Luke Hontz Shares What's Really Happening With adidas Bike and Five Ten

What's really happening with adidas Bike and Five Ten? Senior Global Product Manager Luke Hontz joins Davi and Olly to explain the new adidas mountain bike shoe range, the arrival of the three stripes and the thinking behind Five Ten's next chapter. Luke shares how Greg Minnaar spotted a 1mm difference in an earlier Hellcat shoe that the factory initially disputed, why Dakotah Norton breaks supposedly unbreakable shoes and how feedback from riders including Danny MacAskill and Brendan Fairclough helps shape the finished product. We also explore flat pedal versus clipless shoe design, Stealth rubber, BOA protection, toe impact protection and why muddy shoes changed the way Luke approached development. Along the way, Luke tells the story of his journey from BMX racing and working in bike shops to landing a dream job at Five Ten and adidas. The new adidas bike range includes the Freerider, Freerider Pro, Freerider Pro BOA and the first-ever Freerider Pro BOA Clipless, with consumer availability scheduled for March 2027. You can keep up to date here https://www.adidas.co.uk/cycling Get early access & ad-free episodes → https://www.patreon.com/theridecompanion This episodes sponsors: - GoPro → Save 10% on all GoPro cameras with code THERIDECOMPANION at https://prf.hn/l/EJdbMxV/ You can also support our long term partners: Marin Bikes → marinbikes.com/gb Focus Bikes → focus-bikes.com SRAM: sram.com/en/sram adidas FiveTen: adidas.co.uk/five_ten invisiFrame: 15% off with code REFRESHANDRIDE at invisiframe.co.uk Manta Sleep → 10% off with code theridecompanion tinyurl.com/theridecompanion HUEL → 15% off with code RIDE: huel.com/ Mudhugger → Get 10% off with code ridecompanion10 at themudhugger.co.uk Compex → 20% off with code THERIDECOMPANION: compex.com/uk/ Igloo → igloocoolers.com/ Kecks → https://kecks.co.uk use code THERIDECOMPANION for 10% off Feedback Sports: feedbacksports.com WORX → 15% off with code THERIDECOMPANION at https://uk.worx.com/aff/theridecompanion/ HKT Products → 10% off with code PODCAST at hktproducts.co.uk Follow The Ride Companion Instagram @theridecompanion YouTube @TheRideCompanion Olly Wilkins Instagram @odub_23 YouTube @owilkins23 YouTube clips and BTS channel @moreridecompanion Get official Ride Companion merch, find old episodes and more theridecompanion.co.uk 📝 Contact Us & Business: https://theridecompanion.co.uk/pages/contact Edited By: Doug Tucker, onlyflightdispatch.com & TRC Media House