Who make the WORST running shoes out there now?

Starter.

I'd say overall Nike, but I'm referring to their trainers and not flats or spikes. Shoot, even add in their flats and spikes......their trainers are so bad that they offset the few good pairs of shoes they make. Bottom line, making 5 pound shoes with springs in them should put you at the top of this list.

I'd say Nike too. Some of the spikes are good and I like their clothes, but their running shoes are no good. When I was visiting colleges, I decided against one solely because one of the girls was running intervals in pink Nike Shox. I knew they weren't serious.

Shox are terrible, but I've run in the 02 Pegasuseses and the air span triax as well, I liked both. There are SOME good Nike trainers out there.

Seriously though, intervals in shox? Wow, that's bad. When I was in school the guy's team got shox but they were only for walking around in, they got of pegasuseses for actual training.

macker wrote:

I'd say overall Nike, but I'm referring to their trainers and not flats or spikes. Shoot, even add in their flats and spikes......their trainers are so bad that they offset the few good pairs of shoes they make. Bottom line, making 5 pound shoes with springs in them should put you at the top of this list.

Are those sold to serious runners?

Nike sponsors roughly 60% of America's pro track athletes. You think that 60% of America's Olympic hopefuls are running in crap?

Every major company (Nike, Asics, NB, adidas, Brooks, Mizuno, Saucony, Rbk) make very good shoes that they spend a lot of time and money designing, and htey also make crappy shoes that are put together without any thought and are sold to the masses at $40 a pair at BIG 5.

I have always run in nike's but over the last 2 years or so the shoes that nike are making are complete crap. I think they should just get back to basics with good cushioning and uppers instead of the crappy midsoles and uppers that they use at the moment.

My own personal fave at the moment is the Moire+. I know it is supposed to be used with the ipod but it is great for general running. Lightweight and comfortable, just needs a little more cushioning in the forefoot.

Nike. Nike shoes are Not good in terms of the quality and fit.

A team that is sponsored by Nike: a majority of the runners on that "Nike team" wear NON-NIKE shoes during training and only wear Nike shoes when racing. If that's any indication of how bad it is, then I don't know what is.

loco

For the most part you're correct, minus Mizuno. They have the highest average price point and just this year debuted a shoe with a MSRP under 84.99.

Consumer Banshee wrote:

I offer a tie: Etonic and New Balance.

Have you ever even worn New Balance? There's no way they're even in the running, nevermind tied for the worst shoes made. Some aren't the best, but they make a few that are pretty darned solid. Nike is a little more sellout with some gimmick type stuff but even they aren't in the running for the worst made.

You're talking a whole other level of quality when you get to Etonic, Starter, and so on.

When talking trainers, no one has great shoes across the board but as running brands they fall into tiers:

1) Asics, Brooks, Mizuno, Saucony, New Balance

2) Nike, Reebok, Adidas, Puma

3) Loco, Spira, Vitruvian, and all the other startups, Etonic probably falls in here

4) Starter, Champion, Sketchers, all the JC Penney knockoff brands

runshoetester wrote:

Nike. Nike shoes are Not good in terms of the quality and fit.

Some nike shoes are okay (pegasus) and a majority of people think their spikes are the best you can get, but saying they don't fit well is just bollocks.

Are those sold to serious runners?

Nike sponsors roughly 60% of America's pro track athletes. You think that 60% of America's Olympic hopefuls are running in crap?

Every major company (Nike, Asics, NB, adidas, Brooks, Mizuno, Saucony, Rbk) make very good shoes that they spend a lot of time and money designing, and htey also make crappy shoes that are put together without any thought and are sold to the masses at $40 a pair at BIG 5.

I thought the sponsored runners always had shoes custom designed by their company...not the retail stuff we wear. They may wear Nike but not the same Nike that we think are crap. I can't say that I've spotted those Shox on a pro.

Nike (trainers) and Mizuno.

I really hate Mizuno shoes. Unresponsive and a very bad fit in my experience. There is a well-known coach in my area who hypes Mizuno all the time so I tried 2 pairs and I was very disappointed. I've found this coach to be a little dishonest about it...

Favorite brands: Asics and Brooks. Nike for spikes.

Timberland

never liked New Balance mostly because of the way they lace up.

I have to disagre with you about New Balance. I definitely think they're in the running for worst shoes. Most of the models I see are really stiff and bulky and for me, that's a bad shoe.

Mizuno is all I wear now. They fit like a glove right out of the box. I suppose people just have different shaped feet. Maybe you were wearing the wrong type of shoe. Asics makes high quality running shoes, but they never fit my heel and ankle. They always fit too loose and cause blisters on the backs of my heels.

Tiers make sense, I guess but I've never had a problem with adidas and really like them....As for New Balance, they have never fit me right so I've never purchased a pair but every shoe company should follow them in regards to the shoelaces they use.....

bstnrunner wrote:

Are those sold to serious runners?

Nike sponsors roughly 60% of America's pro track athletes. You think that 60% of America's Olympic hopefuls are running in crap?

Every major company (Nike, Asics, NB, adidas, Brooks, Mizuno, Saucony, Rbk) make very good shoes that they spend a lot of time and money designing, and htey also make crappy shoes that are put together without any thought and are sold to the masses at $40 a pair at BIG 5.

I thought the sponsored runners always had shoes custom designed by their company...not the retail stuff we wear. They may wear Nike but not the same Nike that we think are crap. I can't say that I've spotted those Shox on a pro.

They wear the same Pegasus, Elite, Structure Triax, whatever. They'll have custome spikes (Kennedy upper and Eldoret spike plate, for ex), but they wear the same "crappy" trainers as everyone else.

Do you know how many runners Nike sponsors and what the cost would be to do individual trainers for every one of them? Especially given the mileage that some of them run?