Ive been wearing Five Ten (AKA 510) mountain bike shoes on my trail and DH bikes for five years now and in that time Ive become very familiar with how well they work and how durable they are. From their Impact Low shoe to their Zebra Freerider shoe, they have been a must for me when I ride. Needless to say, when I was given the opportunity to review their new Freerider PRO shoe, I welcomed them with open arms.
Here is what Five Ten has to say about their Freerider PRO mountain bike shoe:
From downhill, to the skate park, to the coffee shop, these shoes have comfort, performance and style to burn. Key features includ a TPU toecap, a TPR external heel cup, leather uppers and stiff soles. Weve also added dense foam cushioning under the ankle cuff and our award-winning Stealth outsoles. From dirt jumping to flat pedal all-mountain riding, this is a shoe thats up to it all.
The very first thing I noticed was that the outsole was sewn into the shoe all the way around. This was a welcome discovery since after repeated foot dabs, the outsole at the toe on my older model has come unglued. I can say that this is not an issue with the new Freerider PRO mountain bike shoes. The patented Stealth rubber provided adequate grip but also allowed for a little foot movement which was great when trying to reposition my foot.
Speaking of repeated foot dabs, another great improvement is the TPU toecap which more than likely saved me from having sore toes on a number of occasions. The TPR external heel cup appeared to save me as well as the heel on my right shoe shows a moderate sized dent.
Further comparison between the new Freerider PRO and my older pair shows a greater toe angle and much firmer sole. The angled front (it starts at the ball of the foot) felt very comfortable whenever I had my foot on the pedal in the correct position. However, with the firmer sole and angled front, I did feel a slight disconnect between the pedal and the shoe if my foot was misplaced. That said, the firmer sole did help with pedaling efficiency by not wasting any of the power I was putting down.
Five Tens have been my go to mountain bike shoe when it comes to trail and DH riding and with their newest Freerider Pro shoe, I see no reason to change. They continue to have excellent grip, durability, and are very easy on the eye in the looks department.
$129.95 MSRP. Available at Competitive Cyclist.
Thanks to Five Ten for providing these shoes for review.
