[Closed] Alternates to Five Ten Freerider

I have had a pair of Adidas Terrex Trail shoes lasting well. Stealth rubber sole etc touch stiffer than freeriders though. Usually around £75-85 if you nose around

The older Shimano AM7/AM700 (not the new clipless version)?

+1 for the Adidas Trail Cross SL shoes:  https://m.adidas.co.uk/terrex-trail-cross-sl-shoes/CM7562.html

Adidas now own Five Ten and they use the same Stealth rubber sole on these MTB shoes.

Ah, good point. I keep forgetting they own them.

Eldest_oab is a professional shoe shredder. His Specialized 2fo's are lasting well.

Get some freeriders in a sale.

The terrex are nothing like the freeriders in terms of feel on the bike. I find them quite vaugue and they remind me of the feel of my 2f0 clippy shoes. They are also not as grippy as the freerider. I'm not sure if the terrex uses a different rubber? The freerider is more like a trainer which is a good thing.

I have both and much much prefer the freeriders. Except the sole falling apart and the cardboard inside dissolveing over winter.

That said the terrex are ok. I'm not sure I'd buy another pair. I got mine for 60quid. I'd not pay more. Also The tongue is also bizarrely narrow so if you have chunky feet it may expose the edge of the tongue. I've wide feet (g width) and it's just about ok.

I've got some posh vans and had to ride in them recently cos I forget my bike shoes and they were actually quite good.

I'm considering getting my 5tens resoled at feet first for 40 as the uppers are fine just the soles have holes at the balls of my feet.

Cheers mark

<span style="font-size: 0.8rem;">The terrex are quite narrow and the heel is built up like a running shoe, which I could not get on with. I also found them less grippy than my five tens. Can't speak about their durability as i did not keep them long.</span>

For shorter rides and winter riding I just use some old fox skate shoes. I was surprised how dependant I had become on sticky soles to keep my feet on the pedals.

Except the sole falling apart and the cardboard inside dissolveing over winter.

That's my main problem, and tends to rot through the inside to the extent resoling is not an option. Besides resoling cost is a fair proportion of a new pair price. Used to be almost the same as a new pair, though with prices double what they were now resoling is maybe better value.

Get some freeriders in a sale.

Keep missing them, though seems to drop from £90/£100 to £80, which is still way more than they used to be in the sales. But then things are just more expensive now.

Was just wondering if it's worth looking at other options now, especially anything that'll last me more than a winter.

I'm into just sucking it up ... though TBH I wish the Vx came with a harder wearing sole bit start looking for discounted before they need replacing.

For the traditional free riders I wear them a year as casual shoes BEFORE using them on the bike so you get a years use before you start to wreck them.  I've got a pair now almost not been ridden in... and when the Vx sole gets more ripped up I might wear em whilst I wait for another set of Vx on sale.

Shredded another pair of Five Tens. Go through them every couple of years, sometimes less. The rubber just falls apart.

Seriously? how long do you think shoes that are only in contact with sharp metal pins, and move about constantly on a ride, should last?

Seriously? how long do you think shoes that are only in contact with sharp metal pins, and move about constantly on a ride, should last?

I dunno but it's a compromise.

Personally I find the regular sole  more than good enough with aggressive pedals and the Vx sole is so soft you can't reposition.... so it's not adding (for me with my pedals) anything but does wear a lot quicker.

Ideally I'd get the Vx with the standard sole.

Just yesterday I counted 30 different flat pedal specific MTB shoes made by mfgrs other than 5.10.  The 5.10 empire seems to have at least that many models available.

I hope I didn’t have to test all of them to find my next shoes - 5.10 and most others most seem to have curved last which does not work for me - I need straight last or 3 numbers bigger size to avoid killing my big toes. Trying to find Giros and Bontragers to try next.

I need straight last or 3 numbers bigger size to avoid killing my big toes.

2FO

Are you Sideshow Bob?

mmannerr I feel your pain, I have a pair of utterly wrecked 510 low impacts from about 2013 before they did a slight redesign and made them narrower. I so far haven't found any replacement shoe which is wide enough for my size 13 feet. 2F0 etc all way too narrow and a lot only go up to size 12 which is just offensive

I actually don’t have very big or wide feet, for a correctly fitting shoe a 44.5 or 45 big enough. Currently using 5.10 Guide Tennies which are getting too soft and worns

CFH: just tried 2FOs last week, unfortunately  too much curve on front of the arch.

Here is the list to try:

661 Filter

Afton Keegan

Bontrager Flatline

Chrome Kursk

Cube Urban Flat Grip

Adidas Terrex Trail Cross SL, Terrex Trail Cross Protect

DZR Sense, Shift

Garneau Urban MTB , G.Volt

Giro Jacket, Jacket II, Riddance, Riddance Mid

ION Bike Shoe Raid, Raid Amp

O'Neal Pinned, Pinned Pro

O.W.N FR-01

Pearl Izumi X-Alp Launch

Scott FR10

Shimano GR7, GR9

Specialized Skitch, 2FO

Vaude Moab Low AM, Moab AM, Moab Mid STX

Might have missed few?

Great thanks, as a side note, the 2F0, Shimano and Terrex just felt so rock solid that had they fitted I'm sure they would have been terrible compared to my old low impacts although they do get rated well so who knows......all 3 of them not big enough for me nor the Vaude Moab. Will look at the rest of your list although some I have already discounted due to only being size 12 max 🙁

While they do get trashed quickly, I do like the fit and grip of Five Ten stuff, especially the Freerider.

I'm wondering if I really need the Elements I normally go for. Though I do ride in really shitty conditions a lot in winter, but I use Sealskinz socks if it's going to be bad. Main issue for me with Five Tens though isn't wet foot but the length of time it takes them to dry out.

The non Elements is more widely available at cheaper prices. I'd be happier to just get a couple at those prices and rotate them or maybe a non Elements for summer and Elements for the bad days in winter.

If you're always wearing sealskinz, why do your shoes need to be dry every time?....

Freerider canvas don't seem to take longer to dry out than any other shoe, fwiw.

If you’re always wearing sealskinz, why do your shoes need to be dry every time?….

Fair point

Just buy another Pair, it's not like Mountain biking is an expensive sport overall. Unlike other Sports, you don't pay a fee to use a facility every time you do it, all your doing is maintaining and replacing worn out equipment occasionally and that's entirely it.

BTW I got a pair of Five Ten impacts in January for £55, reduced from £100

Previously tried Five Ten freeriders, lasted 18 months. Also previously, Specialized shoes and Five 10 Spitfires, lasted no time at all, not recommended at all in the slightest.

mmannerr I have a similar problem. I even went to a chiropodist as it was affecting my street shoes and trainers. He said that I do have a recognised problem with a name I can't remember which basically means your big toes point out instead of in like most peoples. This obviously means that most shoes rub your big toes making for extreme discomfort, blisters and bunions. He made me some insoles which by altering the angle of your instep helping to keep the big toe away from the side of the shoe. They help but are not a complete cure. Like you I wear shoes with a size nominally too big which give more toe room. I too am always searching for straight last shoes. Mountain feet in Meltham near Huddersfield were very helpful in sorting me some walking boot which were the first comfy boots I had had for years. He works with a chiropodist and has loads of variations of insole to help various problems with all outdoor shoes. He is also a mtber so knows what you are talking about.

So despite all this I still haven't found the holy grail of mtb shoe. At the moment I have size 13 freeriders and 48 AM40 or are they 41s? which are ok but I still end up with feet that ache more than I feel they should at the end of a ride.