Flat pedal shoes – Five Ten still the best?

Struggling for Xmas gift ideas so might finally take the opportunity to get some proper riding shoes. Always used skate shoes but the grip isn’t great and the soles are always too flimsy. Five Ten seem like the obvious choice, the freerider 2016 seem like a good price.

Anyone comment on the quality and what’s the sizing like? I fit UK9 I’m most shoe brands..

I’d be happy with some that just drained and dried out reasonably quick, apart from crocs and Jesus sandals do they exist?

I have the new freeriders, a couple of pairs of the shimanos (AM45?) and a pair of teva links (all bought heavily reduced)
The shimanos are the most weatherproof, but I get numb toes when I wear them. The Tevas are the comfiest for walking around in. The freeriders are the best at gripping the pedals, quite stiff and comfy so they get the nod as long as they’re not saturated (they take a good while to dry and wet out quickly). Think I went down half a size.

The snag with most Five Tens is that they soak up water like an old school panty liner advert. They get heavy and cold irrespective of wearing Sealskins and then take an age to dry. This is the Elements version too which only resist glancing splashes – they still have a big hole for your foot and an open tongue under the laces. I do like mine but I keep them exclusively for drier conditions. For the winter, Specialised 2FOs are great.

FWIW, I recently changed to Burgtec Penthouse flats from Vaults and the combination is excellent.

There is a new Five Ten called the Kestrel which is built much more like the 2FO. BUT it’s an SPD sole. BUT the sole is the Stealth super grippy rubber. I do wonder whether they would work just fine on flats…. Gotta love the BOA closures (so many laces).

chestercopperpot – Member
I’d be happy with some that just drained and dried out reasonably quick, apart from crocs and Jesus sandals do they exist?

Spesh 2FO.

chestercopperpot – Member
I’d be happy with some that just drained and dried out reasonably quick

Five Ten Freerider Elements. Far less of a sponge than the old Impacts.

I think the more recent Freerider and Impacts are now all “Elements” versions as standard too, though not certain.

I’ve got both Impacts and Freerider. Both a good sole for decent big pin pedals. I prefer the Freerider though for comfort and style, though the uppers do wear more than the Impacts.

The newer VXi Elements are the most weatherproof and quick drying flat shoes I’ve owned (better than Teva or Shimano) but the sole longevity is poor and they have more grip than I need.

Adidas Cross Trail or Terrex Solo, same stealth rubber as 5:10’s but much better built. The Terrex solos are ridiculously fast drying. May need to purchase from Germany as they’ve been very popular. Paired up with some Chillcheater wader socks (over merino ones) I’ve had dry feet for 3 full-day rides in the last 7 days, in the Lakes.

I’ve got the Adidas riding shoes and they are splendid. As said up there, same rubber as 5.10 since Adidas bought them.

Tried the Shimano am45’s but my Five |Ten Hi Impacts are **** awesome for grip,Yes they soak up the water but since reading about putting Nappies in your shoes when wet they dry much quicker,Yesterday my feet were completely submerged in more than one occasion and could litteraly pour the water out at the end,tonight they are looking and feeling alot drier and i havnt had them near a heater yet,

Why can’t five ten make waterproof mtb shoes. Surely they’d sell like hotcakes.

I’ve been a big fan of my 5 10 Freeriders (until it gets wet) for grip. They look OK too but mine stink of rotting fabric.

I’ve got some Giro Jackets which are pretty good. Really comfy, slightly stiffer sole but not as grippy.

I picked up some Sombrio Loam Mids from CRC fir £20 the other week and I really like them. Seem better in the wet than the 5 10’s with similar levels of grip but they do look a bit special being a mid height shoe. Was rude not to for £20.

Teva Links are by far the worst flat shoe I’ve ever had. They’re really comfy but the grip is rubbish and the sole is so thick, you can’t feel anything.

Another +1 for the Adidas Terrex Trail Cross shoes. Son has them and they are standing up well to his abuse. Despite the name, they are designed for MTB (pedal side of each shoe is constructed differently to the outside to keep laces away from chain etc).

Five10’s all the way – No matter how wet it gets, an evening in front of the wood burner and they’re dry next morning.

You do have a wood burner don’t you? 😀

All my Five10’s – danny macs, elements vxi and the blue suede shoe elvis ones all dry out as quick as my AM41’s did, I think all the usual comments about them not drying out quickly are copy and pasted from ye good olde days.

Teva Links take about 4 months to dry…

I’ve not tried the VXi elements yet though but it’s getting to be time for them in wet conditions so will find out this week/weekend.

Sombrio Shazam. Very happy (would be even happier if had bought the correct size). All-leather (in and out) with big velcro lace flap, grippy and stiff, yet not so grippy you can’t make minor adjustments. I like leather, it has potential to waterproof with dubbin etc.

They also look the most special, especially these weird petrol blue ones, so are guaranteed to repel other bikers and children. On the flipside they may attract dogs, which is less than ideal.

They are also (wink wink) for sale (UK8.5) or swap for UK9.0…

chestercopperpot – Member
I’d be happy with some that just drained and dried out reasonably quick, apart from crocs and Jesus sandals do they exist?
Spesh 2FO.

Agree. Admittedly an extreme example but when I was in the Alps this year I’d find that if my feet got wet they’d dry out after a long alpine descent. Best shoes I’ve had for that purpose – still not as grippy as 5.10 though

My Giro Jackets were better than Five Tens in every way except grip and cost, but they were grippy enough unless I was riding a hardtail through crazy rock gardens. Uppers showed no signs of wear after around 18+ hard months, although the soles were pretty f*cked by then. Five Ten uppers don’t last so well, in my experience.

Impact VXi still the best flat pedal shoe IMO.

If the 2FO had a better sole however, it would be the better shoe, but grip is the one compromise i’m not prepared to make.

The newer impacts are reasonably splash proof anyway, and arn’t thick & bulky, like the old shoe, so dry out overnight near a radiator.

Wipe them off with a sponge when you get back & they are good to go. The sole on mine is torn to bits now, yet they still keep gripping. Even in the condition they are in, they are noticeably more grippy than a new 2FO.

I’d rather put up with damp feet every once in a while, than sh*t grip.

Narrow though. I bought a pair ages ago, the fit was ridiculously bad on me, unwearable from the start.

My Giro Jackets were better than Five Tens in every way except grip and cost, but they were grippy enough unless I was riding a hardtail through crazy rock gardens. Uppers showed no signs of wear after around 18+ hard months, although the soles were pretty f*cked by then. Five Ten uppers don’t last so well, in my experience.

Pretty much how I feel about the Giro’s. Since selling my full sus, they don’t get used as much. If they had the 5 10 sole, they’d be perfect.

My Freeriders have worn (no pun intended) pretty well with regards to the Sole. They’re a couple of years old now and it’s not torn up too much.

I had heard about the five tens being a bit crap in the wet. Are the Adidas Terrex generally better for that then? They look a bit chunky!

I had a pair of the sombrio shoes before and couldn’t get used to how chunky they were, felt awful!

Love my 5 10 freerider elements, dont take that long to dry out and super grippy.

The Impact shoes soaked up water, this I know. But the VXi Elements are pretty water proof. Had mine about year and half and feet get no where near as wet as with the Impacts. I mean water will alway get in when splashing through huge puddles, but that’s going in via the bit you shove yer foot into.

Would these ones be bad for the wet as well, or does it definitely need to be the Elements version to not be a sponge?

There are some new Sam Hill impacts on the five ten Instagram feed that look nice and semi waterproof