We look at some popular mountain biking shoes and whether they are worth the extra money versus regular shoes. Most of this footage was older from when I actually unboxed them, but I never got around to the editing so I was able to ride with them for a few months and then give a brief update on that as well. They are going strong and I definitely wouldn't go back to riding in regular shoes at this point! Well worth the money in my opinion!


A few months ago, I finally broke down and bought myself a pair of Five Tens after destroying yet another pair of shoes. I had known about Five Tens for a long time but with a price tag of $100 or more I hesitated to take the plunge when I could buy 4 pairs of my normal Adidas skate shoes at the outlets for that price. Surely 4 pairs of shoes could outlast 1 pair of five tens, I thought. Well, I thought wrong. I had gone through my 3rd pair of shoes after about 8 months of riding, and was getting tired of wearing out shoes that would then slip off the pedals, leaving me with nasty shin scars. Adidas was having a 20% off sale online so I finally took the plunge, hoping they would outlast my cheap skate shoes. Here are some examples of the shoes I was using and the damage that was caused.
The fit is true. I’ve found that I generally wear an 11 but that can differ half a size either way depending on the brand. I’ve been wearing Adidas for a while now though and since the 510s are made by Adidas, I was pretty sure that an 11 should fit perfect, which it did.
They are definitely beefier than the thin canvas shoes I was used to wearing. Admittedly, I’ve come close to breaking a toe when riding more than once. The extra padding and sturdy sole definitely offer more protection and could prevent such an injury.
What I really never expected though, was the performance. The first ride I immediately noticed the difference. I was blown away that a shoe could make such a difference. Potentially better than any upgrade you could make to the bike itself, the five tens stick to your pedals to the point you almost feel clipped in. And the best part is they haven’t shown any wear after several months. I figured they must use a softer compound for the pins to stick in so well and surely that would wear down faster. But that is not the case. Whatever science or magic they are using here has created the perfect shoe for mountain biking.
The only downside to these shoes is that once your weight is on the pedal, you cant really make small adjustments without un-weighting and re-positioning. Not that you should be in the habit of doing so but it was definitely something I'd gotten used to wearing other shoes. Which, I'm sure contributed to them wearing out so much faster, dragging them across the pins with my weight on them. Maybe this is why the five tens dont wear out as fast, because once you're on the pins you cant make those small adjustments which tear up the sole. Either way, it takes a little getting used to, like clipless pedals, but not quite as intense. If you ride flat pedals I would highly recommend some five tens. if you're cheap like me and are still holding off on getting some, stop and get them, now. Your only regret will be not having done it sooner!

Adidas Five Ten Freerider Shoes:
https://www.adidas.com/us/five-ten-fr...

Be sure to like and subscribe to stay up to date with content!
Follow me on IG www.instagram.com/dirttramp