A lot of nike shoes are too expensive and, in the case of the shox, terrible to run in. But when it comes to racing flats, lightweight trainers, and track spikes I will only wear nikes, every other brand I have tried just doesn’t feel right, I really want a pair of the nike free’s or nike mayflys for racing no other company makes shoes anywhere close to that light.
No doubt, Nike has lost market share among “serious” athletes and runners.
Thanks all for the insight on the Shox shoes. -Seems to be a concensus.
I have owned and had great luck with some Nike shoes. I don’t happen to be running in them at the moment though. As I mentioned, I have those expensive Asics, and they are very good. My racing shoes are Saucony Fasttwitch Endurance. Now that I am a svelte 155 lbs (after my 81 miles of riding today) I feel like I can actually benefit from lighter shoes in a race.
It seems that occasionally people on the forum ask me for shoe advice so I’ll chime in.
Use them, yes and no. I’m a nuetral runner, 150lbs, maybe a touch of pronation control if I’m not using my orthotics.
I had a pair of ShoxZs and loved them to a point. Great cushioning, smooth smooth ride but if you are prone to rolling ankles as I am, watch the hell out because you’ll go down quick. I rolled my ankle every other run but hey it never really screws me up so I kept running in them. Even considered using them for IM kona. Great upper, smooth ride, great cushioning. NOT for people needing motion control, severe supinators or pronators, trailrunners.
I have a pair of SHOX TL shoes as well. Pure crap, funky look but not a smooth ride at all. Maybe if I gained some weight these would work better.
The new shox are nice, probably not much better than offerings by other brands and even other nike non-shox shoes. I also wouldn’t reccomend them for anyone with major stability needs. But if you’re a relatively nuetral runner, maybe a slight overpronator for some models, you may like or even love the shox.
Nike has lost a lot of hardcore runners, BUT if you know what you are looking for Nike has some of THE BEST SHOES out there. They push limits and screw up 50% of the time, get it right 45% of the time and 5% of the time come up with something that changes the whole market. Anyone tried the Nike Zoom Elites, thier awesome racing shoes, swift vapors or zoom milers?
I sell shoes to a lot of people and Nike probably gets a smaller share than most, but I love them and know a lot of other people who do as well.
instead of buying them on Ebay, you can visit a nike outlet if you have one close by and find shox along with all nike shoes at 50%. I mean all shoes, not old shoes. If you live close to a Nike outlet, you have a goldmine close by.
I would never look at Nike as a goldmine…their shoes are crap, IMO. Sports clothes are ok, but they’d have to be pretty damn cheap for me to buy them.
Tai, I find it hard to praise a shoe selling company who gets it right only 45% of the time. IMO, that’s a pathetic and meek success ratio. OTOH, what they do get right 99% of the time is marketing. Real runners, et al know this–that’s why most hard core athletes don’t rely on Nike. With each new design, (gimmik, if you will), there is a 55%+ gamble that the product is pure crap. In today’s market a $150.00+ gamble is just not worth it, especially when there is a more solid option that is 99.9% right on (Asic, NB, etc). Let’s face it–when you’re a runner, all you have is your shoes. Screw that up, and well…you’re screwed!
Nike is best left to those who are branding/fashion victims.
kittycat
… especially when there is a more solid option that is 99.9% right on (Asic, NB, etc). Let’s face it–when you’re a runner, all you have is your shoes.
kittycat
Some might say that a $100-$200 shoe from NB weighing just under 42lbs isn’t quite 99.9% right. Their shoes are generally absolute monsters. I’ve worn the Adidas Cubato for the past 4 years, but have tried some of the ultra-expensive and ultra-heavy NB’s on just because I had the time. Talk about a shock and awe experience, moving never felt so awkward. The shoe industry operates from a place I don’t understand. Somehow the companies seem to have been infiltrated by people who think the human body is weak and fragile and shoes are the answer to that problem. To them I quote many bad-ass dudes who have walked the Earth “As above, so below.” Meaning to me, your body is a result of your mind, and putting a band-aid that numbs the foot’s ability to perceive it’s surroundings is contrary to what is best for us. The end result is we get lots of heavy shoes, again that numb the foots powers of sensation. This is a real travesty in my mind considering we are slapping these things on our young children from the time they begin walking, which coincides with the time their brains are hyper-sensitive to their senses; it’s shameful.
OK, an epiphany of sorts has struck. Shoes, in general, are the anti-Gaia (kind of like anti-Christ only dealing with the feet instead of the heart) which keep us from connecting with the Earth.
I’m a mid to fore foot striker
No you are not. You are a heel striker who refuses to face reality. Have someone video you and post the moment of first contact here.
Your friend,
Monk
let me explain. Nike shoes are a hit and miss when it comes to using them for running. But the Nike outlet doesn’t just sell shoes. Everything there is dirt cheap. Their designs in clothing is nice. The current shoes I race in, I found there for only $29. The running shorts I train in were 50% off what I would pay at regular retail. And the goldmine part I’m talking about is buying stuff cheap from the outlet and selling it on ebay. My $29 air rift II shoes I race in are going for over $200 on the net, if you can find them.
Nike Outlet is definitely the place to shop! All of my current pairs of training/racing shoes are from there. I got my race pair for $50 and they were selling on ebay for like $150 and the local sporting goods store was selling them for around $175. I just wish they had more of a selction of drifit clothes.
I like Joe’s point. Some people don’t need shoes built like battleships. I’ve tried training in racing flats, but for me that’s a little too skimpy.
Around 10 years ago, a newspaper reporter learned that Nike was buying shoe components and apparel from some third-world companies that used child labor. Nike protested that they didn’t know, and it wasn’t their company that was abusing the kids, but subsequent investigation showed their executives were back and forth to the the factories all the time, and they even had their own salaried QC people stationed there on a permanent basis.
There was a pretty vocal boycott movement in the running community for several years. How long you penalize a company for something like that, I don’t know, but it seems to me that if there are other shoe companies out there that are better or just as good (Sauc, NB, Asics, Brooks, etc) why not narrow your choices to them?
Another Nike outlet fan here. Their shoes don’t fit my duck-like (wide toe box, narrow heel) feet right, but their clothing gets a thumbs up from me for $12 well made non-chafing sports bras, and I got The Best Wind Pants ever from there last Christmas. Their clothing selections really are outlet close outs and overstocks, so they’re always changing what they’ve got in the store. If you see something you like, you’ve got to buy three of them then because it’s not going to be there when you go back.
My other outlet favorite is Saucony. Their shoes are only about 25% off retail but they make up for that with their ‘everything $10 or less’ returned samples racks- running shorts, drilite tights, bike shorts, winter weather tops, coats, tri gear, singlets left sitting in the warehouse for a couple years labeled 1998 LA marathon…
Tom,
I have tried them. I had a pair given to me to try out, so no loss on my part. They do feel odd at first, but that odd feeling does not go away - as it does withy other shoes as you adapt to the shoes and the shoe adapt to you. There is not a very smooth transition from heel-to-toe. The shock absorbstion in the heel seems mushy and unstable. Also, if you run on trails, quite a bit the shoe picks up an flings back at you a fair amount of dirt/sand/mud as it get’s picked up on the “shelf” area between the shock absorbers. The shoes, are also somewhat heavy compared to similar type of trainers.
Definately not a trainer I would spend $150+ on if I had the choice.
Fleck
I have found the same thing to be true. Stuff doesn’t last very long there, so buy a couple if you like it. I know I have 3 pairs of the same running shoes and 6 pairs of the same running/soccer shorts($12 for the best running shorts I have found).