COVID-19 Notice – The Five Ten Trailcross Mid Pro MTB shoes arrived in time for one regular ride before isolation and have since been ridden on relatively tame trails from out Amanda’s front door. We’ll update this review once life is back to normal.
The Five Ten Trailcross Mid Pro MTB shoes are flat pedal, high performance riding shoes with TERREX trail running shoe technology. The idea here is to have no boundaries on your adventure, from on and off the bike.
Let’s start by taking a look at the technology in the shoes, and how they have managed to cram enough in them for performance to not falter once you’ve hopped off the bike. From a riding point of view, there’s a D30 armoured outer layer in a high top design, with neoprene gators. This offers a great level of ankle protection and general stability, and stops gravel and mud from getting in your boots.
The upper material is a breathable mesh designed to be both lightweight and breathable. Temperature regulation is arguably more important on a shoe intended for all day wear, and also tough to achieve when you’re also trying to make a durable design.
The soles are Five Ten Stealth Phantom rubber that goes all the way to the edge and then some. The heel and toe sections are stiffer for added traction on the ground when walking.
How do they fit?
I have never been a huge fan of Five Ten shoes for me personally, as I find them to be too wide for my narrow feet. All the Five Ten flat pedal riding shoes I have previously tried are just a tad too chunky – great when wearing thick waterproof socks but no good with regular socks. So it came as a pleasant surprise when these shoes fit me like a glove sock. The shape is so well considered, they are like a second skin, with no heel rub, no toe squash, and no gaping ankle.
A close fit often makes shoes a nightmare to get your feet into, but thanks to the neoprene gator and heel tabs for pulling them on, these don’t put up much of a fight. They are equally as easy to get off, regardless of your sock thickness, and you don’t need to loosen the laces all the way down.
The laces seem quite thin for a high top, but I’ve not decided if that’s because the fit is so good that they don’t need the added support, or it’s a weather proofing choice (these laces dry out in no time).
The Ride
As mentioned above, I received these shoes just as we entered lockdown, so my review is based on a handful of trail rides, some gravel riding, cargo biking and one pre-lockdown gnar ride.
For what appears to be a slim rubber sole these shoes feel fairly stiff when riding. There’s a comfortable amount of flex but they are stiff enough to feel like you have good pedal power. I had expected a bit of taco’ing given that they are suitable for walking in too, but that isn’t the case.
One of the main selling points to me has been having ankle protection without a bulky boot rubbing against your cranks. The design is so slim with the D30 protection taking the place of what can often be a thick padded ankle, and the rest of the shoe is a neat fit too.
The soles are super sticky on my Nukeproof Horizon pedals, and still very grippy on some older Chromag Contacts with very blunt pins. The depth of the tread pattern on the Stealth rubber means it’s fairly easy to adjust your feet if you initially get them in the wrong position, which is something I struggled with on the Vaude AM Moab flat pedal boots, my other pair of high top flat pedal shoes.
Sock and shoe combo is important with these, at least in this current heatwave we’re experiencing. I have found that thick tube socks are very warm, not uncomfortable but noticeably warmer than I’m used to my feet being on a bike. Thinner more elasticated ones are perfect, but keep in mind I have only worn these in dry conditions so far.
Are the Five Ten Trailcross Waterproof?
These do not keep water out. The neoprene sock may repel small splashes but it was soaked through from the top of the shoe where a tongue would usually be. It was only when showering in them that I realised there are ventilation holes at the top of the foot too, so it’s hardly surprising I ended up with wet feet.
Five Ten shoes are historically notorious for taking a long time to dry out, but the Trailcross are noticeably quicker than any I’ve previously worn. I soaked these, right through to my socks, and they have dried out in less than 24 hours without a radiator or shoe dryer. I stuffed some newspaper in and left them in a spot they would catch the sun for a few hours midday. They are so lightweight there’s just not a lot of material to dry out.
The Walk
To sell a shoe as being suitable for hiking as well as biking, the stiffness of the sole seems like it would be a tough one to find a good balance on. Hiking, fell running and walking all require the use of the many muscles and tendons in our feet to work with the ground, whereas our feet are more an extension of your pedal on a bike. They are incredibly comfortable and grippy off the bike. The Stealth rubber goes all the way to edge of the sole and wraps around slightly, so you have a really good amount of grip even when scrambling up steep rocks (please note – I climbed over a big stone wall. I have not been hike-a-biking).
Overall
I haven’t had chance to ride in these shoes as much as I’d like to form a solid opinion – and what use is a UK review when I haven’t ridden on a rainy day yet? So far, I’ve found grippiness and comfort on the bike, with all the confidence a high top shoe gives you without them being so clumpy they rub the cranks. Off the bike the grip is really surprising – having sprained an ankle badly in the past I am cautious walking up and down trails, but I’m confident in the current dry conditions to trust I’m not going to slip in these.
Review Info
| Brand: | Five Ten |
| Product: | Trailcross Mid Pro MTB |
| From: | https://www.adidas.co.uk/ |
| Price: | £129.95 |
| Tested: | by Amanda for 1 month |
Comments (19)
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Look great and could have been an all year UK must have had they not been so well ventilated.
@Milton I’m interested to see how they ride on greasy trails. I can test the drying time in my shower but I can’t see how they deal with mud – that will be the decider for me! Even waterproof shoes eventually get wet on the worst days, so I’d be inclined to go for these given how quickly they dry out in comparison.
Dear Adidas.
Please, please, please make some with a GoreTex liner.
Thank you
Everyone in Northern Europe and the Alps
Not a fan of Five Ten but these look pretty good, shame no cleated version.
Hot_fiat: There should be a Goretex version on the way, but according to this https://enduro-mtb.com/en/five-ten-adidas-trailcross-shoes/ it won’t be available till August (and unfortunately it won’t have ankle protection). Oh well, plenty of time to save up choose between those and the waterproof Vaude flat pedal hi-tops.
Fiveten goretex….the holy grail…how many years have we waited?
Genius, “this bit is neoprene and waterproof. This bit 3 inches away has holes in it”
Just bloomin bring back the guide tennie mix GTX!
Such good shoes. They run a half size big on the US sizing.
i got a pair on launch with a 30% code i had so reasonably priced compared to rrp
yes the ankle has the d30 padding, but the instep isnt protected, 2nd ride i hit something on the top of my foot, and it hurt, then bruised. i went up 1/2 a size, i’m now thinking i shouldnt have, although this is my spring autumn shoe, rather than summer were i use the five tennies.
These boots are definately regular fit adidas size.
They arent spashproof, i went through a tiny puddle at lubp i felt the cold wet instantly.
They were a pain to put on at first the neoprene ankle is tight, they have stretched slightly so was enough to get on now..
The show out sole is proper grippu as you would expect and they feel nice and look good.
i hate chunky soled boots, these arent too thick like some feel less fiveten..
i’d rate 8/10
GTX due august 2020 i’ll likely get some although my Terrex / climaproof boots are good with trousers over the top in winter..
@whatyadoingsucka I really don’t struggle getting these on, I just slide my feet in but I guess the part where I’ve mentioned my narrow feet might have something to do with that. The neoprene isn’t at all tight on me, it just sits next to my skin.
I’ve finally had a properly wet ride in these now – Just rain without puddles they do a great job. The first puddle I went through came home with me, in my shoes.
Bought a pair and only walked in them so far but hey are extremely comfortable and supportive to walk in. If you are wanting a pair size down though, I went by the sizing guide on the website then went half a size down from what was recommended as a couple of people said they come up big, I then had to return them and go down half a size again. I’ve had several pairs of 510 and always fit a UK 9.5 but these I’m running a 9. Other than sizing issues I can’t fault them.
Hi Amanda,
I purchased a pair of Vaude AM Moab and love them for the wet weather protection bit find they can be a bit heavy if on decent hike a bike trips. How do you find these compare to the Vaude Am you have for weight if out on a hike a bike ?
Many thanks
How do the soles stand up to the pins on flat pedals? I have a pair of terrex with the conti soles and the pins have trashed the soles.
My 2016 trailcross soles show plenty of pin damage from Nukeproof horizons and the heel is almost worn flat from walking. The uppers show damage associated with use but no splits or deformation and they are still perfectly usable.
used them all year round for trail, gravel and bikepacking and they have performed well.
will defo be getting another pair.
^ with the stealth rubber sole^
I like that they come with “gators” as everyone should have crocodilians on their footwear…make it snappy!
@Amanda Wishart are you still using these? Is there any chance of a long term update? Thanks.
@doomanic Amanda is on leave this week, but if you check out issue 133 her follow up review of them is in there.
Thanks Hannah