Five Ten Sleuth DLX 2 review: A comfortable flat pedal shoe with Stealth rubber grip

Five Ten made a name for itself in the mountain bike world with the Freerider, which is still the brand’s top-selling mountain bike shoe. In second place? The Five Ten Sleuth. This year, an all-new version of the shoe, the Five Ten Sleuth DLX 2, was released to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the brand’s sticky Stealth Rubber outsole. I’ve been testing the new Sleuth over the past several weeks, and while I think it’s a good mountain bike shoe, I think it’s an even better eMTB shoe.

Five Ten Sleuth DLX 2 key specs

Fit: True to size, medium-wide toe box width with room to stretch
7mm drop
Price: $135
Buy from Adidas Five Ten

Starting at the outsole, Five Ten Sleuth DLX 2 shoes feature Stealth Phantom rubber in a Dotty tread pattern that’s identical to the pattern used on Freeriders. An EVA midsole provides cushioning, and the shoe is not very stiff overall. The stiffness feels like it’s on par with a pair of canvas Five Ten Freeriders, and more flexible than a pair of Five Ten Freerider Pros.

Though the Sleuth DLX 2 is a flat pedal shoe, technically, it’s not flat. There’s a 7mm drop from the heel to the mid-foot, which is a little unusual for a non-clipless shoe. Coming off the Lems Trail Thrasher, which is zero drop, I was surprised the 7mm drop didn’t feel much different, particularly on the pedals.

The Sleuth DLX 2s feature real leather uppers, unlike the standard Sleuths. The lace closure is very basic, and I wish Adidas Five Ten would add a lace keeper to ensure the loops don’t get tangled in my drivetrain or snagged by brush. While we’re at it, I’d love to get a second set of eyelets at the top of the shoe to enable a “heel lock” lace pattern. In my testing, the Sleuths are vulnerable to heel slip, and the ability to lace a heel lock would be an easy fix.

Sleuth left, Samba right. The Sleuths don’t get the three-stripe treatment, but the Adidas Terrex logo is right there on the tongue.

When I first unboxed the Five Ten Sleuth DLX 2s, I was worried they’d be far too narrow for comfort. They look very similar to Adidas Samba soccer shoes, and not nearly as wide as my canvas Freeriders. My foot is on the wide side of average, and with certain shoes, I struggle to get a pain-free fit.

Reviewer profile height: 190cm (6’3″) weight: 75kg (165lb) testing zone: Southeast, USA

As it turns out, I didn’t need to worry about the Sleuths. The uppers, while low profile, seem to have stretched out after just a few rides. And despite appearances, the shape of the Sleuth DLX 2 outsole matches my Freeriders almost perfectly. Bottom line: the Sleuths are true to size and seem to tilt toward the wide side of the average shoe width.

Weight is important when it comes to biking shoes. After all, our feet are moving up and down thousands of times per ride. The pair of size 11.5US Sleuths I tested weigh 980g, which is spot-on with my Freeriders and just 5g more than a pair of Shimano GF600 shoes in the same size. However, that’s 140g heavier than the Lems Trail Thrashers in my size.

Five Ten offers the new Sleuth DLX 2s in three colorways, though a dedicated women’s version is not available at this time.

On the trail

Adidas Five Ten says the Sleuth DLX 2 is designed for mountain biking and BMX riding, and also bike commuting. It’s certainly a less technical shoe than the Freerider Pro, and is less specialized than the MTB-focused Freerider.

That being said, it’s a perfectly good shoe for trail riding. The Sleuth conforms to the pedals naturally, and the Stealth rubber is as grippy and slip-free as usual. Where it falls short of stiffer-soled shoes is on longer rides and rides where a lot of pedaling is involved. It’s just not the most efficient at transferring power from foot to pedal.

And so, I shouldn’t have been surprised to find that the Five Ten Sleuth DLX 2 is a pretty great shoe for e-biking. With pedal assist, riders don’t need to push as hard and can focus on pedal grip and comfort almost exclusively. One of my earliest test rides in the Sleuths was aboard the new Specialized Turbo Levo R, and I was genuinely impressed with the ride feel and control the shoes deliver. It felt like the perfect flat-pedal eMTB shoe.

Stealth rubber is legendary for its pedal grip, though that’s not always true on smooth surfaces like wet rocks. However, thanks to the flexible sole, I found good grip on surfaces I would normally avoid — like the wet plastic pipe in an undisclosed location pictured above. Walking sideways, I was able to curve my foot to increase the surface area for a slip-free traverse.

After several weeks and at least 100 miles of riding, there’s not a lot of wear showing on the outsole. The amount of pin-hole wear appears to be on par with my Freeriders, which have seen more miles.