As the rain steadily fell outside we were greeted by a relaxed environment at the Redlands, CA, Five Ten office. Dogs ran about and fought over worn out old shoes while employees worked away in the calm work environment. With their start as a climbing brand known for their über tacky rubber soled shoes, Five Ten branched out into the mountain bike market in early 2000 when Intense Cycles owner Jeff Steber approached the brand about producing a sticky soled shoe centered around platform pedals. Since the introduction of their first mountain bike shoe in 2005, Five Ten has continued to grow in the mountain bike world thanks to their innovative soles and devoted athletes. Sponsoring an array of top-notch riders from Sam Hill, Nathan Rennie and Danny MacAskill, Five Ten has lead the charge in flat pedal specific shoes and has continued to expand with the release of many other bike specific kicks.
With their humble beginning in the climbing world, Five Ten has continued to grow and dominate the action sports shoe market. Sponsoring an extensive spectrum of athletes from mountain bikers and climbers to base jumpers and wingsuiters, claiming to support athletes in the world's most exciting sports. With a deep investment in their athletes and continued product development Five Ten is always innovating while seeking outs new uses for their rubber, whether it's climbing glass or aiding in space exploration.
Gaining Traction
It all began when Owner, Charles Cole, was climbing in Yosemite National Park in 1985. Cole came to the realization that the rubber compound on his trusty tennis shoes was a bit hard for scaling rock faces and scrambling atop rock slabs. This led to the development of Cole's first rubber compound, in which he worked closely with scientists and rubber experts to develop a compound that balanced tackiness with durability for climbing. Cole began by re-soling his current tennis shoes with this new rubber and was blown away by its improved traction. Five Ten's first Stealth S1 Rubber was born. While he continued to re-sole other shoes, Cole began to develop a shoe of his own in 1986. With a small batch of 1000 shoes from Taiwan, the "Five Tennie" was born. With continued success in the climbing world, Five Ten continued to grow and innovate its rubber compounds.
In 2000, Intense Cycles founder and tinkerer at heart, Jeff Steber approached Five Ten after he noticed how well his approach shoes worked with platform pedals. Steber contacted Charles Cole about using his rubber compound as Steber already had a full plate developing and running Intense. Jeff invested in all the molds and tooling to get his project off the ground as he saw the potential the shoes would have for his racers. Later that year Intense rider, Chris Kovarik, had spent a good amount of the season using and abusing the innovative shoe. Steber passed along shoes to a few select racers and a devout following began. Steber's interest in the shoe venture quickly dwindled as Intense Cycles ebbed and flowed requiring more attention. Racers clung to their Stealth rubber soled shoes with riders like Kovarik, Nathan Rennie, and Sam Hill elevating the race circuit aboard the tacky soles. As the following of the shoes grew, production fell and in 2005 Charles Cole was approached about creating a bike specific, Five Ten branded shoe.
This introduction was welcomed with open arms as whispers traveled race circles about positive experiences with the Intense shoe. With a quick push into the scene, Five Ten began by sponsoring devout riders Nathan Rennie and Sam Hill and the Five Ten Bike division was born. 2006 brought continued success as Sam Hill won the World Championships and became the first racer to do so while riding flat pedals, giving Five Ten mountain bike shoes a huge push in sales. Today, Five Ten's bike division is growing everyday and is vying for the brand's top spot by quickly catching up with climbing shoe sales. Continued development and innovation is what has kept Five Ten at the top of the MTB game since their introduction in 2005, while rider support keeps the brand visible in the racing world.
One Step from the Edge With the task of creating innovative shoes for some of the worlds most dangerous sports, Five Ten's innovation and marketing is pretty unique. They are a no frills brand with a firm belief in getting out and getting after it and their sponsored athletes depict that. With their beginning in the climbing realm, Five Ten has taken on some of the most distinctive athletes in sports where they are always pushing the envelope of sanity. With very little fear and an addiction to adrenaline, Five Ten athletes like Ellen Brennan, Dean Potter, and Marshall Miller are involved in the fringe sports of base jumping and wing suiting. Though insanely daring and utterly amazing to watch, these athletes are risking their lives for little more than their own satisfaction and Five Ten's unique approach supports that.
 | We love having athletes in cutting edge sports like our wingsuiters and BASE jumpers. Why? Because these sports are the most dangerous sports and these athletes need to have the best products for their own survival. At critical moments their lives depend on their shoes' friction so their help is invaluable in developing products that can enable our Brand of the Brave family achieve more and risk less. These types of fringe action sports have helped keep us grounded as the outdoor industry has become more mainstream and have kept us a core brand. We still have the same core not corporate mentality that we had 30 years ago. - Laura Sanders, Director of US Sales and Global Marketing |
With a passion for innovation and a deep belief in supporting athletes who pour creativity and passion into a wide variety of sports, Five Ten has defined themselves as a vital brand focused on bettering our recreational experiences. In the mountain bike world, Five Ten's continued growth can be attributed to a similar strategy, where athlete aided development and support are at the forefront of their plan. Sponsoring top level, influential athletes that epitomize the brand's low-key vibe, while bringing extensive on the ground knowledge to the development process. "We have gained a lot from out mountain bike riders. They give lots of good feedback and we listen," Laura tells us as we look at some of the brand's past shoe designs. It goes without saying that Five Ten is committed to improvement and as we glance through even just their short history of mountain bike products, evolution is apparent.
At Home in the OfficeAs we stepped in to the Redlands, CA marketing office of Five Ten, we were greeted by two rambunctious dogs who were busy chasing each other around during our tour. This relaxed attitude stems from the laid back climbing world where the brand earned its start and it has resonated through the brand's growth, and is apparent in the office space. "We like to have a relaxed office space that fits well with our company philosophy," says Sanders, as she challenged us to a fencing match for what she described as the office's "fencing Friday". As we toured the office, it was apparent people were getting work done, but they all seemed to be happy to be there doing their work and were quick to step away and chat us up as we wandered.
With two Redlands based facilities, Five Ten has their offices split up in to a marketing/design/development space and a sales/warehouse space. In both spaces we felt a positive buzz, with smiling faces and great attitudes. "This is Charles' mother. She is 92 and loves coming to the office still," Sanders says as she introduces us to a young looking woman hard at work cutting rubber soles from a sheet of rubber. As we wandered through the space we were surprised to see a climbing wall, strategically placed in the warehouse to give employees a midday escape from the computer screen. These unique perks and family vibe gave the Five Ten office a homey feel that we quickly grew to appreciate as we hung out on the rainy Friday morning.
 | Five Ten's continued dedication to action sports and athlete support has given them a devout following of top level athletes who offer a high level of development knowledge. This expertise combined with the brand's low key vibe and unique marketing strategy has allowed them to carve a unique niche within some very core sports. As their athletes are out pushing the envelope, the brand's relaxed office atmosphere allows for a distinct level of creativity and innovation. After spending some time at Five Ten, we are excited to see their successes in the future and look forward to some innovations that will improve our days out on the trail. - J. Carr |
Shoe sole development began in the climbing world and has continued to evolve from the first Five Tennie approach shoe. Five Ten now offers an extensive line of action sports shoes. 
Member since Aug 7, 2013
Class 1: you fall, you're stupid.
Class 2: you fall, you break your arm.
Class 3: you fall, you break your leg.
Class 4: you fall, you are almost dead (i.e., you can't breath and move your arms, legs, and head).
Class 5: you fall, you are dead.
Class five comes in 10 (or 13 subdivisions, but 12 and 13 are quite impossible) :
5.10 No hand- or footholds. The choices are to pretend a hold is there, pray a lot, or go home
From climber.org's website.
vimeo.com/68083454
You probably mean high ankled hiking shoes as I can't really imagine you hiking in high heels
Original black suede Impact Lows. Two pairs lasted years until the rubber was worn way down. Excellent.
The second generation black Impact Lows cracked all the way across the sole. Two pairs in the bin after a year. Not Impressed.
Second generations Sam Hills (white/black/green) are still going strong after... years. Excellent.
Exum Guides cracked around the lugs and let water in within a year. Not impressed for a $250 shoe.
I rode flats for over a decade before 5.10 came along. Skate shoes and even trials shoes sucked in comparison. I'd prefer to risk a shoe that dies in a year than buy anything else with inferior grip. As an ex-rock climber that would send my shoes off to be resoled with Stealth C4 before I even wore them, I can say I truly trust my life to the grip of 5.10.
My Freeriders lasted about 9 months of downhill and XC riding in the worst conditions you can imagine; I've finally worn through the sole making them useless for riding but the construction is still good. Vans/Etnies/Nike SB/you name it only last about 4 months before they fall apart completely.
Question, where do you have your shoes resoled? Might be interested in that..
Some trekking and hiking shoes are made to be resoled - the rubber on the bottom is a flat plane. Many Five Ten approach shoes are like this. Unfortunately the Five Ten MTB shoes have the rubber in a more three dimensional shape that runs up the side and front of the shoe (the 'rand' that groghunter talks about). The company that resoled my rock climbing shoes was not prepared to resole my suede Impacts, unfortunately. I hope you guys have better luck.
I guess I should go and buy a pair (or two) of Sam Hills so I will have protection from future 'improvements'.
All flat pedals, flat out fast, and Aussies. Coincidence? Probably.
but in all truth, moving the production tot the states of some of the stuff thats been made overseas is impractical because now there is an expertise in that they have been doing it for years, and we simply have not. so tbh, its not a bad thing that something is made overseas...
We don't ride clips, and the wife is looking for a pair of gummy soled shoes.
Finding something that:
a) doesn't look like she is interested in women
b) actually grips a pedal well (not skate shoes)
c) fits her narrow feet
- is seemingly difficult.
@aaoliver - Thats awesome. She will be pumped.
I've got the Van's BMX/ Freeride shoes that i ride in. They are awesome. Rigid sole, gummy tread - feels almost like i'm clipped in.
Sub-Total (ex VAT): $84.15
Delivery (Home Delivery) : $61.71
VAT: $0.00
Total:
And 510 online won't ship if not in US, Canada or land of the long while line.
So effectively I am no closer to getting in Australia. I love 510s, I have 4 pairs ATM and have owned many more, but come on boys, how do you get kids sizes in Australia.? anyone.
Thanks bro but it was not exactly what I had in mind. Though it looks like a good solution, I do think there is nothing like a gore-tex layer (or gore-tex like) in many situations. But if one doesn't need the breathability of a gore-tex membrane then all good. I'll probably buy a pair of Freerider VXi Elements because of you, stealth sole with some waterproofing, all I need when commuting to the office
5.10 was the only game in climbing shoes town with the rubber, but their actual shoe fit was and remain atrocious. La Sportiva was miles ahead (and yes, I did resole them with Stealth on occasion). But now Vibram caught up and surpassed them. Best current MTB sole - Shimano AM41.
Am41's are also quite good. Different but good.
I'd love to have two pairs+ of bike shoes, but at the end of the day it's nice to have my feet fit into a burly pair of flats that will protect my ankle, provide extra grip, and keep me from bashing toes on rocks or whatever.
I don't care if they don't look feminine, it's biking. I'd rather have protection than fancy feet.
God I loved that tire...