Five Ten Freerider Mountain Bike Shoes Review

You can ride a mountain bike with a decent pair of flat shoes, but when you wear a proper pair of mountain bike shoes, you will feel a dramatic difference. They provide more grip, protection and comfort than shoes that aren’t made for the job.

Take a look at the feet of the riders around you at the trail centre, and you’ll notice many of them wearing Five Ten Freeriders. These mountain bike shoes are the go-to for many riders for many reasons.

Five Ten Freeriders come in a few variations, but they are all designed to give you grip, support, protection and comfort. In this Five Ten Freerider mountain bike shoe review, we’ll concentrate on the entry-level version but dip into the benefits of the other options as we go.

What Are Five Ten Freeriders?

Five Ten Freerider mountain bike shoes are flat pedal shoes, so they don’t have cleats. Instead, Five Ten provide grip with special outer soles made from “Stealth Rubber“, but we’ll go into this in detail shortly.

The other materials Five Ten use with the Freerider are durable suede and mesh. The design and materials of the Freerider combine to be what Five Ten say to their “most versatile all-mountain flat shoe“.

These mountain bike shoes have been around for a while and have been a large part of Five Ten’s offerings. They have a design that blends casual and performance in an almost skate or BMX style.

What Are The Five Ten Freeriders Like To Own?

Style

Five Ten Freeriders look great, so much so you could wear them in the pub after a ride without standing out. That is unless you buy them in one of the brighter of the 12 colour combinations available.

Grip

The Five Ten Freeriders give you excellent grip while riding. This is thanks to the Stealth S1 rubber and tread pattern. The recessed parts of the tread pattern key with the pins on your pedals for an almost clipped-in feel. The grip is so good you cannot twist your feet once you’ve placed them on the pedal.

If you want even more grip, look for alternative Five Ten Freeriders with the Mi6 stealth rubber soles, such as the Freerider Contact. However, you won’t be disappointed with the grip the entry-level versions give you.

The Stealth S1 soles also work well off the bike. If you need to push your bike up a techy and steep hill, you won’t have any trouble unless the ground is excessively wet and muddy.

Comfort

There’s no doubt that Five Ten Freeriders are extremely comfortable mountain bike shoes. You will find them at their best during short to medium rides. But when you have to ride further, you will start to feel the pressure on the bottoms of your feet.

Therefore, if you like to go on longer rides, you may want to go for mountain bike shoes with a little more padding and support.

However, as an all round mountain bike shoe, you will be impressed with the comfort the Five ten Freeriders give you.

The breathability of the Five Ten Freeriders is excellent, even when you’re riding on hot days. This breathability comes from the open synthetic mesh uppers. But, the openness of the shoes does let in dust, dirt and water.

If you often ride in wet conditions, you might want to opt for the Five Ten Freerider Elements. These have a DWR coating and are made from quick-drying material. This is because the standard Frreeriders take a while to dry.

Power Transfer

The midsole of the Five Ten Freerider doesn’t make it the stiffest mountain bike shoe you can buy. This adds to the comfort, but it makes your power transfer to the pedals a little less efficient.

But, the rigidity is pretty much perfect for mixed riding and casual use. You only notice the reduced power transfer on longer rides.

Durability

There have been mixed reports from Five Ten Freerider owners regarding their durability. Some say that their Freeriders haven’t stood the test of time, but the majority of owners are happy with their shoes.

The durability comes from the construction, as Five Ten makes the Freerider with the least amount of parts as possible, so there’s less chance of them delaminating. The mesh and suede materials are also made to be durable and resistant to abrasions.

Additional reinforcements are on the toe, heel, and sides just above the sole for added toughness.

Pros And Cons Of The Five Ten Freerider Mountain Bike Shoes

Pros

• Incredibly comfortable
• Durable
• Provide lots of grip on and off the bike
• Look great
• Reasonable power transfer for most riders

Cons

• Take a while to dry
• The laces are ridiculously long, so you need to secure them well or change them for shorter ones
• Not the best choice for regular long rides

Final Verdict

With the Freerider, Five Ten has hit the sweet spot to create a fantastic flat pedal mountain bike shoe. The Freerider will meet the needs of most mountain bikers.

Thanks to the sticky soles, you will love the superb traction on the pedals and while walking around. They give you extra security and confidence that your feet won’t slip off your pedals, which can be dangerous.

There’s not much that lets the Five Ten Freeriders down, other than the way they soak up water and take a while to dry. For this reason, we can only drop half a point and give them a solid 4.5 out of 5. But if you ride in wet weather regularly, there are alternative Freerider models that could suit you better.

If you’re looking for an excellent pair of mountain bike shoes, the Five Ten Freeriders are an excellent choice. They are also reasonably priced, so comfort and security don’t have to break the bank.

Tom Fortune

Tom Fortune has been reviewing cycling products for several years from his home in the French Alps. As the owner of mtb-threads.com, he mainly reviews mountain bike products but also reviews road cycling products independently.