The Five Ten Trailcross Clip-In is a shoe for a specific kind of rider who requires comfort while walking and the ability to clip in - and it does this very, very well. However, if you ride in anything but bone-dry conditions, you will need to buy another set of shoes as these have a propensity to take on water owing to the prodigious ventilation on offer. With the cleat sat flush with the bottom of the sole, I found pedal pins (on the Nukeproof Horizon CS pedals I use) dug into the sole aggressively at the start. This made releasing from the pedals a little stiffer than I expected, though after a week’s use, pedal and shoe meshed nicely, and I no longer suffered from stiff releases. Riding in atrociously wet conditions didn’t highlight any shortcomings, and my feet remained dry for the entire duration of each ride. No water entered through the shoe’s body, and while my feet were dry, they also remained warm even in some of the harshest conditions I ventured out in. THE TRAILCROSS CLIP-IN IS FIVE TEN’S FIRST CLIP-IN SHOE THAT IS SPECIFICALLY ‘CREATED FOR ADVENTURE’. DESIGNED FROM THE GROUND UP TO PERFORM EQUALLY AS WELL ON THE BIKE AS IT DOES WHEN HIKING OFF THE BIKE. The only criticism I have is with the toe box. It’s narrower than many other Five Ten shoes, though I’d counter that by saying if you fit in a pair of Adidas Sambas, for example, you won’t find the shape surprising – it’s much more Adidas trainer than Five Ten Impact.

In line with what many brands have done with their adventure shoes to make them more suitable for walking, Five Ten has made the sole of the Trailcross Clip-In more flexible than its other Trailcross mountain bike shoes. The proprietary EVA mid-sole is said to have the necessary toe flex for walking, but without sacrificing the stiffness needed for effective power transfer in the rest of the shoe.My Shimano cleats didn’t sit proud of the sole, and so while there’s some cleat chatter on rough surfaces, I could walk through a restaurant without turning heads. The heel doesn’t feature particularly bulky protection. There’s ample padding around the heel, though, with a fairly well-defined heel cup. With platform pedals, the shoe effectively and comfortably transfers pedalling power, all day. It’s not race-shoe stiff either, which further aids all-day comfort.

The combination of durable synthetic materials and mesh zones gives a shoe offering instant comfort. Abrasion-resistant zones are also deployed, boosting durability and ensuring the rough and tumble of mountain biking doesn’t take its toll on your footwear. The shoe’s tongue uses the same mesh material as the upper, and is thin compared to some of the best mountain bike shoes. On the bike, the flexible sole that so aids walking gives the shoe its one minor downside, certainly from a dropped-bar point of view. The shoe really benefits from a platform-style pedal, rather than an unsupportive XC pedal. I found when run with smaller pedals, a hot-spot under the foot would appear after a couple of hours. They also took a long time to dry out, caused by the impermeability of the Gore-Tex membrane holding the moisture in. This means, on walked descents, those with average-to-wide feet might find their toes getting squashed – again, the Velcro strap really helps mitigate this.

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While that sounds complicated, most of the best waterproof mountain bike trousers are long and tight enough to do this job.

The middle of the sole and around the cleat box features the Five Ten's typical raised dots with broader and slightly taller lugs at the toes and heel for added traction when walking up or down hill. The sole isn't the most aggressively lugged, but the Five Ten Stealth rubber provides great traction in almost all conditions from dry and dusty to wet and sloppy. We wouldn't want to traverse any steep, muddy inclines in these, but they're great for just about anything else. WeightFrom what we call see, the only MTB shoe not offered in a Women’s version is the Kestrel Pro Boa clip-in DH race shoe. Recommended models The heel section of the shoe appears pretty deep, but also offers ample bump absorption when bailing from the bike or during prolonged on-foot descents. Heel lift is near non-existent, in my experience, largely thanks to the Velcro strap. It gets in the way when tying the laces, but other than that is an integral part of the shoe’s overall fit. Dubbed the Stealth Marathon, the sole is said to be non-marking and provide grip on “ever-changing terrain”.