I started looking for a second pair of Five Ten Trailcross last night and realised that they have become very hard to come by.
From seemingly being on sale everywhere last year (esp Evans Cycles - should have bought some!) they seem to have all but disappeared, even from the Adidas website - have they been discontinued?
I also noticed that used prices on eBay have rocketed…..
Gutted as I’m not sure there’s a good alternative to the Trailcross Mids that I love….any suggestions?
I had that feeling too. Wanted another pair for jumping and just could not find anything in the upper 40's sizes and generally a lack of stock.
I imagine that they've slowed production or stopped making them as so much had to be pushed through Sports Direct at £20 a pair!
Just been through this with my daughter who keeps growing out of them long before they're worn out and I'm not paying RRP! I got some Giros instead then won an eBay auction for a lightly used pair for a tenner...
I also got an Adidas Terrex Gore Tex Pro jacket from sports direct for peanuts so I think the adidas foray into the outdoor market hasn't been a great idea.
I'm also chasing a new pair of Trailcross GTX.
Rose bikes say they have them in green/grey but the black ones are 19 weeks away.
Hmm, do I roll the dice on them actually having stock?
Adidas is what happened to Five Ten. Was looking the other day to replace/update my Kestrel SPD's (think SPD version of a Freerider with a Boa), but they no longer exist, the offering via the Adidas website is ... limited ... so I'm guessing they'll be killing off the brand in the not too distant future 😥
I'd recall that Adi took over 5.10 in 2011 so very few people have experience of pre Adi 5.10, and not all that experience was very good.
I'd recall that Adi took over 5.10 in 2011 so very few people have experience of pre Adi 5.10, and not all that experience was very good.
I think pre they were much better shoes, just as long as they stayed dry. The new ones are much thinner.
I stocked up in the Evans sale, I've still got 3 fresh pairs of freeriders, for £20-£25 they're a decent shoe. But at any other price then the fact that every other brand makes shoes with soles that last more than a few hundred miles for generally less ££ makes them a poor proposition. The soft rubber isn't what does the gripping, it's the pins on the pedals.
The soft rubber isn't what does the gripping, it's the pins on the pedals.
Not neccessarily
The gum coloured five ten soles don't grip half as well as the black - same bike, same rider, same pedals - my Freerider Pro's (gum) come off the pedals far more often than my Freeriders (black)
im guessing its because they are now crap. I bought a pair of freerider(addidas era) ones and the soles are so flimsy they give genuinly give about as much support as a pair of flipflops, i cant ride in them just gives me feet craps. No such issues with my old versions.
just get ride concepts
The gum coloured five ten soles don't grip half as well as the black - same bike, same rider, same pedals - my Freerider Pro's (gum) come off the pedals far more often than my Freeriders (black)
The irony there is as I understand it, the carbon black in shoe rubber isn't really there for grip, it's put into car tyres to make them more durable and manage heat better. Obviously heat isn't an issue in shoes. Look at most trainers (and there can't be any many sports where lower grip is an improvement?) and the soles aren't black. Do they even still make non-stealth rubber soles anymore, the stealth was originally meant to be a non-marking version of their black rubber so it didn't leave big marks all over the floor like the original impacts did if you scuffed them. So the difference between the black and the gum compounds might just be a bit of dye.
They do make some harder compound casual shoes as well.
just get ride concepts
I love mine (Accomplice), but they're about half as grippy as Five Tens. I prefer that though as if it's easier to adjust you foot position on the fly if you need to. The one thing I don't like is the RC insoles are about as supportive as a cheese slice. Might not be an issue for everyone but I have high arches so have just ordered some Ergon IP3 Pros for mine. Everything else about them is good... lightweight, stiff soles, quick drying, no separate tongue which keeps trail debris out.
I'll probably try Etnies Camber Michelins next as I've always been a fan of Etnies since my BMX and skaterboi days.
Fox Union's are my current favourite. I'll be buying another pair soon rather than gambling on something else.
Ride Concepts are the old 510 guys i think.
I`ve got some horrible red ones (cant remember the style) and they are great and very supportive (much more so than freeriders) and no worse grip.
I had some Etnies Camber Michelins and they defo not as grippy as the ride concepts or 510 but are deffo way cooler. i lost one of my pair somewhere ( i think it was a halfords carpark) and i was gutted.
So Adidas buy the company, pinch the technology then destroy the brand? Sounds like Trek in the 90's?
5.10 is a climbing grade. It started as a climbing rubber. They may have bought 5.10 for the climbing stuff and they they aren’t that fussed about the cycling stuff.
OP, stating the obvious (and I’m trying to be helpful), but have you tried alternatives? I know the feeling that if you like a model you stick with it, but I do feel there’s plenty of alternatives out there offering stuff that’s as good, such as giro, ride concepts et al
I never thought a lot of them other than the goretex boot, but that’s as much about the paucity of proper winter flat boots
I love mine (Accomplice),
That's because you've bought the cheap, casual shoes. As a proper ride shoe they're terrible.
Much better offerings in the line than those.
Fwiw I have the Etnies Semenuk model (not sure if they're the same as the Camber) and they have enough solo support imo. I don't think the grip is amazing on my Saint pedals though, and the toe box is quite narrow. The outer material is good for keeping your feet dry but it's a bit stiff feeling, maybe the normal canvas ones are better. Overall they're ok but I'll be trying something else when they wear out. I got them for about a tenner off vinted so I'm not too bothered tbh!
I just received my Five Tens with boa laces from Adidas site. They seemed to have a fair range of them!
Ride Concepts are the old 510 guys i think.
Unparallel were founded in 2017 by former Five Ten development and production boss, Sang Lee.
I won a pair of RC here. They're super comfy, but because the front of the sole isn't stitched to the upper both shoes have come apart and have to be glued back together.
My Five Tens don't do that. Nor the multiple Specialized shoes (though they have different problems to be fair).
Adidas is what happened to Five Ten. Was looking the other day to replace/update my Kestrel SPD's (think SPD version of a Freerider with a Boa), but they no longer exist, the offering via the Adidas website is ... limited ... so I'm guessing they'll be killing off the brand in the not too distant future 😥
If they’re getting out of Mtb it’s a strange time to be starting the new season as headline sponsor of the Norco DH team.
The headline sponsor of Norco is Adidas though, not Five Ten.
I thought they might eventually minimise and then phase out the brand when they started putting Adidas logos all over the shoes.
I love mine (Accomplice),
That's because you've bought the cheap, casual shoes. As a proper ride shoe they're terrible.
Much better offerings in the line than those.
Nah, they're great riding shoes.
I'd have the same issue with the insoles on all the different models as I have high arches.
Ride Concepts with their softest compound are basically as good as the best 5.10s anyway.
I have also been very impressed with my Giro Latch pair.
Don't know if Leatt have changed their rubber but they weren't a patch on RC/5.10...
The Leatts I had were really hard to get my feet into and the eyelets rusted. Didn’t last long.
very few people have experience of pre Adi 5.10, and not all that experience was very good.
Just threw away my late 90s Anazazis and Anazazi Moccasyms - my feet were never going to fit back in, and my finger joints too dodgy to even think about climbing. But back in the day they were the dogs on Southern Sandstone - Honeycomb wall anyone?
Ride Concepts with their softest compound are basically as good as the best 5.10s anyway.
I have also been very impressed with my Giro Latch pair.
Don't know if Leatt have changed their rubber but they weren't a patch on RC/5.10...
I really like my Crank Brothers stamp flats. Lightweight, boa, wide toe box!, and seem to be lasting well.
K had her 5:10 impact pros (her favourite of various models, and the grippiest) resoled. She says the Vibram replacement is even better than the 5:10 was.
Vaude's flat shoes seem to get overlooked. I've only ridden the winter boots but top end materials and a good, grippy, sole. Unfortunately the Moab Tech 2's Size 45 I bought (stealth ad.) for summer use don't have such a wide toe box and I can't wear them.
I do quite like my Fox Union flats. But I don’t find them nearly as grippy as my 5:10s. Maybe I need to try a pair of RC. How do you know which RC models are the more grippy ones?
I do quite like my Fox Union flats. But I don’t find them nearly as grippy as my 5:10s. Maybe I need to try a pair of RC. How do you know which RC models are the more grippy ones?
Go here and scroll down, explains the sole types with links to the specific models:
RIDECONCEPTS.COM I sized up half a size when I bought mine, based on various internet comments. Glad I did.
Was the glut of 5Tens 2 years ago not just because Mike Ashley bought the CRC/Wiggle firesale stick and put them all on his own sites to get rid of them all?
That was caused by an overstock issue rather than Adidas wanting to drop anything.
I bought some - might be freeride pro shoes for winter - lovely and warm, but really uncomfy for walking in. I don't ride flats so never going to wear them biking but I figured at £25 they can't be bad...and they are, but mainly due to me wearing them as my day shoe for walking about the office in...they really aren't comfy for that.
I always find the "Adidas killed Five Ten" narrative funny. It only seems to have become a thing since they started putting the Adidas logo on the shoes and selling them on their site. They’ve owned them for 15 years at this point. Let’s be honest, given the post covid decline in outdoor gear sales, if they weren't owned by Adidas, we’d probably be seeing a Pinkbike article about them going out of business... Like most things, there is an element of rose tinted glasses.
they really aren't comfy for that.
and yet I find them the most comfortable shoes I own and walk miles in them.
No issues with other finding them comfy...I'm disappointed that I don't find them comfy as I've had Adidas trainers and shoes previously (and now) and they are all very comfy...unsure why they don't work.
After about 1 hour of wearing them, my heels are very sore and my soles are sorted of niggly/twingy sore.
They seem well made, just not comfy, even though they feel good when I first put them on.
I've got some 5:10 sleuths as my current "casual" shoe. (£30 in Evans last year).
Great comfy shoe for walking around in. Not sure they'd be any good on the bike but their intention is for BMX/DJ style riding - I've got no real idea on how that works.
I've had freeriders and freerider pros in the past. good riding shoe (apart from the weight, wetness and laces - I've since moved my allegiance to Fox). But I'd agree that they are not the best for walking in.
Honestly the characteristics of a good flat pedal riding shoe (for trail/enduro at least) seems totally at odds with the characteristics of a good walking/casual shoe.
