First impressions of Adidas Five Ten Trailcross Mid Pro

Updated 11.10.2022 improved text, corrected mistakes. Better image placement.

Overall review:

I’ve ordered it from Adidas Norway directly, As soon as I saw the m back in stock I ordered them, due to the Covid-19 situation, I did not want to risk not getting them. The shoe box came in another ridiculously big box, not necessary, as it’s registered in Norway added value tax was included. but the box was shipped out of a German warehouse, but it arrived in few days as things from Germany usually do.

I have read some think these shoes were more breathable than the Freerider I did not experience this, my feet stayed warm even in brutal wind and snow storm while wearing wool socks. I did not feel the wind, but I could feel the temp was lower but not to point of discomfort.

I’ve also washed the shoes and noticed water did not pour in or soak the shoes completely from gently wash with shower head, but they got slightly wet at the soles and got water underneath the sole.

First long ride:

I went on a ride where the end of the ride a snow storm came which started with brutal wind and snow, the shoes don’t seem to be more breathable than Freerider High in that scenario, after putting a jacket hood on and warmer gloves on , I continued the exploring, I had the Mavic Crossmax socks, I did feel colder, but I did not freeze, then the wind got much milder, then I rode down a dirt road fast, without freezing. I don’t know the temp. But I will continue to test them. I rember in summer I could feel the air flow trough the shoes when riding fast down a trail, but I could not feel that with these shoes, But I will see if I can get to a scenario where I will.
These shoes are resistant to splashes, but if you pur water on it it will get trough. I tested this in the shower when cleaning the shoes, I used gentle spray, some water got in, and underneath the inner sole., which can be taken out.

Sizing:

As with previous shoes I went for size 44.
for me the gaiter is too loosely fitting, so I have to use the laces to block things from getting in. This was before getting ankle braces, so that would help fill it up.

I wear size 44 due to the width of with of my feet, but the shoes are too long, and a bit too tight, but not so bad I could not wear it, this was the case for years with Adidas and Five Ten shoes, so nothing changed fit wise. Some claimed you should upsize if buying this model but to me the sizing seems to be the same, at least for size 44.

The good:

• The outer sole seemed to be well glued, it did not lift off at any spot, overall the shoe seemed to be good quality, the sole was better glued than my past shoes, some had some loose spots. but this one seemed perfect. but after with some riding I noticed the shortcomings in quality elsewhere. with some sewing skills this could probably be resolved, but I opted for refund.
• D3O ankle protection on both sides

• Stiff doe protection with rubber outside part.

• Trailcross Mid Pro have a stiffer outer sole than Freerider while keeping the same height at the foot as Freerider, well dampened mid sole, while still proving the same height as Freerider.
• outer sole thread pattern to aid hiking in steep terrain.
• flexible in the right places, but offers support, so the sole does not bent too much down, but the design of the sole and splits in the outer sole allow for better drainage and for the sole to flex to improve hiking. These improvements actually work. I know Freerider gets even more flexible when worn down a lot, but aftermarket inner soles could help with that, stiffen them ups to add support and not flex as much, but the Trailcross Mid Pro don’t flex too, twist as much, but still have a nice bend when walking. They nailed that it seems. I’ve not tried aftermarket soles. But yes the Fiveten Freerider High shoes are not super supportive, but not an issue with these pedals, until they wear out, then they get super flexy.

The bad:

• Those seams failing in 3 rides was not great

• The gaiter is too big for me, as I use size 44 to have wide enough shoe to make room for my pinkie toes, but length wise I don’t need 44. But probably 42 or 43. but with most brands I have to use 44.
• gravel can get stuck between the D3O pad and the gaiter, resulting in discomfort.
• Discomfort due to reed and black seams at seams at the pulling loop at the gaiter. But a hack you can use is to cover it with Gorilla Tape. At second ride with these shoes i did not wear wool socks but summer socks like my Mavic CrossMaxx socks for example, but really the brand of socks is irrelevant, as long as I wore thin socks it was painful.

I started to feel pain, and the pain increased, to very uncomfortable pain, and eventually to the kind of pain that makes you want to take the shoes off, so I loosened the laces, it did help a little bit, but still very uncomfortable.

This picture shows the Gorilla tape hack to cover the painful seams.

When I got home I loosened the laces all the way down, it helped, but you can’t ride like that. It’s definitely the culprit for the discomfort and pain I was in while wearing my CrossMaxx socks, but it does not matter which brand or if barefoot this will give me pain. It’s definitely it, I’ve just tested it.

• Quality issues, After two ride total, the red and black seam seams the gaiter on the left shoe loosened at the top, the adhesive holding the outer part of the shoe to the D3O pad has failed too. but this was very painful, it was unbearable, it literally wore my skin off, Impossible to wear for long time without thick socks.

• The inner sole squeaks when walking I’ve lifted the inner sole and squeezed the mid sole, the sound was gone, but when I put it back down it was noisy. this is probably due to the material on the bottom of the inner sole and the glossy finish of the inside bottom of the inside of shoes.
• Bad experience with refund, took 4 months before Adidas Norway managed to refund me. I had contact them several times, but first time they claimed PayPal refund did not work, so they tried bank transfer, it did not work, i think it took 4 attempts, 4 months until it finally worked. The Adidas store was a mess, my order was not listed, my order number was invalid. but it all worked out in the end. but it was a horrible and slow costumer experience.