It saddens me, because their earlier models worked so well for me. But they've just gotten heavier and narrower over the years, and now I want to break up.
Any advice for finding a shoe that is similar, but a bit lighter and with a wider toe box? I'm looking at Altras but I've read that some testers found them to have a "dead" feel that wasn't good for speedwork.
Any help would be much appreciated!
Vibrams
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I've been running in the second version of the free for 3 years and bought all the size 12's I could find when they changed the shoe. I found 11 pairs. The newer versions flexed in such a way that it caused pain on the top of my right foot.
After going through all my frees I got a pair of Saucony Kinvaras. I think it's the fourth version. They're actually lighter than the frees but not as flexible. They're not as soft, but they seem to be working.
There are so many choices these days that it's ridiculous. Many of the barefoot like shoes could work. I personally like wearing running shoes for triathlon b/c I can wear them sock less which is sweet.
I've been down that road. Back in '05 I had the original ones that were SUPER flexible. You could roll them up into a ball like nothing. Then I got one of the next models that came out and they were suitable but not quite like the originals. They made some adjustments, supposedly to make them more durable but to me they were just stiffer and not as comfortable. Every model after that has just gotten worse and worse. I've searched all over to find something like the originals and it just doesn't exist. Your best bet is to keep an eye on ebay.
Innovation 8
Some good suggestions so far, thanks. Bumping this to see if I can hear a few more recommendations.
I just bought the Nike Zoom Mongoose and love them. They're lightweight, comfortable, and have a much wider toe box than any other Nike shoe I've run in.
Sorry, I meant the Nike Zoom Wildhorse.
Try the Nike Cortez. It's an old classic, but it's worked for me for 40yrs.
Never heard of that one but it sounds perfect. Thanks!
kinvara
Skechers Go Run2, light, cushiony and supper flexible, plenty of toe room. For a little more sole Skechers Go Ride
I wouldn't recommend the Kinvara, as it's not the same shoe it was when it first came out. Saucony's updates have been terrible since the Kinvara 2. I have decently wide feet and they were incapable of fitting inside the Kinvara 4's (I even tried half a size up from my kinvara 3 size). I didn't like the Kinvara 3 much, so I decided to head in a different direction rather than just bulk-ordering Kinvara 3's. It's a shame because the Kinvara 2 was an EXCELLENT shoe. I can't give any good recommendations for the kind of shoe you're looking for as I went for more support rather than the same amount.
Some people really like the Kinvara 4 and say that it's somewhat of a return to the Kinvara 2, but the 4's just didn't work for me and I know several other people who were quite disappointed with them.
help me find a shoe please! wrote:
Some good suggestions so far, thanks. Bumping this to see if I can hear a few more recommendations.
Why don't you just go back to buying the earlier models?
help me find a shoe please! wrote:
It saddens me, because their earlier models worked so well for me. But they've just gotten heavier and narrower over the years, and now I want to break up.
Any advice for finding a shoe that is similar, but a bit lighter and with a wider toe box? I'm looking at Altras but I've read that some testers found them to have a "dead" feel that wasn't good for speedwork.
Any help would be much appreciated!
Which particular current Free (5.0, 4.0, 3.0) do you find really narrow?
It would help if you said which version you are using.....
I like the Nike Free 4.0 still. I also have New Balance 730V2 but they suck in my opinion. Floppy, and bad build quality.
I have a pair of the 3.0s. Bought them a little over a year ago.
And the version I was most happy with was on the market 4-5 years ago.
Distance Guru wrote:
Try the Nike Cortez. It's an old classic, but it's worked for me for 40yrs.
I actually got a pair not too long ago. It seemed much heavier than I remember. Does it seem the same to you as it was?