Five Ten Freerider Pro Women Review – Where grip and good looks converge

Five Ten has long been lauded for their Stealth sole, which has proven virtually unbeatable for grip on flat pedals. Now the Five Ten Freerider Pro Women kicks have been revised, purportedly offering not only a better grip but also a better performance. Empty words or are they treading on the truth?

After 6 months of heavy testing, it’s judgement day for the Five Ten Freerider Pro Women. Retailing at € 139, just how good is this shoe?

Essentially representing a major overhaul of the familiar Freerider, the Five Ten Freerider Pro promises better protection for your toe box as well as a lighter weight and better ventilation. As it relies on the same S1 Stealth sole, its level of grip should equal what we’re used to. The Freerider Pro is made of a weather-proof upper and sports a stiffer sole than the well-known Freerider.

The Five Ten Freerider Pro Women: the facts

Available sizes:EUR 35–42,5
Price: € 139
Weight: 650 g (pair in size 39)
Colourways: Black/Pink; Solid Grey
Lightweight, weather-proof upper

The Five Ten Freerider Pro Women: the fit

Typical Five Ten, the Freerider Pro Women is fairly wide, but we’d hedge a bet that this latest model is actually a little slimmer than previous Five Ten models. The length of the sole is on a par with competitors’ shoes in the same size, so you shouldn’t need to drop down or move up a size.

The Stealth sole has been reinforced with EVS and offers a great mix of stiffness and comfort.

Even with these vents on the toe cap, your feet feel the heat on hot summer days.

The reinforced toe cap design lends protection from unwanted contact with rocks.

Strengthened and supported, your heels nestle in comfortably in the Freerider Pro.

The Five Ten Freerider Pro Women on the pedals

Given the immediate great fit, we were even more stoked to see how the revised Five Ten Freerider Pro kicks would perform on the trails. Their improved stiffness is apparant after just a few pedal strokes, and while this admittedly takes some getting used to, you can sense that there’s some real power and speed to be gained from this stable base on the pedals. Those familiar pins in the Stealth rubber sole generate superb grip, as ever.

Long descents are met with high comfort as the stiffness of the sole delays the onset of fatigue in your calf muscles.

The new upper material reduces the weight of the shoe, and shows much less susceptibility to taking in water like a sponge (unlike the former models). However, ventilation still needs some work, and those air vents on the toe cap don’t do much on hot days to prevent the issue.

Insane levels of grip on those pedals that will keep your feet in control on even the gnarliest descent!

The new Five Ten Freerider Pro Women: the lifespan

Six months of intense riding haven’t really taken their toll on the Freerider Pro yet, and the only real sign of wear and tear is on the sole’s pedal pins. The uppers are completely unfazed from the muck they’ve been through, as are the seams and closures.

Considering they’ve had six months of heavy riding the Freerider Pro Women are still in a great state.

Our thoughts on the new Five Ten Freerider Pro Women

Visually kick-ass, the Five Ten Freerider Pro Women also have a performance to match. They deliver great grips, just the right amount of stiffness, a good fit and show signs of being seriously durable. We’d appreciate better ventilation of hot days, but fortunately summer is almost over!

For more info head to the Five Ten website.

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Words: Antonia Buckenlei Photos: Christoph Bayer