# Just a wee tiny problem with my Five Ten Kestrels...



## DrPete (Jul 20, 2004)

So, um... yeah. Never seen this happen to a pair of shoes before.

I raced the North Shore Enduro today in BC, which to be fair had some gnarly hiking sections, but by stage 2 the rubber outsole of the shoe had completely torn and peeled off the toe of the midsole. Luckily, a little electrical tape (OK, a lot of electrical tape) held the shoes together long enough for me to finish, but this is really disappointing for a pair of shoes less than 2 months old.

I've already emailed Five Ten customer service, so we'll see what happens. I can't imagine not getting a warranty replacement.


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## Salespunk (Sep 15, 2005)

Shocking to say the least. Hopefully it was just a bad run of shoes.


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## Washirican3 (Mar 18, 2012)

Totally unrelated but... The hike-a-bike to Stage 1 also claimed my friends Teraduros. Their rubber started to come off right in front of the cleat area.


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## DrPete (Jul 20, 2004)

I'd call that related... That hike was crazy, and probably where mine began to fall apart too. Good to know since I was looking at Terraduros if my Kestrels don't get replaced.


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## DrPete (Jul 20, 2004)

Interesting--it looks like the Kestrel as pictured on fiveten.com has a little guard built in to protect the egde of the sole around the cleat... Hopefully that's what my replacement will look like.


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## james.stoup (May 8, 2015)

Five ten is really great about warranty. I had a pair of free ride elements that were separating from the sole after a month and they sent me a new pair. Great customer service.


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## DrPete (Jul 20, 2004)

Got an email reply in less than 48 hours, and after I sent them pics I got a phone call asking for details/feedback etc. Replacements are on the way. Kudos to Five Ten for standing behind the product.


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## movingmountain (Jun 6, 2004)

Good news. Five Ten seems like a stand up company I'll be keeping an eye on mine. So far I really like them after a couple of months


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## Washirican3 (Mar 18, 2012)

So my friend contacted Giro and they'll send him a new pair of shoes. They had some manufacturing issues with early production Terraduros. 


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## DrPete (Jul 20, 2004)

Good to hear that Giro stepped up too!

My replacement Kestrels are on the way but since it was going to be a while (backordered) I decided to try out some Terraduros too. Good shoes but don't seem to play well with my crossmax XL pedals--way too much friction between the sole and platform.


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## Calhoun (Nov 11, 2008)

Wow, before the shoe melting race how were the Kestrels? I just got a pair of the Rime Experts but I'm not sure I like them. I have to get them pretty snug to keep my heel from lifting, and then they just hurt.


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## DrPete (Jul 20, 2004)

They're great shoes- very comfy, the sole is just the right stiffness, and the sole seemed to play well with pedals like the crank brothers Mallet or the Crossmax XL. I have the Giro Terraduros right now because the Kestrels are backordered, and those are excellent as well, though there's a bit more interference with the pedal when the cleats are all the way back. From a purely functional standpoint both are excellent shoes, and the Kestrel pulls ahead with the style factor. I'm confident they'll get the sole problem resolved.


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## AntagonistHero (Mar 18, 2010)

I had the same problem with my Kestrels. The sole started falling off after less than a month and I very rarely walked in them. Five Ten customer service offered a replacement, but mine was the second pair I've seen do this and I can't be waiting for new shoes 2 weeks of every month. So I returned them and got the shimano M200


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## robnow (Apr 12, 2010)

Same here, got the Kestrels from backcountry.com (you can check out my review there) while roadtrippin' through the desert. 3 weeks later I returned them, one sole majoprly peeling off and the other starting to. There were a few other points I didn't like about the shoes, namely they are way too warm and my left would just not engage/disengage well from Shimano XT Trail even after repositioning the cleat.


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## DrPete (Jul 20, 2004)

I've actually come to really enjoy my replacement Kestrels for riding, but they give me bad hot spots and blisters on the heel when hiking. I just can't seem to get the tension on the Boa right to make them comfortable. I went with some Terraduros which I absolutely love the feel of, but now I'm waiting for my replacement pair of those because apparently I got some from the batch with a similar delamination issue. One of these days I'll find a shoe I don't destroy while hiking.


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## RTM (Sep 17, 2005)

DrPete said:


> Got an email reply in less than 48 hours, and after I sent them pics I got a phone call asking for details/feedback etc. Replacements are on the way. Kudos to Five Ten for standing behind the product.


glad to hear they stepped up with a replacement. unfortunately it does sound like the quality may be lacking. curious as I have a pair of 5.10 Freeriders going on their 8th season of DH...mind you, they are a bit of a wreck, but still going strong where it matters.

maybe they need a few seasons to work out the kinks. for what its worth, in the mean time, my Shimano M200s have been fantastic.


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## DrPete (Jul 20, 2004)

Yeah, the M200s were just too narrow for me. Otherwise I'd have given them a shot.


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## LaXCarp (Jul 19, 2008)

I wonder if quality is going down now that 5.10 is owned by Adidas.


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## RTM (Sep 17, 2005)

LaXCarp said:


> I wonder if quality is going down now that 5.10 is owned by Adidas.


Ah, good point. Makes sense. I'm sure it took Adidas a little time to implement cost saving "efficiencies" into the 5.10 products. Aka, keep the logo, use cheap crap materials. Keep the price up to maximize profit. RIP 5.10.


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