adidas, a globally reaching giant from Germany in the sportswear and performance world, arguably only rivaled and bettered in terms of size by American opposition, Nike, has entered the mountain bike world. This time, it's more than giving Hans Rey some glasses and running shirts. After the acquisition of Five Ten in 2011, it's maybe not a huge surprise to see Stealth rubber technology being shared into new riding shoes in the form of the Trail Cross and a small range of clothing to compliment the footwear.
Terrex Trailcross Protect Details• Ripstop and synthetic upper
• Stealth Rubber sole
• D30 ankle protection
• Ortholite midsole
• Lace Bungee
• February 2017
• Weight: 460g - UK 8.5 (
claimed)
• Price: €150
•
www.adidas.com The lightweight, ripstop and synthetic upper is reinforced and has a rubber toe cap for protection and durability. Construction looks smooth all around with a bungee to safely store away your laces. There are two D30® foam inserts to protect the ankle from either side. The TerrexTrail Cross also uses an adjustable velcro strap around the ankle for fit adjustment and security.
The Stealth rubber sole is the choice of 99.99% flat pedal pushers and provides unbeatable pedaling and walking grip. The 'dotty' sole as found on Five Ten shoes has been replaced by triangles, adidas say they chose these shapes for performance reasons, but maybe it is to fall in line with their branding? That said, sole performance has not been neglected. Aforementioned 'dotty' soles generally maintain the same pattern across the entirety of the shoe, this triangulated version is divided into three areas: angled lugs at the front for climbing hills, a flat pedal zone for riding, and heel lugs opposed to the toe to dig in when walking downhill.
After meeting with adidas at Eurobike, I discovered the Terrex Trail Cross Protect shoes seem to be more than just an offering from a big brand trying to make a quick buck from bike riders. Designer Jan Vierjahn, a passionate mountain biker was formerly part of the football sector team and moved on to the Terrex project:
3 Questions With Jan Vierjahn, Senior Footwear Designer at adidas.Paul Aston: How long have you worked at adidas? What projects did you work on before moving on to the Trailcross shoes? Jan Vierjahn: I have been working for adidas since 2007, starting in the innovation team working on running concepts, then moving to the football category to design football shoes and I am now part of the outdoor footwear design team as a senior footwear designer. Next to my work on the Terrex Trail Cross shoes, I am also involved with designing approach, trail running and fast hiking shoes.
Aston: What was the main goal of this project and how did your mountain bike background influence this shoe's design?
Vierjahn: The main goal of the Terrex Trail Cross Protect is to provide a hybrid shoe for mountain biking and hiking, giving you the confidence to ride technical alpine trails at a higher level with integrated ankle protection.
Being a mountain biker myself, I know how important it is to have products you can trust in and it is a great help that I can test and compare products myself. The idea of integrating ankle protection into a flat pedal shoe came with learning how painful it is to hit your ankle against your bike or rocks, but at the same time being annoyed of wearing too much additional protective gear. In other words, I just want to get out and ride.
As a designer, I am always trying to simplify things and with this concept you just put on your riding shoes and you get ankle support and protection at the same time.
Aston: Are you happy with the end product, do you think you have built the best flat pedal bike shoe on the market? Vierjahn: I would not talk myself up about the best flat pedal shoe. That sounds too arrogant for me. But if you test it and like it, you can decide! I am very happy with the end product and I am super excited being able to combine my love for mountain biking and my design expertise in this project.
The Trailcross SL shoe was actually launched earlier this year with little fanfare in the MTB world, either missed by the press and public or under-marketed by adidas? These shoes are aimed at the all day trail user over a downhill or enduro rider like the Protect shoe.
Uppers are made from a lightweight rip-stop material, more akin to a trail running shoe than something we may find on a 5:10 skate inspired unit, but there is an added rubberized heel and toe protection.
Terrex Trailcross SL Details• Ripstop and synthetic upper
• Stealth Rubber sole
• Ortholite midsole
• Lace Bungee
• Weight: 440g - UK 8.5 (
claimed)
• Price: €130
•
www.adidas.com
The new flat pedal shoes are the real news, especially in a massively under-invested market sector as proven by my
recent poll. But, adidas have also created a small Terrex clothing line to complement the shoes. A coconut fiber based riding shirt is nicely understated, except the giant white logo. Stealthy black shorts with three pockets and a four-way stretch are too short for my lanky legs, I can already feel the wind at my knee pad gap. There is also a lightweight, packable jacket to finish the collection.
I wouldn't be surprised to see a lot more mountain bike product appear from Adi Dassler Straße (adidas Global Brand HQ) within the next few years. Cycling is massive, and brands like adidas don't do things by halves.
So I can just wear them any day I'm going do to a little bit of biking.
Some other brands have come out with flat pedal shoes but I haven't see any that don't scream "what's up I just got back from astronaut training"
yes I understand they don't have any fancy rubber compound to them to stick to the pedals but after trying 5.10's the only difference I noticed was that the 5.10's do grip ever so slightly better however didn't last past one year before the glue became loose on the sole. My Vans usually last about a year and a half not to mention they are half the price ($100 vs $50). I ride a pair of Vans Ferguson Pro's and to this day I haven't found a more versatile shoe.
teva links afre me favorite flat pedal shoe for a while now...
interested in these for possible weight savings though
I also like the packable jacket.
Good job, adidas!
I have the all black version and I wear them all the time, on or off the bike, and they exceed in both use scenarios.
I will definitely buy these girly pair of Blue Terrex ones, they are so damn sexy!
Bye bye five tens
But I just got FiveTen Freerider Contacts and I gotta say... I'm actually really disappointed in them.
In my opinion, they lack the fit, support, durability, stiffness, AND the grip that the aforementioned brands have.
It's weird because I'm aware of the industry wide love affair with FiveTens, I was also really excited to be able to get a pair of FiveTens that didn't look like my grandma's orthopedic shoes, but as far as my first experience with them is concerned, I gotta reiterate, I couldn't be less impressed with the Freerider Contacts.
Anyways, does anyone know if low-top version of these Adidas has a stiff support shank in the sole for pedaling? There is no mention of this Mr. Aston!
Durability could also be approved as the soles keep getting loose - why not sew them to the rest of the shoe like they do on the old freerider?
I live in Southern California. And trust me, NO ONE who has any pedaling to do is gonna reach for those shoes when it's 95 degrees out. They look like your feet might literally cook in them.
That's why the Teva's and the 2FO's are so good in my opinion. They have a ton of support, AND they breath well.
It would be cool to see a goretex version as it could be the best of both worlds. My 2 cents...
One problem is that some brands (Dakine stands out) makes their smaller waist sizes with shorter inseams so since I'm somewhat thin I get shorts that are too short. Even the 8-Track (which isn't especially suitable for trail riding anyway) in my proper waist size leaves a gap when pedaling. I tried up-sizing which solves the length issue but since I prefer somewhat closer-fitting shorts to begin with they just became unacceptably baggy.
So...what are your picks for the longest trail shorts for long-femured fellas?
Have a look at Norrøna Fjørå Flex1 shorts. They're really long, over-the-knee design.
No trail ride yet but they appear to be great shorts. Construction quality is par with the absolute best, textile seems durable, nice fit and styling. I still wouldn't consider these ideal as they are probably 4-6 inches (11-13 cm) longer than other trail shorts I've tried, so maybe 2 or 3 inches too long, but in my opinion too long is far better than too short. Thanks again!
I would love for Adidas/5-10 to introduce at least one model on a wider last. Or for Specialized or one of the others to bring out their shoes (that aren't quite so narrow in the front) with decent grip (geez, I mean how hard can it be? There's not just one brand of sticky tire, why does it seem that nobody other than 5-10 can make a sole that sacrifices long term wear for grip the way we want it to for flat pedal use?).
The Ladies-Version is so far the best colorway Adidas had for the Trailcross...
in a subtle black/grey/white they look awesome, hate as much as you want but i'm never buying another pair of 5/10s,
i'm sick of them disintegrating after a few months
www.gooutdoors.co.uk/hi-tec-bartholo-mens-walking-shoes-p276883?gclid=Cj0KEQjwo5--BRCS8ceLjv-XppUBEiQAGp15EJEt0ygB9Okqc1OQ6Iam0CCvuKyod4OedNHasbz-2wsaAjhR8P8HAQ&gclsrc=aw.ds
There's a lot of people buying them from somewhere: www.pinkbike.com/u/paulaston/blog/flat-or-clipless-pedals-do-manufacturers-invest-more-in-clipless-shoes-when-most-people-ride-with-flats.html