Death knell for Hoka??!!

There are two problems with hokas I’ve had. The first of which is the heel drop is lower(4mm or lower I believe) than my previous trainers. I had the same problem with altras(0mm drop). Caused plantar fasciitis within a week of beginning training. It’s not that we are meant to run in 12mm Heel drop shoes naturally but the shoes most of us grow up wearing have higher heel drops which reduce foot strength so we end up with injuries(in my case, plantar fasciitis) when we run on low drop shoes.

The second problem I had was the shoes(Clifton’s) are so thick that your foot can’t feel the ground and thus your foot will land improperly and this caused the majority of the landing shock to load onto my gastroc causing a strain. After months of believing the problem was me I switched back to Adidas and Brooks shoes and i have never felt better running. Both brands have a higher heel drop and don’t have the same kind of overcushioning and foot rocker that the hokas have and thus you can actually feel the ground when you run and your feet will land properly because of this.

wow! Statistics clearly show that cars kill over a million people every year, yet we continue to drive cars.

Pete Zaria wrote:

wow! Statistics clearly show that cars kill over a million people every year, yet we continue to drive cars.

That's because Nike invented shock absorbers. If they hadn't been invented, the feedback from the road would make everyone drive with perfect form and there would never be any accidents or injuries.

go with namebrands. wrote:

Nike/New Balance/Brooks/Asics/Adidas- those are the brands you go with.

Add Saucony to this list. Their gear is great. I was an Asics guy for close to 30 years with a bit of Addidas every now and then. Asics has really gone down hill lately in my opinion. I have switched to Saucony and feeling like I am back in my Asics if years ago. Really good stuff, that Saucony.

Forgot about Saucony too as a good namebrand.

Hoka is not a namebrand. Real runners can feel the difference. Ultra running is such a small sport, and all the marketing they’re doing can’t make up for the fact they make s***** shoes. Maybe you can get away with crap shoes on trails or the weekend road warriors, but putting in big miles on road you need quality, well built shoes.

What happened with Asics? How did they fall out of favor so fast?

Studies don't prove anything. People have used studies to validate wearing little barefoot shoes, while others use studies to say they want to wear big ole' pillowy shoes. In the end, it really comes down to each individual and their own unique situation (age, weight, experience, mileage, etc., etc.). Man makes the shoe, shoe don't make the man.

Have no idea what happened, I just know the last three pairs of Asics I owned we're the worst shoes ever. And I have had many shoes. The final straw for me was the Cumulus 18. ABSOLUTELY HANDS DOWN THE WORST PAIR OF TRAINERS I HAVE EVER HAD.

Then I got some Saucony Triumphs. I spent over $100 for the Cumulus 18s, but can pick up Triumph for about $60. The Triumphs feel like the old Nimbus I used to where when I was training for marathons back in the day. Wearing the Triuph ISO 3 now and LOVE THEM! I got them for $53, which is unheard of for higher end Asics.

I also picked up a pair if Endorphin spikes and love them, too. They aren't quite as nice as my 2001 Puma Harambees but close.

Meb won boston in Sketchers. How many times have you won boston you idiot?

KNOCK KNOCK

WHOS THERE?

YOU'RE AN IDIOT!

MeHereYouWhere?! wrote:

What happened with Asics? How did they fall out of favor so fast?

Too conservative. They have their fans but their shoes are boring and heavy.

If soccer moms doing C2K love their ASICs, there's little motivation for the company to make changes.

Not to mention they keep their good shoes for the Japanese (and European, to a lesser degree) market and send the fatboy shoes here.

MEB WON BOSTON IN SKETCHERS wrote:

Meb won boston in Sketchers. How many times have you won boston you idiot?

KNOCK KNOCK

WHOS THERE?

YOU'RE AN IDIOT!

PS - It's SKECHERS, not "Sketchers."

You pay enough for a study you'll get the results you want before you pay for the results of the study.

NTSA wrote:

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pxnmh45krh4/VCdnYWnqM1I/AAAAAAAAEdA/Y_FN2mpNq7o/s1600/AWJEEZ.JPG

Really? Are we going to debate this for the thousandth time?

Good one mate!!

To run in 70's shoes,

one must be 70's skinny.

- ASICS proverb

Common sense guy wrote:

I got injured in my first pair of Hoka's

I got injured in my last pair of Nike's....back when the Pegasus went to a lower heel. Switched to Hoka's and have been injury-free for 5 years.

What about Mizuno? Any good?

There is whole boatload of crap written on this thread. Where do you think the designers at Nike go? Or do they stay at one company for a career? Same goes for all the companies. The guy who designed your Skechers gorun probably spent some time at Nike or Adidas or Brooks. The guy who designed your Zooms probably spent time at Saucony or Puma or..... it's a merry go round.

As for quality control... they are produced in factories in Vietnam and China who handle multiple contracts, so they might be making shoes for a number of manufacturers at one time.

I've had badly madd inconsistent shoes from Adidas just like I have from Altra and I've had great shoes from Altra and great shoes from adidas.

It's mass production and it's design by committee. Wake up.

go with namebrands. wrote:

Yeah, you must be a hobby jogger who buys into the Hoka marketing crap. Real runners putting in the miles know the difference. Namebrands make better quality products and lighter shoes that keep you healthy, period.

Which one do you work for? Nike? Nice try, trying to act like you aren’t a competitor.

You also don’t know what you are talking about- Hokas aren’t heavy. I have worn Nike, brooks, adidas, ASICS, and now I love the Hokas for 75 mpw.

Anyone here have experience with On Running shoes? A Swiss athletic shoe company.