13 replies to this topic

[RobHall]

I was out looking for some Free's today which no one has except for sizes that no one has feet to match and I came across some nike free dynamic trainers. what I liked about them is they had tread, low heel and wider forefoot and had a bit more sealing up the sides to keep the crap out of the shoe. they looked thinner but were more structured than a free 5.0.

Does anyone have an opinion on these? suitable for high altidudes and a bit of beach running with a mix of dirt and bitumen roads in between?

What is the difference between the dynamic trainier and the sparq? How do they feel running compared with frees. I don't think I could go back to the bad old days of aching lower leg and feet after a decent run.

I put on a nike free everyday but they felt like high heeled shoes compared with the 5.0's

Edited by RobHall, 21 November 2009 - 08:06 PM.

[SimonS]

While I haven't tried the dynamic trainers I did find Free 5.0s at a couple of places: Sportsco at chadstone had them a couple of weeks ago (much to my surprise) and the R4YL emporium in Richmond has both 3.0s and 5.0s (plus they're 20% off at the moment).

Simon.

[dance2trance]

the new nike shop at chadstone opened at some point recently (it was sealed off 2 weeks ago when i walked past) and they have and Free 3.0, 5.0 and Everyday, mens and womens

i had no idea there were a 'dynamic trainer' version

Edited by dance2trance, 21 November 2009 - 11:41 PM.

[RobHall]

my problem with the 5.0 is they are too narrow. feel great but ultimately if there is a better option I will go for that as the blisters are annoying

[RunningCompanyBondi]

Hey Rob,

The dynamic trainer is made to accommodate lateral movements in gym studio's etc, hence the extra lateral outrigger in the forefoot to give you a wider platform of support and also the different tread pattern on the outsole.
It should also wrap up around your heel a little bit more too than the normal running free.
It's a great shoe but is aimed at the gym consumer as opposed to a running shoe.
Hope this helps mate,

Chris.

[RobHall]

Understand where its aimed at. I am happy just to have a wider shoe. Does it offer more or less cushioning than a 5.0? it still seems to have the pit for the heel like the 5.0 .

Edited by RobHall, 22 November 2009 - 11:13 AM.

[RunningCompanyBondi]

I'm not sure if it's more cushioned than the running 5.0 as I've not run in it.
Sorry mate, can't help with that one!

Cheers!

Chris.

[twoeggs]

RunningCompanyBondi, on Nov 22 2009, 11:34 AM, said:

I'm not sure if it's more cushioned than the running 5.0 as I've not run in it.
Sorry mate, can't help with that one!

Cheers!

Chris.

Hey Chris,

How do the Lunaracer and the Free 5.0 and Free3.0 match up?

[RunningCompanyBondi]

Hey Twoeggs,

They're all very different shoes.
Lunar racer (current one is pretty much sold out in Aus) is a full lightweight racing flat, the new one will come out in Jan and has a touch more midfoot support and has had the upper tweaked a little so not so much volume in the toebox, looks good. At the end of the day it's a racing flat.

The FREE 5.0 and 3.0 are the barefoot training shoes.
The key to these are that they're all about progressive adaptation and allowing your body to get used to the fact that you have less support than a normal running shoe, hence making all the intrinsic muscles, ligaments and tendons work a little harder to stabilise you. (scale 0- barefoot and 10 normal running shoe)
The free is a training tool which should be used in conjunction with your normal training shoes, this being said, everyone's different and some people will adapt and adjust quicker or be able to do more in FREE's than others.
I don't recommend that average joe goes out to run in free full time, they could potentially end up doing more damage in the short term than good.

Personally i've done some races in FREE and I love the concept but it's different things for different people and as such some people will just use as a casual shoe and that's fine for their foot types and lower limb mechanics, some others can do heaps of running in FREE.

If combining your training with FREE (or some form of barefoot training like walking/running soft sand) and your normal running shoes it should make your transition to running in racing flats alot more tolerable and less likely you'll get injured, hence increasing your performance and time you'll be able to spend training, with some luck, decreasing your tape times!

Sorry it's a bit long but they're 3 different shoes and hope that i've helped a little.

I'd love to hear of other peoples experiences in FREE as they definitely are getting more and more popular with alot of people on the street coming in and talking about them.

Cheers!

Chris.

[twoeggs]

RunningCompanyBondi, on Nov 22 2009, 01:41 PM, said:

Hey Twoeggs,

They're all very different shoes.
Lunar racer (current one is pretty much sold out in Aus) is a full lightweight racing flat, the new one will come out in Jan and has a touch more midfoot support and has had the upper tweaked a little so not so much volume in the toebox, looks good. At the end of the day it's a racing flat.

The FREE 5.0 and 3.0 are the barefoot training shoes.
The key to these are that they're all about progressive adaptation and allowing your body to get used to the fact that you have less support than a normal running shoe, hence making all the intrinsic muscles, ligaments and tendons work a little harder to stabilise you. (scale 0- barefoot and 10 normal running shoe)
The free is a training tool which should be used in conjunction with your normal training shoes, this being said, everyone's different and some people will adapt and adjust quicker or be able to do more in FREE's than others.
I don't recommend that average joe goes out to run in free full time, they could potentially end up doing more damage in the short term than good.

Personally i've done some races in FREE and I love the concept but it's different things for different people and as such some people will just use as a casual shoe and that's fine for their foot types and lower limb mechanics, some others can do heaps of running in FREE.

If combining your training with FREE (or some form of barefoot training like walking/running soft sand) and your normal running shoes it should make your transition to running in racing flats alot more tolerable and less likely you'll get injured, hence increasing your performance and time you'll be able to spend training, with some luck, decreasing your tape times!

Sorry it's a bit long but they're 3 different shoes and hope that i've helped a little.

I'd love to hear of other peoples experiences in FREE as they definitely are getting more and more popular with alot of people on the street coming in and talking about them.

Cheers!

Chris.

yea, i have the 5.0's and wear them for everything.
im thinking about getting the lunaracers.

if the lunaracers are so popular at the moment, why are nike changing them?

[RunningCompanyBondi]

twoeggs, on Nov 22 2009, 04:09 PM, said:

yea, i have the 5.0's and wear them for everything.
im thinking about getting the lunaracers.

if the lunaracers are so popular at the moment, why are nike changing them?

Sorry Twoeggs,

They've been super popular due to the cushioning and responsiveness you get for such little weight.
As anything new, there will always need to be improvements, alot of responses from runners was that it had too much room/volume in the toebox and not enough midfoot support, I agree with all this feedback.
They're really comfy but at the same time I found it lacked a touch through the midfoot and saw a bit extra material in the upper around the toebox.

I've had the samples of the new lunar racer on my foot but it wasn't my size so i've not had a trot in them yet but you can see a marked difference in the midfoot support and and less volume in the toe box.

Hope this helps.

Chicken;)

[twoeggs]

RunningCompanyBondi, on Nov 23 2009, 02:59 PM, said:

Sorry Twoeggs,

They've been super popular due to the cushioning and responsiveness you get for such little weight.
As anything new, there will always need to be improvements, alot of responses from runners was that it had too much room/volume in the toebox and not enough midfoot support, I agree with all this feedback.
They're really comfy but at the same time I found it lacked a touch through the midfoot and saw a bit extra material in the upper around the toebox.

I've had the samples of the new lunar racer on my foot but it wasn't my size so i've not had a trot in them yet but you can see a marked difference in the midfoot support and and less volume in the toe box.

Hope this helps.

Chicken;)

Thanks for the info.
Just a coupler more questiosn though, how much do they weigh and how much are they reatiling for?

Cheers, Twoeggs

[RunningCompanyBondi]

twoeggs, on Nov 23 2009, 05:30 PM, said:

Thanks for the info.
Just a coupler more questiosn though, how much do they weigh and how much are they reatiling for?

Cheers, Twoeggs

No worries at all.
I'm sorry I don't have the exact weights but when I weighed the Lunar Racer 2 it was only a few grams heavier than the previous model which is great considering that there's more midfoot support.
SRP is $180.00.

Can't wait till they come instock!

Talk soon!

Chris.

[twoeggs]

RunningCompanyBondi, on Nov 23 2009, 04:50 PM, said:

No worries at all.
I'm sorry I don't have the exact weights but when I weighed the Lunar Racer 2 it was only a few grams heavier than the previous model which is great considering that there's more midfoot support.
SRP is $180.00.

Can't wait till they come instock!

Talk soon!

Chris.

yea me too.