22 replies to this topic

[chops]

I want pick the brains of someone in the know, what a better place to start than here. I am after a new pair of running shoes and don't know which to look at? At the moment I have a pair of Asics Nimbus 10's, they have served me well for twelve months,including a break of five months, where I was off injured,depressed and injured again. The soles have worn evenly across the forefoot and slightly towards the outside of the heel. The only bad thing I could say about them , is that when they get wet they are heavy, but I put that down to the size(12) and my feet get warm. I want the shoes ony for road use and do roughly 75-95km/week. I am not keen on sports/running shoe shops , as I think they often direct you to the most expensive end, regardless of the suitability of the shoe, can anyone offer me any help?

Thanks, Chops

[Louise]

Nimbus 11

if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[Victory11]

Louise, on Jan 14 2010, 11:11 AM, said:

Nimbus 11

if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

I agree, but would be interested to know whether your shoes played any part in causing your 5 month break with injury, because if so you may not have shoes catering for your particular biomechanical needs, that are not providing the support/cushioning necessary for you as a runner. I would probably forget about them getting heavy when wet, as most trainers do (from my experience), but otherwise you may want to opt for a lighter-weight shoe where the material isn't quite so thick and absorbent, but otherwise I think that isn't so much of a drawback and something you could probably look past. And with your feet getting warm at times, might that have something to do with the socks you are wearing? Let me know.

(By the way, I am no expert, just commenting from my own experience).

[dylan]

post deleted

Edited by dylan, 25 March 2010 - 10:23 AM.

[Bellthorpe]

Absolutely agree with Louise. If it ain't broke, don't do nuttin different.

[chilliman]

A single pair of Nimbus's for 6-7months with 80k per week on them is a lot of k's, then again I have a pair of 10's that probably has at least 1500k on them but I rotate them with about 4-5 other pairs of road and trail shoes.

The Mizuno Wave Rider's a lighter shoe that may suit too, but will wear quicker, but still an old faithful of mine.

[chops]

They have been rotated with another pair of shoes that I use for trails, but I am wanting to do more road and less trails. I think they have done well, but to be truthful they should have been replaced well before Christmas.
The reason I was off for five months was running related, I was going to work after a 12k trail run and got knocked off my motorcycle and had hip trouble for a while after.

Chops

[swaggerer]

Quote

I am not keen on sports/running shoe shops , as I think they often direct you to the most expensive end, regardless of the suitability of the shoe, can anyone offer me any help?

Wear a torn flannel shirt to the shop; hang around for long time and make out like you are putting something in your pockets; engage the staff in a coversation about the merits of an old sideplate engine compared to the new fangled red 179; tell them how you refuse to wear sissy socks and let them see (and smel)l your feet; tell them you've had a cold for five months and then cough all the time; ask them if they give free shoes to elite athletes and then tell them you can run five minutes for 3000m; when they question said claim, abuse them for doubting the accuracy of your
ute's speedo -reminding them that the 10 inch diff wouldn't make much differrence; tell them - so all the other customers can here - how you can get shoes on Ebay for seven dollars.

Or you could just ask your mates on CR and then just go and purchase the best shoes for you .

Nimbus are pretty good shoe and seem to suit you.

Dylan are you aware that you can diffferent forefoot widths?

Edited by swaggerer, 15 January 2010 - 03:30 PM.

[chops]

swaggerer, on Jan 15 2010, 04:29 PM, said:

Wear a torn flannel shirt to the shop; hang around for long time and make out like you are putting something in your pockets; engage the staff in a coversation about the merits of an old sideplate engine compared to the new fangled red 179; tell them how you refuse to wear sissy socks and let them see (and smel)l your feet; tell them you've had a cold for five months and then cough all the time; ask them if they give free shoes to elite athletes and then tell them you can run five minutes for 3000m; when they question said claim, abuse them for doubting the accuracy of your
ute's speedo -reminding them that the 10 inch diff wouldn't make much differrence; tell them - so all the other customers can here - how you can get shoes on Ebay for seven dollars.

Are you on something?

[Victory11]

chops, on Jan 15 2010, 08:48 PM, said:

Are you on something?

Haha, my thoughts exactly.
I think swaggerer has had way too long to think about this.

[chops]

Is there much difference between Nimbus 11 and Cumulus 11?. Do feel free to chip in Swaggerer.

Edited by chops, 15 January 2010 - 09:40 PM.

[walshy2]

The Cumulus is basically the same, just a step down ie less cushioning techmology, but they are both neutral or cushioned shoes

some people prefer the lower end models as minimalist trainers are thought to not create as many injuries as the you beaut top of the range models.

Read the Book Born to Run and you may have a new view on shoes

Edited by walshy2, 15 January 2010 - 09:44 PM.

[Rafferty]

chops, on Jan 14 2010, 11:16 AM, said:

I am not keen on sports/running shoe shops , as I think they often direct you to the most expensive end, regardless of the suitability of the shoe

Quite likely to happen at Athlete's Foot, Rebel etc.

If I'd taken all their advice over the years I'd own a garage full of Kayano's.

Plenty of other good neutral shoes out there (Brooks, Nike) - time for you to hit the shops and test a few.

Edited by Rafferty, 20 January 2010 - 08:09 PM.

[Davo83]

Mate give the pegasus a try. I thought the Brooks Vapour were a great well priced shoe, but i am extremely happy with the pegasus and for only $150 you can't go wrong.


cheers

Dave

[swaggerer]

Chops. My bogan solutions often solicit that response. Arrrh well. Make up your mind yet?

Re: Nimbus vs Pegasus. I have run in both and the Nimbus lasts longer and is a bit better on bitumen; whereas, the Pegasus is a bit harder and goes off quicker. Pegasus is cheaper though. One thought is to ask yourself , is it better to buy expensive shoes and keep them longer or get cheaper shoes and replace them more often? The choice is yours. I pefer mid -price range shoes like the Pegasus and Nike Elites (my current shoe choice). I run up to 400k on bitumen then "retire" them to trail running.

I used run in Dunlop K26s and replace them after 300k. Good value but they is not vewry twendy. May the Swoosh be wiff you. Or alternatively may the anima sana in corpore sano guide you to the bettererer shoe for you.

Cheers,
Ronnie.

[Rico]

Hey Swaggerer how do you rate Lunar Elites vs Zoom Elites?

[Victory11]

Rico, on Jan 21 2010, 07:31 PM, said:

Hey Swaggerer how do you rate Lunar Elites vs Zoom Elites?

Yeah, I currently have the Zoom Elites and would be very interested to hear how people would rate the Lunar Elites in comparison.

[Rico]

I bought some on a crazy whim and wore them for the second half of a 30km run, which probably isn't the thing the are designed for. They felt like a shock after changing out of Adrenalines, so much firmer (harder) and flatter and more minimalist. Once I got going I liked the way the soles worked, but by the end had to admit that the toebox was too small for me and that some of my toenails were really starting to suffer, which was very frustrating. But I'd be interested in the views of more experienced and knowledgeable parties.

[chops]

swaggerer, on Jan 21 2010, 06:39 PM, said:

Chops. My bogan solutions often solicit that response. Arrrh well. Make up your mind yet?

Re: Nimbus vs Pegasus. I have run in both and the Nimbus lasts longer and is a bit better on bitumen; whereas, the Pegasus is a bit harder and goes off quicker. Pegasus is cheaper though. One thought is to ask yourself , is it better to buy expensive shoes and keep them longer or get cheaper shoes and replace them more often? The choice is yours. I pefer mid -price range shoes like the Pegasus and Nike Elites (my current shoe choice). I run up to 400k on bitumen then "retire" them to trail running.

Cheers,
Ronnie.

I would rather pay more for good shoes that I know will last, because I think manufacturers often fix things that aren't broken,i.e. supercede models, so should I need new shoes earlier, I probably wouldn't be able to get as good a shoe. Plus 400k out of shoes wouldn't last very long for me.

Chops

[Rafferty]

chops, on Jan 22 2010, 12:27 AM, said:

I would rather pay more for good shoes that I know will last, because I think manufacturers often fix things that aren't broken

No doubt about that.

Asics Nimbus a classic example.

Probably good reason IMHO to have a few pair from a couple of different manufacturers - putting all your eggs into the one baskett, based on last years model, is a bit risky.

Edited by Rafferty, 22 January 2010 - 12:51 PM.

[swaggerer]

Rico and Victory 11, I can't really comment on the question "How do you rate Lunar Elites vs Zoom Elites?" This because I haven't ran in the Lunar Elites.

I have ran in the Lunar Glide which seem to be similar to the Lunar Elites. I am not all that keen on the Lunar Glides. I don't like the feel and for some reason the lunar-style shoes irritate my sore heel. I have some Lunar Racers and since I have stopped training in them my heel has improved greatly (mind you there are other variables too).

I tend to reach for my Zoom Elites in preference to the Lunar Glides. But that is just me. I think the Lunars aggravate my heel as they are very soft and I have noticed that when I heel strike at a slower pace in the Lunar Racers the heel counter distorts and is pulled into my heel.

I switched to the Zoom Speed Lites for my tempo sessions. Nice shoe that works for me. I suppose they will discontinue those now too?

I really like the latest Zoom Elites. I know a few other runners who swear by them. It would be a shame if they are to be discontinued? If the Lunar Elites are much the same, then I reckon I would try them. So I too am looking forward to a proper comparison.

I don't like to change anything too dramatically when setting for a race, so i like to make sure I have enough of the most suitable shoes on hand for the build up and prep period before my next goal (I hurt my back again so the point is kind of mute at the moment for me).

Thus, I find the lack of continuity in models from manufacturers rather annoying. The Nike Pegasus and Skylon from 1990s were both curved, slip-lasted and were very different shoes to the current board-lasted, semi curved Pegasus and Skylon. That is not just tweaking but complete alteration.

It seems that the marketing people are bit like the rock 'n' roll industry and use a rocker"s past popularity to subtly introduce some radical changes. You get the CD home and whack it on the player and after listening ask:"What the f**k is this shit?" But then again sometimes the new stuff grows on you.

Cheers,
Ronnie.

[dylan]

post deleted

Edited by dylan, 25 March 2010 - 10:22 AM.

[chops]

swaggerer, on Jan 22 2010, 10:17 AM, said:

It seems that the marketing people are bit like the rock 'n' roll industry and use a rocker"s past popularity to subtly introduce some radical changes. You get the CD home and whack it on the player and after listening ask:"What the f**k is this shit?" But then again sometimes the new stuff grows on you.

Cheers,
Ronnie.

I like the analgy, like changing a no.10 to no.11 and expecting a slight difference, only to find the only similarity is the laces.

Chops