Brooks Hyperion Elite 2 Racer Preview

Article by Sam Winebaum

Brooks Hyperion Elite 2 ($250)

I was fortunate to attend a virtual Brooks Press Preview yesterday. The big news was information on the Sept 1st releasing Hyperion Elite 2.

The significant change from the Elite 1 is to the nitrogen infused DNA Flash foam as in the Hyperion Tempo and 2mm more of it with the same 8mm drop and a new Rapid Roll Technology to encourage turnover.  The upper and carbon fiber plate and its location as shown at the line between layers of Flash with its stabilizing spine remains the same. The outsole sees slight changes. The use of DNA Flash and 2mm more stack of it appears to increase the weight of the Elite from 6.9 oz / 196g  to 7.6 oz / 215g by official specs.

DNA Flash was in the Hyperion Tempo lighter trainer (RTR Review). While the Tempo was designed with input from Brooks athletes such as Desi Linden as a light, durable, and stable trainer its extensive rubber outsole masked to a certain extent the lively light DNA Flash midsole.

While stable, very protective, and fast for some, the Elite 1 did not have much of an exciting ride (RTR Review) and quite frankly had a “duller” feel than some of its competitors. There were also concerns about the longevity of the DNA Zero midsole. The DNA Flash in the new Elite 2 is called out as maintaining its cushioning and responsiveness for 200-400 miles.

Bringing DNA Flash to the Elite 2 and the potential effect of the Rapid Roll should change the ride to a liviler picture yet still a more stable racing experience for those needing a touch more support in general and for the later miles of a marathon.

RoadTrailRun hopes to test the Elite 2 for a review prior to release.

Photo Credits: Brooks Runnng

Read reviewers' full run bios here. 

The product reviewed was provided at no cost. The opinions herein are the authors'.

Comments and Questions Welcome Below!

Please let us know mileage, paces, race distances, and current preferred shoes

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adidas Terrex Two BOA Review: Dialed In, Comfortable, and Versatile

adidas Terrex Two BOA ($120)

Stats

Weight:: 11.3 oz /320 g men's / (US9)  /  women's / (US8)

  Samples: 11.07 oz /314g men’s (US8.5 EU42), 12.13 oz/344g men’s (US10 EU44)

Stack Height: 30mm heel, 24mm forefoot, 6mm drop

Available now. $120

Introduction

Sam: The Terrex Two BOA is an all around well cushioned trail runner/hiker with a BOA System closure, a new Lightstrike foam midsole, and a full coverage Continental rubber outsole. With a 30mm heel, 24 mm forefoot stack it is a more maximal cushion shoe. The upper is a dense but pliable mesh with extensive mid foot overlays. I was a bit worried the Terrex Two BOA would be firm and stiff having recently tested the road SL20 also with Lightstrike midsole, a highly responsive, firmer light performance road trainer. While trail shoes are well suited to a firmer midsole for stability and rock protection, memories of recent Terrex shoes had me concerned about their cushion and run-ability. Spoiler alert this ain’t the usual firm stiff Terrex ride.

Pros:

Sam/Jeff:  Highly effective BOA closure. Totally secure pressure free mid foot hold, Incredibly easy to take on and off and adjust in a second on the run all with a single pull or turn of the dial.

Roomy mostly very well held upper

Plush comfortable ride which blends adequate response and agility with plenty of cushion. 

Adequate plate free rock protection with forward climbing flex point

Very solid value at $120 

Cons:

Sam:  Some heel looseness although you can crank down on the dial as hard as you wish and never feel the soft thin cords binding the foot through the thick padded tongue.

Heel area  looseness may be related to sizing and roomy upper. My US 8.5 is marked EU 42. More commonly an 8.5 is marked 41.5.

Sam/Jeff: Weight at 11.3 oz / 320 g is up there for a modern trail shoe even a quite maximally cushioned one such as this.

Jeff:  Initial heel looseness, but I found after a break in period, I could compensate with cranking the Boa dial a lot, but still takes some work.  Traction, while overall good, I find myself longing for a slightly deeper, sharper lug.

Nike React Miler 1st Run Review, Shoe Details, and Comparisons

Article by Sam Winebaum

Nike React Miler ($130)

The React Miler is a brand new model from Nike. It has a full React midsole with a 31mm heel 21mm forefoot, 10mm drop. It weighs approximately 10.65 oz / 302 g in a US9 based on our sample US8.5, so almost an ounce heavier than the Infinity React and over 2.5 oz more than the Epic React.

The upper is a relatively simple mesh with a pair of support straps and a conventional very secure heel counter and hold.

 

Outsoles Top: React Miler Bottom: React Infinity 

The outsole has decoupling more reminiscent of the Pegasus than the Infinity React or Epic React, both with a flatter underfoot profile. It has full coverage of what appears to be a consistently firm rubber which likely also adds to inherent stability. 

The inherent stability comes from the vertical medial side walls and a thin pliable insert of what I am calling a more "neutral" shoe than the knee stability oriented React Infinity where among other elements the similar if a bit longer side rail heel clips on both sides are definitely more noticed, and seemed to impede transitions more than in the React Miler where I didn't really notice them at all,

The React Miler is highly cushioned, stable, and transitions well. It is on the heavier side so best uses should be for recovery runs and for heavier runners seeking a stable well cushioned platform without obtrusive stability elements.

Watch Sam's Initial Run Video with Impressions on Run, Details, and Comparisons

Read reviewers' full run bios here. 

The product reviewed was provided at no cost. The opinions herein are the authors'.

Comments and Questions Welcome Below!

Please let us know mileage, paces, race distances, and current preferred shoes

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ROKA Eyewear Review: Run and Sport Focused Photochromic Prescription Sunglasses Priced Right

Article by Sam Winebaum

Roka Hunter Photochromic Prescription Sunglasses ($265)

I have worn glasses since the age of five, being very near-sighted. I have always struggled with sunglasses on the run and for other sports. Straight up prescription sunglasses were expensive and as I often run in changing light required a non tinted pair to come along. In recent years I have worn a large size Julbo Aero series photochromic when I know light conditions will change or a Revo polarized  over my small frame regular prescription glasses. Not bad options but optically not ideal and when fancy regular glasses are combined with state of the art sports glasses an expensive proposition.

Enter Roka. I recently got satellite radio and heard many commercials for Roka, an Austin, Texas company founded specifically to serve the eyewear needs of endurance athletes (running, cycling, swimming) with a direct to consumer model. As a direct to consumer business their pricing is more than fair. My photochromic prescription lens pair of Hunter glasses had an MSRP of $265, less than the frame alone of my other pair purchased at a local optician. Of course you also need to provide a recent prescription, best not over a year old. 

I reached out to Roka and they were kind enough to set me up with a test pair in my prescription. Roka’s motto is “The most technically advanced eyewear that doesn’t look technical.” As someone who wears strong prescription glasses every moment of the day and for sure running I was intrigued to put their claim to test. 

Salming Enroute 3 Multi Tester Review: Springy and Lively, Wild Colors. Still No Nonsense!

Article by Michael Ellenberger, Sally Reiley, and Don Reichelt

Salming Enroute 3 ($145)

Stats

  Official:    8.5 oz / 241g  men’s US9, 7.5 oz /182 g US W7.5

  Samples:  8.3 oz / 235g men’s US8.5,  7.3 oz/ 208g  women’s US 8.5/Euro 40

                   10.2oz /290 g men’s US 12.5

Stack Height: 24.5mm heel, 18.5 forefoot, 6mm drop

Available now. $145

Introduction

Michael: The Enroute 3 is the trainer casting Salming’s widest net - an option they pitch from daily training all the way up to marathon racing. And while I don’t think I’ll pull it out on race day any time soon, I did find the Enroute 3 to be by far the livelist, bounciest, and most downright enjoyable Salming trainer to date - and one that just might earn some new converts to the brand. No frills - but a lot of fun!

Don: Salming has long been a brand that I’ve thought about trying, but honestly never gave them the attention they might have deserved. The Enroute 3 was a massive eye opener for me that they’re a real player and this shoe is no joke. One of the most fun shoes I’ve run in this year, with a ride that is unquestionably springy and fun. 

Since its launch in 2017. The EnRoute has been Salming’s go to distance shoe due to it’s comfortably lively ride on a 6mm drop platform. In this third edition, Salming has completely updated the upper to a lightweight and knitted upper. They have also made some improvements to the tongue by making it more sleek and gusseted for added tongue stability. 

To improve the ride Salming has redesigned the midsole to include their super responsive Recoil PLUS and SoftFOAM formula, which according to the brand, “lessens negative impact forces at foot landing while providing a reactive response at toe-off.”

Pros:

Michael: The liveliest Salming I’ve tried; durability upside; aesthetics (that red!)

Don: Lively, super comfortable, looks great

Cons:

Michael: Mild weight concerns; pricing

Don: fit is about .25 size long, laces are crazy long 

ASICS GEL-Cumulus 22 Review: A Now Softer and Lighter Classic

Article by Hope Wilkes and Michael Ellenberger

ASICS GEL-Cumulus 22 ($120)

Stats

Estimated Weight: men's 9.65 oz / 274g  US9, women's 8 oz / 277g  US8

Samples: 8.71 oz / 247 g women’s US9.5, 9.4 oz / 266g  men’s 8.5 

Drop: 9mm men’s, 8mm women’s

Available now including Running Warehouse here

Introduction

Michael: As you can tell from it being the 22nd denomination, the new ASICS Gel Cumulus 22 is a shoe that’s been around, and around, and around the block. And yet, it’s a shoe I’ve never been super familiar with - I know how it slots in the ASICS line, and I know many runners who swear by it, but it’s never exactly called to me as a daily trainer. 

Enter ASICS in 2020: with the successful NovaBlast, Nimbus Lite, Ride- series (including the MetaRide and EvoRide), and the new MetaRacer under its belt, I felt ASICS was really on to something. The new Cumulus 22 is revamped from its predecessors, to be sure, sporting a lighter platform (0.4 oz / 11g lighter), softer foam,  and a refined upper. How does it fare? It may be a legacy shoe, lacking in some of the flashiest tech, but the Cumulus 22 is still a pretty darn solid trainer. Like the Nike Pegasus 36 of 2019, you can tell the Cumulus 22 is a member of the old guard - surrounded by new midsole geometry technology (Ride series) and novel foams (NovaBlast), but refining its own path rather than inventing new. 

To poetic? The Cumulus 22 is a strong, everyday mileage trainer that can win over fans from Brooks Ghost and even Launch lines, as well as other competitors. Is it perfect? No. But it’s good! And another sign that ASICS is moving very much in the right direction.

Hope: Michael rightly pointed out that the Cumulus 22 is a legacy trainer updated with some current tech, but that it’s not a “concept car shoe” or completely tricked out with the latest and greatest. I’ll admit that some ASICS models can run together for me when thinking about them abstractly, at least in terms of how each model feels and performs, because there are so many trainers in the line that have been around for double-digit iterations. With the Cumulus 22, honoring the model’s lineage is just one thing the shoe is doing. In addition to making long-time fans happy, it delivers a durable, responsive ride for new converts.

Pros: 

Michael: Light (!); aesthetics; jacquard mesh upper is well-done.

Hope: women’s colorway is refined and adult -- much nicer than the “shrink and pink”
some brands employ; soft upper, great road feel

Cons:

Michael: Puffy tongue and heel; forefoot cushioning is lacking. 

Hope: I have concerns about the breathability of the upper in warm temperatures; GEL
seems like a visual gimmick only.

Covid & Flu: Using a GPS Smartwatch to Help Monitor for Changes in Oxygen Saturation and Respiration

Article by Sam Winebaum with Derek Li

With the Covid pandemic underway, recent studies and a physician's experience on the front lines at New York's Bellevue Hospital presented in this New York Times opinion article by Dr. Richard Levitan here, indicate that while many patients arrive at the hospital still conscious and conversing, with no seeming breathing problems, and even as they are being intubated, had Covid pneumonia with oxygen saturation as low as 50%, mid 90's and above being normal for most at sea level. 

This is quite unlike normal pneumonia patients, yet at the same time their oxygen saturation is dangerously low by the time they are admitted and their condition can decline precipitously. 

According to Dr. Levitan  The data is showing that monitoring blood oxygenation at home, even with minor symptoms, is a critical early warning sign of trouble. 

"All patients who have tested positive for the coronavirus should have pulse oximetry monitoring for two weeks, the period during which Covid pneumonia typically develops. All persons with cough, fatigue and fevers should also have pulse oximeter monitoring even if they have not had virus testing, or even if their swab test was negative, because those tests are only about 70 percent accurate. "

While not "medical grade", a number of current GPS sports watches have a Sp02 sensor on board, intended to measure altitude acclimatization, and several can also monitor respiration a yet earlier sign of potential infection. 

adidas Terrex Two BOA Initial Run Review & Shoe Details

Article by Sam Winebaum

adidas Terrex Two BOA ($120) 

I take the adidas Terrex Two BOA up and around PC Hill in Park City, Utah twice today. It has easy to adjust BOA System dial lacing, a new Lightstrike midsole and a full Continental rubber outsole. Terrex Two has a 24mm forefoot, 30mm heel, 6mm drop and weighs 11.3 oz / 320g in a US size 9 with a generous fit. $120. Available now. Full review soon.

Watch our Video Review (7:20)

Read reviewers' full run bios here. 

The product reviewed was provided at no cost. The opinions herein are the authors'.

Comments and Questions Welcome Below!

Please let us know mileage, paces, race distances, and current preferred shoes

RoadTrailRun receives a commission on purchases at the stores below.

Your purchases help support RoadTrailRun. Thanks!

RUNNING WAREHOUSE

USA  Men's & Women's SHOP HERE

FREE 2 Day Shipping EASY No Sweat Returns
EUROPE Men's & Women's SHOP HERE
AUSTRALIA Men's & Women's SHOP HERE

ROADRUNNER SPORTS

Men's & Women's SHOP HERE

Join VIP Family, Get Free Shipping and 15% in VIP Benefits on every order, Details here

REI Men's & Women's  SHOP HERE

AMAZON  Men's & Women's SHOP HERE

WATCH OUR YOUTUBE REVIEWS ON THE ROADTRAILRUN CHANNEL HERE

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