[Closed] Are Five Tens still the go to shoes?

My Five Tens have never taken that length of time to dry out tbh, despite living in the west of scotland, a world heritage site for rain. It doesn't matter how wet they are, newspaper stuffed inside and the shelf above the boiler always sorts them out, and I always wear sealskinz with them, so they don't actually need to be dry.

I've used Elements in the past, they were decent, Impact VXI's tyhat I'm using at the moment are excellent. Half size up, merino socks, then sealskinz, then the shoes, I'm ready for anything. In the worst weather, knee high sealskinz, tucked in below kneepads, great set up.

My recent Five Tens dry out no more slowly than the Shimano and Teva shoes I had before. They no longer have cardboard midsoles and excessive absorbent padding.

Get a boot dryer it makes no sense not to, they are cheap and dry your boots/shoes out in no time.

Adidas own 5:10 & Adidas make a MTB shoe, the Trail Cross Terrex SL. I've just bought a pair, it's my first flat pedal shoe so nothing to compare to, out of the box it's a good quality shoe, Stealth rubber on the bottom, lace bungee, stiff, grips, looks like a trainer.

Available direct from Adidas UK or from Start Fitness in black (brown / black / salmon).

My Freerider Pros seem to made of completely different material, and dry fast.

Have a look at the Impact Pro.  I got a pair and they're pretty fantastic.

I’ve got the shoes you are looking at - they are grippy and comfortable - the sole is great for flat pedals:

They literally do take days to dry out though and mine don’t smell the best already. I bought some shoe driers that I put in them to speed up drying in the garage (they aren't allowed in the house) but they still take 2 days if they get really wet.

When I want new shoes I’d probably sacrifice a little bit of grip for lighter / more waterproof / quicker drying shoes.

I do like my Elements, but it's only taken a year to wear a hole through the sole. VXi's only lasted 6 months.

I had a pair of Giro Riddances, but they tore open on their second ride, not very grippy either.

Now i'm wearing Shimano GR 900's. Not as ultimately grippy as 5:10's, but that means your foot doesn't get stuck in the wrong place. They are a bit lighter & cooler too, maybe too cool for winter.

I've just bought some Shimano GR7's and am so far really happy with them - grip is good, the sole is stiffer than that of a Freerider and offers better support for pedalling.

If I needed shoes today I'd get another pair of standard Freeriders (for summer) or Freerider elements (for winter). I don't think anyone else including Five Ten has beaten them.

I have some of the Adidas Terrex shoes with the Stealth sole. They are actually pretty good, and for 'trail' riding they are probably my go to shoe. They are grippy enough, light & dry well. Sole appears to be hard wearing, after nearly a years use. So, fairly impressed.

For racing (enduro/DH) though, they are not grippy enough compared to an Impact VXi, nor do they have the solid, stable feel. I basically chop and change between them. I have a feeling the freerider pro is probably similar to the Adidas shoe in terms of grip & feel.

For outright performance I when the current impact dies, i'll replace with the new Pro version, as the sole on the VXi doesn't last very long.

To me, as a die hard flat pedal rider, there is no other shoe that compares on the market. Others might be made a bit better, or dry a little faster, but the most important bit to me is grip.

as qwerty says, look at the Terrex. They are more like a skate shoe style made with trail running / approach shoe materials so relatively splash proof and not completely sponge-like.

Has anyone tried Northwave endure mids? Quite like the look of them but basing a purchase purely on aesthetics doesn't always end well...

I’ve just bought some Shimano GR7’s and am so far really happy with them – grip is good, the sole is stiffer than that of a Freerider and offers better support for pedalling.

My thoughts exactly.

My old Elements used to take, well 5 to 10 days as above, you could reduce it to two by stuffing them with paper and leaving them on a rad.

Used my Shimano's at Coed the weekend before last, one of the wettest rides I've enjoyed in more than a decade of riding, left them on the floor of the garage, they were dry by morning.

Admittedly, despite a sort of rubberised material like Elements and some talk of weather protection, they were stood up for approximately half a puddle before my feet were wet, but they don't hold it like a sponge either.

Whoops

Standard free riders are like sponges but you can dry them overnight... (if you don't want to sleep) hotel room, hair drier etc..

My VXi's dry way faster....  and almost too grippy on long pins... annoyingly the sole started coming away but so far shoe goo has fixed them.

My "summer" free-riders are still in wear as casual mode... and won't really get serious wet weather use until they are a bit beaten up... then replace with new 'casual' pair.  Just my method but seems to extend use of the non weather resistant ones by using as casual first... or stick on for the drive home etc.

I've got some Adidas Terrex Protect shoes/boots with "stealth" rubber.

The're nothing like proper Five:Ten stealth rubber, don't kid yourself. It's not great. I might get them resoled in proper stealth rubber if I ever wear them out.

I never had problems getting my Freerider Elements VXi dry, but two pairs did have their lifespans massively extended by gratuitous use of Shoe Goo and Freesole sticking the sole back on (a very common issue).

FWIW, the elements won't keep you properly dry but the lack of a mash front panel means they resist small splashes and whatnot for much longer than non-Elements freeriders.

I'm tempted by the Adidas Terrex as i'm fed up of my 5:10's not lasting anytime at all, the sole either wears through or falls off.

They have improved drying times on them though so maybe sole adhesive improvements are next on their list of things to make better.

I've got the Adidas Terrex shoes.  Very good and compare well with my old Freeride 5:10s.  Easier to get on and dry far quicker.  Comfy, grippy, lace bungee - good riding shoes for my area (FoD).

The’re nothing like proper Five:Ten stealth rubber, don’t kid yourself. It’s not great. I might get them resoled in proper stealth rubber if I ever wear them out.

Depends which 5:10's you've got

• Stealth Mi6: 52a durometer, Five Ten’s grippiest rubber, superior cushioning
• Stealth S1: 64a durometer, Five Ten’s most versatile rubber (grip, cushioning, durability)
• Stealth Phantom: 65a durometer, essentially coloured version of S1
• Stealth C4: 76-80a durometer, typical skate shoe-style grip

If you want a quick drying, grippy alternative the guys at Biketreks were raving about the new generation of Specialized 2FO

https://www.specializedconceptstore.co.uk/product/12633/2018-2fo-flat-1-0-mountain-bike-shoes/

I never had problems getting my Freerider Elements VXi dry, but two pairs did have their lifespans massively extended by gratuitous use of Shoe Goo and Freesole sticking the sole back on (a very common issue).

Good to know ... I was hoping it will last but still only a week into shoe goo ....

Oh yeah, for winter use I got some Five Ten Guide Tennies, on the advice of someone on here- Ton maybe? They're not as good as mtb specific shoes, no surprise- the sole isn't as flat and they're a wee bit clubfooty though not as much as the horrible Impact VXI, but they're still very good, and deal with winter better than any other flat I've used. Unfortunately the GTX version is discontinued.

Why is this so hard 5 10? Why does the EPS suck balls?

the’re nothing like proper Five:Ten stealth rubber, don’t kid yourself. It’s not great. I might get them resoled in proper stealth rubber if I ever wear them out.

..

Depends which 5:10’s you’ve got

• Stealth Mi6: 52a durometer, Five Ten’s grippiest rubber, superior cushioning
• Stealth S1: 64a durometer, Five Ten’s most versatile rubber (grip, cushioning, durability)
• Stealth Phantom: 65a durometer, essentially coloured version of S1
• Stealth C4: 76-80a durometer, typical skate shoe-style grip

Thanks simon. It would appear that the Freerider Elements VXi use the Stealth Mi6

From pinkbike's review of the Terrex Trail Cross Protect:

On the pedals, the Stealth Rubber is less sticky and has a faster rebound than the softest Mi6 compound found on Five Ten's Impact VXi. The Stealth S1 compound used on Five Ten Freeriders and the new Danny MacAskill signature shoe still deliver more grip and tack. It has a softer feel to the Marathon/Mn rubber compound found on the Five Ten Dirtbags, which is the hardest wearing rubber from the Stealth line. Adidas wouldn't specify which rubber compound is used and it could be a whole new compound or borrowed from somewhere else in the Stealth range. Whichever compound they have chosen, it's grippy enough for trail bike endeavors and dare I say it, enduro, but downhillers or people hunting for more grip should stick with a shoe using Mi6 or S1.

Adidas Terrex don't grip the pedals quite as well as freeriders, but they do grip bloody well. The sole is a little thicker and harder rubber so will hopefully last a bit longer than my freerider elements (1 year before sole wore a hole through). The freeriders give a better feel of the pedal while the Terrex offer a bit more support. The Terrex definitely dry quicker too.

If you try or buy the new model impacts, just be aware they are highly restrictive in width. Lovely quality shoe set but had to return and even going up a size wouldn’t have solved the problem as the design where the laces start means very restrictive indeed.

I just use my old but mint Sombrios and have 2 sets of 5.10 access- ya know those ones for £84.60 delivered for 2 pairs and are now even much cheaper.

Can you still get Vaude Moab STX ? Mine are about to enter their third winter. Still look almost new and have been fantastic. I wear them year round up here in NE Scotland. Bought after a positive review in the nag but for some reason they rarely feature in threads like this.

Oh yes and they dry overnight when they do get soaked.

Five Ten Freerider ELC??

Really impressed with the Adidas Terrex. Mine have now done about a season and a half of full-time guiding plus a whole load of Autumn and Spring riding. They're still in great nick.

For me, they maybe don't have the uber-grip of the stickiest 5:10s, but they're plenty grippy enough. Grippier than the Giro Jackets I had previously for sure.

I gave up on 5:10s because they weren't even lasting me a month.