Five Ten Freerider Pros are the product of 30 plus years of research and development, and its shows. These are genuinely the most balanced pair of shoes we tried, which is why they have won our Editors' Choice award. Their grip was not too much to impair climbing but was enough to make us feel safe on heavily technical trails. When we first tried them on, we were unsure about their snug fit but found it helped with managing our bike. They are incredibly comfortable and made us feel completely in control of our pedal; while also providing lots of protection with Five Ten's Poron Foam. They were not so rigid that hiking our bike was difficult, but also not too flexible and potentially make our feet cramp on longs rides. We love that they're lightweight yet still provide ample amounts of protection. While they may not be the most durable shoe, it is a small price to pay for their unbeatable grip and versatility.
Five Ten Freerider Pro - Women's Review
Compare prices at 3 resellers Pros: Lightweight, balanced grip, great protection
Cons: Expensive, durability
Manufacturer: Adidas Five Ten
Our Verdict
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Our Analysis and Test Results
Five Ten Freerider Pros were our favorite pair of mountain biking shoes by far. They were perfectly balanced in almost every testing metric which is why they have won our Editors' Choice award!
Performance Comparison
Grip
If you are looking for a shoe more grippy than the Freerider Contact, but less aggressive grip than the Impact Pro, the Freerider Pro is your shoe. Similarly to the Impact Pros, the Freeride Pros feature Stealth Phantom rubber, making them ultra grippy. However, the lugs on them are wider circles with less depth, so if you need to make micro-adjustments, it isn't as difficult as it is with the Impact Pros.
The grip is perfectly balanced for days you want to do that long climb to earn your turns, or days you want to lap the lift at Northstar. You can easily make micro-adjustment of your feet if you place your foot incorrectly, which we love.
Comfort and Protection
The fit of the Freerider Pros is narrower than the Impact Pros, and we were unsure about how we felt when we first tried them on. However, we were in love with the support we felt after the first ride. The snug tight, glove-like feel, made us fully trust the grip of the pedal underfoot. And in the end, we think they are the most comfortable of all the shoes we tried.
Similar to the Impact Pros, the toe box features Poron Foam, which hardens on impact. Having that extra protection on the toe made us feel safe, and after hitting a couple of rocks, we found that the shield did work. However, the volume of the shoe is not as deep as the impact pros, so our ankles did feel a little unprotected in comparison.
The fit of these shoes was utterly true to size-- so you do not have to worry about ordering a size up or down from what you usually wear.
Rigidity and Power Transfer
The sole of the shoe is perfectly balanced between rigidity and flexibility. Five Ten was still able to pack in a ton of protection between the sole and foot; providing a ton of protection if you do have to land on your feet.
The added flexibility is necessary because your feet will less likely cramp up when you go on long rides. The midsole features a medium flex EVA which is pretty standard amongst most mountain biking shoes and even most running shoes. What is varied is the thickness and flexibility of the midsole. With a medium flex EVA, we found was perfect for all-mountain shoes.
Breathability
Freeride pros are the most breathable shoe we tested. They felt as though they could keep us warm on colder days, but we never felt like our shoes were saunas for those hot days and long rides.
Durability
Lightweight shoes sometimes come with the cost of durability, and we think this may be the case with Freerider Pros. The rubber on the sole is somewhat thin, and we found that the pegs on our pedal scarred the bottoms quickly.
This is a price we pay for unbeatable grip. In previous versions of Five Ten shoes, there has been a problem with de-lamination, which is when the layers of rubber separate permanently. Five Ten claims to have fixed this problem with their new generation of Five Ten Shoes, and we couldn't find anyone online or any of our testers who found this occurrence with this shoe.
Weight
We love the weight of these shoes. They are only the second lightest shoe we tried weighing only 25 grams more than the Bontrager Flatline, but offering way more grip and protection than those shoes.
Five Ten did a great job of finding the balance of performance and weight with these shoes. They are not as durable as the Impact Pros, but they offer almost as much protection with a lot more versatility.
Value
While these shoes are a higher price point than most of the shoes we tested, we think the performance level is worthy of the price. The only downfall is that if you are an aggressive rider, these might be a pair of shoes that wear out quickly. And in that case, we recommend going with the Five Ten Impact Pros. However, if you are a versatile rider, these are the shoes for you.
Conclusion
Do you like flowy tracks with some climbing, but also live for the downhill? These are the shoes for you! These are great shoes for someone who loves everything mountain biking has to offer as they have balanced grip, comfort, protection, and breathability without weighing your feet down too much.
— Bo Outland