Long-term review: Five Ten Kestrel Boa dives into downcountry
Can the historically gravity brand find its way back up hills
When Five Ten announced a new cross country shoe, it was no surprise that it was distinctly gravity influenced. The Kestrel Boa arrived as a clipless “downcountry” shoe, mixing cross country with a distinct emphasis on descending performance.
We were happy to see a new take on the mostly staid XC shoe market, especially from an brand with a solid reputation. And happy to get the Kestrel Boa in for review. But can these new shoes hang with the established cross country crowd? After six months we’re not so sure. There are some strong features, for sure, but with a few features holding it back.
Five Ten Kestrel Boa: cross country +
The Kestrel’s look a lot like the other cross country shoes, but with a few twists. There’s less emphasis on minimizing weight and more of a focus on being tough enough for more challenging descents.
There’s still a full-length plate on the sole, made with what adidas calls “repurposed materials” and reinforced with glass fiber. This keeps the Kestrel’s efficient enough for cross country riding and stable enough for descents. Two hook-and-loop straps and a Boa dial hold the foot securely in place. A synthetic upper adds support, with more protection from a reinforced toe box.
Five Ten’s Stealth rubber, in a distinctive dot-lug pattern on the sole, lends consistent traction on foot, but with plenty of spacing to clear out mud and debris.
The toe dots are distinctive and actually provide good grip and clearance
The heel dots are, wisely, more reinforced. With a substantial patch of rubber on the sole
Dusty, but not destroyed
Five Ten adds a heel loop, but they're
Neither socks nor shoes stayed shiny long
Review: Five Ten Kestrel Boa lands on the trails
My time with the Kestrel Boa’s started at Singletrack 6, with several long days of riding new shoes on a very old bike. While not the lightest, Five Ten definitely makes these “downcountry” shoes efficient enough for cross country riding. There’s clear power transfer and a solid grip in the heel to keep your heel from moving around inside the shoe.
The reinforced toe box is nice, and did help soften some blows from loose rocks. The uppers in general have held up well to months of abuse in dry conditions and through a mucky fall of mud (and a few cyclocross races, too). The upper itself still feels stiff. That adds some nice support but, for more XC than “downcountry” rides, it made the Kestrel Boa feel more like a dull knife than a precision shoe. Support is good, but that needs to be balanced with some suppleness.
Every time I put the Kestrel on, I had to adjust the Boa laces when they snagged on the uppers.
The boa laces were loose enough to get the shoe on that it even grabbed the tongue occasionally.
There was one, nagging problem with the Kestrel Boa, though. Every single time I put the shoe on, the Boa laces would catch on the uppers, and sometimes the tongue, as I tried to tighten the dial. Is this a minor quibble? Yes, you just have to lift the laces as you tighten them. Was it annoying that an expensive shoe had such a simple problem? Also yes.
Still, the Kestrel Boa’s are well made, comfortable and, importantly for a shoe that is designed to be ridden aggressively, durable. While they don’t have the shine they did on day 1, there are no scratches or tears and the soles are standing up nicely. The dot patter provides good grip, too, and does clear debris well.
Lots of space
Maybe too much space?
Another view of how much extra fabric there was to take up before these would have fit snugly
But if you have a more solid foot and struggle to find a shoe that fits, the Kestrel's might be your downcountry glass slipper
If the shoe fits…
It is hard to make one shoe work for every foot. Five Ten doesn’t quite get there with the Kestrel Boa. The upper was very roomy, to the point where I had trouble getting them tight enough around my foot to feel secure. The hook-and-loop straps were at their limit, and still not really adding much support, leaving the Boa to do all the heavy lifting. The heel and toe box were both cozy, but it was impossible to close the space between the upper and the middle of my foot.
If you have a higher-volume foot and find you’re often barely able to get a shoe to fit around your paws, Five Ten could be a shoe for you. If you have long, skinny feet, these just might not work out.
Final word: Five Ten Kestrel Boa
Whether the Kestrel Boa will work for you probably depends on your fit. That’s true, to an exent, with every shoe, but I feel like adidas generous midpole will leave more riders swimming than it will fit snugly. Which is too bad because, other than a persistent snag on the boa lace, this is a good shoe for anyone looking for a bit more support from their XC shoe.
Adidas / Five Ten wants $300 for the Kestrel Boa, though the black and red color tested here is currently on sale for $180. It comes in 16 sizes from M6/W7 to M14/W15, with half-sizes from M6.5/W7.5 to M12.5/W13.5.
At that price, this should be a premium shoe, especially with the experience of Five Ten and adidas combined. While it’s a solid first effort for Five Ten in the “downcountry” sector, there are too many small, easy-to-fix mistakes that hold this shoe back. That said, it is durable, would be comfortable if it fit my foot, and I do like the tread pattern on the sole.
