Can anyone compare these two for me? I’ve been training mostly in the Speedstars for a couple of years now but I’m sort of intrigued by the Launch. Unfortunately, they are going to be a special order so hoping to get some idea if I might like them ahead of time.
Any other suggestions for similar shoes would be welcome too.
Looking for something lightish that won’t mess with the way I run but that is reasonably durable. I’m a bit grumpy that I seem to have come pretty close to trashing my last pair of Speedstars after only four months.
LOVE my Brooks T6’s. Thanks to Slowtwitch for THAT awesome recommendation! The ONLY shoes I’ve ever run long in without getting any blisters. I doubt if they would survive daily use for very long, though. Tried some T4’s on in the store and didn’t like them at all. Just not natural to run in somehow.
I also had some Saucony Type A 2’s for a bit. Really nice shoes in so many ways but they just tore up my feet - something about the arch that didn’t fit right.
I have no experience with the Asics, but I do run in the Launch. The launch is a decent lightweight trainer, flexible, lower profile than most Brooks shoes. The one thing I’m not crazy about is it is too ‘soft’ IMO. Feels sort of ‘pillowy’, I prefer a firmer ride. I still use them as part of my rotation with my Zoot’s, and I’ll probably buy another pair because they are decent, and not very expensive. The Zoot Energy & Ultra TT 2.0 both have a better ride for me, a little more road feel, a little firmer.
your mad about only getting 4 months out of Speedstars? That’s a lot. It’s the only shoe I have run in for the last 3 years and have gotten 2.5-3 months max out em before they feel like paper. It’s not a high volume shoe nor are they advertised to be. It’s a lightweight trainer and what you see is what you get. It’s a great lightweight neutral no frills trainer. Lightweight generally = less durability/less miles. I will say with a high degree of confidence that you will get the same volume out of any shoe in that weight range. Ultimately the duration of a shoe is dependent on the miles you put on them. More miles= less weeks till they become your next pair of lawn mowing shoes.
I had a pair of Launch this past summer. I would say for their weight they are incredibly comfortable. Possibly the most comfortable for the weight. However they hold quite a bit of water. At RI70.3 this summer I squeezed water over my head and it ran right down into the shoes and last the last 12miles of the run. As a pure running shoe they are AWESOME, but for triathlon I would not use them for anything long course as they hold to much water.
Coloring does leave a bit to be desired. One thing that was great is that i did not have any blisters after running in basically a puddle for 12miles. Feet felt a bit mushy but no blister. Also the shoes require no break-in period in my experience.
In the past, I seemed to manage 6-8 months. My standards are probably lower than yours, though - I throw shoes away when I start making holes in the bottom. No lawn mowing for these puppies
Not sure what changed - I don’t think I’m running any more than I was. Maybe I’ve been doing more stuff on the treadmill in the last while. I guess that could be hard on them.
You make a good point though that pretty much anything in this class would likely be kinda comparable.
I’ve tried both on. Never ran in either.
The speedstar was too narrow for me.
The launch, in the same size, was too short. (I wanted to try 1/2 size higher, weren’t in stock).
so my sense is that the fit is quite different.
you might be less picky about fit than i am, though.
