New shoe review - 5.10 Impact Hightop Freerides

[steveyo]

After some different types of rides, distance on my 36er and then today, a six-mile muddy muni outing, may I just say that these shoes - FiveTen Impact Hightop Freerides - are just awesome, which they better be for 80 bucks!

I got them on AspenMike's recommendation, and even though they're a bit expensive, they are extremely secure on pinned pedals, even when they're muddy. They come above the ankle, so they protect well from low pedal bites.

Their rubber (5.10 is a climbing shoe company, so it's all about the rubber) is very grippy (even grippier than my Vans), but very firm, and they don't show even a dent from the pins. The problem I had with Vans skate shoes was, even though the grip was good, their soles were noticably wearing away in the area of contact with the pins.

[rob.northcott]

I've had a pair of those for about six months now and I'd pretty much agree with what Steve said. Quite expensive (£50 in the UK) but very comfortable, extremely grippy and hardly a mark from the pedal pins yet - the soles of the previous boots I used for muni were completely shredded after a year or so.

They seem to be pretty well made, with no problems with the rubber parts coming unglued or seams opening up.

The only bad point, speaking as somebody who lives in a pretty damp place, is that the thick padding round the ankles absorbs gallons of water and takes ages to dry. It would be much better if they used closed-cell foam to stop it soaking up water. I was thinking about suggesting that to Five-Ten but haven't done yet.

Rob

[steveyo]

Originally Posted by rob.northcott

The only bad point, speaking as somebody who lives in a pretty damp place, is that the thick padding round the ankles absorbs gallons of water and takes ages to dry. It would be much better if they used closed-cell foam to stop it soaking up water. I was thinking about suggesting that to Five-Ten but haven't done yet.

Hmmm...interesting, Rob. Maybe I'll consider spraying them with a waterproofing silicone or rubbing them with mink oil or some such compound.

[rob.northcott]

Originally Posted by steveyo

Hmmm...interesting, Rob. Maybe I'll consider spraying them with a waterproofing silicone or rubbing them with mink oil or some such compound.

I did that with mine but the ankle is still a sponge
It is very wet round here though

Rob

[Calves]

I have had the high top five ten shoes for over a year ($95 cdn) and they are worth every penny. Skate shoes don't last and don't work as well. Mine have no real wear on them yet and plenty of rides.

Plenty wet here too and I haven't noticed the foam soaking up water but I can tell you the trick to drying them out after your ride. Put crumpled up newpaper into each shoe. Leave 10 minutes then then remove and repeat with fresh newpaper. You'll have almost dry shoes in the morning when you remove the newspaper no matter how wet they were.

[vivalargo]

A friend of mine (Charles COle, an old climbing partner) owns 5.10 and gives me shoes gratis. But I haven't been able to make these shoes work for Muni owing to the difficulty of shifting my feet on the pedlas and the dot matrix on the soles of the shoes. Maybe I'll grind them down or something.

JL

[CrazyChrisVT]

Yeah I've got a pair of those too, and I agree with you guys. Quite comfy, great grip, wear well. Even ok to walk around with. Lighter than regular hiking boots, and the rubber is very durable. I wear my hiking boots in the rain, but the 5-10s all other times (when I'm riding, that is). I used pinned metal pedals and the 5-10s show barely any suffering, but the hiking boots are getting quite torn up.

I usually wear size 10.5, but the place I ordered from online only had full sizes, so I went with a size 10. It is a bit snug - I wouldn't want to do alot of walking - but when pedaling they feel great! It's like my foot and shoe are one. Be aware these have a totally flat bottom.

Also I can vouch for the effectiveness of the ankle protection. I've whacked my foot on rocks and the pedals many times, and my feet have been nicely protected.

They do seem a bit pricey, but OTOH they are wearing nicely.

[CrazyChrisVT]

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that they grip like glue. It is surprisingly difficult to reposition your foot on pinned pedals.

[steveyo]

Originally Posted by vivalargo

A friend of mine (Charles COle, an old climbing partner) owns 5.10 and gives me shoes gratis. But I haven't been able to make these shoes work for Muni owing to the difficulty of shifting my feet on the pedlas and the dot matrix on the soles of the shoes. Maybe I'll grind them down or something.

So JL, you feel like they're too grippy? Nice fringe remnant of your climbing life, anyway, knowing the owner of 5.10 well enough to get'em free.

[vivalargo]

Actually, Charles and I started 5.10 together and I bailed to keep working in TV production and he went on and made a fortune with that company, which totally revolutionized rubber technology per climbing and mountaineering shoes. My problem with the shoes is that the pins on my pedals get hung up on the dots on the sole of the shoe and I can't shift the foot, at least not easily. I'm thinking of grinding off the dots with a dremel tool.

JL

[rob.northcott]

I don't find it TOO hard to get my feet in position - they certainly stick to the pedals more than other shoes I've used, but I find that a good thing (I used to suffer from feet bounced off the pedals). I've got used to shifting my feet with the "tilt and swivel" technique. I know some people prefer less of a limpet grip though.

BTW Vivilargo... if you know the bloke who runs the company, what's the chance of convincing him to use less absorbent foam in the padding? I promise I'll buy another pair

Rob

[steveyo]

Originally Posted by vivalargo

Actually, Charles and I started 5.10 together and I bailed to keep working in TV production and he went on and made a fortune with that company, which totally revolutionized rubber technology per climbing and mountaineering shoes. My problem with the shoes is that the pins on my pedals get hung up on the dots on the sole of the shoe and I can't shift the foot, at least not easily. I'm thinking of grinding off the dots with a dremel tool.

Yes, 5.10 seems to have become quite successful.

If they were free, definitely have at them with dremel. The rubber will still grip like mad.

[vivalargo]

Originally Posted by rob.northcott

I don't find it TOO hard to get my feet in position - they certainly stick to the pedals more than other shoes I've used, but I find that a good thing (I used to suffer from feet bounced off the pedals). I've got used to shifting my feet with the "tilt and swivel" technique. I know some people prefer less of a limpet grip though.

BTW Vivilargo... if you know the bloke who runs the company, what's the chance of convincing him to use less absorbent foam in the padding? I promise I'll buy another pair

Rob

I can pass that suggestion onto Charles, no problem. So far as I know the shoe is basically for DH mountain bikers so I suspect they are built to those specs/needs. Perhaps I've gotten so used to riding in thick-soled, flat-bottomed Vans that everything else feels odd, 5.10s included.

JL

[Phuni]

These shoes look great, but I can't tell something from the photo at blueskycycling.com. Does the area under the heel go straight down on the outside or does it flare out like a basketball shoe or walking shoe would? I can never ride with shoes that flare out, but my hiking boots (which don't) are fine. Please let me know. Thanks.

[zfreak220]

if you don't wanna go all out to buy these, i really like the saucony shadow shoe. pretty grippy even on plastic pedals. comfy too. here is a link.