Article by Matt Kolat
ASICS GT-1000 12 (€130 / $100 / £115 - but on sale at the moment!)
Introduction
Asics GT-1000 is a line of shoes that you might have slept on. And that’s not your own fault entirely, given the number of shoes which come out every year the ‘budget’ options (everything is relative I know!) don’t get as much love on the social media and review sites as they could. Is there a reason for that? Let’s find out together in the review which I have a pleasure to bring to you thanks to our partners at Sports Shoes which has kindly provided this sample. It goes without saying that the review is unbiased and consists only of my personal opinions.
GT-1000 is a mild stability shoe and as mentioned is a wallet friendly option. The stability delivery is more traditional than in GT-2000 (my RTR Review) or GEL-Kayano 30 (RTR Review). For more details please refer to the sections below and of course welcome to another Road Trail Run review.
Pros
Great value
Traditional medial post which disappears during the run
Great stability levels
Traditional daily trainer (less and less of those on the market)
Cons
Lack of energy return
Lacing system
Stats
Sample Weight: men’s 11 UK / 12 US 12.59oz / 357g US9 9.5oz / 270g US
Stack Height: men’s 32.5 mm heel /24.5 mm forefoot ( 8mm drop spec)
€130 / $100 / £115 Available - now at our partner Sports Shoes HERE
First Impressions, Fit and Upper
When I first got the GT-1000 out of the box I thought that it looked very traditional. I could immediately spot the firmer foam medial post and the decorative Gel which took me down memory lane to when nearly all Asics shoes shared one or both of those features. This is by no means a negative comment nor was it unexpected.
With regards to fit, the shoes fit me true to size length, no issues there, and same goes with the width of the shoe. It is very accommodating, I had no issues in the midfoot where I sometimes struggle as my feet are on the slightly wider end of the spectrum.
I should mention here that the version tested is a Gore-Tex winter/rainy weather version. This has a slight implication on how the upper feels on foot. There is an additional layer in the mesh, the Gore-Tex membrane, which feels paper thin but you can tell it’s there. This year I had a pleasure to test another GTX shoe - the Hoka Clifton GTX and I have to say that Asics did a far superior job with regards to water-proofing than Hoka.
The tongue is heavily padded but stays in place very well due to the gusset on both sides. I’m not sure if such a tongue is less expensive to make but I feel that GT1000 would benefit from a thinner tongue - like the one seen in the recently reviewed GT2000.
As usual, both the lateral and medial side of the shoe have giant Asics logos overlays to which help keep your foot centered.
In the back of the shoe one will find a heel counter which does the job very well but is not as sturdy as the one on GT2000 nor does it flare out. For my level of stability needs I could not feel a difference with regards to the heel counter performance but someone suffering from major overpronation issues might. Lookout I wrote that word that apparently does not apply to running any more in many circles!
The only major gripe I had with the upper is the lacing system. I always use the ‘runner’s loop’ (aka heel lock lacing) and with or without it the shoe was very hard to cinch down. It took a few attempts to achieve optimal lockdown - perhaps something for Asics to look into for version 13. I feel this is mainly to do with the additional layer of Gore-tex making the upper a bit more sturdy and stiff and less compliant.
Midsole
The midsole is very traditional in terms of its composition, but feels like a lower-drop shoe (it’s 8mm but if I was blindly guessing I would think 4 or 6 mm). As mentioned in the introduction does include a traditional albeit very mild posting (medial support) via its DuoMax Support System. The foam is relatively firm and does not produce any bounce or energy return, but that is not something I would expect in an introductory shoe model like this one. There is a patch of Gel in the back lateral part of the midsole, but as always from what I feel on the run this is more for reasons of decoration than any performance or comfort enhancement. When it comes to technicalities foam is ASICS FlyteFoam, which is a type of EVA that according to the brand is lighter than competitor EVAs but does not sacrifice any cushioning. As always those kinds of claims are impossible to measure because cushioning largely depends on the runner (weight, heigh, gait, cadence etc) and not just the shoe itself. What I can attest to is that after running circa 30 miles in GT-1000 there is virtually no wear and tear on the outsole and the midsole did not begin compressing either.
Outsole
The outsole of the shoe is generous in terms of the amount of rubber covering nearly the entirety of the bottom of the shoe, bar some sections towards the back. The midfoot coverage also assists with stability. The traction was more than appropriate even on very wet Scottish pavements. The only moments where I experienced mild slippage was on icy pavement but that is expected in just about any spike-free shoe.
Ride, Conclusions and Recommendations
When it comes to the ride of the shoe there are a few things that immediately spring to mind. First of all, the levels of stability are great. If you are a new runner who is worried about remaining injury free and need some extra stability without breaking the bank GT1000 12 is a great option. The traditional medial post (vs the now more common broad platforms with no posts to provide stability) and sturdy heel counter provide for a very stable ride. It is worth mentioning that ASICS has managed to blend in the DuoMax supportive medial post into the midsole as I did not feel it pushing into my midfoot at any point.
Secondly the upper is very warm, please keep it in mind that I was testing the Gore-tex version which significantly alters the experience. That said however in 10 degrees Celsius (50F) the shoe has felt significantly warmer than what I have expected - albeit the waterproofness levels are exceptional.
During my test runs I would say I felt that the cushioning was on the firmer end but I would not describe the shoe as an out and out brick. Definitely not soft but maybe with a hint of bounce in the forefoot. The shoe rolls forward in a traditional manner and not with a rocker feeling. I believe that contributes to the overall feeling of stability and support. If I had to choose three words to describe the ride of the shoe they would be: reliable, traditional, safe.
What would I improve in the shoe? First of all I would love to test it without the Gore-tex as I feel it contributes to most of the gripes I had with GT1000, namely the tricky lacing system and the warm upper.
Overall I am very pleased that Asics is still offering this budget friendly shoe without sacrificing the quality of the materials.
Who is this shoe for? I would say for a beginner who is looking for a daily trainer which can handle distances between 5k and a half marathon.
Score
Ride 8.5/10 Fit 10/10 Value 10/10 Looks 8.510
Total Score: 🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂
Comparisons
GT-2000 12 (RTR Review)
The 2000 and 1000 are siblings but there is not much rivalry. 2000 is superior in nearly every aspect. The upper is more plush, the midsole more lively and the toe-off probably the best in the stability market. The big difference is the price (In the UK £30 difference) with GT1000 providings a very traditional approach to stability (medial post) which a lot of runners love and are missing in the more modern inherent stability models.
Hoka Gaviota (RTR Review)
In terms of quality of upper levels Gaviota is not that much more plush than GT1000 however it does provide a more centered ride with the H Frame stabilizing the runner on both medial and lateral sides with a notch of stability in the between (short, horizontal line in the letter H). The price difference can be a factor here as well - £39 in the UK left in your pocket if you go for the Asics not to mention that the GT1000 are far superior when it comes to wear and tear than the Hoka. In other terms, if you are choosing between GT1000 and Gaviota you will save yourself £39 or the equivalent plus the value of wear and tear which could might save a three figure sum.
Tester Profile
Maciej 'Matt' Kolat- 38 years old, hais from Poland but has been pounding Scottish pavement and trails since 2007. Mainly runs shorter distances on pavement 5-10 km and reserves longer runs for the beautiful Scottish Glens. Matt’s perspectives sometimes may differ from other RTR testers as he is the slowest of the bunch (5k at 25:38). Matt also uses running as a way to stay healthy having shedded 100 lbs so far (and counting).
Comments and Questions Welcome Below! Please let us know mileage, paces, race distances, and current preferred shoes
Samples were provided at no charge for review purposes. RoadTrail Run has affiliate partnerships and may earn commission on products purchased via shopping links in this article. These partnerships do not influence our editorial content. The opinions herein are entirely the authors'.
1 comment:
Just wondering, what makes this shoe "for a beginner"? I've run on a few iterations of the GT series starting many years ago. I've also run on a few more modern, higher-stack shoes with lots more technological "advances". As a non-beginner runner, I would confidently say that I could easily use the GT 1000 12s (or probably any other shoes around $100) as a part of a training cycle for a sub-3 marathon attempt. Let's remember that 20+ years ago, a shoe like the GT 1000 would/could have been used by runners of all abilities to meet their training goals. I don't think running has changed so much that only beginners can use simpler shoes like the GT 1000.
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