of course that didn't happen and despite the abuse, the soles didn't come off either.

With the new Pro model I decided to go back to my original size and was greatly relieved to find the fit perfect and the addition of the heel loop very helpful. The Pro has wider toe box as well, resulting in a very comfortable shoe. There also seems to be a better pedal feel than before while maintaining the stiffer sole. I've waited two weeks to post a review so I could get plenty of time to evaluate features I appreciate the most, traction, stability and weather resistance. The previous incarnations were definitely sponges and warm, the Pro's I'm happy to report are cooler and dramatically more water resistant. The addition of a gusseted tongue has massively improved and nearly eliminated dirt and water ingress. The new materials used actually repel water! They also appear to be nearly identical materials and construction to many other newly released shoes from other companies. Time will tell if these materials will prove to be durable.