Article by Matt Kolat
TYR Maverick-V1 ($150/£120)
Introduction
Even though TYR have been around for many years to some runners they are still a ‘new’ brand. They specialise in gear for crossfit, functional fitness, swimming, triathlon and of course, last but not least, running.
In the past I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing TYR’s plated trainer the Valkyrie Speedworks (RTR Review) This time, I have the pleasure of reviewing the Maverick which is the brand foray into lightweight daily trainers. Let’s see if the product matches the hype!
Pros:
Air thin yet comfortable upper
Very light considering the amount of cushioning
Great grip
Competitively priced
Soft, bouncy, fun ride
Unbelievably stable despite the softness
Cons:
Harsh upper
Hot spots
Stats
Approx. Weight: men's 7.7 oz / 220 g US9
Sample Weight: men’s 8.8oz / 252g 12 US / 11 UK / 46 EU
Stack Height: 44mm heel / 36mm forefoot
Platform Width: 100 mm heel / 75 mm midfoot / 120 mm forefoot
First Impressions, Fit and Upper
The first impression the shoe had made on me was of unbelievable lightness. I quickly took it to my kitchen, where the scale showed 8.8 oz - which in my size 11 UK / 12 US and with 44mm at the heel and 36mm at the forefoot was very impressive indeed, a great start.
When I popped the shoes on, they immediately felt very soft. If you follow my reviews you will know that I prefer my running shoes on the firmer end, because they tend to be more stable. So this worried me a little bit, but if you want to find out how the initial softness of the midsole transferred into running experience you will have to wait until the ‘Ride’ section of the review.
In terms of the fit, my usual size fits me very well, I would not encourage sizing up or down. The sideways fit is very accommodating as well, I have slightly wider feet and the Mavs fit me very well. That said I did not think folks with lower volume or narrow feet might struggle.
The upper has an external, rubberised, semi-rigid heel counter which holds your foot much better than expected. It runs quite deep into the sides of the shoe further contributing to the foothold and stability.
The tongue is wafer thin and fully gusseted, stays in place nicely, and is out of sight out of mind.
In terms of the materials used in the majority of the upper is a sturdy, nearly see through knit like fabric. It’s very lightweight and breathable which is very apparent on the run.
The price to pay for that however is lack of any plushness. In fact on the first couple of runs I worked up blisters on medial sides of both of my feet and on my left achilles. That got somewhat alleviated through the use of thicker socks. Something to be aware of if you have sensitive feet and prefer a more plush upper.
Midsole & Platform
The platform, as per stats, significantly tapers down in width in the middle from 100mm at the heel to a svelte 75mm at midfoot . I am normally quite sensitive to narrow midfoots, as this tends to contribute to instability, that was however not the case with Mavericks.
The midsole itself is made from a completely supercritical foam called Flighttime. It certainly feels very soft, bouncy and also airy if that makes any sense? This might be because a big portion of it is carved out in the back of the shoe which also reduces weight.
This carve out is intended to reduce ground contact, increase the bounce and the time you spend mid air. The midsole is soft length the shoe, back to front. However, due to the narrow midfoot and the 8mm drop and thus reduced thickness in the front, forefoot strikers will also find this shoe appropriately snappy even with the relatively high 36mm forefoot stack height.
How does all that transition into running experience? Please keep reading, particularly the ‘Ride’ section.
Outsole
Very good grip but reduced rubber coverage may spell shorter lifespan, but time will tell. After testing the shoe the use of the rubber is about where I would expect it to be and I have seen fairly low to non-existent wear in 40km of testing to date.
The grip itself is very good despite the relatively low coverage, albeit it did not rain once during my test runs.
Ride, Conclusions and Recommendations
There are many interesting statistics to do with the Mavericks, I would encourage you to visit TYR directly on their website and give those a read.
The one called out by Tyr aspect that I ‘felt’ the most on my runs was around how the foam is lighter and bouncier and therefore the ‘flight time’, so the time your feet are in air, is increased. I did really feel that kind of sensation as the shoe felt very bouncy, light and fast during all the training sessions.
What was even more surprising was the fact that despite the above the shoe felt super stable. I am a runner which hovers between stable neutral and mild stability shoes and had absolutely no problem with Mavericks.
In fact my first run in a new pair of shoes is almost exclusively 5k, just to check how the shoe ‘feels’ before committing to any longer distance. However the Mavericks felt so stable, I did not feel that my ankles, hips or lower back had to do any extra work, so I decided to extend my first run and ended up doing a 10k.
In addition the Mavericks felt very springy and the loading of the foam, especially in the back, was very strong and the spring back or in other words energy return was very noticeable.
I’ve also tested the Mavericks on a treadmill and happy to report that they are not too soft for the mill either, it was a pleasure. Picking up the pace also felt excellent.
They are perhaps not racing shoes for advanced runners but for semi advanced runners or beginners this could be a great shoe for a 10k to HM race.
For more advanced runners the Mavericks will serve best as a lightweight daily trainer or a tempo shoe for heavier runners requiring a bit more cushion as tempo shoes often tend to be a bit stripped down.
When it comes to recommendations, the only thing that I would suggest is that TYR improves the upper on the Mavericks V2. The upper is not bad but it is on the firmer/harsher end of the spectrum and I recommend wearing thicker socks, particularly if your feet are prone to blistering. I appreciate that you need to reduce the upper materials to achieve lightweight shoes. Having said that I did really enjoy running in Mavericks, it's a fun, fast, light yet very stable ride.
Matt’s Score: 9.5 /10
Road: Ride (50%): 10/10 Fit (30%): 9/10 Value (15%): 9/10 Style (5%): 9/10
😊😊😊😊😊
2 Comparisons
I don’t really test that many lightweight trainers so coming up with comparisons was a bit tricky. The two shoes below however came to my mind as they take a similar idea to Mavericks into two polar opposite directions.
Diadora Nucelo 2 (RTR Review)
Nucleo 2 is one of the newer offerings from Diadora blending a stability shoe with a neutral shoe still in a lightweight package. The upper compared to the Mavericks is very luxurious albeit makes the shoe a bit heavier. If you are worried that the Mavericks are just a bit too stripped back for you and perhaps need a bit more inherent stability and less bounce then Nucelo 2 can be a great option.
Inov8 RoadFly (RTR Review)
The RoadFly was one of my favourite shoes last year. Not only is it extremely competitively priced it also simply delivers. It’s very stripped down when it comes to cushioning, less stack than Mavericks and noticeably firmer, however the upper is more forgiving. If that sounds like it floats your boat the RoadFlys can be a great alternative to any lightweight, neutral trainer.
Index to all RTR reviews: HERE
Tester Profiles
Maciej 'Matt' Kolat- 40 years old, hailing from Poland but pounding Scottish roads and trails since 2007. Mainly runs shorter distances on pavement 5-10 km and reserves longer runs for beautiful Scottish Glens. Matt’s opinion 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 shed 106 lbs so far (and counting).
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