Racing shoes/Flats



D

Dale Pollard

Guest
Hi gang! Although some of us are still in the middle of winter the racing season is not to far away.
With visions of singlets, shorts, and sunny temperatures how about we talk about our shoes. More
specifically, racing shoes or flats. What are you favourites? Can you suggest past greats? Anything
to do with your racing shoes will do! Also how about mention some places where the rest of us runner
can buy, online or instore. Happy -F/-C trails!

DP
--
"If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy" - Red Green
 
Adidas Cubato JS. Awesome racing flat. Light, soft, comfy, and a good feel on the road. Highly
recommended.

Dale Pollard wrote in message ...
> Hi gang! Although some of us are still in the middle of winter the
racing
>season is not to far away. With visions of singlets, shorts, and sunny temperatures how about we
>talk about our shoes. More specifically, racing shoes or flats. What are you favourites? Can you
>suggest past greats? Anything to do with your racing shoes will do! Also how about mention some
>places where the rest of us runner can buy, online or instore. Happy -F/-C trails!
>
> DP
>--
>"If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy" - Red Green
 
"Matty G" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> Adidas Cubato JS. Awesome racing flat. Light, soft, comfy, and a good feel on the road. Highly
> recommended.

I concur.... doesn't last very long though, even among flats.

--
David (in Hamilton, ON) www.allfalldown.org
 
That is true, they need to be kept just for race day.

SwStudio wrote in message ...
>"Matty G" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> Adidas Cubato JS. Awesome racing flat. Light, soft, comfy, and a good
feel
>> on the road. Highly recommended.
>
>
>I concur.... doesn't last very long though, even among flats.
>
>
>
>--
>David (in Hamilton, ON) www.allfalldown.org
 
"Dale Pollard" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> Hi gang! Although some of us are still in the middle of winter the racing season is not to far
> away. With visions of singlets, shorts, and sunny temperatures how about we talk about our shoes.
> More specifically, racing shoes or flats. What are you favourites? Can you suggest past greats?
> Anything to do with your racing shoes will do! Also how about mention some places where the rest
> of us runner can buy, online or instore. Happy -F/-C trails!
>
> DP

I currently train and race in these, in rotation:

Nike Air Streak (good all-round shoe) Nike Air Streak Vengeance (ok - hard outsole) Fila F1 Racer
(wonderful, as worn by Paul Tergat)

My favourites of all time were either the Ascics Tiger Paw or Magic Racer.

HTH

Edward
--
The reading group's reading group: http://www.bookgroup.org.uk
 
"Edward" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> My favourites of all time were either the Ascics Tiger Paw or Magic Racer.

"Were"? The Tiger Paw is still very much in production. I trained in them for a little while
recently and really liked them a lot. Not my absolute favorite shoe, one of the top 5.

cheers,
--
David (in Hamilton, ON) www.allfalldown.org
 
OK, I'll let the countless others rip you on the Nike Shoe. Personally I feel the III is a fine
flat. I'll opt to rip you on the Fila shoe. What exactly moves you to describe it as "wonderful"?

Many people feel Fila has no clue on making shoes for runners. For those unaware, Fila's an italian
co. and in that tradition, named after a Ferrari and in the Ferrari theme, entirely all red. The guy
who won the New York Marathon wore this shoe.

One site on the shoe said, "Fila hasn’t yet had the success it wants in the serious running
market. That’s partly because the Italian company is determined to establish a reputation for edgy
style, which presumably makes some core runners dubious".

I'm just curious as to what distinguishes this shoe in your opinion and you can compare and contrast
it to the streaks or the asics shoes.

Other than Paul....I've never seen them on any runners.

Thanks...
 
"Lanceandrew" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> OK, I'll let the countless others rip you on the Nike Shoe. Personally I
feel
> the III is a fine flat. I'll opt to rip you on the Fila shoe. What
exactly
> moves you to describe it as "wonderful"?

My guess would be because his feet are differently shaped than yours, as well biomechanical
differences, etc. I'm sure they are wonderful to him. Do you think he has some hidden motivation to
lie? psssh.... take it easy! :)

> Many people feel Fila has no clue on making shoes for runners.

Have you tried them, or are you basing your "ripping into the poster" on this ambigious statement?

> One site on the shoe said, "Fila hasn't yet had the success it wants in
the
> serious running market. That's partly because the Italian company is determined to establish a
> reputation for edgy style, which presumably
makes
> some core runners dubious".

Someone else's opinion. This person has a website, even.

> I'm just curious as to what distinguishes this shoe in your opinion and
you can
> compare and contrast it to the streaks or the asics shoes.

Probably because he likes them better! I love the NB rc 2xx series because they are made on the SL-2
last, which is less curved than "usual" lasts. For this same reason, you might hate them.

> Other than Paul....I've never seen them on any runners.

The ENTIRE Kenyan slew of runners that train most of the year here in Hamilton wear them. They are
sponsored by Fila of course, but I don't think they'd wear shoes that hurt them year after year.

My friend David O'Connor also wears them - he's one of the best over - 50 runners in Canada right
now. In fact, he ran a 17:21 5k the other day... it's off season and he's doing nothing but
stationary bike training right now. Pretty fast!

cheers,
--
David (in Hamilton, ON) www.allfalldown.org
 
In article <[email protected]>, SwStudio wrote:
> "Edward" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> My favourites of all time were either the Ascics Tiger Paw or Magic Racer.
>
>
> "Were"? The Tiger Paw is still very much in production. I trained in them for a little while
> recently and really liked them a lot. Not my absolute favorite shoe, one of the top 5.

What are the other 4 ?

What do you think of the other Asics flats ? (Gel magic racer/DS racer)

btw, I just received an RRS catalog which asserts that the new DS racer VI is 10.5oz. Typo ?

Cheers,
--
Donovan Rebbechi http://pegasus.rutgers.edu/~elflord/
 
>With visions of singlets, shorts, and sunny temperatures how about we talk
about our shoes.

Actually, since you brought it up, how about we talk about track singlets? Racing Shoes is a good
topic, too, but I seem to be perpetually short of really good singlets.

Our stores (even running specialty shops) seem to carry very few singlets, and those they do sell
have arm holes the size of Texas. These things are just too loose and floppy -- very ill-designed --
almost like they are really meant for basketball and all the arm movement that implies.

Any recommendations for the track-like singlets college cross-country athletes wear? I tried to
get some from my alma mater's track shop, but they won't supply them to non-competitors who
aren't on the squad. As an alum, this ticked me off a bit. Do any universities you know of offer
the real competitors' garb to the public? Any other favorite marathon singlets that don't fit
like clown wear?
 
>>With visions of singlets, shorts, and sunny temperatures how about we talk
>about our shoes.
>
>Actually, since you brought it up, how about we talk about track singlets? Racing Shoes is a good
>topic, too, but I seem to be perpetually short of really good singlets.
>
>Our stores (even running specialty shops) seem to carry very few singlets, and those they do sell
>have arm holes the size of Texas. These things are just too loose and floppy -- very ill-designed
>-- almost like they are really meant for basketball and all the arm movement that implies.
>
>Any recommendations for the track-like singlets college cross-country athletes wear? I tried to
>get some from my alma mater's track shop, but they won't supply them to non-competitors who
>aren't on the squad. As an alum, this ticked me off a bit. Do any universities you know of offer
>the real competitors' garb to the public? Any other favorite marathon singlets that don't fit
>like clown wear?
>
You can buy your own "team" singlets just like the college/hs coaches do. At Eastbay you can buy
"team" singlets and shorts from both Nike and Adidas and they will fit just like what you're
seeking. I buy most of the stuff for my high school team there. A couple other places to look are:

http://www.espikes.com http://www.springcoathletics.com

I find, though, that the most aggressive fitting (tightest singlets, smallest split shorts) running
clothes right now are from Brooks and these are not team gear. Here in So Cal, I'm able to buy these
in stores at Sportmart. I also wear their Velocity Suit (speedsuit), which I can get at a deep
discount and the end of the season from Eastbay.

Lyndon "Speed Kills...It kills those that don't have it!" --US Olympic Track Coach Brooks Johnson
 
I have always been suspect of Nike shoes but I have found the Nike Ghost Racer excellent for doing
my track sessions in.
 
>At Eastbay you can buy "team" singlets and shorts from both Nike and Adidas
and
>they will fit just like what you're seeking. I buy most of the stuff for my high school team there.
>A couple other places to look are:
>
> http://www.espikes.com http://www.springcoathletics.com

>I find, though, that the most aggressive fitting (tightest singlets, smallest split shorts) running
>clothes right now are from Brooks

Good info, Lyndon, thanks. Its funny about the Brooks stuff; I don't currently wear their shoes, but
my cold weather running tights and most of my favorite running shorts are all Brooks. Maybe they're
better at that sector of the market than at shoes!
 
Shsh.QUIET!

Don't tell anyone about Cubatos.

If Adidas gets wind of any popularity they'll cancel the model just like every other fine flat I've
come across over the years!

"Matty G" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:c0cbk9$1ek$1@mws-stat-
syd.cdn.telstra.com.au...
> Adidas Cubato JS. Awesome racing flat. Light, soft, comfy, and a good feel on the road. Highly
> recommended.
>
>
> Dale Pollard wrote in message ...
> > Hi gang! Although some of us are still in the middle of winter the
> racing
> >season is not to far away. With visions of singlets, shorts, and sunny temperatures how about we
> >talk about our shoes. More specifically,
racing
> >shoes or flats. What are you favourites? Can you suggest past greats? Anything to do with your
> >racing shoes will do! Also how about mention
some
> >places where the rest of us runner can buy, online or instore.
Happy -F/-C
> >trails!
> >
> > DP
> >--
> >"If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy" - Red Green
> >
>
 
"TopCounsel" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Good info, Lyndon, thanks. Its funny about the Brooks stuff; I don't
currently
> wear their shoes, but my cold weather running tights and most of my
favorite
> running shorts are all Brooks. Maybe they're better at that sector of the market than at shoes!

Have you tried any of their shoes lately? Top to bottom I think they have the best lineup of shoes
of any brand. The Adrenaline has put a serious hurtin' on some of the bigger brands nationwide
(especially Nike).

Jim Johnson
 
I use Saucony Racers for up to 10K races, and New Balance 330 for 1/2 Marathon and marathon.

Anthony.
 
[email protected] (Lanceandrew) wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...

> Many people feel Fila has no clue on making shoes for runners. For those unaware, Fila's an
> italian co. and in that tradition, named after a Ferrari and in the Ferrari theme, entirely all
> red. The guy who won the New York Marathon wore this shoe.

Martin Lel, and so did Margaret Okayo.

(BTW I´m probably reading too much into a hastily written sentence, but Fila is not named after a
Ferrari model and its line of running shoes isn´t entirely red; the Ferrari connection is quite
recent and limited to "lifestyle" shoes and apparel.)

> One site on the shoe said, "Fila hasn’t yet had the success it wants in the serious running
> market. That’s partly because the Italian company is determined to establish a reputation for
> edgy style, which presumably makes some core runners dubious".

The quote would appear to stem from the shoe review section of the UK Runner´s World site.

> Other than Paul....I've never seen them on any runners.

Fila hasn´t apparently (yet?) extended large enough sponsorship contracts, and apart from the
Kenyans, the marathoners in their team are not quite on the top rung: Pavel Loskutov, a decent
Russian (EC silver) and Josh Cox, an US Olympic trial also-ran are among them.

Anders
 
[email protected] (Lanceandrew) wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...

> (...) instead i know nothing about the f1 (other than what other running websites say about the
> shoe, nothing good btw).

It´s a bit of nuisance that there are models with only slightly different names; there would appear
to be a Racer K1, a Racer Plus and a plain Racer, but no "F1 Racer". FWIW the reviews of the 2002
Racer on both of the Runner´s World sites strike me rather as the opposite of saying "nothing good"
(but it could well be no shoe ever gets slammed openly, and one has to develop an ability to read
between the lines...).

> i don't know this for a fact, a little birdie in the running shoe market told me Fila does not
> have their own running R&D or anything like that (unlike NB for example). I heard Fila simply
> subcontracted the design & engineering out of house along w/the manufacturing, fashioned it up and
> bought Paul and some others and is giving the market a whirl. I don't know if this is
> factual...that's what I was told.

I don´t immediately see why outsourcing the R&D would make the shoes less serious (or whatever).

Anders
 
[email protected] (Lanceandrew) wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...

> david. the poster stated a fondness for nike shoes. that alone usually attracts a lot of critical
> comment. then his next shoe was this F1. a shoe rarely seen by a company not known at all for
> serving the runner market but the fashion market.. collectively the two raised my
> eyebrow....that's all.

Well, as "the poster", I think you need to get your facts straight. I stated a fondness for two very
closely related Nike shoes. I don't personally share the irrational antipathy towards Nike of
someone like TheBillRogers, but I do think that most of their shoes are pants.

As for Fila, well, I don't think you know very much. Not known at all for serving the running
market? Two words. Paul. Tergat. Here are some more. My running partner competed in the 2000
Olympics in Sydney (in the 800m). He was sponsored by Fila, and ran exclusively in their shoes. He
had also been sponsored by Asics, Saucony and Nike and tells me that he likes Fila best of all.
Here's what Runners World says about the F1: "Sometimes it seems that half of Fila's design effort
must go into the Racer. The work invariably pays off: it's a beautifully-fitting, smooth-riding,
responsive racer"

> Shoes by companies w/no great reputation on serving the serious running market is something to
> take note of....and i did.

Paula Radcliffe runs in Nikes. I think you would have to concede that she's moderately serious about
her running.

> i was not going to slam the nike shoe (like many do) as i feel the streaks are fine flats. i said
> this in fact. instead i know nothing about the f1 (other than what other running websites say
> about the shoe, nothing good btw).

Yeah? What websites are those?

> The paragraph I included in my post was from a serious runner's site based in Europe....those were
> not my words....

Well, give us the URL. In any case, one man's meat is another man's poison. I recently tried a pair
of NB racers (can't remember which ones) and hated them. You have passed judgement on shoes based
entirely on information from websites. Hasn't anyone told you that websites can be unreliable?

Edward
 
I race almost exclusively in Cubatos, have for a couple years now. I got 2 marathons plus 3 halfs
and numerous 5k-10ks out of a single pair...but it was TRASH after that second thon. Now I'll only
use them for one plus lots of shorter races. I'm a little on the heavy end for running thons in
flats (150) so they're a great shoe for their weight. While Nike trainers are **** IMHO, they
continue to make some good racers. All my spikes are Nike, and the Zoom Elite is a good marathon
shoe for anyone wanting a "lightweight trainer" type shoe for the long race. Andy Hass