The Running Event in Austin had Puma standing out with a blue on foot red on the other colorway in several key styles coming this summer.
We loved it but wanted to get at what was under the hood in Big Cat land and Puma did not disappoint!
We got a much closer look at the radical FAST-FWD NITRO. No explanation neede of what it intends to be and what it is all about based solely on the name! We first saw it on display before the Boston Marathon.
Puma also introduced a new “guidance” shoe, the ForeverRun NITRO with some pronation control, when and if you need it, and without firm plastic pieces or firmer foam.
We also were shown the Magnify NITRO 2, Puma’s max cushion shoe now with a single density all Nitro midsole. Please read on for all the details.
Article by Peter Stuart, Ryan Eiler, Michael Ellenberger, Joost De Raeymaeker, Derek Li, and Bryan Lim
Mizuno Wave Rebellion Pro ($250)
Editor's Note: Our reviewers have half marathon times in the 1:07 to the1:20's range and marathon times from 2:19 to the 2:50's.
Introduction
Peter: In the past few years it seems that every shoe company has introduced a “super shoe”. A plated (carbon or otherwise) shoe often on a high stack of foam. While the prevailing wisdom is that Nike started this trend a few years ago with the Vaporfly Next %, let me propose an alternate version of running shoe history: Mizuno has been putting rigid “wave” plates in their shoes since 1997! That’s right, since 1997! This begs a couple of questions. 1. Why isn’t Mizuno running around saying “plates, we got plates, we invented plates, we’re the plate people!”. 2. Why has it taken them so long to come up with a racing oriented super shoe that has a plate and a big fat stack of fancy new Pebax foams? Well, I don’t know the answer to either of those questions. But I can say that the Wave Rebellion Pro is here–and it’s a banger.
Michael: Like Peter, I’ve long associated Mizuno with, well, plates! I joke that I’m running in ‘plated trainers’ basically every time I’m wearing the newest Wave Rider or Inspire (to the 3 people who understand that “joke,” anyway). Add a wacky upper and a massive hunk of foam, and you’ve got Mizuno’s latest and greatest… let’s test it!
Joost: I’m one of the few people at RoadTrailRun who has almost no experience with Mizuno shoes. Not for any particular reason, apart from them not being available where I live. The only pair I tried and tested was last year’s Wave Rebellion, which I honestly didn’t think much of. I passed them on to an athlete of mine who has been enjoying them thoroughly, though. It just shows how shoe reviews, besides the obvious objective facts, are always a subjective matter. So, on to the Wave Rebellion Pro, a radically different and crazy looking shoe from Mizuno. A different take on the super-shoe from the people who have been doing all sorts of plates for ages. Let’s see what the result is.
Derek: It’s been a long time since there’s been any sort of buzz around Mizuno shoes. That’s not to say that Mizuno has been sleeping on the job. The recently released Wave Neo Wind and Ultra shoes were signs that things were heading up for Mizuno. Then people starting murmuring in hushed tones about the zebra shoes at the recent Amsterdam half marathon. A slew of elites at the front end were seen lashing the tarmac in them. Suddenly, that radical missing heel doesn’t seem like such a bad thing after all. Pictures of the shoes start popping up all over social media. It’s such a radically different design that it makes the Puma Fast-R look tame. This is the shoe I most looked forward to trying because the murmurs were saying… Alphafly killer!
Bryan: I’ve always associated Mizuno with good utility shoes, like it's Wave Rider; solid tech based developments, but nothing cutting edge. My perception did not change much with the release of the concept styled Mizuno Enerzy (the pink bubbly looking shoe from 2021). Then came this urban camo printed shoe that I saw at the Amsterdam Half Marathon, where top elites were fitted out with them. And we saw pictures of the radical Wave Duel Pro that had such an extreme beveled heel that seemed nothing short of ridiculous. When I found out I was receiving a pair of the Rebellion Pros, it didn’t seem so extreme after all - a tried and tested super shoe that would be Mizuno’s first proper shot at rocking the super shoe scene, pun intended!
Pros:
Excellent propulsion and energy return: Peter/ Ryan/Joost/Michael/Derek/Bryan
Great fit and feel: Peter/Joost/Michael/Derek
Way more stable than it looks: Peter/Ryan/Joost/Michael/Bryan
Aesthetics: Michael/Joost/Derek/Bryan
Cons:
Looks might be a little extreme for some Peter
Traction could be slightly better Peter/Derek
Lack of heel might affect some true heel strikers (fine for me) Peter / Ryan/Joost/Michael/Derek/Bryan
Thin tongue could use gusseting. Stays in place due to the loop, but sides easily fold. Peter / Ryan/Joost/Michael
Locus of propulsion located relatively far back Ryan /Joost
Awkward at non-aggressive paces Ryan/Joost/Bryan
Midsole bevel seems to transfer energy upward, rather than entirely forward Ryan / Joost
Hoka unveiled early 2023 models at The Running Event in Austin, Texas. We were not shown all 2023 shoes that is for sure with Hoka focusing on the updates to 2 stalwarts the Clifton 9, the road and door to trail Challenger 7 and a new plated trail racer Tecton X2.
And it was high time for a true Hoka super grade marathon shoe from the brand that literally invented max cushion in the middle of the barefoot or near barefoot run era as they unveiled the Rocket X2 marathon racer.
Finally, they surprised us with a wonderful looking and we expect versatile performing more casual shoe the Transport with a strong sustainability focus top to bottom.
One Size (but also comes in a 18L and 32L version)
Weight: 1.62 lbs
Volume: 1587 sq/in / 26L
Dimensions: 18.9H X 10.83W X 10.83D IN
Available now
Introduction/Specs/Features
The HikeLite 26 (26 liters) is a versatile, technical hiking pack, perfect day hikes, everyday use and even to my surprise, some light trail running. The HikeLite is chock full of technical features, yet has a simple, minimal, functional, no nonsense design.
Der Salomon S/Lab Pulsar OG war seinerzeit der Schuh, der Lauffreude auf den Trails auf ein neues Level hob. Die OLEFIN-Mittelsohle war ein echter Game-Changer und mit einem Gewicht von nicht einmal 200g war und ist er bis heute eine echte “Waffe” auf kurzen und mittellangen gut laufbaren Trails. Da es mir leider (noch) nicht vergönnt war, die Version für weiche Untergründe mit größerer Profiltiefe testen zu dürfen (S/Lab Pulsar SG), war ich umso erfreuter, als klar wurde, dass Salomon zukünftig eine ganze Pulsar-Produktfamilie auf den Markt bringen würde. Neben dem S/Lab Pulsar OG und SG besteht diese neben dem Pulsar Trail Pro (den englischen Testbericht findet ihr hier) aus dem hier getesteten Salomon Pulsar Trail.
Wie sich dieser in die Pulsar-Familie einsortiert und wie er sich während meiner zahlreichen Testläufe auf ganz unterschiedlichem Terrain geschlagen hat, erfahrt ihr in den nachfolgenden Abschnitten.
Pro & Contra
Pro:
Toller Allrounder mit einem breiten Einsatzgebiet
Macht auch als Door-to-Trail-Schuh eine gute Figur
Komfortable Passform und Polsterung
Wettbewerbsfähiges Gewicht insbesonder mit Blick auf Komfort und Dämpfung
Nylonplatte (EnergyBlade) generiert Vortrieb und fungiert gleichzeitig als Steinschutzplatte
Attraktiver Preis mit Blick auf die vielfältigen Einsatzzwecke sowie die bis dato sehr gute Haltbarkeit
Bewährte ContraGrip Außensohle bietet guten Halt auf einer Vielzahl von Untergründen
EnergySurge-Mittelsohlenschaum ist reaktiv, bietet jedoch gleichzeitig eine gute Stabilität
Exzellenter Fersenhalt durch optimal platzierte Zusätzliche Polster in der Fersenkappe
Contra:
Mittelsohle könnte dem ein oder anderen einen Ticken zu fest sein
Außensohle kommt bei matschigen Verhältnissen mit einer Profiltiefe von 3,5 mm naturgemäß früher oder später an ihre Grenzen
Witam Państwa w kolejnej polskiej recenzji na Road Trail Run. Obuwie które będę dzisiaj dla Państwa recenzował to but Spire 5 chińskiej marki 361 Degrees. Jest to pierwsze obuwie marki 361 Stopni które recenzuję dla RTR.
Profil Testera:
Maciej ‘Matt’ Kolat - 35 latek pochodzący z Polski ale od 2007 biegający po Szkocji. Biega głównie krótsze dystanse asfaltowe (5-10 km) a dalsze dystanse rezerwuje na piękne, szkockie doliny. Jego opinie czasem różnią się od pozostałych testerów RTR dlatego, że jest zdecydowanie powolnym biegaczem (życiówka na 5k - 25:38). Bieganie dla Matta to sposób na zdrowie, dzięki niemu zrzucił już ponad 45 kg (a to jeszcze nie koniec).
Za i Przeciw
Za:
- Stabilność (jak na but neutralny)
- Neutralna, spokojna stylistyka
- Duża ilość ogumienia – but wytrzyma dłużej niż przeciętne obuwie
- Fantastyczna przyczepność
- Wygoda
Przeciw:
- Duży ciężar obuwia (głównie przez wyżej wspomniana ilość ogumienia)
- Neutralna, spokojna stylistyka (co nie musi wszystkim przypaść do gustu
Statystyki
Waga wg producenta: męskie 10oz / 283g (US9)
Próbka: męskie US11.5 EU46
Waga próbki: 353g / 12.4 oz
Grubość podeszwy: 29mm w pięcie 20mm w przedniej części buta
Saucony in what is now a “tradition” since the 2019 big introduction of the Endorphin line came in full force with several great new introductions for their 125th anniversary year some of which we can share here now with more to come later in the year.
Here we preview: Kinvara Pro, Triumph 21, Triumph RFG, Endorphin Rift, Ultra Ridge GTX.
Jeff V: I had never heard of Norda of Canada before Sam, Jason and Jeremy recently reviewed the Satisfy norda 001 (RTR Review) and they sounded really exciting. When Sam informed me that there was a studded and waterproof version on the way to me, I got really excited given the fact that my local trails in Boulder in the Flatirons were starting to ice up.
The Norda Spike is made for snow and ice with a Vibram Megagrip LiteBase outsole with 10 carbide spikes per shoe built in and with a Dyneema upper with a G+Graphene water resistant and breathable membrane.
The Norda 001 G+ Spike is a stunning shoe to behold, with a sharp contrast of white, black and orange. They are somewhat on the maximal side given their 34mm heel 29mm forefoot stack, but are strikingly light at 10.6oz / 303g in my US 10 and especially so for a winter studded waterproof shoe.
The low weight is due to the very thin G+ Graphene waterproof breathable membrane laminated to the already very light Dyneema upper. Comparing Sam’s US 8.5 (he has had no snow to test yet) in the non waterproof and non studded norda 001 version to the Spike the additional weight for the winterizing is only 15g / 0.53 oz which is pretty amazing with a US9 Spike coming in sub 10 oz / 284g. Compared to the Cascadia 16 GTX with Gore-Tex Invisible Fit and which is without spikes we come in a full ounce lighter here on a higher stack of cushioning.
RoadTrailRun will be at The Running Event is Austin Texas this week reporting on 2023 running shoe and gear introductions.
TRE is world wide trade show for running retailers and running media with products expected throughout 2024 shown. Note not all 2023 products are shown and some we saw we are not able to show or write about yet.
La Sportiva 2023 Previews: Jackal II and Jackal II BOA
Brooks 2023 Preview: Catamount 2 & Levitate 6
2023 Running Previews: Scott Sports Ultra Carbon RC
David Laney 2023 Craft Preview: NordLite & Pure Trail
Scarpa 2023 Introductions: Spin Planet and Scarpa Ribelle Run Kalibra G
Speedland GS: TAM Explained
Please check out our 2022 Holiday Gift Guides for Runners and Savings PageHERE
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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'.
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