How about also utilise the growing dataset accumulated by actual users. I have been GPS tracking fir 4 years now and this includes the gear I wear. I can provide a list of the number of times I have ran or walked in my 4 different runners and the kilometres covered and activity type. The power of real data!
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The even-ness of the attachment of the upper to the sole (hard to explain, but you can generally tell by checking how much of the upper sole “decoration” (stripes, spots etc.) is evident above the sole in the left and right shoe, left and right side). In so many shoes I have bought over the past five years, there can be a difference of up to 10mm in the way the upper has been attached to the sole between the left and right shoe. It’s purely a consequence of shoddy manufacturing, but can have consequences for those of us who run long distances. Differences between the two shoes can change the amount of room in the toe box and the functioning of orthotic inserts…and potentially gait. It’s really common, and really annoying as it’s hard to get a refund if you purchase online, or find a well-sewn pair if you purchase in-store (the sales assistant looks at you like you’re overly picky as you ask them to bring out pair after pair). As mentioned by many others, general grip (both new and over time) is very important, as is wear on the upper (holes, tears etc.). Also interested to know why they’re so expensive!!
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I use New Balance 990 running shoes. These are the ones that are supplied to some sections of military in the USA. They are made in in the USA not Asia. I have been using these shoes for many years.
Perhaps they could be used to help establish a test standard.
My wife is a podiatrist and she suggested that I try them way back when and I have been wearing them ever since
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Very brave of you to embark on testing running shoes.!
As a life time runner age 68 - having used 1,000 plus running shoes - may I suggest ‘wear and tear’ is the least of my worries with running shoes.
My number major concerns are - fit and comfort according to shape of your feet and running style eg
- I like shoes with a heel/toe high difference of 9-11 mm. Anything more than this causes knee soreness, massive heel first strike and shortened achilles. Under 9 mm causes me to trip on rough surfaces
- if you have medium to high arched feet you need a neutral shoe, that is no anti-pronation (roll-in support) hardness in the arch or heel. Instead you need outside edge lateral support and a semi curved or curved lasted shoe.
- mid-foot strikers need more cushioning in the forefoot and less in the heels. Heel strikers need more in the heel. Very complex for shoppers
- buying modern shoes can be a nightmare eg some have pointed toe boxes (since when did feet have pointed toes ?), some have 14 mm drop from heel to toes (far too much), some have incredible amount to arch support (bad if you don’t need it), some are straight lasted (bad if you have semi-curved feet like most runners) - some slip dangerously on wet surfaces - some cost $250 AU how can this be justified !!
Hope this helps - good luck.
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It’s the “Australian tax”, overseas sellers are denied to sell to Australia by the shoe manufactures because local distributors control this territory. I use to be able to buy my shoes from several of the UK and US online retailers for half the price they were here even with shipping.
But slowly the became “unable to ship to Australia” or the prices started matching the local prices. It’s easy to see this ripoff by changing the delivery destination on the online sites and miraculously see the real costs that everywhere else pays.
I queried one of my favorites sites and they came back saying they were unable to ship to Australia any more due to “commercial considerations” from the manufacture. End of rant.
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Whats a “traditional running shoe”? It’s only what the manufactures marketing department say it is!
Read Born to run by Christopher McDougall, it explains where the running shoe came from.
My podiatrist would say get the correct fit for your running style, eg, how you land and roll your foot.
Then he would say it is how much support does the shoe provide to do that job, and does it maintain that. It isn’t so much wear and tear in the conventional sense, like erosion, it is more about does it maintain compression, does it still return to its designed shock absorbing character.
He would say if you are using erosion over time as the measure, the main support qualities have long gone, that is just being tightarsed!
Grip is often associated with that general wear and tear, unless it is actually rubbish material in the first place. Some rubber/synthetics looks grippy, but can actually be quite slippery, they are bloody dangerous.
You also need good insoles that are easy to remove so both they and the shoes can be either dried or ‘aired’, and orthotics inserted easily.
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As others have suggested please test the grip. My most recent pair of runners are death-traps in the wet. I couldn’t believe how bad they were and that it was actually legal to sell shoes that have no grip whatsoever on wet surfaces
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I have had the same problem of the sole separating from the upper after a few months with both New Balance and Asics. For me the most important thing is best fit and support and I have found that as an older runner, if fit is not excellent, I get aching knees.
you might need to factor in the resistance of sole composition to intrusion by surface imperfections. Lighter soles can be attractive but could also be uncomfortable if running on uneven surfaces with tree roots stones etc.
Shoes need to be specific to the user. Factors such as running gait, pronation or supination, runner weight, are all important.
Walking and running involve different physiology and mechanics, which affects shoe design for different purposes.
Would be interested to read a Choice test in this area. Can I also mention testing the grip on different surfaces particularly in the wet as already mentioned. Brisbane City Council uses some kind of quartz aggregate in concrete panels on their new footpaths especially besides the bikepaths or their marketed boulevards in the inner city which become a runners nightmare with rain. I have 2 current pairs of Brooks shoes, one of which I have had some amazing stacks in with only a little dampness from over night rain, the other is much better. I also struggle with finding wide enough toe boxes and also with wearing though the inner heel. There is no noticeable heel rubbing from slippage (I only get blisters once I’ve worn through the shoe lining to the hard plastic inner which causes the blister) but this is an ongoing issue which means I have to replace shoes earlier than I’d otherwise need to so I can wear them for medium distance events without discomfort from the worn sections.
I am a 68 yo runner. I have been competing since the mid 1960s My first shoes were Adidas Rome before that we ran in Dunlop volleys
I have just thrown away my Asics Nimbus bought in 2015.3000+k road training not racing. Minimal wear on black rubber sole but uppers gone. Asics have obviously changed their last since and now Nimbus are not suitable for me It is annoying how shoes brands keep changing lasts and models as you find a good shoes and it disappears from the market
Obviously for me uppers go long before soles wear out. So I wish reinforcing on wear points was better - I get my heel counters reinforced and patch big toe area with leather…I do replace inner soles with gel as it does not compress over time.
Contrary to assertions by sales staff I do not believe old shoes cause injuries as injuries more often occur when breaking in new shoes.
Trail shoes need not only good cleats for mud but "grippy" rubber for wet rock. Support and padding less important as you do not want a high centre of gravity or instability on Tasmanian trails at least. On the other hand road shoes need larger surface area in ground contact to resist wear. I once had Nike waffle soles but the sparse cleats were abraded v quickly
Fit is my primary concern for me as my big toe on the left is not the longest toe. In other words toe box has to be roomy even if the shoe is not wide. fit also How straight or curved the last is important for fit. How smooth the inner surface of the upper to avoid friction on seams.
It is difficult to order Asics over internet so you need a “freight forwarder”. Like many things shoes seem to be 2X price here cf US I have not used them but I believe Australia Post has a facility. another is MyUsa - see back issue of Choice on subject
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So do my NB 1260 V5’s! In fact, although offering excellent support for super pronation, they have no traction on slippery surfaces of any kind. I went for 6 on a wet drainhole cover in Sydney while training for the Camino in Spain, where the same shoes sent me flying on a steep hill track in the Pyrenees which could have been crippling had I not managed to grab a branch en passant.
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What about shoe laces?
None of them seem to stay done up anymore, from branded shoes to cheap shoes. My sons shoes are continually undone, we thought he wasn’t doing it correctly but they still come undone even when we do them up, and these have been Puma, Adidas, & kmart. I have 2 pairs of New Balance that are continually coming undone, but it’s never been a problem with my Nike.
I also work in a school and kids continually have undone laces and even when staff do them up a few minutes later they are lose again.
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Says it all! I would only add, don’t get your advice from shop assistants who have never heard of anything except pronation. (As most so called stability shoes are the most expensive).
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Double knot doesn’t work?
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I have noticed the construction of shoe laces vary widely. It appears some compress under the stress of a bow knot (shoe tie) and others do not, or at least compress comparatively less. My take is the amount of compression coupled with the friction of the material is what makes them stay tied or not, and why older shoe laces come undone more than new ones as they lose that elasticity and/or the material gets smoother from use.
There are a number of techniques including the double knot, one easy one being looping the laces around twice between the eyelets prior to looping them into the bow. It looks much neater than a double and I have found it to be superior to the time honoured basic bow knot (show tie).
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My running shoes have a sole that is slightly wider than the uppers. I love them.
I recently bought “walking shoes” on-line (no shoe shops in our town or nearby) in a last I knew fitted. I went for Walking rather than Running as I am getting on a bit and wanted them for general wear.
The sole is slightly smaller than the uppers, they taper from the lip where the uppers meet the lower to the sole; all around. It wasn’t initially obvious from the photo. I guess the last is the same, but the ‘detailing’ can be different. Despite the description of ‘flexible’ I found them more rigid than my runners.
I found I had stability issues. Not major, but enough to be wary of walking around our farm on natural bush tracks. I have a small foot, 32 was the smallest size I could get, 31 is my size - I am in children’s sizes but wanted an adult shoe - they last longer and fit better.
The other gripe was the length of the shoe laces - about 3 times what was needed and always undone. I replaced them with 90cm braided laces - is it fashion to have tripple bows? Can’t think of any other reason.
I wear my running shoes for bush walking and farming. The shoe laces usually stay tight - as I am continually re-gluing the shoes - bits of contact glue have got on the laces and that friction is enough to keep them tight for the day. Sole size and rigidity are issues to look at.
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This would be a fringe problem. I am notoriously hard to fit. I found a shoe that worked brilliantly. After a month or two they remained brilliant so I decided to get another pair while they were still in production.
Same shop, same shoe, they did not fit well.
I found out that the brand had multiple factories making the shoe and there was minor variation among the products from one to another. Most consumers might not have noticed, but.
The company advised me how to identify shoes made at ‘my factory’ so I was able to find another pair, that was for me brilliant.
Could be useful to include product consistency across numbers of samples.
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We’ve done double, even triple knots and they’ve still undone, very frustrating
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