I’ve been on the lookout for new racing flats ever since Asics f’ed up the Hyperspeed and Adidas discontinued the Rocket.
I’ve been wondering the same thing. Although keep in mind there are Flyknit Trainers too if the racers don’t end up being your thing. As soon as I get over this cold/fever I’m making a visit to the shoe store to check them out.
I tried them on at my LRS. My first impression of them is the midsole is very stiff. There seems to be very little flex in the sole. I do most of my running currently in the Streak XC3 and now the Streak LT (same shoe, new name) and will continue to run in them instead.
The upper felt great, it just felt weird to me, ultra flexible upper with a stiff sole.
This is just my option YMMV.
I’ve been on the lookout for new racing flats ever since Asics f’ed up the Hyperspeed and Adidas discontinued the Rocket.
Streak LT is pretty much the same shoes and 70+ dollars cheaper. I was pumped hearing about the flyknits but didn’t go for em.
If you’re looking for a flat from Asics, why not the Piranha?
The Piranha is a great running flat, in fact it is by far my favorite, but I’m not sure it is a great tri shoe. The problem is with the tongue, which is a bit short and very thin. This isn’t a problem if you have time to put it on correctly and are wearing socks, but it isn’t great in transition.
The Piranha is a great running flat, in fact it is by far my favorite, but I’m not sure it is a great tri shoe. The problem is with the tongue, which is a bit short and very thin. This isn’t a problem if you have time to put it on correctly and are wearing socks, but it isn’t great in transition.
^^This and the fact it is very, very minimal. I run in flats every day, and have worn the Piranha for speed workouts and would certainly not hesitate to use them in a 10K, but not sure it would be a good shoe for 1/2 Marathon or HIM and above.
Just ordered an orange pair of the flyknits. As soon as I get them I’ll give a review. Excited to try them…have been away from Nike for a long time.
So you tried on just the racers or the trainers & racers?
If you tried the trainers, would it have enough support in your opinion, for a marathon?
I tried them on at my LRS. My first impression of them is the midsole is very stiff. There seems to be very little flex in the sole. I do most of my running currently in the Streak XC3 and now the Streak LT (same shoe, new name) and will continue to run in them instead.
The upper felt great, it just felt weird to me, ultra flexible upper with a stiff sole.
This is just my option YMMV.
I tried them both on at niketown the day the came out. Very stiff, narrow and not my cup of tea coming from kinvaras, kwickys and zoots. But yes, the uppers are comfy and most likely cool while in motion.
Would you say they are more stiff like Adidas Adios 2’s?
Would the trainer be supportive enough for mild pronation for a marathon?
I’ll try them both on within the week–I’m just too antsy to wait for insight on these
because I’m cooped up drinking hot tea & drinking NyQuil by the gallons.
Sorry, never ran in the Adios so no point of reference.
I just recently raced in them. The shoe is comfortable for a racer, but one must have a narrow foot and the heal is even narrower. My heel wanted to fall inward, but adding a new insole helped greatly. Warning…the shoes holds water. Its ok for sprints and olympic, but anything further and youll be wishing you didnt waer them. Talked to a Nike rep about adding drain holes for us Triathletes. Good shoe, but rather wear my K swiss Ruuz.
In my opinion, the Flyknit Racer is one of the most defective shoe designs that has ever hit the market. The fit is totally off; it’s extremely restrictive in the toe box, almost like a climbing shoe. Even more ridiculous is the midsole design. Seen from behind, the shoe tapers off from outsole to upper, almost like a wine glass. In terms of stability, this is a horrible idea, and will be a problem for many runners. This design also creates a sharp lateral edge, which will accelerate pronation badly – especially for heel strikers, but I suspect it will affect many midfoot runners adversely as well. Besides the desire to create something fashionable, I see no rationale behind the design choices in the process of making this shoe.
I miss my old New Balance 150’s - now there’s a racing flat.
Ran 15k in Nike Lunar Fly Racer, I like it for training, but it’s still a bit bulky.
Currently contemplating the addition of a Newton or something similar.
I just tried on the Flyknit TRAINER and while quite light, I was not at all impressed with the upper as being forgiving. Despite being narrow which I like, it just did not form well to the foot. The sole was squared off rather than having a “slope” to it…very sharp edge where the foam & bottom rubber met–making it not stable in the event of an off landing. Seemed like it would be easy to turn an ankle. Not impressed. None of the RACERS were in stock to run in.
However one shoe that was quite impressive with the Adidas Feather 2.0. Great fit, light & seemed to have a good cushion & flex point that didn’t irritate any part of the midfoot. I would say it fit me better than the Adios 2 & reacted equally well at toe-off. Good snap after the landing. I’m just not sure about there being enough support for a marathon distance for some size runners. The Sprint Overlays on the Feather is much more comfortable as an upper than the sewn overlays on the Adios 2.
Finally got to run in some pretty awesome shoes this week!
The Piranha is a great running flat, in fact it is by far my favorite, but I’m not sure it is a great tri shoe. The problem is with the tongue, which is a bit short and very thin. This isn’t a problem if you have time to put it on correctly and are wearing socks, but it isn’t great in transition.
X2
Any more recent opinions?
I just bought a pair but am picking them up tonight. I tried them in the store and was pretty happy with them except for one thing:
They are made for narrow feet (it seems). So while they tell you to go down a half-size, I couldn’t because down a half-size was too tight. The 10.5 I wound up getting feels a little bit loose in the heel, but I think that with lace tightening I can get it down.
This shoe comes close to my favorite nike shoe of all time, the Nike Air Zoom Spiridon. (This guy: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Air-Zoom-Spiridon-Mens-Trainers-UK-9-5-306549-442-W32-/230606160494?pt=UK_Men_s_Shoes&hash=item35b132c26e)
I bought these (the racers) last week and used them for the Chicago Marathon last Sunday - no break in period. Had some concern about it being too minimal for the marathon but those fears proved unfounded. Ran a PR by 20 minutes and felt like I was running in socks the whole way. Even better, very little soreness after the race, unlike previous marathons - I have no soreness at all 3 days later. The upper is incredibly comfortable and I did not feel that the sole was too stiff at all, toe off was great and you fee like you are being slingshot forward. Impossible to run slow in these. I have a closet full of shoes - have tried just about everything, including the Pure Connect, the Luna Racer, Asics Piranaha’s, Addidas Adios Adizero, and more substantial shoes like the Lunarglides, the Pure Flow, Newtons – have never run in a shoe like this. I did not find the toebox overly constrictive, especially for a racer (much wider than the Luna Racer, for example, or the Adizeros).
I tried a pair out for a couple weeks and had a mostly similar experience as you, except for your final point. I found the toebox very narrow, at least coming from the Kinvara. Everything else about the shoe I loved. I was gutted to have to return them but I just couldn’t get my forefoot comfortable. Material felt lovely, they looked great, sole was stiffer than the Kinvara, but it wasn’t too stiff. A little higher heel than I’ve recently been used to (just Kinvaras for the past 3 years), but, again, nothing that was bad. If I had a thinner forefoot I’d probably make these my main shoes.