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Writing shoe reviews
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Hey all-

I love shoes. The running kind.
In my never-ending quest to find perfect shoes for this, or that, or whatever, I spend a lot of time reading shoe reviews on various websites. Because I live in a small town with one running store that only carries certain brands, I can't always try things on, so I depend on shoe reviews, and zappos.

Anyway, I notice that most brand websites offer separate reviews for the mens and womens models, and more often than not, there are 0-1 women's reviews and several mens reviews. I don't care to discuss why this is, I just wanted to encourage everyone to write reviews of as many shoes as possible.

I wanted to start this thread so that we can chime in about what type of information is most helpful when reading a shoe review, as well as possibly start posting reviews/share info on shoes. There are too many reviews that go like this "This shoe is so comfy! I love the color too." Now, that is not a helpful review in my book, because "comfy" is meaningless if there is no other information. I appreciate it when the reviewer compares and contrasts to other shoes they have worn/liked/not liked. It also helps me to know if the reviewer has a narrow or wide foot and what kind of drop, level of cushion and weight the reviewer prefers.

If anyone is interested in my personal research for trail shoes; I've now had experience with the following models, and written reviews. I know most people here are triathletes, not trail runners, but feel free to ask me about any of these if you wanted any opinions:
Montrail Rogue Fly
NorthFace Ultra Glide
Saucony Kinvara Trail
Saucony Peregrine
New Balance 1010
New Balance 110
New Balance 1210
La Sportiva Helios
Brooks Pure Grit 1

I'm also curious to know what people have liked/not liked and why for road shoes for marathons/ironmans. Thanks!
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Re: Writing shoe reviews [npda] [ In reply to ]
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I'm in a similar boat (small town). You might take a look at runningwarehouse.com Generally their prices are better than Zappos (which I think is really Amazon), no shipping charges with 2-day delivery, and best of all, they provide a label for free return shipping, which is great for trying new shoes.

Also, for sale/clearance shoes you can use their Facebook discount code (FB15d) and get an additional 15% off!

As for reviews, I like to know how much room is in the toebox, how much arch support, and the ramp. RW has a good summary of all these features.

No coasting in running and no crying in baseball
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Re: Writing shoe reviews [npda] [ In reply to ]
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I always feel like I can't talk to specifics since I don't wear a lot of different shoes to compare. My idea of lots of room in the toe box is different than others' because I have small feet.

But your point is taken and I'll think about what I can do.

I should be doing running clothing reviews because I own a ton of it!

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Jen

"In order to keep a true perspective on one's importance, everyone should have a dog that worships him and a cat that will ignore him." - Dereke Bruce
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Re: Writing shoe reviews [npda] [ In reply to ]
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This is kind of related...but I am in need of new shoes, and have been a fan of my Saucony Triumph ProGrids for several generations.

I do wonder, though, as I get ready to fork out $160 for the latest version, what is the difference between these shoes I am buying at my local running specialty store and the similar Sauconys being sold in the local big-box sporting good store for $70 less? Has anyone done a review/comparison of the various shoes within a brand? Are the "higher end" shoes really that much superior?

I admit I'm reluctant to try the cheaper shoes just in case they suck then I have to buy the more expensive ones anyway! But I still wonder if I'm wasting money.
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Re: Writing shoe reviews [npda] [ In reply to ]
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I like the Montrail Bajada. It has good cushioning and flexibility.
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Re: Writing shoe reviews [npda] [ In reply to ]
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I only buy men's shoes as I have a wide foot. I run in the Ghost and the Glycerin but prefer the Ghost. I'm trying Hokas to see if they can relieve my knee, ankle and hip pain after long runs (getting old and I think this is "normal").

http://harvestmoon6.blogspot.com
https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/katasmit


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