Five Ten Sleuth DLX Mountain Bike Shoes Men's

Product Information

For heavier riders, I’d be concerned the Sleuth DLX Canvas could be too flexible, and may not be able to offer the support they’re looking for from a mountain bike shoe. Credit: Blair Kemp For the moderate summers in Crested Butte, where temperatures rarely get above 80°F / 26.7°C, the Sleuth DLX’s breathability never really bothers me, and it’s a bit better than the original Freerider in that regard, thanks to its thinner, less-reinforced upper. But it’s worth noting if your local riding spots tend to be substantially hotter, or if you’re on the other end and consistently ride in wet conditions. Chain reaction Cycles and CRC are trading names of Wiggle Ltd (In Administration) registered in the United Kingdom at 1000 Lakeside, Suite 310, Third Floor N E Wing, Portsmouth, Hampshire, PO6 3EN,

When it comes to Shoes – Cycle products such as Five Ten Sleuth DLX Canvas MTB Shoes, it’s essential to consider quality in addition to price. While it’s tempting to opt for the cheapest option available, low-quality Five Ten Sleuth DLX Canvas MTB Shoes can actually end up costing you more in the long run. As always, this is by no means a complete guide to the whole category — and we will be reviewing more shoes from more brands in the future. These are simply the shoes that a few of our reviewers have been using a lot, and we’re curious to hear in the comments about your favorite flat shoes, and why you like them. There’s a chance that the Powerline’s hexagonal tread pattern also plays a role here, since its hexagons are smaller but with more open “channels” or “slots” between them, compared to Five Ten’s Micro Dotty pattern. Maybe that’s also why I find it easier to shift my feet around on my pedals / pins, but I think it mostly comes down to the rubber (the Stealth Phantom rubber just feels like it doesn’t “let go” of the pins as readily). One aspect of the Powerline’s hexagonal tread pattern that is noticeable is how it performs off the bike. While its lugs are similarly short around the middle of the shoe (i.e., pedal area) vs. the Five Ten Micro Dotty tread, the Powerline’s lugs feature deeper channels at the end of the toe and heel, with the goal of increasing grip in those spots when walking off the bike. The Powerline still isn’t amazing when walking on loose conditions like mud and gravel (e.g., most of my trail running and hiking shoes are notably better), but it is a bit more reliable than the Five Ten Sleuth DLX, so I think the Powerline’s tread design goals were achieved to a certain degree. The Sleuth DLX Canvas isn’t the most weatherproof or durable flat pedal MTB Shoe going. For that reason, I have chosen only to wear them when the trails are primarily dry and dusty. I’ve done a fair bot of walking about town in these, too (not that you’re meant to), mainly because they are so comfortable and they’ve got a super casual vibe about them. Given how easily the shoe flexes when walking, I’ve been impressed with how well the upper material is holding up. The material in that articulation zone near the toes isn’t yet showing any sign of wear.But does that automatically make it the ultimate all-mountain flats shoe? Not necessarily. As with everything in gear, there are tradeoffs that make this shoe better for some than others, and vice versa. First off, the Five Ten Sleuth DLX Canvas sizing is a little off with respect to the shoe sizing for other brands. In pretty much every other mountain bike shoe I’ve ever owned, a UK 5 fits perfectly. With the Five Ten TrailCross Gore-Tex Waterproof Shoes I tested over winter, I had to go down to a UK 4.5 for the best fit, and the same is true for the Sleuth DLX Canvas reviewed here. Credit: Blair Kemp Another thing I’ve noticed about the Sleuth DLX Canvas is that they are not as breathable as I feel a canvas shoe should be. I am no materials scientist, but I do wonder whether the inclusion of plastic in the upper gives the shoe a greater tendency to hold onto moisture. These shoes do actually make my feet smell more than other mountain bike shoes I wear on a regular basis (like the Specialized RIME). The Sleuth does work notably better on a mountain bike than, say, a Nike SB Stefan Janoski (my go-to casual shoe). I think using a pair of actual skate shoes like that one is a great call for those who aren’t yet ready to buy a dedicated pair of bike shoes. That said, the Sleuth grips the pedals / pins better, it offers a bit more heel and toe protection, and its extended laces provide a more secure fit than most of those shoes. Particularly if you’re not planning on spending a lot of time on rough trails and / or want a shoe that will truly see 50/50 use on and off the bike, that makes the Sleuth worth a look.

Since getting the Five Ten Sleuth DLX Canvas shoes in for testing, I’ve received a number of comments from my riding buddies including, “Did you forget you riding shoes today?”, and “why are you wearing your pub shoes for riding?”. It’s undeniable; they do look supremely casual. But, that doesn’t mean they can’t perform on the trail. Adidas Five Ten regularly features in our list of the best mountain bike shoes, but the footwear king has an extensive and sometimes confusing range of options. Such that, shoes that look similar can often perform differently on the trails, thanks to different materials, construction and rubber. Which is why we’ve created this guide to which Adidas Five Ten shoes are right for you. Five Ten mountain bike shoe models Luke Koppa: The DZR Shift is definitely an outlier here. DZR’s shoes are primarily targeted at bike commuters, and most of their shoes are casual-looking clipless options. But the Shift is one of their few flat-pedal shoes, and given that it looks *ahem* just a little bit like a very popular skate shoe from another brand, I was curious to see how it’d perform on rougher mountain trails. Like the regular Five Ten Sleuth, I will say that the Shift’s on-pedal grip is a bit better than most actual skate shoes, but it’s not as noticeable of a difference. One upside seems to be that, after around 30 days of riding and many more walking around, the Shift’s outsole is holding up the best, with the least visible wear of all the shoes I’ve been using. I paired the Sleuth DLX Canvas with the Pinnd CS2 pedals, with the four central pins removed. This gives the pedal quite a significant concavity with respect to the top of the pins sat along the front and rear edges, and the central axle. The shoe is able to flex enough to fill that concavity, and I can feel my toes flex the shoe further over the front row of pins.

Five Ten Kestrel Collection

For those who like the concept of casual-looking shoes that perform better on the bike than your average sneakers, like the regular Sleuth, but who are looking for better overall performance on the pedals, the Sleuth DLX is worth a good look. Another surprising thing about the Powerline was how light it felt. When I first saw it, I thought it’d be really heavy, mostly based on handling similarly big-looking shoes like the Five Ten Impact. But at 443 g per shoe for a US Men’s size 10, the Powerline is not drastically heavier than my other low-cut shoes, and it actually feels lighter on my feet than the Sleuth DLX, which I guess might come down to fit, since the Sleuth DLX is objectively lighter in the same size. The main point is that the Powerline does not feel as heavy, clunky, or bulky as I would think, given its increased coverage. Despite their relative simplicity compared to clipless shoes, the flat-pedal shoes of today are more varied than ever, and there are several important factors to consider when choosing your next flat shoe. In this roundup, we’re comparing several of the different flat shoes that we’ve been using over the past few seasons and highlighting what makes them stand out, where they excel, where they do not, and hopefully help you figure out if they’d work well for you.