Racing flat specifications

If you can find an old pair of Adizero PRs somewhere, they are very light and have very little offset. I understand the Mizuno Universe is very similar, but I haven't worn them myself. The Asics Piranha has a 4mm offset, but feels very, very slightly more cushioned than the PR. Saucony A4 also as a 4mm offset but is a touch heavier. For comparison's sake, the T6 has a 12mm offset. Not necessarily a bad thing, IMO, considering that's the flat I wear.

Thanks, I'll look them shoes up. How'd you find the offset values?

4mm is ideal. I've currently got a pair of Brooks Racer ST5 and ST4. I like them, but prefer something "flatter" in terms of offset.

Any experience with the Brooks Green thingy shoe.

No experience with the Green Silence, but they're also 12mm, same as the T6 and ST4, and I believe most of their trainers.

Running Warehouse lists some of the shoes' midsole heights. I just checked their site and the Universe's offset is actually 9mm (but the midsole heights are still very low to the ground, and it's marginally lighter than the PR and Piranha, but I doubt you'll notice a difference). I've never worn the Universe so I can only relay what I've heard about it. I didn't like the Piranha as much as the PR, but that's one person's opinion, and the PR is tough to find.

The ST4 is posted. Are you looking for another posted flat?

thanks heaps Sally,

I'm looking for two shoes. I do my long runs in the ST4 and racing in a really old pair of Adidas (10 years old) and also the Brooks ST5's.

For my long runs, I'm looking for something around the ST4 or Green Silence weight, medial post useful but not essential, I just prefer something with little offset.

For racing, just looking for flat and fast.

Where I live (in Australia), no stores carry racing flats so it's research online.

Adizero Rocket? Any experience?

I'm sorry, I was mistaken about the Green Silence's offset, which is listed at 9mm. I don't know why I had 12mm stuck in my head, other than that's the number for the T6.

Check some of the barefoot websites. If you can get past the "BAREFOOT RUNNING CHANGED MY LIFE!" rhetoric, barefooters are obsessive about how minimalist they can claim their shoes are, and sometimes their reviews have pretty precise measurements as far as weight and offset. Just don't fall into the less is always better trap.

I didn't know the ST5 had been released yet. Or are you referring to something other than the Racer ST5?

For your longer runs, the Adizero Mana and Wave Musha should be similar to the ST4, in that they're flats that offer support. The Musha has less offset and both are slightly lighter than the ST4. Flat and fast could be anything we were just talking about.

The ST5 is the precursor to the ST6, sorry, it's basically identical to the ST6.

Yeah, I guess they are all flat and fast. I might give the Adizero Rocket a go.

I can't buy the Asics online, US won't ship to AUS. I can get two pairs at US price for the price of one at AUS prices, which is a pain. Local prices are very expensive for running shoes, probably because it's such a small market and has an additional middle man so to speak.

Will look at barefoot running sites, but yeah, it's hard to cut through the rubbish.

the running warehouse site is great

Thanks