Five Ten

Kestrel Team Shoe ($180 MSRP)

Dedicated cycling shoes make a lot of sense for serious, long-distance road riding. But for pedaling around town, it’s tough to beat a pair of Vans. Unfortunately, for the longest time, if you wanted that kind of off-the-bike comfort and BMX-inspired looks, you had to do without your clipless pedals.

Thankfully, a number of excellent companies now offer BMX-style shoes with Shimano SPD/Crank Brothers Egg Beaters-compatible soles. Among the best of these companies is Five Ten.

With numerous World Cup downhill mountain biking wins on their resume, Five Ten has learned a few things about what makes for a great cycling shoe. And the Five Ten Kestrel Team is a shining example of their knowhow.

Thanks to the gym-shoe soles and casual looks, you’ll love commuting in them. You won’t mind wearing them at the bar or restaurant after work, either. And as an added bonus, the cleats are recessed enough that they don’t grind on the pavement when you walk.

But make no mistake; despite the outward appearances, this is a high performance shoe designed for aggressive, serious riding. Highlights include a stiff, carbon-infused shank and BOA lacing. This gives the Kestrels race-level pedaling efficiency…something we’ve verified shredding local mountain bike trails and hammering along hilly, 40-mile+ road/gravel rides on ‘cross bikes. They’re so comfortable on the bike, in fact, we’d confidently wear them on multi-day bike camping trips too (if we could ever get the time off).

Our only hesitation for recommending the Kestrel as an all-purpose commuter shoe is that they may in fact be too stiff if you plan to do a lot of walking around. By no means are they uncomfortable, but they seem to lean more toward the “on-bike” side of the spectrum.

If you’d rather something a little more versatile, we’d recommend holding out for the Kestrel Lace, which Five Ten says will be 15% less stiff, and is slated to come out in early 2016. If you want something in time for the holidays, Five Ten’s Maltese Falcon models are also excellent choices.

Purchase Information:
http://fiveten.com/products/footwear-detail/14958-kestrel-team-black

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