So I've heard and experienced the outer soles falling off newer Five Ten's but my Elements have been solid...until now. On the whole they look used but I've never had any issues, until the weekend when I noticed a hole through the bottom on the outer sole (probably from a pedal pin) on the left shoe. Anyway, I started manipulating the sole I noticed the forefoot area was really flexible compared to the mid and heel area (pn both shoes). Turns out that the midsoles (that off-white semi-rigid bit under the insole) has broken up. Probably because there's a second piece underneath it that only extends as far as the midfoot. Maybe this was Five Ten's plan to keep the forefoot more flexible? So, I'm a sucker for trying to fix stuff, so I reckon that a sheet of carbon fiber, maybe about 2mm thick, cut to the right shape and then glued into place with lots of Shoe Goo will do the trick. Any thoughts on my plan? In the meantime I'll probably buy some new Five Ten's, even if there longevity can been called into question, they are still the grippiest shoe I've owned/tried.
How old are they? Worth warrantying if less than two years old (assuming they haven't shortened the period since I last warrantied a pair)
I tried keeping a pair limping along with shoe goo a few years back and they required quite a bit of effort to maintain, and having them start to fail during a ride was unhelpful and frustrating. Best avoided in my book.
If strapped for cash, perhaps try PX Vulcans
Second what Guandax suggests.
I had a pair of trashed FreeRiders, soles worn through after a couple of years all weather riding. LBS who's a Five Ten dealer suggested I try get a warranty replacement because the top lace eyelets had torn open.
One week later I had £120 credit to spent on a new pair of Five Tens.
Even if they say no at least you tried.
Definitely worth a try - warranty or repair. I have some seven year old Freerider Element VXi's that keep getting glued back together! I'd also recommend Freesole (it now has a different name but is a polyurethane glue) over Shoe Goo - much better.
I got a warranty on an nearly two year old pair
The inner sole had split and when wearing the shoes I could feel the pins on pedals on my sole of the foot