Almost 100.000 cyclists are looking for a complete comparison between these two flat mountain bike shoes; the Giro Riddance VS the Five Ten Freerider.
These two flat shoes are some of the best you can find in the flat mountain bike shoes section.
In this article, we will put these two head-to-head and give you an in-depth comparison between them so by the end of this article you will have the knowledge you need to choose the one that suits you.
Let’s get right into it.
Five Ten Freerider VS Giro Riddance
Without further ado, let’s start out comparison;
Five Ten Freerider
This bad boy right here is the classic do-it-all flat pedal mountain bike shoe that every other brand copies but never duplicates.
This flat pedal mountain bike shoe delivers the best support for every move that you do while riding. With the Stealth® S1™ rubber that is known for providing an excellent grip and the Dotty tread, these two work together to keep your feet locked in the pedals.
The blend of leather in the upper and mesh gives this shoe the durability to be used for multiple seasons.
In addition, the outsole is a molded single-cup one that serves as the foundation, and the mix of leather and mesh we just talked about are made for abrasion resistance which include the reinforcements on your toes, heels, and sides above the sole.
Comfort
The Five Ten Freerider is made for a short to medium ride, riding around town, and riding the chairlift. We have tested them in these areas and as expected they’ve done a great job keeping our feet comfortable.
However, the longer the ride, the more your feet start feeling uncomfortable. After some couple of hours of biking, we began to feel the effort.
The overall shoe comfort is still acceptable even though there’s a decrease in rigidity, which becomes obvious during longer rides.
This shoe comes with a long shoelace that doesn’t stay put even if you tuck it in the side where the top of the tongue and ankle padding merge.
The Freerider is made to really fit most riders with no problem. They made the toe box big enough even for those who have big feet.
You can also use these Five Tens off bikes, with their BMX-inspired style of the shoe which makes them really effective for fashion or even hiking if the route isn’t that rough.
Rigidity and Power Transfer
The rigidity is on point, however when used for longer rides the low degree of support is noticeable and you can feel it in the form of foot fatigue and also you are going to struggle with the power transfer.
Breathability
We can give a plus to the Freerider for the breathability it provides, even on hotter days. With the open synthetic mesh used in the upper, the Five Ten Freerider breathability is among the best of the best.
It really ranks high in this category. It was made to keep your feet breathable, which gives us an issue when it is raining, snowing or even just dirt, the open upper part lets it all inside the shoe.
However, they get cleaned so easily if that isn’t a problem for you.
Durability
Adidas made a great job making the molded single-cup outsole that serves as the foundation of the Five Ten Freerider.
This gives the shoe a high level of durability, even though there are some pieces and parts that may delaminate. However, the sole is also made to last forever.
The suede and mesh used for the upper part are also made to last and scratch resistant. Especially with the reinforcements on the heel, toes, and also sides.
Weight
This shoe is mostly intended just for casual riding and off-bike use is going to focus less on the weight. But surprisingly enough the Five Ten Freerider is a little heavier than other high performance options going for 420g per shoe in men’s size 9.
Value
If you are looking for more knowledge about the shoe.
Here, you can learn more about the Five Ten Freerider, and see if it’s worth the 100$ you are going to buy it for.
Giro Riddance
The Giro Riddance has an outsole that is made from Vibram’s Megagrip ISR rubber even though it isn’t as sticky as the VIbram’s IdroGrip. But you can relax because it lasts longer.
According to Giro, the Riddance has a full-length EVA midsole that comes with a “vibration damping”, they are very stiff, although not as the Freerider Pro.
Which can explain the decrease in the grip of the Riddance. For those of you who have already tried the Giro Riddance before, you already have felt that the grip isn’t the best as we mentioned above.
That’s because of the stiffness of the midsole.
However, they still have an acceptable power transfer, and while we are comparing it to the Freerider; This one is solid for an all-day comfortable ride.
Just like the Five Tens above, this one too has a synthetic microfiber upper that provides generous ventilation perforation holes which keeps your feet breathable all ride, especially in shorter one.
Comfort
The Riddance is pretty comfortable, they have used a soft EVA footbed that provides arch support for the insoles to give a comfortable foundation for you, riders.
The upper is made of a synthetic microfiber that is stiff when they are still new, we too assumed that it will soften with time but it hasn’t really changed and it remained the same as day one.
However, this stiff upper helps keeping your feet secure but it can pinch around the ball of your foot.
The heel cup is also supportive, it does put some pressure once a while but it surely does keep your heel locked up.
Rigidity and Power Transfer
The Giro Riddance really shines in this metric. The stiffness of the full-length improved EVA midsole makes the shoe the best choice for riders who like flat shoes to climb and walk on the flats and rolling trails.
The rigidity of the Riddance gives a great efficiency in the solid riding platform, even though this much stiffness can also make the shoe feel less glued to the pedals as we said before.
Breathability
Depending on the weather in your area, considering shoe breathability can be very important. The Riddance provides a generous breathability thanks to the synthetic microfiber upper.
In short rides, this shoe gives an excellent breathability while still having a water resistant upper. Although not on warmer days, it didn’t provide much breathability then.
However, very often except those hot days, the Riddance will keep your feet cool and dry, especially when riding with lightweight socks.
Durability
This shoe right here, won’t disappoint you when it comes to durability. The Vibram Megagrip sole has shown great durability results with no sign of damage even after the whole abuse that it has been through.
That stiff upper helped a lot during the durability test, that beefiness turned into amazing longevity and also foot protection.
The heels too are secure, if you are someone who likes riding in rough condition. You may want to consider the Giro Riddance or at least take a look at it.
Weight
With all the stiffness and beefiness this shoe has, it is kind of expected that the Riddance is gonna be a heavyweight shoe, coming at 455g per shoe for a men’s size 9 US.
However, this extra weight doesn’t really make a difference in climbing because this shoe is still one of the best choices for hiking.
Value
Considering the value that this shoe can provide and their price. The Giro Riddance goes at a pretty affordable price of 120$. If you aren’t on budget.
You can also find other options that may perform similarly at lower prices.
Conclusion
After this in-depth comparison between these two great flat mountain bike options. We feel the obligation to give you our opinion as the conclusion of this comparison.
Both shoes are relatively good, each one of them has advantages and disadvantages from the other one. However, I like going on long rides and still be comfortable and the Giro Riddance gave me just that.
I was able to feel comfortable , secure, and perform better with them even though they’re as sticky as the Freerider.
