My son was ready for some designated muni shoes. I already ride in the Five Ten Impact II, which is a beefy shoe, so I decided to order some Freeriders and the Impact II for comparison.
The Freerider is lighter weight, lower cut, and less padded than the Impact. They share the same sticky soles, but the Freerider has more of a skater cut to the outsole and body of the shoe.
My son rode around with one style on each foot, and though he ultimately preferred the Impact for it’s extra cushy feel, he thought that they were similar in sizing. He did mention that he could feel the pedal more with the Freerider, though less so than his skate shoes.
So, here’s another sticky shoe option for folks who want a less beefy shoe than an Impact, but more shoe than a skate shoe, so think of them as a shoe for street style or all around riding. They come in two color patterns. The one downside is they are expensive, nearly $100 USD.
Personally, other than having a comfortable seat and a good tire, shoes are one of the best ways to improve your riding “off the shelf”. Think sticky, think increased control, think increase arch/foot support.
Just curious, is the size of 5-10 the same size as his skate shoes? Just curious if they run big/small. I wish I were your daughter as I’m greedy on the items that make rolling more fun lol.
I tried a pair of these (which I found on sale somewhere for around $50), but they were really uncomfortable on my feet. There was a distinctive hot spot on my right little toe that I couldn’t live with, so I sent 'em back. I wear Impact II mids most of the time for riding, and the feel was very different on the Freerider. YMMV, of course. They do have good, sticky soles.
I ride muni with my Impact lows and love them. Sticky and solid (no pedal pain on rocky drops). I have a pair of Van’s for street. Those look like they could be good for street, but probably not worth the extra cost.
They are way superior to Vans, both in durability and support/stickiness, but they’re twice the price. If you have designated riding shoes, these are an ugrade from using skate shoes.
Per Five Ten, the Freeride starts at a size 6 mens.
There is also a Women’s Karver, similar to the Impact II, but with a higher inside ankle, it starts at size 5.5, but I’m not sure if this is men’s or women’s; though it’s probably men’s.
In terms of fit, the sticky soled riding shoes tend to be kinda tight on the small toe, like another poster indicated, but while riding this has not been a problem for me.
