Category Archives: Shoes

May 10 2013
Leave a comment
Kit, Shoes

ASICS announce a whole lot of “What’s Next”

ASICS US has this week introduced its new line of footwear, apparel and accessories, which it says is created specifically for the athletic training market. The company is promoting these new products with a new advertising campaign built around the concept of “Next”: the moment when, ‘an athlete pushes their limits to achieve their goal and immediately focuses on the next challenge’.

Until now, the brand has been a bit player in the training space, controlling less than 1% of the $1.7 billion category. The training line includes six footwear styles and two apparel collections. Each style of footwear is intended for a different type of activity, such as short interval workouts, dance, barefoot training and variable training, like Crossfit.

Continue reading →

Apr 30 2013
Leave a comment
Kit, Running, Shoes

Puma Mobium Elites look to provide purrrrfect performance

Miaow…

Have you ever watched your cat sprint around the house and leap wherever it wants? That agility is definitely something to envy, and it seems that the boys over at Puma certainly agree.

Launching a new-to-market category of performance running—“Adaptive Running”, the new Puma Mobium Elite is inspired by cats paws, which compress together during its propulsion phase and expand during stance phase to provide cushioning, PUMA Mobium Elite’s ‘Expansion Pods’ on the outsole of the shoe expand and contract with the foot.

Continue reading →

Apr 08 2013
3 Comments
Kit, Running, Shoes

Adidas sign up David Beckham to promote new climacool Revolution shoes

Adidas has signed up David Beckham to launch its newest climacool Revolution running shoe this week. The new shoes promise the coolest run yet, thanks to a “360 degree ventilation running experience”, that allows ventilation from the sides of the shoe, as well as from above, as in current climacool footwear.
Apr 02 2013
Leave a comment
Around the web, Kit, Shoes

Around the web – the week’s recommended reading

We’re back! Sorry for the Easter hiatus, but sometimes the lure of holidays and chocolate is too strong…now its time to work it off though! Here is some reading to get you in the mood:

Deckers Acquires Hoka One One Shoes  – In a great sign for minimalist runners everywhere, Deckers Outdoor Corporation, the parent company of such popular footwear brands as UGG and Teva, has fully acquired the upstart running brand Hoka One One. The acquisition is a sign that Deckers thinks Hoka’s unconventional shoe design will continue to attract more runners, and should signal a good amount of investment in the brand. (Runners World)

Deconstructed: The Rise of the Minimalist Running Shoe – Following in our minimalist trend, this handy list shows the development and evolution of minimalist and barefoot running shoes over the years, right from Abebe Bikila’s Olympic triumph up to the launch of Vibrams Five-Fingers in 2006. We’ve come a long way baby… (Outside Online)

Laura Trott and Jason Kenny talk cycle tech – Pocket-Lint grab ten minutes of interview time with Olympic medalists Laura Trott and Jason Kenny to talk Adidas Adistar, their sponsor’s new top-of-line cycling apparel range. (Pocket-Lint)

Mar 18 2013
Leave a comment
Kit, Running, Shoes

New Balance and Nike introduce new barefoot shoe offerings

The world’s love affair with barefoot running shows little sign of abating, with Nike and New Balance this week announcing new shoe lines to try and grab a slice of the market dominated by Vibrams.

Both companies already have previous offerings in this market, with Nike’s existing free-running/parkour shoes being unveiled to great acclaim, and New Balance’s trail running shoes widely recognised as market leaders.

Continue reading →

Mar 11 2013
Leave a comment
Around the web, Events/Races, Kit, Running, Shoes

Around the web – this week’s recommended reading

TR went for probably its coldest run ever coming back from the office this evening – where did this cold come from! Here are some interesting reads from around the web to keep you motivated:

Parkrun, the running revolution coming soon to a park near you – Examining the history and appeal behind Parkrun – the 5k race series that’s booming in popularity and is probably already happening in a park near you! (Guardian)

The Running Man: in praise of Ashmei – Some uber-lustable kit from Ashmei featured in this month’s GQ – definitely worth investing if you have the pennies! (GQ)

The history of running trainers – We’ve come a long way baby – the Metro provides a nice pictoral reminder of the recent strides of evolution of the running shoe (Metro)

Happy reading!

Mar 07 2013
Leave a comment
Running, Shoes

End of the road for barefoot running shoes?

New research from Brigham Young University over in the U.S. this week has suggested that barefoot running may surprisingly enough be bad for new runners.

The findings say that runners who make the switch from normal trainers to barefoot shoes too quickly suffered an increased risk of injury to bones in the foot, including possible stress fractures, with women far more susceptible than men.

Vibrams – more trouble than they’re worth?

Barefoot running has mushroomed in popularity over the last decade, helped in no small part by Christopher McDougall’s much-respected tome Born to Run, telling of his experience with a remote Mexican tribe who run only in basic sandals. Brands like Vibrams have done extremely well with lucrative shoes and other products, and the market has grown exponentially based on runner’s desires to experience new kinds of fitness.

The researchers say the findings are particularly concerning given that minimalist shoes such as these now make up 15 per cent of the running shoe market.

Continue reading →

Mar 04 2013
Leave a comment
Around the web, Kit, Lust List, Running, Shoes

Re-reviewed – the Metro casts its vote on Adidas Boost

In the same Metro article as mentioned below, the Metro also has a short review of Adidas’ new running shoe line, the Boost (which you may remember us drooling over on its New York release a few weeks back).

There’s no doubt that these shoes are a beautiful piece of kit, and will definitely draw admiring and envious glances if you’re out running around the city or a popular park. They keep the classic Adidas “3 stripes” design which has been so so timeless for the brand, and then tops it off with its new foam technology on the sole.

Writing for the Metro, Vicki-Marie Cossar, herself an experienced runner and reviewer, seems impressed, praising the stability of the shoes, whilst also remarking on their flexibility. She takes them for a two-hour spin around a recently-snowed in New York and Central Park, and finds the whole running experience pretty positive, especially on hills, where she says that, “there’s no denying I feel more energised while running”.

Overall, Cossar’s glowing views back up our own fanboy raving, and we can’t wait to get our hands on them. Cossar states that, “I’m not a fast runner, and I’ve never done a marathon, but I manage a two-hour run around the city. I don’t feel tired and could easily continue. I had none of the usual aches and pains in my legs afterwards, which could be down to the good cushioning of the trainers. I’ll definitely wear them on future runs and am hopeful they might help me achieve my first half-marathon distance.”

Encouraging signs for us all!

Mar 04 2013
3 Comments
Kit, Running, Shoes

Just Done It? Nike introduces new lightweight FlyKnit Lunar +1 shoes

A few weeks ago, The Guardian reported that Nike was facing some rather awkward difficulties relating to the sustainability and shelf-life of their products, and the company was now looking to repair their image and consumption statistics.

Fitting then, that this week saw the release of the company’s newest shoe offering, the ultra-minimalist Flyknit Lunar 1+.  Apparently the result of four years hard R+D, Nike say that these shoes reflect what athletes really want from their footwear- “a snug and agile shoe that fits like a sock and is as light as a feather”.  And they’re not far wrong there – a men’s size 10 apparently weighs just 8 oz!

The new super-lightweight Nike Flyknit Lunar +1

The new super-lightweight Nike Flyknit Lunar 1+

First impressions are that the shoes do look great – you can almost see straight through them! Nike says that the shoes feature an upper part constructed entirely of a tightly woven polyester yarn that varies in density. This means that it is more open in targeted areas of your feet that may need greater flexibility or ventilation, and also tighter in areas that demand support.

Continue reading →

Feb 26 2013
1 Comment
Kit, Lust List, Running, Shoes

Lust List – Adidas Boost

So, so pretty…

Announced just over two weeks ago in New York, the Adidas’ new family of shoes is promising to revolutionize the way you run – and the speed at which you do it.

Called Adidas Boost, the new range of shoes will be made of a new material that delivers greater energy response, made up of dozens of mini capsules that will increase the ‘bounce’ produced when your foot strikes the ground. Adidas’ rather odd promo video shows this material bouncing a metal ball higher and for longer than that of a competitor and the floor.

The technology works by absorbing the energy and then pushing back to return it, helping to propel you forward, as the shoes material delivers a much greater energy response per stride. Adidas believe that the shoes will deliver a performance boost of around 10 seconds per km if ran at a 5min/km pace, a bold claim which we look forward to trying out. Adidas had running titan Haile Gebrselassie speaking at the launch, who said that he believes over a 26 mile run, trained athletes could see anywhere up to 40 seconds’ improvement.

Continue reading →

Newer posts →