If I’m not interested in it… I’m not going to cover it. Even if I get included in brands review cycles I’m still only going to cover what interests me. This won’t change. Also what I’m interested in often seems to not be the “mainstream” in the running world. Sometimes it is but often it’s far from it. Still I do want to cover why I’m not interested in something or explain my reasoning. Especially for things that come up over and over again. I start off making the content I wanted to watch… but I’m now enjoying the dialog with those who watch it. So I do see it as a conversation often.

Wrong. You can be a good reviewer of every shoe. By being honest. Not every shoe will suit everyone. But if it feels rubbish to you then just say that in the review. As you watch more reviews and buy more shoes you start to realise what reviewers tend to like similar shoes to You and what reviewers don’t like shoes that you do like. From that you can make a more informed decision. Whether a shoe excites you or is good for you is completely irrelevant. Triumph 20 did not excite me at all. Ended up with a free pair…. Turns out for me they’re the best daily trainer I’ve ever owned and I’m on my 5th pair. I was pumped for the superblast… turns out I hate that shoe. Being excited about a shoe holds zero relevance to the outcome of a review.

@@dbo4506 maybe, but you wouldn't be able to speak to durability, or whether the shoe has a break in period, or be able to be timely with reviews, unless you were running crazy mileage and all the different efforts etc etc. Just my wrong opinion.

Thank you for the support. I really appreciate it. 🤙🏻

I’ll keep fighting the good fight over here. There is a place for max stack but not every single shoes needs to be that. Same for soft vs firm… there is a time and place for both. There are some exciting lower stack shoes coming this year. Stay tuned. I’m going to focus in on many of them. Thank you for the support! 🤙🏻

I cannot wait to run in the SL2. I’m so curious how the new midsole will feel. I do think the SL2 will take over some of the work from the Mach 6, but here is another shoe that will directly take it all. Stay tuned! 🤙🏻 Thank you for the support. It means a lot!

🙏🏻

It will be up in the next 2 weeks. I’m absolutely in love with the shoe. It’s he more I run in the SNR, the more I adore it!

Thank you thank you. I hope the Vomero 17 is treating you well and you haven’t run into the same issue that I did. I know the Peg 40 and Vaporfly are treating you well… that’s just want they do!

Really looking forward to that one and the Adidas Pro 4

It should be, yes. However my hope is that they have tweaked it a bit as FFTurbo+ is softer and more flexible than FFTurbo… hoping the SB2 isn’t “soft”, cushioned yes, but not soft. I’m also hoping for FFBlast+ ECO… 🤞🏻

Cannot wait for this!

Almost the same ride, a bit responsive than the 1st but just a bit. Updated uppers.

Asics shouldn’t touch the midsole of the Superblast or only change it slightly, so there is less of a break-in period and concentrate on a much improved, grippier outsole and make the upper slightly more comfortable. Then they have the best running shoe ever!

Haha. Sometimes in a hurry and boom… shaving mishap… 🤷🏼‍♂️

People have been asking me about cover Topo. I’m aware of the brand but after so many years of barefoot shoes I’m over the wide toe boxes, at least for running. I like to feel locked into a shoe. I’m a fan of PEBA, when done right for the application. It’s one of the things that makes the Supernova Rise stand out so much, the foam. 24/34 and so very flexible in the forefoot (Streakfly flexibility). So so good. Totally agree on you Rebel v4 and Mach 6 takes. Are are more succinct than I. I’m hoping the Peg41s can be that faithful dog again for me…. 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻 Also… thank you for the support! 🤙🏻

They do have the black and orange outsoles…. Easy to tell apart new. There are also some leaked colorways coming for them. So you’ll be able to much and match.

@@SagasuRunning Ok, good to know.

I believe the new color way is dropping in June. 💪🏼🙏🏽👟😊🎌🇺🇸

Agreed. For the color blind like me I can’t really tell which is which.

Whoops Steve! Sorry!

@@jackkasperski2912 Who is Mike or Steve? 🤣

@SagasuRunning I'm so sorry! I never knew your first name! My deep felt apology.

@@jackkasperski2912 Ha! Hi, I’m Chris. 👋🏻

@@SagasuRunning Chris, thanks! I'm Jack

The last used and upper volume is too low on the Mach 6… but like you said on the run that disappears. The bigger issue is the Hoka sidewalls on the midsole forcing my foot to move in ways that are very unnatural. It’s a classic Hoka problem for me. Shoe disappearing on the foot is key… fully agree. 👍🏻

It’s interesting that you consider the MSEP soft. Have you ever run in a Nike Vaporfly? ZoomX is soft. FFTurbo+ is about directly between ZoomX and Lightstrike Pro for me. Not soft, nor firm. It’s a very good mix. I like soft if it’s ZoomX… if it’s not ZoomX and soft/squishy though… I’m not into it. For fast running I’m definitely leaning to firmer shoes lately. The Takumi Sen 10 feels great for that. I am working on 5k speed right now so I’m doing most of my fast running much faster than anything I do for a marathon.

It definitely will. Your notice how the roll of the shoe will help. I bet your HR will be a few bpm lower from the TS9 for the same effort. I have a 5x1k workout to do in the morning. Going to try it in the AP3. As always… thank you for your support! 🤙🏻

@@SagasuRunning I will let you know how it goes. I've been quite frustrated recently about the speed workout as I couldn't catch up the speed with those who used to train with me for theTokyo Marathon but they jumped to the 5K training when I was training for Boston. I felt I was 2 months lagged behind and they have made good progress. I hope my AP3 will be my game changer ;-)

@@SagasuRunning Hey, just to let you know that the AP3 works much better for my recent key workouts, especially tempo run and a short distance of 5K pace, like 400m, but I still cannot run the required 5K pace for a relatively longer distance such as 2K…Guess it is a matter of confidence. Yet, the AP3 works better than the TS9, especially when the workout is a mix of tempo and 5K pace.

I find the AP3 too rolling and too much foam for 400s… but I agree, I like to for everything else. I do think it’s better for longer racing, like half’s and fulls… but it’s no slouch for 5/10ks!

Ah, then 12mm may be a good idea for you. Something I would also recommend is maybe looking for the Ghost 15. That uses DNA Loft v2 foam, which is an outstanding foam that blends cushion with firmness. Honestly, it’s much better than v3. I’ll have my MSEP 100mi review up on the channel towards mid/late June.

I’m definitely finding the MSEP to be the optimal 5k shoe for myself. It’s really quite good. I had high expectations for the Paris series, but Asics has really crushed it here.

The fit is too tight and the shoe is too fast to be a good daily trainer. It works fine… but there are many better options for easy running. I’ll have a lot more to say about this in my next video.

@@SagasuRunning yes it's true, they are narrow, I had to go up half a size and it took me about 40 minutes to find the right size. And yes, it all depends on the pace at which you conduct your daily training, for me it’s 5 min/km or faster. And yes, if someone runs 5.30 or 6 min/km in them, they are unlikely to need these sneakers.

I do try wildcards… the Nimbus was one that didn’t work out but the Ghost Max was. Surprises definitely happen. As far as soft foams. I’m not totally off of them, the Supernova Rise is a rather soft and flexible shoe… but for anything fast, especially getting into my 5k range I’m definitely appreciate the firmer foams. I’m running by what feels fast and letting my data confirm (or decline) those feelings. I learn led that from your spreadsheets!

Really not for me. Literally everything I dislike + a bootie upper and a high heel collar… so not my thing at all. Plenty of others are covering it and will do it justice. I don’t find it very interesting and really won’t cover fit well.

Superblast 2 is definitely on the list, looking forward to it, even with all of the foam (I’ve got some interesting rotation ideas too). Nothing NB is currently on the list now for 2024. I’ll see if they tone down things in 2025 and go another direction (I doubt they will).

I tried the Wide Mach 6 when I tried the Skyward X… same issues, it’s only not much wider. The Cielo X1 fit me ok, I actually wish the fit of the Mach 6 and Cielo X1 were reversed. I’ll get more into it in my next video.

Also, AP3 midsole is the best below-feet feeling I’ve ever had, so agree with you on that foam. Perfection.

Agree fully on your A & B. The SL2 is one of the big ones I mentioned. I’m hoping we see it in June or July (pre Olympics). The A8 is a shoe I’m happy to take up to 10mi (16k) but not much more. I do like it on the track though, quite a bit.

So much yes… I’ve come around so much on LSP I may even give the PX3 a shot, depending on what they do there… just to see.

Yes, I currently live in Taipei (Beitou). Been here off and on for 15 years, but only lived here full time for the past 3. I will be doing a comparison between the SL2 and the Supernova Rise, definitely. Also comparing it to a few others (see my most recent video). I won't be doing a B12 vs TS10...but I've also kind of done it already. Check out my Saucony Endorphin Speed 4 vs Adidas Boston 12 video, here: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/fbdpmaqG3p6Wl30.htmlsi=vpRhuULkWuN4rW36 (I get into a comparison involving the TS10 in the "Performance trainer matrix" chapter at 15:15).

The SL2 also isn’t available here in Taiwan yet and no one at Adidas seems to know when to expect it. As soon as I get a pair I’ll be all over it on the channel.

After all of my years of barefoot shoes I just don’t love wide toe boxes for running. I want to feel more locked into the shoe, especially as a forefoot striker. Casual wear though… maybe. Topo is nonexistent here in Taiwan. However, I’ll take a look at them in Japan. No promises here… but I’ll check them out.

@SagasuRunning I think the problem with that whole space is that because it's customers tend to have abnormally wide feet that's what they get forced to cater to, although i don't think a normal running shoe isn't anatomically shaped. Though I'd say the lock down and fit of this shoe is closer to a standard peg than an altra. Other shoes that look interesting are the new peba tracksmith and tracksmith/puma collaboration.

Golden Harper recently did a podcast with Rick Rubin (on his Tetragammatron podcast) talking about what lead to the founding of Altra and his thoughts on running in anatomical shoes (not what you expect). It’s worth a listen if you are interested in this stuff.

Hmmm… the wide aspect is throwing me off. I also have a high arch but not really a wide forefoot (definitely not narrow either). I’m a BIG fan of the Adidas Supernova Rise, and they do make a wide version. It’s neutral with some very well considered structure (I’ll have an update video in the next week or two). The Adidas SL2, which should be out soon, will likely be the best basic neutral do anything trainer on the market. Need to run in it before I can confirm. The Puma Velocity Nitro 3 is also outstanding… but I’m not sure if there is a wide version of it. Those would be my current top 3.

No. The ship has sailed on Altra. Once Golden Harper left… it wasn’t the same company. I was vaguely interested in the new Escalante, as I have found memories of them from way back, but tried on the new one and it’s not anywhere the same as it was. So I will unlikely be covering Altra on this channel, ever.

I find ZoomX too soft now… hahaha. Basically that. It still feels great running but I’m now much preferring LSP and FFTurbo+… thought I do appreciate the “sink in” of ZoomX. Struggling with that a bit in the MSEP on cambered of uneven roads. The AP3 gives me no issues now that I’m used to them.

@@SagasuRunning Yeah, it was surprising a bit cos I don't find Rebel V4 too soft, nut much softer then Vaporfly 3 which you liked so much.

They are similar but the foam in the Rebel v4 is so much more spongy than ZoomX. It has none of the resiliency of ZoomX to save it. Plus there is no plate in the shoe to help give it structure.

I felt the Rebel v4 was a very dull shoe for me, I got nothing out of it. In terms of interesting shoes, the Wave rebellion 2 has blown me away, didn’t think I would like it, but the shoe just works for me, effortlessly propelling me forward but not in a springy way, it is quite a smooth ride when you get used to it. The foam isn’t mushy either.

Good to know. It seems like many brands are doing that here lately. I’ll keep my eye out to see if the Saucony retail footprint changes at all.

Ya, there was SO much hype around them after TRE last year too…

I mean they are very low stack for shoes currently. Around 24mm in the forefoot. The airbag can cause discomfort for some too.

Not a race, a TT… but likely the Metaspeed Edge Paris as it feels the fastest and so far my data says it’s the most efficient option. Things could change. We will see.

I’ll get there. I’ve heard rumors of an Elliot Runner 2… waiting to see what’s going on there. I am curious.

There is definitely an Eliot Racer with a replaceable midsole/insole unit coming. Tracksmith also started selling replacement pebax insole units for the Eliot Runner to “refresh” them which is kind of interesting but my experience is the outsole is quite worn by the point where I would consider relaxing the insole. Also having had more than one pair of different colorways of the Eliot it seems pretty clear to me that the natural color rubber on the navy, ivory, and black colorways is significantly softer and more grippy in adverse conditions than the grey rubber on the wine versions which is also good but more durable. I have a navy pair and a ivory/wine pair both with around 600km but the forefoot rubber is totally down to the foam totally gone in my highest contact patch on the natural color rubber and worn but not totally gone in the grey rubber. Tracksmith doesn’t talk about this but it is kind of interesting. I have not tried the gold colorway with black outsole rubber.

The ER2 was tied to the Elliot Racer, sharing some of the same midsoles… so I’ve heard. Not sure how real that was. Natural gum rubber will always be better for grip over carbon rubber… but durability usually suffers.

It’s rare that tan “natural” colored rubber is actually natural rubber. I think it is interesting that Tracksmith is using different outsole compounds that have different wear and grip characteristics without mentioning it at all. They seem to have made the decisions for aesthetic reasons not the performance differences. The original design was the natural rubber and only the latest colorway interactions have the tinted rubber outsoles.

Natural as in no carbon added to make it last longer. I grew up a skateboarder and gum outsoles, mostly synthetic, where always the best grip on the board. There is a reason Vans uses it quite heavily and when you see a “skate” version of a classic Nike or Adidas shoe it is natural colored.

You and me both!

Mobile is its own thing. Oddly 720 on module doesn’t look as bad as 720 on the desktop. 🤷🏼‍♂️

@@SagasuRunning Ah okay. Just wanted to let you know

🙏🏻🙏🏻

I am… excited for something good from Nike to come out soon, it’s been a while. 🤞🏻

Probably Nike shoe fan, not Nike company fan.