Five Ten 2013

Five Ten has a couple of new shoes for 2013, all using their sticky Stealth rubber compounds.

The Freerider VXI is meant for casual All Mountain flat pedaling to full on aggressive downhilling, and it uses some designs from their Freerider series of shoes, and adds a couple of new and interesting features. It has a breathable, abrasion-resistant upper, and an asymmetrical welt that provides durability. The shoes use their new Stealth Contact outsole, which has the typical Five Ten soles with the small circular dot tread pattern, except for under the forefoot, where there is a smooth section.

The smooth section allows the rider more maneuverability without the tread catching on the pedals pins. When the rider weights and pushes hard on the pedal, the sticky and soft rubber of the shoe makes their interface adhere with each other, to give power and control. The combination allows you to pull, push and adjust as needed during usage, increasing the versatility of the shoe.

The Diddie is a trail-building shoe, that was designed with input of Diddie Schneider. It has a steel toe for crushing prevention, a large Kevlar tongue for abrasion and cutting safety (like chain saws), and Kevlar-reinforced sole for puncture resistance.

The AEscent has pull tabs on the rear like the rock climbing shoes, and the cut and build is more like a pure scrambling shoe. It’s not truly a mountain biking shoe, but its combination of materials, design and sole, makes it a great candidate for riding usage, and it certainly will make a hike-a-bike forays more fun, plus you can do some mild rock climbing for entertainment!

The Dirtbag (love that name) is made for bikeparks and skateparks, and comfortable hanging out, and simple casual attire. It has a split-grain leather toe, and a comfortable, breathable upper.

The clipless Maltese Falcon uses a stiff shank for power while pedaling, but has enough flexibility for hiking. It has a Velcro strap that offers additional support, an external heel counter for stability and sticky Stealth S1 outsole for superb traction on gnarly rocky terrain.