Biggest frustration with running shoes / shoe brands ?

I agree.

But that's how capitalism works these days.

Yeah, it's a shame....

I disagree on all of your points.

2) Who cares what you look like as long as you're crushing it!

Most of the shoes look pretty cool to me. Especially racing flats like the LT 4.

1) What's wrong with a lot of models? Would you rather have LESS choices?! That makes zero sense to me. Having options is fantastic! Who HATES having options?!?!

3) Getting shoes at a discount is awesome. Who doesn't like saving money? If you want to save money, you can ALWAYS buy the older models, so where's the issue here?

4) Most of the tinkering makes the shoes better: I have yet to see a single person complain about the Next% being WORSE than the 4%, because it's not. The next% is waaaay better.

@RhodiumNights

Haha, nice! I love to hear different opinions

On the choice one, I actually hate too much choice. I'd rather slimmer product line that is built for purpose, but that's just me!

What are your main gripes?

I have no major gripes.

I am amazed by all the fantastic running shoes out there, and I really enjoy trying new shoes and seeing what clicks. It's like a fun game that makes training even more interesting.

I suppose I wish the LT 4s would last longer, but give that they are a 5 oz racing flat, it's not surprising that they only last for 200 miles or so.

Oh now that I think about it I guess one gripe is the lack of availability in certain sizes, especially my size (10.5).

Shoe companies often sell out of this size very quickly which can be slightly frustrating.

I hate that they can't size shoes right. Seems that the EU should come up with a standard that mskes it illegal to label a shoe size wrong. Every brand seems to have their own way of measuring. Before you order, you have to know if that particular brand's sizing is too small, too narrow or too big.

vayu_running wrote:

What are your main grips with running shoes and running shoe brands?

1. I hate that each brand has sooooo many models. I was on Nike's website earlier and filterered on running shoes, then by road and found 83 models!!

2. They look ugly. Okay, they're supposed to perform well and that's it, but can somebody please take a look at the thing before it goes out the door and make sure it looks half-decent!?

3. The Bargain bucket mentality. Nike release a new pair at 150USD, 3 months later it's in the sale section at half the price. I know you're making money at 75USD a pair, so you're okay with me knowing i'm being ripped off.

4. The constant tinkering of models. If it ain't broke don't fix it!!

Rant over....What are some of your main frustrations?

I agree with 1 & 4, not with 2 & 3.

1. Actually let me be more specific. I don't really care about how many models they have, but I don't like it when they have a ton of models and don't do an adequate job communicating what is distinct about each model. They want to describe every model as being perfect with no downsides--every shoe in the range is "light, cushioned, supportive, fast, and will go for endless miles." They never want to just be honest about the tradeoffs, and so their description makes every model sound too similar. And it's even worse if they don't post the stats (weight, stack-height, etc.) that would let you research and try to figure out for yourself what the differences are. So my pet peeve about shoe makes is not how many models they have but how poorly they communicate what each model is for or what makes each model distinct from their other models.

2 & 3. don't bother me

4. Changing models every year is a big problem. Everyone's feet are unique and every shoe fits a little different. Finding a shoe that fits your feet just perfectly is such a wonderful thing, but it happens so rarely. And then when you do find a shoe that is a perfect match for your feet, they redesign it the next year and you have to start your search all over again! Extremely frustrating and so unnecessary. Stop changing all the shoes every freaking year! Maybe have some experimental models that change every year, but at least have some core models that stay the same for multiple years at a time.

Yeah interesting, I think zTAxB you're right, It's more about the fact that it's hard to differentiate between the models.

What other gripes do people have with the brands/shoes?

That nike has a shoe that’s actually good, but is always in such limited supply and expensive yet their other junk shoes still cost 2/3rds as much.

I hate that the Next% makes me feel I'm in better shape than I actually am. You set PR's easily, but when trying to train at similar paces in normal flats you can't keep up the pace since you don't have the energy return anymore.

They should just add that technology to all their shoes, so the difference isn't as much.

My biggest gripe is that shoe companies never explain who/what their models are for.

Please just tell us the demographic the product is aimed at: hobby, amateur, pro, etc

Nike has a lot of casual shoes which look like running shoes.

You have to end up reading tons of reviews to figure things out.

Just save us time and tell us exactly what the shoe is for: race, long run, recovery, tempo, etc...

King Tiger wrote:

My biggest gripe is that shoe companies never explain who/what their models are for.

Please just tell us the demographic the product is aimed at: hobby, amateur, pro, etc

Nike has a lot of casual shoes which look like running shoes.

You have to end up reading tons of reviews to figure things out.

Just save us time and tell us exactly what the shoe is for: race, long run, recovery, tempo, etc...

User error

OK, example:

Peg 37

Peg turbo

Epic React

React infinity

React miler

Vomero

These are all basically daily trainers, but which are good for tempos, long runs, recovery, races???

Nike doesn't really put much effort in differentiating these shoes.

React Miler WTF is that shoe for and why is it different from the Infinity?

Then you have to watch like a 10 min review on yt to figure it out.

And the reviews only come out long after the shoe release.

King Tiger wrote:

OK, example:

Peg 37

Peg turbo

Epic React

React infinity

React miler

Vomero

These are all basically daily trainers, but which are good for tempos, long runs, recovery, races???

Nike doesn't really put much effort in differentiating these shoes.

React Miler WTF is that shoe for and why is it different from the Infinity?

Then you have to watch like a 10 min review on yt to figure it out.

And the reviews only come out long after the shoe release.

I think almost all are good things. Buy solid shoes a year old. Sometimes they change a model just to change the model, as opposed to improving it.

It sounds like you just do not understand the market.

To answer your question:

Pegs.

Turbo or Next for workouts/races.

Just buy a trainer that suits you, flats to suit you and Nike's latest carbon for races.

The extra stuff is discount, streetwear or for people with issues like flat feet.

I agree about the constant tinkering with models, and the disappearance of models I like. I didn't discover the Nike Lunar Tempo 2 until it was already obsolete and there doesn't appear to be a Lunar Tempo 3. My favorite shoe but it's already gone.

I also wish more models were easy to find in a men's 7.5. I'm a woman, and the men's 7.5 is nominally equivalent to a woman's 9, which is a common size. But the default width for men's shoes fits me better, and I also usually prefer the men's colors.

Minor gripes. I've been running for 40+ years and shoes have improved tremendously over my running career.

Rhodium Nights wrote:

I suppose I wish the LT 4s would last longer, but give that they are a 5 oz racing flat, it's not surprising that they only last for 200 miles or so.

Ya, I wish they made a version with an upper that didn't rip and rubber on the sole like the streak 6-7 even if it were a bit heavier.

My biggest gripe is how nothing fits to form like the streak lt. There is always either too much room in the forefoot or the hell is too loose, or on rare ocassion, the shoe just can't be tied tight enough to lock down on the foot - like the eyelets are too far apart or something.

The heel cup flair on the nike pegasus. Doesn't secure my heel and results in ankle pain.

The split up the side of most nike shorts. Suddenly a 5" short becomes a 2" short.

Shorts which don't have side pockets.

Vaporfly next selling out all the time. Why not produce like 100,000 units?

bouncyfoam wrote:

The heel cup flair on the nike pegasus. Doesn't secure my heel and results in ankle pain.

The split up the side of most nike shorts. Suddenly a 5" short becomes a 2" short.

Shorts which don't have side pockets.

Vaporfly next selling out all the time. Why not produce like 100,000 units?

Running shorts should be 2-3". Don't buy the long running shorts and expect them to be good to run in. These are a hold over from when kids showed up to xc practice in basketball shorts because they didn't know any better or wanted to look cool. Some never grew out of this and want long running shorts.