Five Ten Urban Cycling Shoes offer comfort and style in very grippy, tough, urban cycling shoes. They are a great choice for cyclists who want to use their pedals effectively, yet don’t want to go clipless. They also look great! I discovered these shoes a few years ago, and since then wear hardly anything else for cycling.
Only now I order my Five Ten shoes online direct from Amazon, because they have a wider selection – and they’re a very good price for the quality you get (especially compared to other cycling shoes, which sometimes cost more than a decent bike).
Here’s a video made by another fan of Five Ten shoes. This video features the Five Ten Freerider mountain bike shoes. Like me, this guy prefers flat pedal cycling shoes to clipless cycling shoes. Like me, he finds that the Five Ten shoes seem to last forever. And he points out that the shoes get grippier when they’re wet!
History of Five Ten Urban Cycling Shoes
Five Ten’s founder, Charles Cole, was a mountain climber. He developed the first Five Ten shoes shoes for climbing up mountains, which explains why they’re so great for gripping pedals. Cole is an engineering major, and he invented a rubber compound that would have very high friction (and so be especially grippy).
He called it Stealth rubber (cool name), and the company claims that many athletes who are paid to wear other brands of shoes actually resole with Stealth rubber.
I can believe it. The first couple of times I wore Five Ten shoes, I had a panicky moment or two when I thought my shoes had somehow become glued to my pedals. I soon realized they weren’t really glued – but they were gripping my pedals so tightly that it felt as if they were glued!
Five Ten Cycling Shoes – for Mountain Bikers and Urban Riders
Five Ten now makes shoes for a wide range of athletes. Mountain bikers were the first cyclists to embrace Five Ten cycling shoes. Five Ten produced several MTB-specific models, such as the Hellcat and Freerider, which offer riders increased stability and comfort. One of the great things about most of these shoes is that they fit medium to wide feet, resisting the trend towards slim-lining cyclists’ feet.
Soon, urban cyclists also discovered that Five Tens are also perfect urban cycling shoes – ideal for the rigors of cycling in modern urban environments – which can be a lot like cycling in a war zone, what with aggressive motorists, major potholes and challenging weather conditions, such as rain and snow.
Five Ten urban cycling shoes are tough and grippy, making them perfect for cyclists who want to use their pedals effectively, yet still be able to put their feet down really fast when they need to react to unforeseen hazards.
Plus, they look really cool.
What I Don’t Like About Five Ten Urban Cycling Shoes
Nothing. That’s the truth. I just cannot find anything to not like about them. I know this does not make for a very balanced review, but what can I do? I have to tell it like I see it.
What I DO Like About Five Ten Urban Cycling Shoes
You’ve guessed it – pretty much everything. I love how good they look, of course. But best of all I like that they have freed me from the tyranny of clipless pedals. I have tried to go clipless many times, and always end up giving it up after I (inevitably) fall over sideways. Worse than the falls are the claustrophobic feeling that clipless pedals give me – I really hate feeling like my feet are locked to the pedals.
Five Ten shoes are an excellent compromise – my feet are free, but my pedaling efficiency is closer to clipless efficiency than to non-clipless efficiency.
Snow or Rain? No Problem for Five Ten Urban Cycling Shoes!
Five Ten cycling shoes are also excellent in wet or snowy conditions. They continue to stick to your pedals like glue, no matter how wet it is.
Related Content: How to Dress for Winter Cycling
Style of Five Ten Urban Cycling Shoes
All this AND they look good too. I wear these black Five Tens to bike to work on casual Fridays, and they’re smart enough to wear all day, so I don’t have to carry extra shoes. They have a wide range of styles, most of them pretty macho, but they do have a small line of women’s shoes as well.
However, most of the women I know would like most of the men’s shoes anyway – and unlike a lot of other shoe lines, many of the men’s styles come in really small sizes.
Bottom Line on the Five Ten Urban Cycling Shoes
If you want to free your feet from the tyranny of clipless pedals, get yourself a pair of Five Ten urban cycling shoes. You cannot go wrong. They look good on and off the bike, and they work well on and off the bike too. On the bike they’re grippy as all get-out, and when you (sadly but inevitably) have to park your bike and walk, they’re really comfortable and – bonus – as quiet as the name “Stealth” would suggest.
I love Five Ten urban cycling shoes! They rate an Average Joe Cyclist Gold Bike Star.
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dcee604 says
Another good review! I’m going to have to check these shoes out. And if I get a pair, we’re going to be looking alike…with the RaceFace jeans, the shoes… hahaha..
As for clipless, I still like them (haven’t fallen yet, knock on wood), but have you tried toe cages/straps? I have them on my touring bike and work well for me. Not clipped in, but my feet still feel secure on the pedals.
Graeme says
Thanks to this review, I will certainly be considering Five Tens now when I get my next shoes.
I was just thinking yesterday how much I like clipless shoes, for pretty much the same reasons that Joe doesn’t like them. After about a year, I’ve *almost* fallen once or twice (but have been able to unclip in time) but my feet have not once accidentally slipped off the pedals. I *like* the secure feeling of my feet being locked to the bike, and get tired feet/ankles/calves when I do ride my mountain bike with “normal” shoes.
Average Joe Cyclist says
Hey Graeme, I guess it’s one of those personal preference things … I know a lot of people love clipless, but I just can’t get used to them …
Graeme says
It is absolutely a preference. I actually prefer non-clipless myself in those instances where I’m only cycling around the neighbourhood in normal street clothes.
Average Joe Cyclist says
thanks dcee. Not sure if I like the idea of being a twin, so don’t get the red shoes! 🙂