No brand is more known in the world of flat mountain bike shoes than Five Ten. Of course, Five Ten makes fine clipless mountain bike shoes as well, and Kestral Lace is an example of that. Unfortunately, comfort issues hold back the Kestral Lace, which would otherwise be a strong contender for our top pick as the best enduro/all-mountain clipless shoe on the market.

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Rigidity and Power Transfer

The rigidity of the Kestral Lace’s sole lags a bit behind XC shoes and the Shimano ME7 enduro clipless mountain bike shoe. However, this is not terribly surprising. Five Ten is a company whose reputation is built on the grippy rubber that adorns its shoes, and the slightly more flexible nature of the Kestral Lace allows it to bite into clipless pedals adorned with larger platforms and traction pins, like the Shimano Saint M820 or Crank Brothers Mallet E. Even still, the Kestral Lace offers good power transfer, and will likely suite anyone not planning to use them with platformless pedals.

Traction and “Hike-a-Bike-Ability”

While some might see the extra bit of flex in the Kestral Lace as a negative when it comes to power transfer, it is a boon when it comes time to throw your bike over your shoulder and climb over a sketchy rock. In addition to its ability to flex with your foot, the C4 rubber compound is softer and stickier than most on our list and holds on for dear life to just about any surface that it touches.

However, the dot pattern of the Kestral Lace does not offer the same grip on wet terrain or in mud as the lugged pattern of our top all-mountain/enduro pick, the Shimano ME7.

If comfortable and sticky shoes for hike-a-bikes are your thing, then the Kestral Lace is about as good as it gets for a clipless mountain bike shoe.

Comfort and Fit

Comfort and fit is where we expect a lace-up shoe to shine, but the Kestral Lace is decidedly mediocre in this category. Five Ten’s tend to have a toe box that sits on the wide side of average, and the Kestral Lace’s toe box seems to be a bit wider than other offerings from Five-Ten. Normally, that would be fine, since the laces allow you to dial in the fit over your entire foot. However, the laces on the Five Ten Kestral Lace don’t go very far down over the toe, meaning that if it is a bit loose in the toe, it is tough to cinch it down much tighter.

The main issue that the Five Ten Kestral Lace has is its ankle strap. The Kestral Lace uses a fairly thin tongue, and the ankle strap manages to dig into many riders’ ankles through the tongue. Not everyone may experience this issue, and it does seem to improve as the shoes break in, but it is something that you will want to pay attention to when trying on the Kestral Lace.

Durability

Five Ten is known for durable uppers and even more durable rubber, and the Kestral Lace is no exception. The C4 rubber compound found on the Kestral Lace’s sole is one of Five Ten’s harder rubbers, and it holds up extremely well. There is also very little of the nylon midsole exposed, meaning that the tough C4 rubber takes almost all of the abuse.

The toe and heel areas are reinforced, and the upper as a whole seems to be extremely well made, and built to stand the test of time. You should get your money’s worth and then some out of the Five Ten Kestral Lace, before they go on to ride that great trail in the sky.

Weight

Riders who wear Five Tens are not exactly known for being weight weenies, and that is a good thing for the Kestral Lace. At 484g for a size 43, the Kestral Lace is not a light shoe. However, it is not really made for disciplines that prioritize this feature.

The Bottom Line

The Kestral Lace is an extremely high-quality enduro and all-mountain focused clipless mountain bike shoe in almost every way. While it is not for the gram counters among us, those who want a bombproof shoe for bombing hills and shredding gnar will love the Kestral Lace just like they do other Five Ten mountain bike shoes, and for a fairly reasonable price, with an MSRP of $150.

However, comfort and fit issues hold the Kestral Lace back from realizing its full potential. Some people’s feet and ankles will no doubt agree with the Kestral lace more than others’. We would recommend having a good trying on period with these shoes, before passing the literal point of no returns.

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