FiveTen Line Kings
Price: £79.99
From: Big Stone
Time Tested: Two months
The Line Kings are the latest and rather punningly titled sticky rubber soled shoe to come from FiveTen. The love-it-or-hate-it Sunset Yellow colourway seems to divide opinion roughly across age lines, with the yoof liking the bright yellow finish and in vogue hi-top style but the older generation being less keen. As well as being designed for all forms of flat pedalled bikery, the Line King is also made with slacklining in mind (if you’ve no idea what slacklining is, try clicking HERE). This has led to them having a much thinner sole than FiveTen’s other biking specific shoes, the chunky and robust Impact and the more casual, skate styled Freerider.
The sole of the Line King is made from FiveTen’s trademark sticky Stealth rubber, moulded in one piece rather than the two piece side and sole of the Freerider, giving excellent durability without being as bulky as the similarly designed Impact. There is equally tenacious grip but greater feel, although the tradeoff is reduced pedalling performance through the more flexible sole.
The toe piece and some side details are made from a perforated grey material, which works well to keep temperatures down and also drains quickly if you get them soaked. The high-top design offers plenty of ankle protection and the padding is supportive without being bulky. The rub point on the ankle is made from a tougher and dark coloured material to prevent scruffy scuffing ruining the looks. Indeed, looks will probably be of major importance to anyone buying this shoe, but despite being pitched more at the urban BMX and freeride set they don’t disappoint if you do get them dirty, the thinner sole really letting you work the grip on the pedal rather than blindly trusting the sticky rubber to hold. While the hype of sticky rubber soled shoes being SPD killers is just that, they do provide excellent grip whether dry, wet or covered in mud and mean that the advantages of using flat pedals for downhill or play biking are even more accessible.
Overall: With brilliant feel and low bulk, the Line Kings sit happily as a shoe that can be worn casually (if the looks are your thing) or for biking, with plenty of grip in all conditions. They stay cool and drain water quickly and although they aren’t quite as efficient at putting power through the pedals as other FiveTen bike specific shoes. Regardless, they’re a very capable piece of footwear for flat pedal pinning and general playing.
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Slacklining! Tightrope walking on a slack climbing rope. Bonkers. But wish I had their balance.
I’ve decided a few rides back to get some new shoes to replace my impacts, as I really didn’t like the sole being so think. They make me feel quite remote from any feelings coming through the pedals. I’m just not sure about the high-tops, and I’m a yoof…
I’m not a yoof but I think they look “sick”.
Bloody hell, they look awful! They’ve made me feel sick….
I cant wait for Glentress’ car park in its Autumnal grey to be lit up by a yellow-footed centipede of mince.
How stiff are they? I like fairly stiff midsoles.
I have to admit I rather like them, but I bet they don’t have a ladies’ small size.
Clown shoes.
Available in a more muted version!
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=51904
Is there some sort of proviso in Five Ten world that means they have to make shoes that look a bit shit…
yellow-footed centipede of mince – woohoo, that’s me that is. I got some of these clown shoes in a size 12 for maximum yellowness.
Buzzlighyear – not as stiff as a cycling shoe but slightly stiffer than your average trainer (however they are new so may become the stiffness of your average trainerp after a a few more rides)
Are you sure that the sole of the mountain king is less stiff than the one in the freerider?
To me it looks that this shoe is simply a higher version of the freerider.