The freshly launched 2023 Adidas Five Ten Kestrel BOA gets a new look and complete redesign as a “downcountry” shoe, pairing XC performance with features from Five Ten’s gravity mountain bike range. Find all the details here…

To fit snugly within the growing in-betweener downcountry mountain bike category—not quite matching-kit XC, but not ultra-baggy enduro either—Adidas/Five Ten re-released the Kestral with a relatively casual new look and some burly features. On first impression, it looks like a pretty good all-around clip-in shoe that might be worthy of multi-day bikepacking pursuits. We hope to test one soon to find out, but in the meantime, find all the details below.

Adidas Five Ten Kestrel BOA
  • Adidas Five Ten Kestrel BOA
  • Adidas Five Ten Kestrel BOA
Top: Men’s Five Ten Kestrel BOA in Cloud White/Impact Orange (also comes in gray/black); Bottom: Women’s in Sand Strata/Silver Violet/Acid Orange and Legend Ink/Core Black/Coral Fusion

In summary, the new Adidas Five Ten Kestrel BOA is a lightweight, clip-in shoe designed around a pedal performance-oriented stiff shank with details designed for all-day comfort and burly all-mountain use. It features a BOA Li2 closure and a full-length plate made from repurposed materials and glass fiber to provide added power transfer and stability on the pedals.

  • Adidas Five Ten Kestrel BOA
  • Adidas Five Ten Kestrel BOA

Five Ten added and/or beefed up a few technical mountain-inspired features to the Kestral, which Five Ten’s marketing department attributes to “keeping up with the aggressive demands of modern cross-country riding.” These include an impact-resistant toe box and an abrasion-resistant upper that’s made in part with recycled materials. The soles also received a more aggro revamp with what Five Ten calls “Pillar” tread. This knobby raised toe and heel tread is made from grippy Stealth rubber and looks like it would make the Kestral BOA a good candidate for hike-a-bikes. There’s also a strategically-placed textured Stealth rubber instep patch for grip if you come unclipped.

Adidas Five Ten Kestrel BOA
  • Adidas Five Ten Kestrel BOA
  • Adidas Five Ten Kestrel BOA

The 2023 Adidas Five Ten Kestrel BOA comes in men’s and women’s sizes, each in two color combos. The men’s fit comes in a standard Black/Gray and the more colorful Cloud White/Impact Orange. The women’s comes in the more interesting Sand Strata/Silver Violet/Acid Orange and Legend Ink/Core Black/Coral Fusion. They are all available worldwide now for £200/$230/€230.

You can find more details at Adidas.com.

FILED IN (CATEGORIES & TAGS)

Dispatch

Please keep the conversation civil, constructive, and inclusive, or your comment will be removed.