Test des Naked T/r Trail Racing Shoe: Une chaussure hors-normes (French)

Article par Jeremy Marie

Naked T/r Trail Racing Shoe ($290 US +$60 livraison)

Introduction

Naked est une marque connue pour ses ceintures et sacs de trails. Ils furent parmi les premiers à sortir une ceinture “élastique” avec de larges espaces de rangements, un porte bâtons à l’arrière, et leur sac de trail suit la même philosophie: un ajustement au plus près du corps, avec un système d’attache et de serrage minimum.

C’est en gardant ces principes de bases que la marque sort sa première chaussure de Trail, la T/r, une chaussure pour le moins disruptive, sans lacets, avec une tige mi-haute, une plaque en carbone, une semelle Vibram, le tout sur une semelle intermédiaire assez fine à une époque où les chaussures gagnent en épaisseur à chaque nouvelle version, dans une optique de confort sur les longues distances.

Petzl Nao RL Headlamp Review - Lighter, Less Expensive and Double the Lumens, Yes Please!!

Article by Jeff Valliere

Petzl Nao RL Headlamp ($170)

145 grams/5.1 oz.

(Battery pack 74g/2.6 oz., Head unit with straps/cable 71g/2.5oz)

1,500 Max Lumens

Available now

$169.95

The Nao has been a staple for my more serious night runs for many years, valued for its good battery life, brightness and incredible reactive lighting capabilities.  

Enter the new Nao RL, which looks like the older sibling to the IKO Core, with its 9 LED bulbs positioned on a very thin and lightweight front head unit connected to a battery pack in the rear.  

Amazingly, the Nao RL has dropped 45 grams in weight from 190 grams down to 145 grams, DOUBLED light output from 750 max lumens now to an unreal 1,500 max lumens, added USB-C charging (which can double as a supplemental battery to charge your phone for example), easy on/off rear safety light (vs. adjusting with an app.), all for $30 less!!

Saucony Ride 15 TR Multi Tester Review with 9 Comparisons

Article by Mike Postaksi, Renee Krusemark, Adam Glueck, Jeff Valliere, John Tribbia, Jeff Beck with Sam Winebaum

Saucony Ride 15 TR ($140, $160 GTX)

Introduction

Take the excellent road daily trainer the Ride 15 with its new softer,  lighter, more energetic PWRRUN foam, give it a trail focused upper and outsole and you get the Ride 15 TR. 

At light 9.2 oz / 261 g (US9) yet high stacked at 35mm heel / 27mm forefoot. it is the door to trail offering in the Saucony line up. 

Does it all add up to an option that can handle varied terrain including pavement? Our 4 testers took it out in California, Idaho, Nebraska, and New Hampshire trails and roads to find out!

Pros:

Very high stack to weight ratio Mike P/Sam/Adam/Jeff V/John/Jeff B

Solid traction on light trails, loose sand, gravel Mike P/Renee/Adam/Jeff V/John/Jeff B

PWRRUN slab is pleasantly soft, yet not mushy Mike P/Sam/Renee/Adam/Jeff V/John

Excellent on the road if the outsole is noticed up front, reminding of front outsole pop  and response of Ride 13 (road): Sam/Adam/Jeff B

Road to trail versatility within a single run:  Adam/Jeff V/John/Jeff B

Cons:

A bit narrow in the toebox for a trail shoe Mike P/Adam/Jeff B/Jeff V

High stack & soft foam makes them a bit unstable on “real” trails Mike P/Jeff V/John

Unstable in steeper terrain, especially downhills Mike P/Renee/Jeff V/John

Highish price for pure trail use given its capabilities, but door to trail usage increases value/versatility  Mike P

Outsole up front is quite stiff and not as well segmented as it could be for road uses Sam

Stats

Official Weight: men's 9.2 oz  / 261 g (US9)  /  women's 8.5 oz / 241 g (US8)

  Samples: men’s 9.12 oz / 258g (US8.5), 9.6 oz / 272 g (US10), women’s 8.36 oz / 237 g (US8)

Stack Height: 35 mm heel / 27 mm forefoot, 8mm drop 

Available now. $140, $160 GTX

Saucony Triumph 20 Multi Tester Review: Soft, Bouncy, Light, Max Cushioned & Moves Along

Article by Jeff Beck and Sam Winebaum

Saucony Triumph 20 ($160)

Introduction

Sam: Always Saucony plush neutral trainer, the Triumph has in recent versions lost weight but remained for me a ponderous and slow moving shoe. With the 20 ,we are higher stacked with a new softer and lighter PWRRUN + TPU foam with a new more sculptured flowing geometry and 2mm more drop at 10mm. 

As a result, the Triumph 20 checks in at 9.7 oz  / 274 g (US9) for a substantial weight loss over the 19, weight loss with new foams and often considerably lighter weights being a common thread with 2022 Saucony. The sub 10 oz weight, new foam and geometry had me willing to give them another try. I was not disappointed!

Jeff: Saucony has gone back and forth over the last decade with the Triumph. Some versions have been a well cushioned daily trainer, while other iterations have definitely skewed toward max cushioning - borderline a recovery run only type of shoe. 

The 20th shoe in the line doesn’t waffle at all. It is the most cushioned Triumph, while also being the lightest the shoe has been in quite some time. Saucony had said that they reformulated their PWRRUN+ midsole they’ve been using in the Triumph since the 17, and they weren’t kidding. Gone is the borderline adidas Boost-level of dense cushioning, now we’re dealing with light, soft, and bouncy - and more of it than we’ve ever had. As a professed fan of shoes with plenty of squish, it was love at first sight.

Mizuno Wave Neo Ultra Reseña Completa (Spanish)

Mizuno Wave Neo Ultra ($250 USD)

Neo Ultra un entrenador altamente sostenible con materiales reciclados y maximalista en acolchinamiento.

Pros:

• Upper muy seguro, comodo y con buen estilo.

• Upper muy transpirable.

• Mediasuela muy suave con buena respuesta.

• Peso decente para el tamaño y no afecta el rendimiento en entrenamientos largos.

• Materiales de muy alta calidad y sustentables.

• El Knit Upper blanco no se ensucia tanto y tampoco mantiene manchas como otros uppers del mismo material.

• Muy estable a cualquier ritmo y bien balanceado.

• Responde bien en los cambios de ritmo entre suave y medio tambieb en zancadas.

Cons:

• Precio alto $250 USD aun asi vale la pena por los materiales de muy alta calidad y media suela tope de gama de Mizuno.

• Algo pesado pero ligero a comparacion de otros modelos con tanto acolchonamiento.

Puma Deviate Nitro 2 Multi Tester Review with 13 Comparisons.

Article by Jeremy Marie, Ryan Eiler, Renee Krusemark, Peter Stuart and Sam Winebaum

Puma Deviate Nitro 2 ($160)

Introduction

The Deviate Nitro 2 is a carbon composite plated performance oriented trainer with a substantial 38mm heel / 30mm forefoot stack of two types of supercritical foam: firmer Nitro at the heel and soft and responsive Nitro Elite as a thin layer below the foot at the heel and deeper layer upfront (new in v2). 

Commedably light at about 9.1 oz  / 258 g in men’s US9, it is topped by a very soft and thin engineered mesh upper and  Puma’s always excellent PumaGrip outsole rubber in a segmented pattern with aggressive forefoot lugs. 

The supercritical midsole foams and plate say high performance trainer, even racer, while the comfort oriented upper hints at daily trainer. Which is it or could it actually be both? Let’s find out!

New Balance FuelCell Super Comp Elite v3 Multi Tester Review with 11 Comparisons

Article by Sam Winebaum, Michael Ellenberger, Joost de Raeymaeker, Ryan Eiler, Derek Li, and Steve Gedwill

New Balance FuelCell Super Comp Elite v3  ($250)

Editor’s Note:Testers include Michael Ellenberger 2:22 Chicago Marathon 2022 running in the SC Elite 3, Ryan Eiler 2.19 Maine Marathon 2022,  Joost de Raeymaeker 2:26 (Berlin 2019), Derek LI (2:39), Sam Winebaum around 1:40 for a half these days and Steve Gedwill.

Introduction

The SC Elite v3 is New Balance’s pinnacle long race and marathon shoe. In the Super Comp family, it shares FuelCell foam and the new Energy Arc plate and midsole geometry with the shorter race “flat” SC Pacer and distance trainer SC Trainer.

The SC Elite v3 succeeds the RC Elite v2 maintaining the same stack height, 4mm drop and nearly identical weight but now incorporates Energy Arc technology on a platform that is now about 5mm wider at the heel (for more stability)  and 5mm narrower at the forefoot (for more agility).

Inov-8 Trailfly Ultra G 280 Multi Tester Review: A Modern Ultra Contender- Supercritical Foam, Graphene Grip, Knit Upper 8 Comparisons

Article by Sam Winebaum and Marcel Krebs

Inov-8 Trailfly Ultra G280 ( $185 | €190 | £165) 

Introduction

Sam: The Trailfly Ultra G280 is a completely new model from Inov-8 from the UK and is the first truly ultra run focused model from the brand.  It features a 35mm heel / 27mm forefoot stack height, 8mm drop platform with a new FlySpeed nitrogen infused supercritical midsole foam and the Adapter Flex groove first seen on the G300 Max. 

The upper is a knit (not to worry this knit works very well for trails as our testing found out) and it has a generous and secure toe box. 

Of the party is Inov-8’s Graphene Grip outsole and metatarsals following geometry. At about 10.25 oz / 290g in a US9, the weight is in the hunt for substantial trail shoes of its class.

I have been a long time fan of Inov-8, the first brand to really start as exclusively trail running focused. Since their origins in the 2003, they have largely focused on firm, snug and precise fitting and agile but in the last few years they have “modernized” their shoes considerably with more and softer cushion and more accommodating uppers and here we for sure see a continuation of that trend. 

First in the new line was the excellent G270 (RTR Review), RTR’s trail shoe of the year 2020, a zero drop, agile and at last decently cushioned shoe with the brand’s innovative graphene infused outsole and a super effective TPU beads “boomerang” insole RTR contributors often swap into other shoes. 

In 2021 they went big with the Ultra G300 Max (RTR Review)  a massively cushioned shoe with not only graphene in the outsole but in the midsole as well a while ntroducing an innovative terrain following Adapter Flex hinge. On the heavy side and almost more hiker than runner they were excellent for slower pace running and hiking on more technical terrain for me.

With the G280, we now have a thoroughly modern contender to compete with highly cushioned “ultra” focused shoes such as the various Hoka Speedgoat 5 and Mafate Speed, Brooks Caldera 6 , Saucony Xodus Ultra , Scarpa Spin Infinity, Salomon’s S/Lab Genesis, and Topo’s upcoming Ultraventure 3 and others.

Skechers GO Run Razor 4 Multi Tester Review with 10 Comparisons

Article by Renee Krusemark, Steve Gedwill, Peter Stuart, and Jacob Brady

Skechers GO Run Razor 4 ($130)

Introduction

The Razor 4 is a light weight daily trainer leaning towards the uptempo side of training. It is essentially the 2021 Razor Excess 2 with Skechers new Hyperburst Pro supercritical expanded pellet TPU foam, a new upper and a more extensive coverage GoodYear rubber outsole. 

The stack height is identical 30mm heel / 26 mm forefoot to the Excess 2, the carbon infused H plate returns, and the weight remains the same at about 8.28 oz  / 235g (US men’s 9). This is not the Razor 3 or Razor +, which are lighter lower stack shoes with no plate in the mix so it is by stats a more cushioned shoe but with a forefoot partial plate and a long stiffer springier flex. 

Hyperburst  foam when it emerged was a sensation as its C02 processed EVA allowed Skechers to dramatically reduce shoe weight while delivering a springy fun ride in the original Razor and then a whole line of trainers and racers. 

Will the new Pro foam deliver the energetic ride of the original Hyper, how is it different, and where overall does the Razor 4 fit in a runner’s rotation are all questions we will try to address 

In the review.

Pros:

• Energetic snappy forefoot with plenty of responsive firmer cushion Sam/Renee/Steve/Peter/Jacob
• Finally a no real issues Skechers upper, comfortable and secure Sam/Dominique/Steve/Peter/Jacob
• Solid value at $130 for a “carbon infused” plated supercritical foam trainer with plenty of rubber and light weight  Sam/Renee/Steve/Peter/Jacob
• Excellent weight/cushion/responsiveness ratio: Renee/Steve

Cons:

• H-plate dulls the magic of the HyperBurst Pro foam: Renee/Steve/Peter
• Not for slow paces back at the heel, It’s quite firm (rubber and low drop) Sam/Peter
• Very different ride than the beloved Razor 3 and +: Renee/Peter

Stats

Approx.Weight: men's 8.28 oz  / 235g (US9) women’s  6.78 oz / 192g US8

  Samples: men’s 8.04 oz  / 228g US8.5 (same weight as Razor Excess 2)

                  women’s  6.78 oz / 192g US8

Stack Height: men’s mm 30 heel / 26 mm forefoot, 4mm drop

Available late October 2022

Mizuno Wave Rider 26 Multi Tester Review

Article by Dominique and Sam Winebaum

Mizuno Wave Rider 26 ($140)

Introduction

Sam: At 26, the Wave Rider is for sure a classic and long running daily trainer, It competes with trainers such as the Brooks Ghost 14, ASICS Cumulus, Saucony Ride 13, New Balance 880, and Nike Pegasus. 

A traditional 12mm drop shoe with a flexible toe off, over the last 2 editions it has evolved considerably with new energetic Enerzy Foam in place of firm EVA, more stack, lighter weights and far more comfortable uppers. Gone in the 25 (RTR Review) was the rigid, firm,  overbearing ride and upper fit of the 24. 

For the 26 Mizuno refines the progress made in the prior edition yet further: 

• 2mm more stack height front and back of Enerzy Foam to come in at a max cushion grade 38.5mm heel / 26.5mm forefoot stack height with no real gain in weight

• a redesigned, more streamlined Wave plate that is placed further forward with that 2mm additional foam above than before for a more propulsive effect and less overt stability feel than even the 25 had.

• a new outsole design up front with more continuous coverage to deliver more snap while keeping the shoe flexible 

• a softer, thinner more pliable jacquard mesh upper

• strong emphasis on sustainability 

  
  

Pros:

Jacquard mesh upper is extremely comfortable and secure and breathable: Dominique/Sam

Wave plate and Enerzy Foam are stable, cushioned and propulsive: Dominique/Sam

Energetic feel increases as pace picks up  Sam

Very deeply cushioned heel with good transitions forward due to decoupling groove Sam

High level of craftsmanship: Dominique/Sam 

Durable and reasonably priced: Dominique

Sustainable platform, upper made with recycled materials:Dominique 

Ideal all around durable trainer for the high school or college athlete, or anyone else:Sam

Cons

Pronounced drop at 12mm, big ramp and thinner firmer feeling forefoot than 26mm front stack would point to: Dominique/Sam

Not an ideal slow run shoe due to firmer forefoot Sam

Barely enough room for front of toes, a bit short: Dominique

Stats

Official: Weight: men's 10 oz  / 284g (US9)  /  women's oz / g (US8)

  Samples: men’s  9.81 oz  /  278g US8.5 (v25 9.77 oz  / 277g (US 9))

Stack Height: 38.5 mm heel / 26.5 mm forefoot 12mm drop

Available now. $140

Testbericht: Hoka Mach 5 - Leichtgewichtiger Alleskönner für (fast) alle Lebenslagen (German)

Artikel von Marcel Krebs 

Hoka Mach 5 (150€)

Einleitung

Im Frühjahr 2022 hatte ich die Gelegenheit, den Hoka Tecton-X intensiv zu testen. Seitdem ist dieser nicht nur fester Bestandteil meiner Laufschuh-Rotation, was das größte Kompliment ist, was man als Schuh-Tester vor dem Hintergrund der hohen Anzahl jährlich zu testender Modelle machen kann, sondern hat mir auch auf diversen Wettkämpfe sehr gute Dienste geleistet.

Daher war ich sehr gespannt auf den neuen Hoka Mach 5, da dieser neben dem Mafate Speed 4, den ich hoffentlich ebenfalls in Kürze für Euch testen darf, aus meiner Sicht mit die spannendste Neuerscheinung in diesem Jahr aus dem Hause Hoka darstellt. 

Dies gilt umso mehr, da der Mach 4 bereits ein sehr guter und hoch dekorierter Schuh war, den sowohl Tester als auch viele Läufer liebten. Ich persönlich fand die Mittelsohle des Mach 4 hingegen in Zeiten von „Superschäumen“ und (Carbon-) Platten hingegen ein wenig zu „flach“ im Laufverhalten, mir fehlten einfach ein Quäntchen Vortrieb und „Bounce“, um von dem Schuh wirklich begeistert zu sein. Daher konnte ich es kaum erwarten, den Mach 5 zu testen, da Hoka – zumindest auf dem Papier – genau diesen Punkt deutlich verbessert hat. 

Newton Running Motion+ Multi Tester Review

Article by Bryan Lim and Renee Krusemark

Newton Running Motion + ($190)

Introduction

Bryan: The Motion+ is my first pair of Newton shoes and I’m so excited! 

Quoting Newton’s website:

“Over time, many shoe designs have become thicker, cushier and heavier with greater heel heights. In the spirit of making every stride better, Newton shoes feature lower heel to toe drops to put you in a position to run most naturally.”

Newton is a brand that promotes natural running shoe technology and form. Low stack, low drop and flexible, the Motion+ appears to follow the Newton ethos closely. The Motion+ is a new entry to Newton’s lineup, complementing the neutral variant, the Gravity+ and its base variant, the Motion 11.

In line with other brands, Newton has adopted a sustainable approach. The Motion+ is made with recyclable materials, including a recycled upper and quickly biodegradable midsole and rubber soles. EcoPure is an additive added to those materials that activates through the chemical process in landfills, breaking down the shoe 75% faster. Each shoe also takes out the equivalent of four plastic bottles from the waste stream.

Pros:

Stable and responsive: Bryan/Renee 

Flexible ride: Bryan/Renee

A rare stability shoe for speed training: Bryan/Renee

Lockdown fit: Bryan/Renee

Breathable upper: Bryan/Renee

Cons:

Heavy for a low stack shoe: Bryan/Renee

Very firm ride not versatile for non-speed work: Bryan

Available colors not the most attractive: Bryan

Pricey: Renee

Stats

  Official: 8.80oz / 249g (men’s US9)   

  Samples: 

            men’s  9.10oz  /  258g (Men’s US9) 

            women’s 218g (Women’s US8)

Stack Height: Not provided, 3mm drop

Available now. $190