Gear Review: Five Ten Freerider Pro Bike Shoes

Our ambassador Robert Werner set out to test the Five Ten Freerider Pro bike shoe for us. Read what he has to say about the brand and the shoe here.

Five Ten-the brand of the Brave. Five Ten shoes have been part of the mountain bike trail scene for as long as I can remember. In the flat pedal area, they have set standards in terms of grip with their Stealth sole. Five Ten has been part of Adidas since 2011, and the professional and technological expertise of both brands has resulted in incredible, sophisticated MTB shoes. I am all the more pleased to be able to test the brand new Freerider Pro. In my home area of Karwendel, the alpine trails in spring offer an excellent testing ground.

First Impression

A classic Five Ten Freerider. Not too clunky in a chic black and grey colour mix. When you lift them out of the box, you immediately notice the low weight. The lettering Primeblue shines out on the insole. What is that all about? If you look it up on the Adidas Five Ten website, you will get the answer immediately. The Freeride shoe is made from functional recycled material, which is partly made from Parley Ocean Plastic. This is recycled plastic waste that was caught before it could get into the sea. The Primeblue philosophy immediately excited me, because in my opinion, the bike industry still invests too little in the idea of sustainability. Of course, I am now curious to see whether the sustainable Freerider Pro Canvas can also convince me of its functionality in the terrain.

The most important criterion for a new shoe is the fit. I ordered the shoe in size US 11, which according to Five Ten corresponds to an EU size of 45.5. The length of the shoe fits me perfectly. I normally wear 44.5, so the shoe runs rather small and I recommend taking a size larger. As usual from Five Ten in the past, the shoes are super comfortable straight away. Today’s tour is mainly uphill bike riding. Right from the first metres, the Freerider scores with great heel hold and valuable sole grip on the damp rocky trail. The inner padding of the shoe is not too thick, nothing rubs or pinches. The classic lacing system allows the shoe to be adjusted exactly to the width of the foot.

Finally, the descent begins

In front of us is an old bridle path full of hairpin bends, small root jumps and lots of fast flow passages. When you put the shoe on the flat pedal, you immediately notice the excellent grip of the S1 Stealth sole. The sharp, long pedal pins really bite into the soft rubber. At the first hairpin bend, I move the rear wheel high around the corner in one go: no slipping on the pedal, the shoe literally sticks to the pedal. I don’t lose contact with the pedal even in the coming rough sections. Nevertheless, the Stealth sole still allows for slight corrections to the pedal position. After a snowfield traverse, the Stealth sole still shines with super grip even when wet. The Five Ten Freerider Pro is also comfortable for small jumps and high steps. The pre-formed EVA midsole gives the shoe sufficient dimensional stability and shape retention. In combination with the OrthoLite insole, the shoe absorbs hard impacts on the trail and protects the muscles from fatigue.

The upper of the shoe is made of a synthetic recycled material and gives the shoe a slightly rougher structure. On our descent today, many trail sections are still wet. The splash water visibly rolls off the synthetic upper and really proves to be water-repellent. When traversing the remaining snow fields, it does get wet in the shoe at some point, not least because the moisture penetrates through the laces or the snow simply gets in at the top of the shaft due to the low profile. On our descent, however, the synthetic outer material dried at record speed due to the warm air. I would also like to highlight the reinforced toe area of the Freerider Pro. The forefoot area is reinforced all around with urethane material and thus protects the toes from impacts or getting caught on rocks or roots.

Result

In general, the Freerider looks very high quality. The seams and glued joints are superbly finished. For 140 EUR you get a high-quality flat pedal shoe that shines in both wet and dry conditions. A successful combination of comfort and functionality for the visored trail rider. With its classy, stylish sneaker look, you can also show your face in the beer garden or the ice cream parlour.

More Five Ten Models

In our Five Ten store you will find a selection of different models for men and women – are you ready for your next trail? Then just put on your Five Ten shoe!

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