After a full season in the 5.10 Sleuth flat pedal shoe (reviewed here), I have recently upgraded to the Sleuth DLX. The shoes are cosmetically very similar, but the DLX model has a stiffer sole, which turns out to have its uses. More about that in a minute.
First, some stuff about shoes. No number of positive things I can say about this, or any shoe, means anything if it doesn’t fit your foot properly. Feet come in many shapes. Shoes are built to many lasts. I would never recommend you buy a shoe you couldn’t try on and confirm its comfort for yourself.
Flat pedal mountain bike shoes also run a gamut of grip, pedal-feel, durability, breathability, and protection. We tend to view them as one category, but there are probably two major sub-categories worth delineating, trail shoes and enduro/DH shoes. Both versions of the Sleuth are, in my mind, trail shoes first. Of course you can take them to the bike park, but if you’re going to go regularly, you might want to step up into the 5.10 Free Rider or another more substantial shoe.
The Sleuths I started out in are soft, comfortable, grippy, have a lot of pedal feel, are breathable, and offer almost no protection. The DLX I’m reviewing here are a little more structured, more stable on the pedals, retain good pedal feel, breathe slightly less well, and offer just a little more protection.
So why would you get the Sleuth DLX ($130), rather than the cheaper Sleuth ($90)?
Three reasons. The first is stability. The stiffer sole of the DLX shines during more technical riding. Big moves, jumps, hard banked turns, etc. feel more sure-footed in the DLX. That makes the shoe more versatile for people who are riding both tech singletrack and some more gravity focused lines. The final reason is the DLX might be worth your investment is durability.
The original pair of Sleuths helped be transition from clipped shoes to flats with overt grip and pedal feel. The softer sole and upper made understanding and maintaining the basic foot positions of riding flats more obvious, and at $90, I think they’re an excellent first flat shoe. Having said that, suppleness comes with less durability. I ride hard, but after two seasons, that first pair has seen far better days.
Now that more of my foot positioning has become intuitive, I appreciate the better structure of the DLX, and it stands to reason these shoes will last longer. I’ve ridden them at the bike park, and they did a fine job, although as I said before, if you’re gonna be regular gravity hound, you might want a more burly pair of kicks.
The 5.10 Sleuth DLX comes in a few colors, men’s and women’s models, and you will sometimes find leather versions. I have ridden and reviewed the lighter, canvas version of each shoe.
Any input on how well they dry after a soaking? In my experience the regular Freerider is like a sponge and takes forever to dry!
I can’t say I’ve soaked them yet. I did go pretty deep in a mud puddle on my first ride, and I would have expected to have a wet sock as a result, but despite being canvas, the moisture didn’t get through, and the mud dried quickly. Make of that what you will.