All shoes with carbon plate are roughly the same. All track spikes are roughly the same. Don't waste your money.

You said that it is impossible for carbon plates or spikes to make you faster. What is it that you are comparing with carbon plates and spikes?

I'd think wearing nothing on your feet makes a pretty good baseline for how fast a person is. A person will certainly run faster by wearing a stiff, lightweight pair of spikes. I also contend that a person will run faster at distance wearing a pair of Nikes carbon fiber shoes than wearing no shoes at all.

You don't agree? Please explain.

Can't really speak for trainers as I'm so out of date but in terms of spikes there are definitely differences.

Bad Wigins wrote:

It's impossible for a carbon plate to make you run faster. It's just not how the mechanics work.

What's the point of a CF plate then?

Bad Wigins wrote:

Ho Hum wrote:

Hmm, another garbo opinion from BW.

It's called a fact, and you haven't disputed it.

It's called an assertion, and you haven't supported it. The only analysis you've given is about sprinting, which has different mechanics than distance running (and is also wrong).

For carbon plates, we're left to just trust you that "it's just not how the mechanics work".

Ho Hum wrote:

Bad Wigins wrote:

It's called a fact, and you haven't disputed it.

It's called an assertion, and you haven't supported it. The only analysis you've given is about sprinting, which has different mechanics than distance running (and is also wrong).

For carbon plates, we're left to just trust you that "it's just not how the mechanics work".

Actually, Wigins' first two sentences are an example of begging the question. In other words, he assumes that his premise is true, and "justifies" it with an exceedingly weak argument. The first sentence assumes that the second sentence is a foregone and correct fact.

Here is a fact that should surprise no one:

Bad Wigins is an idiot!

Hardloper wrote:

supragraf wrote:

Hoka isn’t 0 drop. Carbon X is 5mm. Alphafly is 4mm....

"Zero-drop" normally means 3-5mm, though I did not know the Alphafly was only 4mm

When has anyone ever said zero drop is 3-5mm? Zero is zero, not five. The poster that mentioned zero drop was talking about the carbon rocket.

Supported Assertion wrote:

Here is a fact that should surprise no one:

Bad Wigins is an idiot!

Were you really sitting around frustrated for 5 months? Pathetic. Get over it.

Running's about maintaining forward momentum, not bouncing. Not one rebuttal has appeared yet.

You're telling me that all the people creaming their pants over which shoes make the podium or not in major races, having heated brand vs brand wars, and refuse to accept the fact that there is no major difference between the high level marathon racers are being silly? No way...

Ho Hum wrote:

Bad Wigins wrote:

It's impossible for a carbon plate to make you run faster. It's just not how the mechanics work.

It's also nigh impossible for spikes to make you any faster, unless you're fast enough out of blocks to take advantage of the extra leverage. Otherwise they're as likely to slow you down as speed you up. Once you hit top speed you're more avoiding braking force than accelerating, and then it's better for a badly time footstrike to skid forward a bit than immediately stick to the track.

Hmm, another garbo opinion from BW.

He’s just a troll. His whole schtick is to say blatantly false things in a way that makes people think he has actually considered and believes what he wrote. He’s been at it a long time, which is surprising because I don’t think anybody but him has ever really cared for his posts. Just a guy amusing himself while everybody else kind of looks on with distaste. Oh well.

Bad Wigins wrote:

Supported Assertion wrote:

Here is a fact that should surprise no one:

Bad Wigins is an idiot!

Were you really sitting around frustrated for 5 months? Pathetic. Get over it.

Running's about maintaining forward momentum, not bouncing. Not one rebuttal has appeared yet.

possibly the worst troll job post I've seen on LetsRun in 2021.

carbon fiber plates absorb impact, preventing wear and tear on muscles, giving way more energy back into the legs, and with lesser fatigue, there's more energy for forward momentum. I'm not a scientist. this isn't complicated.

it's essentially changing the rules of the sport. you might as well be riding a bike.