The Freerider EPS High is a winter-friendly ankle boot packed with PrimaLoft insulation and featuring a heat-reflective footboard to keep out the cold.

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Designed to mimic down (the stuff in expensive duvets), the PrimaLoft lining extends from the ball of the foot forwards, and over a few months’ use, in all weathers, this water resistant insulation has been very effective.

Even with thinner socks feet stay nice and cosy without ever getting too stuffy or sweaty on milder days. The higher uppers and thick tongue do a good job of keeping you drier, but splash through enough standing water and it will get in and stay there.

Flat pedal grip is as excellent as you’d expect since it uses the same classic Stealth S1 outer sole as the Freerider Elements shoe it’s derived from. The worthwhile addition of extra warmth means this is now one of the best Five Tens available, but if I was to nitpick, the uppers looked a little creased and stretched out too quickly, and the shoe could be a tad more supportive.

In an ideal world I’d like to see a slightly thicker Stealth S1-soled model sitting somewhere between the Freerider Elements and Sam Hill Impact in terms of support and stiffness, but since this doesn’t exist, the EPS gets my vote as the best winter flat pedal trail shoe you can actually buy.