Adidas Five Ten has revamped its off-road shoes line-up with four new Freerider models, aimed at riders of all levels up to World Cup pros.
The Five Ten range has built an enviable reputation over the past couple of decades, with a raft of shoes that are as iconic as MTB footwear can get.
In 2027, a new range of shoes bearing the Freerider name will hit the shops, with a full rework across the line-up.
The Five Ten branding shuffles towards the back of the shoe, where the logo is traditionally located on the brand’s rock climbing shoes, with Adidas’ three stripes taking centre stage.
The shoes have been in development for the past two years, with both Adidas employees and pro riders, including the likes of Greg Minnaar, Danny MacAskill and Vali Höll, testing them.
The team’s process started by looking at what it felt were non-negotiable performance attributes that could not be lost from the previous range before searching for potential performance improvements, all without adding to price points.
Adidas Five Ten Freerider
The entry point into the Freerider line-up is the Freerider shoe itself. This has traditionally been seen as the all-rounder option that works just as well on the trail as it does in the bar after the ride, with its old-school action-sports aesthetic.
Internally, the brand has cut weight and added comfort to the sole of the shoe by removing the original waffle structure of the midsole and replacing it with an EVA foam.
This is said to feel better when you’re walking in it and reduce buzz through the pedals. By experimenting with different EVA foams, the brand says it has maintained the stiffness of the shoe, however.
As found across the range, a five-layer toebox is used to bolster protection, which includes a layer of Poron material – this is a non-Newtonian material that acts like D3O. It’s malleable in regular conditions, but stiffens upon impact, spreading forces across a wider area.
The shoe has a suede and mesh finish and uses laces. It will cost $120 / €120.
Adidas Five Ten Freerider Pro
The Freerider Pro takes the Freerider's design and adds a little more on-bike performance. In Adidas’ words, this is the shoe that all other mountain bike shoes are judged against, and so the German brand needed to ensure the updates didn’t compromise on performance.
Toe protection has been beefed up, as has the amount of side-foot protection to ward off glancing blows.
With this shoe targeted at serious riders, it needed to be one that riders are comfortable hosing off post-ride, and that would dry quickly. This means closed-cell foam internally and a synthetic upper.
Looking further down, the classic Stealth Rubber sole remains, however the circular dots that make up the sole pattern at the toe and heel have been replaced with semi-circular dots, to boost grip when scrabbling back up a slope to hit a line again.
The Adidas Five Ten Freerider Pro shoes will cost $180 / €180.
Adidas Five Ten Freerider Pro BOA
Much like the Freerider Pro, this shoe benefits from the extra toe and side-foot protection, and the improved construction techniques around the toe. It also has extra grip from the sole when off the bike.
The use of the Boa Li2 dial is intended to help lock the foot into the shoe for flat-pedal riders who want to exert the most control out of their footwear.
It uses a PowerWrap upper system to pull the two sections of the upper together, which reduces binding of the upper’s material.
The Li2 dial has a little shield to protect it, and prevent ventilation from popping it open when you’re riding.
The dial offers tightening and untightening clicks. This gives more on-the-fly control over tension, compared to laces.
These shoes will cost $180 / €180.
Adidas Five Ten Freerider Pro BOA Clip
The Freerider Pro BOA Clip is the shoe built for racers, and takes over from the Hellcat model. It’s been developed with input from the likes of Greg Minnaar and Dakotah Norton.
While the clip version of the Freerider has a similar aesthetic, the construction has been tweaked to reflect the requirements of a more race-focused shoe.
For example, the upper needs to have little or no stretch in it so the Boa dials can regulate foot tension accurately, while the heel section has to be formed to reduce any heel lift when sprinting for the line.
The synthetic upper has a pair of Boa Li2 dials, both with the shield, to help lock the foot into the shoe and reduce heel lift when pedalling.
There’s also less ‘slop’ in the forefoot, reflecting the locked-in feel of a clipless pedal system, and so it should be easy to clip in and out with no flex.
The Freerider Pro BOA Clip is a shoe designed to be used with a platform-based pedal because there’s still some flex in the sole to provide a bit more feel on the pedals.
To resist damage from pedal pins, harder-wearing Stealth Marathon rubber is used on the soles.
The cleat channel has also been extended, with an additional 5mm of rearward cleat placement possible, for those who slam their cleats as far back as possible.
These top-end shoes will cost $250 / €250.
