yup I have noticed that, I think he has been racing all his races in them...doesnt make much sense to me. maybe they havent given him the protos that Lieto is wearing...

Very observant boys! matty reed here... I am ANXIOUSLY awaiting my arrival of the sweet and pimp racing flats by K-Swiss. Lieto, being a size 9 mens got the proto-type, that is why he is racing in them. me being the big man 13 (you know what they say about big feet....) is not a proto-type size and will wait for the shoes off the press in july. In the mean time, i race in a white racing flat, since I am a very light weight racer and race in light and fast and neutral shoes. But dont you boys worry, these K-Swiss racing flats are simply amazing. Stable, durable, lightweight..... Cant wait to roll these babies. I am a bit different to the other K-Swiss athletes out there in that I race the World Cups and short course and am not ironman focused (yet!- hint.) so that is why I race in a speed suit, and use a true track racing flat. I was born in the fast mode, and that is why i came to K-Swiss Team.... they make the best shoes out there. For fast, for steady, for the long haul and for a variety of athletes.

So there you go... since I am rambling on, i will throw out that my favorite K-Swiss sneakers to train in are the Ultra Natural and then the Kona for some fartklek/threshold sessions. Oh and if you get a chance to get a pair of the running shorts, COMFY!

alright, post away. i will be out training.... GO HARD or GO THE HECK HOME.
BIG MATTY REED- OUT.

It's the nose mate.

The K-Swiss racers don't look appealing to me at all. You'll gonna miss your Nikes.
Hope they pay well.

Happy racing
uli

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CAMPAGNOLO GRAN FONDO NEW YORK

So, if I read this right...you're more about how they look than how they fit/feel??? You have pretty much surmised that Matty is all about the money.....nice!!! Have you remotely thought that he really likes how the shoe fits him??? Oh, wait...forgot!!! This is ST.....more posers here than on the runway in NYC during Fashion Week.

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Kurt Luoni
US Sales Manager
Orca Wetsuits

Have you remotely thought that he really likes how the shoe fits him???

He can't tell more than looks either. Reading posts helps.

To explain my thoughts: they are not minimalist enough from the looks.

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CAMPAGNOLO GRAN FONDO NEW YORK

when he said they don't look appealing i SERIOUSLY doubt that he meant the aesthetics of the shoes,
probably more along the lines of how the upper and midsole look.

edit: beat to it

Is that an asthma inhaler?

Reed and Lieto are two guys I can think of that keep their asthma inhalers in transition. I have all the respect in the world for these guys, but I sometimes wonder if this is worth discussing as... questionable.

Thanks Matt. I appreciate your insight and am surprised you're on here. Your'e doing a good job towing the company line. Maybe you can tell us more about the shoes? Being a new guy and coming from a run specific focus, I can say I'm short distance and faster (its all relative) guy as well. I've been wearing the Zoot Ultra Race shoe since I got into the sport. Its been working very well for me. I love the light weight, soft lining, carbon fiber and the over-all feel of the shoes. Been running and racing barefoot for years and these Zoots are so wonderfully comfortable. But I'm always reading about new gear. I have seen some reviews on K-Swiss footwear and they seem to be very new to running and triathlon shoes. Most reviews I see have the shoes called out as what I would consider to be quite heavy. I tried to find out for myself, but I actually cannot find any running shop that carries them. I see a lot of advertising from K-Swiss, but I can't find their shoes anywhere?

Uli, aren't you Nike sponsored?

Yes, I am. Only change is that I don't have to pay for what I have been wearing anyway. ;)

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CAMPAGNOLO GRAN FONDO NEW YORK

How so? I keep one in transition when my allergies are bad. I try like hell to never have to take a puff. The last thing I need when racing is to have my heart racing and to feel shaky. But it beats not being able to breathe. Would you rather people with asthma not be allowed to compete?

Jodi

Uli,
I can assure you that the guys at K-Swiss and Avia personally know all their athletes and have a great relationship with them. Do you think anyone at Nike actually knows you and or cares about you?

I think Matty made the point quite clear why he is in the situation he is in. I would support / sponsor Matty Reed in a heartbeat.

Herbert

I find it interesting and informative to read threads to see how people jump to conclusions and then alternately tear someone else up for jumping to their conclusions. Matty Reed is a phenominal runner (triathlete) that is accustomed to wearing a 5 ounce racing flat, and every ounce can make a difference in short course racing. the racing flat that you see Lieto in is not available until 2010, which is why Matt doesn't have it yet. we give our early prototypes to our size 9 and size 7 runners so that they can give us their valuable feedback and we can make revisions based on their input. Rather than force Matt to wear our 8.8 ounce K-ona shoe (more than light enough for us mortals) we want him to perform at his best and race in what he feels gives him the best chance for that. We believe in that enough to say that when he gets his flats in the next few weeks, that if he doesn't feel like they are the best for him, then he can continue to race in the shoes he's racing in now. We don't make a shoe until our athletes have tested it, and approved it. Matty, thanks for jumping on post, we are proud to have you on our team, and we cant' wait to get your feedback on the new flats. until then, keep doing your thing!

Herbert, we do know all of our athletes very well and i'm positive that Avia does too! thx for the support. one of the reasons we brought Matt in was the fact that he does race in ultralight flats and we wanted him on board for the development of that shoe. The main reason though is that he is a super person who i would proudly keep on my team if he never raced again. and as far as everyone talking about getting paid for using product. Most of you have no idea how little these pros make for how hard they work, and how amazing they are as athletes. if you think that they would use a shoe that affected their performance for the little they get from sponsors, you are a bit uninformed.

Given my level, that would be disturbing although their bang for the buck must be ridiculously high in my case. I know about fifty German triathletes who bought the Lunars b/c I keep praising them (started that well before I got sponsored).

I really hope for the guys that the flats are gonna be nice. Just what I have seen so far from K-Swiss - and don't get me started about the UA garbage - does not look too promising.

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CAMPAGNOLO GRAN FONDO NEW YORK

A bit of credit for Matty and KSwiss here. It's easier to believe that he'll be running in a good shoe from KSwiss if he's waiting for it to come out (and using a competitor in the mean time). Many companies would just insist that he use the existing line, whether it was race worthy or not. We've all seen too many previous cases of pros on questionable gear because they were paid to use it (those IronMan helmets from a few years back come to mind).

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ECMGN Therapy Silicon Valley:
Depression, Neurocognitive problems, Dementias (Testing and Evaluation), Trauma and PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

I have no doubt that you use it when and if you need it and of course I don't think that being asthmatic should prohibit you from racing. But it seems to me that there are a disproportionate amount of asthmatics in the pro ranks, and not just triathlon.

Let's try to keep this thread on topic, i.e KSwiss, Matty Reed and Herbert vs. Uli!

What I am saying is that you may not be unbiased because of your affiliation with Nike. Because you are a lesser known quantity in terms of fame you actually have to work much harder (ie pimping your sponsors in forums, even if not overtly) to get your "rewards." You are a very good runner in your own right and hopefully you will see that it isn't cool to blast another manufacturer as a "representative" of a competitor.

LOL! Thats why pro feedbacks mean sh!t to me.

I was actually at Rev 3 Tri doing the run portion of a relay team... However I forgot my shoes at home, FAIL!

So I bought a pair of Kona's at the expo, didn't like the normal shoe because of the extra fabric that would have rubbed against the knuckles of my toes. Kona's didn't have that extra fabric and felt pretty good. I ran in them on Sunday fresh out of the box and they treated me quite nicely. I'm looking forward to breaking them in an using them in more races coming up!

When I was watching the pro's get ready to go in the water at Rev3 I saw just how much Matty towers over everyone else. I turned to my buddy and was like "that guy just looks like he's gonna win"; he responded with "dumb ass, that's Matty Reed". Sure enough he won and lead pretty much wire to wire. That Fuji he was on looked like a stealth bomber going by; even at mile 31.5 he had well over a minute lead. Personally I can't wait to see how he does on long course events; he's so tall I wonder how he handles heat on hot days.

1. I have reiterated many times that I have given praise for Nike's Luna long before I got sponsored.
2. All I have to do is wear Nike. They don't expect anything from me beyond that. But I love the Lunar Racers so I keep praising them.
3. No, I am not "a very good runner". Most ITU triathletes are faster runners.

I will continue giving my opinion on other manufacturers. There is just too much crap out there. I understand where Matt is coming from but I don't like to be fooled.

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CAMPAGNOLO GRAN FONDO NEW YORK

I don't think I have ever seen so much damage control in one thread at one time...ever!

I used to race as Pro as a triathlete for a year but was very mediocre at it.
As a runner now, I am as far from "pro" as it gets.

However, I would react the same way as you do when I hear someone praising stuff he gets for free. How would you know that I have praised Nike Lunar Racers before I got them for free?
I think they are THAT good.

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CAMPAGNOLO GRAN FONDO NEW YORK

WOW! you guys... I go do a run and a swim and come back and wow....okay so let's chat a bit since we are on the subject. I dont take sponsors just for money. I race hard, i race alot and i race to win. I am a good genuine person. I hope that makes me a good marketing tool. And if a company does not like me for that, well then, best we not sign on the dotted line. I test thoroughly every single product I use long before I sign, endorse or get paid by anyone. Example: shoes, I ran in a variety of shoes through out 2008. I ran in the K-Swiss shoes for 4.5 months before we talked any business with them. I wanted to find the best training and racing shoes for me. Do you think that when you make the Olympic Team, that there are few shoe companies showing you some $. Yes, but what does that get you? some money and then blisters, injuries and slwoer times. no thanks. I am in this sport for years to come and i needed to find the right company with the right shoes, the right development and the place that I would call "home" for the rest of my career. So for someone to say I do something for money. You dont know me. You look at my sponsors. I get paid good money - why? cause i do my research before i sign with a company. I make sure the product is the best out here for me and that company will continue to push the technology envelope and I can work with them on development. K-Swiss has asked for heaps of feedback on the form of the shoes, on the sole of the shoe. I am not a salesman, i am world's worst liar. I am a professional athlete. That's it folks. I run in the best shoes i found out there. bonus: i get paid for it. i get paid to race and to win. I dont pick my sponsors for the money. I pick them for what is the fast and best product for me to race my best. Heck, you dont see my name on the bike swap articles do you? nope. I found the best bike company for me. I tested over 8 companys before Fuji and I married. I signed with them in 2004. I resigned in 2008 for 8 years. WHy? Cause I know them and they know me. Would another bike company pay me more? who the heck cares... if I race the fastest on FUJI bikes then that is worth its weight in gold. I guess you all have to remember one thing. We race this sport professionally cause we love it. After all, this is not golf or tennis $. But heck i am doing what i love and making money and supporting my kids. I am a happy man.

Now about the flats. They are roughly 6 and some change ounces. Sure I have raced in 3 ounce flats before... feet a bit sore after a few weekends in a row of racing. I have tested numerous flats to help K-Swiss develop some killer racing flats. remember folks, this is round one. K-Swiss is putting their best feet forward in our sport. THey are putting $, technology and race sponsorship into triathlon. At at time when many companies are sitting tight, K-Swiss sees our sport's potential and our sport's draw to the world. So really for me to be a part of that excitement and a company that sees my passion for what i love and they have the same passion, you would be off your knocker to think that is not a good thing.

so go at it boys.... still think some of you need to get out and train today. Oh, and K-Swiss does know my name, my kids names, and many other personal things about me. I am not a number at a company. THey ask my opinion, they ask us K-Swiss team athletes to tell them what we think about stuff. That is what I want to be paid for.
i gotta go feed my kids lunch. Big Matty Reed- OUT.
ps. ran in the Ultra Ntrl Run II S this morning... why? cause they are the best training shoes for me... longer runs Keahoe. Why? cause comfort is key for the big man here. Nothing. more. Nothing less.

You are a funny guy. That made me laugh. :)

I was just referring to the flats which you have not been able to test yet.

Academic question: where would you draw the line and race in slightly subpar stuff - say worth 30s at a draftfree OD - for big $$?
Six figure? High six figure? Seven?
There's only so much prize money you can get...

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CAMPAGNOLO GRAN FONDO NEW YORK

we all know the only reason you are with K-Swiss is so you can meet Anna K. ;-)

Where does the prize money vs endorsement money curve intersect ? Also, I think you have to look at what point in the career the athlete is at. Let's say the athlete is at the tail end, it might be better from a business perspective to cash out on the certainty of endorsement money with perhaps not exactly optimal equipment in favour of cash now. Maybe earlier in the career this would not be acceptable.

This is no different than business professionals trading off salary vs options. Salary gives my cash now (like endorsement money). Winning races are like options. They are meaningless unless at the time the options vest they are above water. Race winning can take the same form. You could have bang up form and crash in a race when you had the fitness of a lifetime. This is like options that are underwater...you busted your ass for peak form and had everything lined up, but some yahoo crashes in front of you at the Olympics and takes you out....there goes your options.

So Uli, you are correct, regardless of what people say about "I use what will help me win", there is a point where if you are a professional who seeks to maximize income from the sport, then you have to trade off salary (endoresment money) for options (winning races, associated prize money and future endorsements). Everyone in every profession does it. Pro triathletes should be no different, and if they are not and just making decisions to win simply for the sake of winning, at the expense of maximizing revenue, then they might leave money on the table....but not everything for everyone is about the money.

That's why pro athletes in big sports have agents, because typically a hockey player does not know how to maximize revenue....he only knows how to shoot a puck. Unfortunately triathlon is generally not large enough for most athletes to have someone helping them to maximize their revenue.

NOW we're talking.

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CAMPAGNOLO GRAN FONDO NEW YORK

interesting question... i guess it depends on the person and the athlete. Also depends on can you win the race? If you guys know anyone throw $1 million to race in a clown suit or race naked, i am willing to do it. I guess I have found that companies are willing to pay really good money if you believe in their product, not just their salary checks. I am lucky, very lucky that i am at a point in my career where I can try a product and then stand on my own two feet and say to the company that I feel their product would benefit me and help me win races. I can tell a company, i train hard, i race to win, and i can win. I am a dad and husband first and then my job is a professional athlete. Some companies believe that having a grounded family life is a great marketing concept. some dont. if you dont love my family and you cant' deal with my (sometime challenging wife and coach- didnt say love, just deal with her.) well, we arent gonna be a good fit. Now again for a $million bucks, I could try to shut kelly up. ha ha. wait not worth the money there. LIfe is more enjoyable when a company sees your value as an athlete and you see a company's value in their products. too complicated for me any other way really.

so at what point do we sell ourselves for money? dont know. not there yet or if i ever will be. as i said, maybe i am just lucky or as kelly says a "naive kiwi boy".

wait there is at other post "is matty reed really american?" coming up... ha, you guys will have fun with this one. anyways, got some cycling to watch and then ride. and just to clarify.... GO USA! i am american.

Big Matty Reed- out

It's not hard to see why companies are so eager to sponsor you. Class act.

Good luck with your season! I'll be eagerly awaiting your first Kona

:-)

Jodi

   
I love it when the bid-dawgs post!!!

Having a great season MattyReed!! Keep kicking ass!!

Dude...after reading through this thread, I just realized that you are likely banned from Ironman florida....with the size of those feet, you ARE FINMAN!!! Those feet are the size of zoomers !!! You just might be the fastest man to ever do a half Ironman wearing fins for all segments of the race!!!