Product Review Five Ten Trailcross CLI Clip-In Shoes

I had a handful of Five Ten shoes on the go for many years. I ran the infamous Five Ten flats in the 2000’s that Sam Hill wore, boy did that put those shoes in the limelight of mountain biking with that grippy Stealth sole. I ran a few pairs of clips too, equally as reputable as the flats albeit with different design features. They lasted so long, the only thing that deemed them unusable was the pedal pins eventually took the soul out of the (ahem……) sole. I’ve not run a pair of Five Ten’s since the ADIDAS deal ten years ago so getting my feet in the new Five Ten Trailcross CLI from Chain Reaction Cycles has been a cool experience.
388222

I’m running the clip in Trailcross in the orbit green colourway. There’s a few different colours to pick from to suit your taste. Visually, the first few things that stand out are the quality of the seams where each piece joins the next, the shoe looks like a mountain bike shoe with an adventurous twist to it and the shoe looks solid. Reading into the materials for the shoe; the sole is the ever popular Stealth rubber with materials on the top side of the shoe made from a lot of recycled material. That doesn’t mean it’s inferior in any way, it just means the company is conscious of reducing waste by recycling offcuts. That’s unreal and should be the standard in any line of manufacturing.
388221

To confirm the typical question of sizing, these are accurate to the common size I wear so you can rely on the shoe fitting when ordering online. There’s no overly tight mouth to the shoe when pulling it on and has the luxury of laces to get the perfect fit. A nice feature of the Trailcross is the Top Strap that firms it up and keeps the laces in place. The Velcro security is top notch and hasn’t decayed in the time I’ve used the shoes in all conditions.
Comfort wise, it’s fantastic. The construction of the sole is stiff but the cushioning is spot on. The material on the top of the shoe allows your feet to breathe but not wobble around in a loose fit.
388224

As disclosed, this is the clip-in version of the Trailcross and is compatible with every cleat you can think of. There’s tons of forward to rear positioning available to get your cleat in the right spot and ample room to position it sideways without fouling on the recess in the sole. Now that is a common expectation of a clip-in shoe but most shoes make that recess too shallow and the cleat sticks out below the sole of the shoe. That drives me crazy! I want to be able to walk around with my shoes on and not have the cleat crunching the gravel in the car park. There’s a thin spacer that also comes with the shoes if needed but I’ve clipped in to a few different pedal types and didn’t need to space anything.
I’ve always thought it irrelevant that clip-in shoes have a good sole for walking in. Surely you’re either clipped in or just walking around before and after a ride not needing a grippy sole yeah? Why bother putting good traction on a clip-in you ask? Think of those times you’re sessioning a line and walking back up the trail. I’ve done it too many times in shoes that have a bad sole and I slide all over the place. The older version of Five Ten with the Stealth sole were always the best for pushing back up and thankfully the Trailcross is ever reliable on whatever terrain you’re slugging away at.
I can’t fault these shoes. The construction is solid, the shoes look really cool, they’re very comfortable and the cleat positioning is excellent. They’re priced inline with every other top quality shoe making it an obvious choice when you’re shopping for something new.
388220

And now, the real world personal experience of footwear for a person who needs extra help. I’ve absolutely punished my feet during my life playing sport. Riding bikes keeps us so youthful but adult realities kick in eventually. I’ve suffered badly from problems in the arch of my feet where I’ve overused the tendons and can barely stand up the next day after a game of basketball or a long hike. I’ve needed to use inserts (orthotics) in shoes to support the arch of my feet. It’s absolutely invaluable to me to have comfortable shoes that support my feet. I’ve used some shoes in mountain biking that have been terrible for your feet and have had to be pretty fussy with what I wear. In a world where purchasing riding apparel is largely online, you can’t always be sure on the comfort and sizing. You tend to find something good and stick with it. As soon as I slipped the Five Ten Trailcross on, I knew they’d be exactly what I need. It’s great that these shoes have all the features we commonly look for but so grateful that there’s a lot more to them that keeps me comfortable enough to wear them day after day with no discomfort. These shoes are a real winner.
Available from Chain Reaction Cycles
388218388219388220388221388222388223388224
 

Comments

Thats what I thought they were upon first inspection, shred on Monday, mens shed on Tuesday.

I'm interested in the longevitiy of these though as 'runners' seem to not last long on the top side seams / look terrible after a while if they arent a dark colour. Whereas my MTB shoes are quite solid in that regard.
 
I had a handful of Five Ten shoes on the go for many years. I ran the infamous Five Ten flats in the 2000’s that Sam Hill wore, boy did that put those shoes in the limelight of mountain biking with that grippy Stealth sole. I ran a few pairs of clips too, equally as reputable as the flats albeit with different design features. They lasted so long, the only thing that deemed them unusable was the pedal pins eventually took the soul out of the (ahem……) sole. I’ve not run a pair of Five Ten’s since the ADIDAS deal ten years ago so getting my feet in the new Five Ten Trailcross CLI from Chain Reaction Cycles has been a cool experience.
View attachment 388222
I’m running the clip in Trailcross in the orbit green colourway. There’s a few different colours to pick from to suit your taste. Visually, the first few things that stand out are the quality of the seams where each piece joins the next, the shoe looks like a mountain bike shoe with an adventurous twist to it and the shoe looks solid. Reading into the materials for the shoe; the sole is the ever popular Stealth rubber with materials on the top side of the shoe made from a lot of recycled material. That doesn’t mean it’s inferior in any way, it just means the company is conscious of reducing waste by recycling offcuts. That’s unreal and should be the standard in any line of manufacturing.
View attachment 388221
To confirm the typical question of sizing, these are accurate to the common size I wear so you can rely on the shoe fitting when ordering online. There’s no overly tight mouth to the shoe when pulling it on and has the luxury of laces to get the perfect fit. A nice feature of the Trailcross is the Top Strap that firms it up and keeps the laces in place. The Velcro security is top notch and hasn’t decayed in the time I’ve used the shoes in all conditions.
Comfort wise, it’s fantastic. The construction of the sole is stiff but the cushioning is spot on. The material on the top of the shoe allows your feet to breathe but not wobble around in a loose fit.
View attachment 388224
As disclosed, this is the clip-in version of the Trailcross and is compatible with every cleat you can think of. There’s tons of forward to rear positioning available to get your cleat in the right spot and ample room to position it sideways without fouling on the recess in the sole. Now that is a common expectation of a clip-in shoe but most shoes make that recess too shallow and the cleat sticks out below the sole of the shoe. That drives me crazy! I want to be able to walk around with my shoes on and not have the cleat crunching the gravel in the car park. There’s a thin spacer that also comes with the shoes if needed but I’ve clipped in to a few different pedal types and didn’t need to space anything.
I’ve always thought it irrelevant that clip-in shoes have a good sole for walking in. Surely you’re either clipped in or just walking around before and after a ride not needing a grippy sole yeah? Why bother putting good traction on a clip-in you ask? Think of those times you’re sessioning a line and walking back up the trail. I’ve done it too many times in shoes that have a bad sole and I slide all over the place. The older version of Five Ten with the Stealth sole were always the best for pushing back up and thankfully the Trailcross is ever reliable on whatever terrain you’re slugging away at.
I can’t fault these shoes. The construction is solid, the shoes look really cool, they’re very comfortable and the cleat positioning is excellent. They’re priced inline with every other top quality shoe making it an obvious choice when you’re shopping for something new.
View attachment 388220
And now, the real world personal experience of footwear for a person who needs extra help. I’ve absolutely punished my feet during my life playing sport. Riding bikes keeps us so youthful but adult realities kick in eventually. I’ve suffered badly from problems in the arch of my feet where I’ve overused the tendons and can barely stand up the next day after a game of basketball or a long hike. I’ve needed to use inserts (orthotics) in shoes to support the arch of my feet. It’s absolutely invaluable to me to have comfortable shoes that support my feet. I’ve used some shoes in mountain biking that have been terrible for your feet and have had to be pretty fussy with what I wear. In a world where purchasing riding apparel is largely online, you can’t always be sure on the comfort and sizing. You tend to find something good and stick with it. As soon as I slipped the Five Ten Trailcross on, I knew they’d be exactly what I need. It’s great that these shoes have all the features we commonly look for but so grateful that there’s a lot more to them that keeps me comfortable enough to wear them day after day with no discomfort. These shoes are a real winner.
Available from Chain Reaction Cycles
View attachment 388218View attachment 388219View attachment 388220View attachment 388221View attachment 388222View attachment 388223View attachment 388224
Noice! @Dozer are these going to be a daily driver for trail riding? an update in a few months would be useful, to see how they have held up.
 
I'll update for sure. I'm wearing them twice a day already and they still feel new. Really enjoying them and will keep you informed. ;)
The breathability of the shoe is of particular interest. I've got 5.10 impacts flats and spesh 2FO clips for riding, (and some xc shoes that are sketchy AF if I have to get up or down steep rock) so there is some protection for my feet, but my impression is that many gravity-oriented shoes don't seem to have much in the way of ventilation. I get that this is more of a trail shoe though.
 
The breathability of the shoe is of particular interest. I've got 5.10 impacts flats and spesh 2FO clips for riding, (and some xc shoes that are sketchy AF if I have to get up or down steep rock) so there is some protection for my feet, but my impression is that many gravity-oriented shoes don't seem to have much in the way of ventilation. I get that this is more of a trail shoe though.
It has a mesh panel above the top of your foot between the laces and the base of your toes, enough that when you get splashed, it will allow water in. They breathe very well though.
@Tubbsy Considering they feel relatively light and have good ventilation, they're pretty damn solid. The toe area is armored well which basically follows the stiffness forward on the stiff sole. I'd hazard a guess to say these have better toe protection than most fabric shoes by a mile.
 
Thanks for the review, I've just ordered a pair.

For anyone curious on how they go long term I've had the flats version for two years, I ride 1-2 times per week in SEQ, I've have taken them to Tassie twice and I honestly think I'll get another 1-2 years out of them.
 
Top