Five Ten Access Shoe Review

Access shoe is a newish style of shoe from Five Ten.  They have many approach shoes like the popular Guide Tennie and the Æscent.  Five Ten also recently released the Danny Macaskill signature shoe that is a low profile softer flexing shoe.  It seems that the Access follows in line with these changes.  It aims toward an approach shoe with climbing accents for edging and smearing, but is also advertised for use on bikes.  We have even hear people calling this a trail running shoe (it’s defiantly not a trail running shoe). The Access has it’s class of individuals to cater to, read on to hear our experience with these shoes, biking, hiking, walking and everyday wear.

Features

• Stealth rubber on the outsole with thicker “Climbing Zone” to help edging around the toe.
• Outer wrapping around the torso of the foot
• Reinforced toe cap protection
• Perforated nubuck leather upper for breathability
• Technical fit – May want to size up a half size

Access Uppers

The uppers for the Access come in a nubuck suede leather or a mesh both are well ventilated. The flex of the upper is very smooth and there is no hard creasing along the toe box. They begin with the protected toe box and run up into the unique eyelets for the laces.  One issue we had with uppers is that they fit tight across the top.  I have fairly flat feet, but still felt pressure across the top of the foot.  In other reviews we have read of complaints that the shoe is too narrow.  I didn’t feel any issues with the width of the shoe, only the issues across the top.  To compensate for this we laced the shoes a bit looser.

Heel and Collar

The shoe collar is well padded, and low.  It offers little support when hiking, but provides a very comfortable feel.  There is a heel counter that runs around the back of the ankle.  It provides a small amount of additional support and helps keep the ankle in the shoe.  The collar sits very low on the foot, and there is some feel that the heel may lift during stepping.

The eyelets are a bit unique, there are some straps that wrap the uppers. There are two color of laces included with the Access. The mid-sole is softer than expected.  You can see by the photo below just how low the shoe sits around the ankle.

The sole of the Access is built with Five Ten Stealth S1 rubber.  It has a dotted pattern which works well on trail, dirt, as well as street and sidewalk.  The S1 is a good all around rubber that wears well as well as has enough stability for edging.

The dot pattern works well on flat pedals and pins.  The pins also don’t damage or wear as harsh on the S1 rubber as much as they do on the Mi6.

The insole of the Access is fairly basic, and nothing to brag about.  If your picky or need something to accommodate for a high/low arch you will want to seek an a custom insert.

The size 10.5 US that we tried weight 399 grams or 14.07 oz.  They are more rugged feeling than they initially look in the photos, bur are still light and flexible enough on foot for everyday wear.

Other Options

Five Ten also offers other shoes that are worth looking at if you are interested in the Access.  Take a look at the ÆSCENT or the Guided Tennie.

Conclusion

The Five Ten access shoes are a durable biking or access style shoe that meet all the expectations from a Five Ten.  It’s works on the crag, bike, or for everyday errands.  I felt like the shoe felt true to size. I wear a 10.5 normally, and also wore a 10.5 in the Access, although other have reported going up 1/2 size.  The Stealth S1 rubber was defiantly the right rubber to use on this shoe.  It provided great traction in wet and dry conditions on rock, dirt, and street.  The EVA mid-sole offers comfort to a slightly stiff shoe.  We have about 100 miles on the Access and don’t shoe any signs of breaking down.  As with most Five Ten shoes these seem pretty bombproof.  The mesh version may have slightly higher degradation over shorter time.  We would recommend these shoes for anyone looking for a low cut rugged approach shoe, and find them a good value for durability, comfort.  The only down side with these shoes was how short the top of the shoe felt.  We had to leave the laces pretty loose to prevent the shoes from feeling uncomfortably tight.

You can check out the Access at Five Ten website here

Or go look for a Deal on Five Ten Shoe on GearChase.com