I recently acquired a pair Avi Stoltz from ShawnF of ST fame. I was looking for a retailer in western Can. and Shawn offered a pair to try. First off he recommended a half size larger based on his experience and was bang on - i needed a 12.5 instead of my normal 12 in another brand (asics). The other thing about Shawn was his attention to customer service. The shoes arrived within four days and that includes clearing customs. Thanks Shawn. Great service.
This part 1 because i have not run in them yet - knee injury is holding me back. Look for part 2 next week.
I have wore the shoes around the gym and on the elliptical machine. Initial thoughts are they offer good stability and some pronation control. Enoughf or me, but i’ll be wearing my soft othrothics in them anyways. I have a narrow foot (i cinch up my Sidi’s pretty tight and they are narrow to begin with). I love the heel cup and tab on the Avi Stoltz and found the soft heel tab handy, more so than shoes with a loop for quick transitions. The heel tab is soft and doesn’t get in the way if jamming a shoe on. The toe box is roomy for me, but i have raced in Maui in shoes that were tight upon the start of the run and by the end my feet wanted to explode out of them, so the Avi Stoltz will allow for that expansion if your running somewhere hot and humid.
I must say that the shoe is more shoe than i expected, but i have yet to run in them. Stay tuned for part 2.
Hey… just wondering… are these supposed to be off road shoes being that Stoltz is an xterra racer. Doesn’t really say on the web site… I was more interested in the Bolt but not sure what type of shoe it’s supposed to be either… trainer\racer\off road… don’t know…
Thanks in advance.
The Stoltz is definitely an off-road shoe. The outsole has an aggressive pattern and uses a slightly softer and tackier rubber for better traction (think mtn bike tire). The Bolt II is a racing shoe. It’s not the lightest racing flat out there but offers a bit more cushioning, which is desirable for the longer runs. I do know of a few athletes who use the Bolt as a daily training shoe but it wouldn’t be recommended to most. The Bolt can be used off road. Eneko Llanos won XTERRA World Champs wearing the limited edition Troy Lee Designs model, and both Shonny V and Melanie McQuaid also wore the Bolt in Maui.
Just thought I would add my thoughts on the Avia Stoltz. I am usually between 10.5 and 11 and the 11’s fit great. Love these shoes for off road training and even just road training. However I would not use these on a treadmill (big shock don’t use trail shoes indoors). The U shape of the sole beneath the heel started to seperate from the foam, I suppose from my semi-mid to somewhat part of the rear foot strike. Have went back to the fasttwitch 3’s for the treadmill, but hope to try the Bolts soon.
I will offer my 100% approval of the Avi Stoltz… i run in them all the time - even on the road - and for a trail running shoe i think they are really light and make for a great all around training shoe!
in fact i’m sure Shawn will be pleased to hear i did my first Tempo run in 6 months in a pair today… ouch.