Five Ten Freerider Shoe

Let’s face it, grip is kind when it comes to aggressive riding. Grip is also a key ingredient for feeling confident on while on a bike. The more confident you feel, the better you will ride. Therefore, the better grip you have, the better you will ride. When it comes to grip, there’s one brand of shoe that is always brought up: Five Ten. They make a variety of shoes and they all offer excellent grip. Having worn through an old pair, I got my hands on a new pair of their most popular shoe, the Freerider. After a few months of riding, here are my impressions:

Detailed Specs:

Stealth® S1™ rubber outsole

Suede & mesh upper

One-piece molded cupsole

Classic Dotty™ tread

Weight: 931 grams (Size 12US)

Retail: $100

Out of The Box:

When pulling these Freeriders out of their packaging, they don’t look not much different than regular shoes someone would wear down the street, through the hall, or at the mall. However, once you throw them over a thin plate of metal with spikes pointing up, they quickly separate themselves from the basic “skate” shoe. It’s this fundamental concept that I feel has made them so popular.

Aside from the looks, the weight of these shoes is that similar to skate shoes as well. Coming in at 931 grams for size 12US, they aren’t too heavy, even for those looking for high performance gear.

On the Trail:

As mentioned above, what makes the Freerider so great is the classic rubber outsole. Five Ten calls it their Stealth S1™ rubber and has really built a solid reputation for the company. 

The S1 rubber offers a perfect balance of grip and durability that will satisfy the majority of riders out on the mountain. Even after months of riding, the outsoles show very little signs of wear. Compared to their Mi6 (their grippiest) compound which showed indentations where the pins bit through the first portion of the outsole.

The mesh sections of the upper shoe offer excellent ventilation for the hottest of summer rides. As expected with this mesh however is the lack of waterproofing. When wearing the Freeriders, beware of cross streams which will completely saturate your shoes if you aren’t careful.

The Freeride shoe comes with a pretty basic insole which offers good support but nothing out of this world. If stability is #1 on your list, I would look at an aftermarket insole or possibly spending $50 more and going with the Freerider Pro which has a slightly more advance insole.

Durability:

The S1 outsole of the Freerider offers the best grip to durability ratio out of all the Five Ten compounds. It’s because of this that the outsole of the Freerider will last a long time. The rest of the shoe offers decent durability but isn’t absolutely indestructible. The suede and mesh material is subject to ripping if snagged right and the stitching holding the outsole together can become frayed.

There is one thing that I find to be a huge key for finding the most durable shoe and that is a solid inside wall to a shoe. This may not be important in other sports but where you are constantly pedaling to keep moving, the inside wall of riding shoes is right flush with the crank arms of the bike. Taking a look at the Freeriders after my testing period, I could see some wear and tear markings on them. This wasn’t as bad as some shoes I’ve seen but it certainly wasn’t the most durable inner wall I’ve had either.

Although the Freeriders offer decent durability, if you are looking for the ultimate durable shoe, spend an extra $50 and get yourself the Freerider Pros.

Bottom Line:

The Freeriders aren’t Five Ten’s most popular shoe for no reason. They offer a casual profile, excellent grip, and great ventilation. They are the type of shoe you can wear to work and then hope on your bike without having to think twice about swapping them out. They offer decent durability and for the price, are hard to beat. If you are looking to ultimate durability, I would suggest looking into the Freerider Pros which have a similar design but upgrades components. But, for the price of $100 (which you should be able to find on sale as well), you really can’t go wrong with the Freeriders.

After many years of riding clipless, I have been riding flat pedals again. About six months of dabbling later, I decided to upgrade my shoes to something newer. The Five Ten Freerider is the industry standard for the function so I picked up a pair for $80 direct from the Adidas website. The design and construction looks really good. My feet are narrow so my only complaint is the toe box seems quite large. The shoes are only three rides old at this time so that fit may change as they further break in. This extra space could also be a good thing if I want to wear thicker socks. One weird details is the extra long shoe laces. Not sure if I am missing some special way to tie them or if I just need to cut them shorter, but they are way-y-y-y long. As expected the stealth rubber sticks like a spoonful of honey has been added to each sole. I have regular height pins and they do not seem to be causing that eventual damage to the soles yet either. I went with standard Freerider model because of the ventilation and happy with that aspect. I have seen complaints about the longevity of the design since Adidas took over so we will see how well they wear. Really good riding experience so far (sticky and stable) and I am learning new ways to ride (without pulling upon the pedals). If Sam Hill can have that much fun riding up and down on flats, I can surely have half as much fun riding much, much slower on flats! So far, so good.

I recently became an IMBA certified bike instructor, and for the course you had to ride flat pedals. Picked up a pair of freeriders, and have never looked back. These shoes offer a semi stiff sole which aids in pedal feel and grip, but aren't so stiff that walking around is awkward and uncomfortable. Although I have noticed that for longer hikes they can be a touch stiff. I have the freeriders with the standard black sole, and they offer legendary grip, but I can still shift my foot without too much issue. It did take a bit of getting used to as I do have to lift my foot a bit at times if I am cemented to the pedal.

These shoes are my go to when practicing new skills with flat pedals, as well as a durable and comfortable shoe I wear almost everyday. I went through a set of vans every couple of months, but thus far these have held up great and should last significantly longer. I was a bit leary of the suede outers, but threw some waterproofing spray on them and haven’t had issues. Overall a great option for those that want a shoe that can handle DH trails to trail riding to hitting the town. Don’t let the price scare you off from having a solid pair of shoes that if taken care of should last a good while.

The 5.10freerider shoe is my second 5.10 shoe that I bought. The first one was the sam hill high top used for DH and now that I ride trail mostly, I needed a new shoe that was lighter and more breathable but still had the grip I came to love with my DH shoes. It was great that I didn't even have to shop around much for different shoes. I know the quality that is brought to the table with 5.10 and that my money will be well spent on them, no matter what the initial cost is. I looked at the shimano and the specialized shoes too but for the price, I didn't want to take a risk knowing that there was a solid winner right there for the taking. 

The fit is comfy and stiff at the same time so it gives you better grip on the pedals. The flat pedal sole is still in great shape and hasn't worn that much at all in the 2 years that I have owned them. If anything, it just became a bit easier to move my foot around on the pedals while riding, which is not a bad thing. The ONLY complaint I have is that the laces were wayy to long when I first got them, even tying them in a triple knot didn't shorten them up enough.  Being the cheapskate that I am, I cut the laces and tied them back together again and put them back in my shoe instead of getting new ones and they have worked perfectly ever since. These aren't waterproof but I'm sure you can spray them with some of the water replant and get them pretty close to a waterproof shoe. Buy these shoes and don't look back!