Review of Five Ten Impact 2 Low MTB Shoes

Five Ten Impact 2: still going strong after four summers

Any mountain bike rider who rides with flat pedals will know all about these shoes. The sole is so grippy that it is almost like riding clipless. Sometimes it is just as hard to adjust the position of your feet on the pedals if you don’t get it right straight away. The grip truly is legendary. And the uppers do a sterling job of protecting your feet and tootsies from any bouncing, loose rocks that come their way.

But what I’m amazed at is the shoes’ longevity. You see, I’m now into my fourth summer of riding using these shoes and, yes, they are starting to show some signs of wear and tear. Considering I reach for them every time I go riding, from the mud-fest that is a British winter to the rocky terrain of Malaga, Spain, and the Alps, it is pretty remarkable that they’ve held together for so long. It is true that I’ve had to take a drill to them a couple of times to re-hole the left one due to the loops for the laces snapping. But once a new hole has been drilled and re-laced I’m off and away on them again.

Other Five Ten shoes seem to have problems with the sole detaching from the upper in no time. Or the seam between the two parts coming away at the sole creating a small skirt around the bottom edges that pick up all kinds of crap. No such problem with these bad boys. The sole on one has started to come away slightly but the glue is still doing its job admirably.

In fact if I actually cleaned them, I could get away with donning them down the pub in Rotherhithe on a Saturday night. Awesome shoe, a dream for any flat-pedal rider with amazing grip, good protection and a longevity that astounds me.

You can buy them here:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=18195