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Five Ten Freerider - Women's Review

These are the least expensive shoe we tried, and we could tell
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Price:  $100 List | $99.88 at Amazon
Compare prices at 3 resellers
Pros:  Inexpensive, breathable
Cons:  Lacks elastic strap for laces, longer break-in period, not the most durable
Manufacturer:   Adidas Five Ten
By Bo Outland ⋅ Review Editor  ⋅  Oct 3, 2019
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56
OVERALL
SCORE

RANKED
#4 of 8
  • Grip - 30% 7
  • Comfort and Protection - 25% 3
  • Rigidity and Power Transfer - 20% 6
  • Breathability - 10% 9
  • Durability - 10% 4
  • Weight - 5% 5

Our Verdict

The Five Ten Freerider is a venerable classic, appealing to many because of their style-factor alone. However, these ever-popular kicks are not of favorite of our testers, who prefer the souped-up Freerider Pros for long rides, technical downhills, and everything in between. The OG Freeriders are inexpensive, breathable, and offer a decent balance of support and flexibility, but when its time to shred, they can't keep up with the competition. If you're looking for something to take you from the mellow trails to the bar, these shoes are more than adequate, but serious riders will be happier with a techier model that offers better grip, sensitivity, control.

Compare to Similar Products

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Our Analysis and Test Results

No bells and whistles here! The Freeriders are a basic model for folks who need some extra grip for riding and everyday shenanigans (hiking, Parkour!)

Performance Comparison


A front and back perspective of Five Ten Freerider.
A front and back perspective of Five Ten Freerider.

Grip


Like the other Five Ten Shoes, the Freeriders feature a version of Stealth rubber, in this case, S1. The tread is a dot pattern, but the dot pattern stops around the edge of the sole. Though Stealth is sticky, the rubber/lug pattern combos found on the Five Ten FreeRider Pro and Freerider Impact provide better grip. The Freerider dot pattern is a bit shallow compared to its better-performing cousins. If you are looking for a shoe with a great grip at this price point, we recommend Ride Concepts Livewire as an alternative, as they offer much more quality at a similar price.

Compared to other more expensive Five Ten models there is no protection on the toe or heel of the Freerider's.
Compared to other more expensive Five Ten models, there is no protection on the toe or heel of the Freerider's.

Comfort and Protection


We found the Freeriders to be fairly comfy if you size them correctly. Five Ten's sizing seems to be a bit inconsistent, so if you decide to buy any of their shoes, we recommend you try them on first if you can. As we mentioned, these shoes aren't loaded with extras like ankle protection or an elastic cord to keep your laces out of the way. The best buy award-winning Ride Concepts Livewire offers tons of protection and an elastic lace keeper at the same price point.

There is no protection in the toe of the Five Ten Freerider.
There is no protection in the toe of the Five Ten Freerider.

Rigidity and Power Transfer


The Five Ten Freeriders do have a great balance of rigidity and flexibility, making the pedal easy to feel underfoot. We also felt like we were able to efficiently transfer power from our foot to the pedal with ease, and our feet never slipped off.

Great balance of rigidity and flexibility so we can feel the pedal underfoot.
Great balance of rigidity and flexibility so we can feel the pedal underfoot.
Five Ten Freerider's run much bigger than the other Five Ten Shoes.
Five Ten Freerider's run much bigger than the other Five Ten Shoes.

Breathability


The uppers are suede and mesh, making these shoes the most breathable compared to the synthetic material that most shoes tried. To have this kind of breathability, you lose a lot of protection. So if you know you will not need much protection for the style of riding you do, these may be the shoes for you.

Durability


Through testing, Stealth S1 rubber doesn't seem as durable as the harder, less sticky Vibram rubber. We could see visible scars from our pedals in the soles after just a few sessions. A small price to pay for a great grip.

Because there is not a lace keeper on Five Ten Freerider our lace got caught in the crank.
Because there is not a lace keeper on Five Ten Freerider, our lace got caught in the crank.

Weight


The Freeriders weight fell right in the middle of all the shoes we compared, weighing 770 grams. We did not notice the heavy feel on our feet, especially because these shoes were so breathable.

Value


These classics are fairly basic, best suited for casual riders. In contrast, Ride Concepts made an excellent shoe that offers amazing grip and protection at the same price point and easily takes home our Best Buy award.

Conclusion


The Five Ten Freeriders have a lot of grip with their Stealth1 rubber, but the shallow tread on the bottom makes the grip pale in comparison to other Five Ten shoes. We also found these shoes to be very breathable, but that is where the positive feedback ends. There is nothing special about this shoe and we think Ride Concepts Livewire is a better option at this price point.

— Bo Outland