What are some good long distance spikes?

Matumbos.

The new Saucony lineup is sick! They are the lightest spikes out and feel like sex.

NoBrainer wrote:

The new Saucony lineup is sick! They are the lightest spikes out and feel like sex.

there not the lightest line up but they are right in that low 4ounce and under range. i like the looks of the new endorphins tho, saucony finally seems to be getting there stuff together.

to answer the op, if you do mostly 3k then matumbos are a good choice. but if youre going to be running 800 and 1500 in them, then you'd be better off with the victories as the matumbos arent agressive enough and the victories are good at 3k. not as much protection though so your legs might feel a bit more beat up after.

i'd say go with the mambas though as theyre a good in between shoe, more on the agressive side but with good protection as well as being comftorable. milers are also a good choice as they offer great comfort and protection without sacrificing aggression. about 2 ounces heavier than both matumbos and victories.

if you want to use different brands though, saucony endorphin md is a good spike (based off the miler plate) or any one of the new saucony lineup. addidas cadence is a good spike as well, not as much for the 800m but the 1500 and 3k holds up well. not a very agressive spike but good protection as well as comfort and responsiveness for its weight and lack of agression.

Hey man, you seem to know your spikes. So what would you recommend for someone (me) who hasn't done many track races in recent years, and is looking to get back on the track for a couple 800 indoor races? One of the saucony choices? (i'd certainly like something light, but wouldn't mind a little comfort/support/cushion since my legs are not very track ready)

for the 800, get vics. Unless you think you'll do longer stuff for outdoors or later in the season for indoors. Then maybe consider the tumbos.

for 1500 and up - you guys think there is any benefit to wearing spikes on a synthetic track if I am running 5 minute per mile pace? I have a pair of streak xcs which I like a lot, and I just don't see how spikes would add anything at my pace.

HS Senior wrote:

for the 800, get vics. Unless you think you'll do longer stuff for outdoors or later in the season for indoors. Then maybe consider the tumbos.

What are the differences between the Vics and Tumbos? Personally, I use the Vics and I love them.

I would personally recommend a pair of milers if you can find them as they are aggressive yet comfortable for an indoor track as well as offering good protection and have a wide range being useful up to 3k, 5k and longer i feel they lose that affectiveness. victories are also very agressive but they dont hold up on the turns as well, imho, due to lack of stiffness in the middle. victories are always a good choice though, as are mambas. mambas are better for an outdoor 800 as they have great responsiveness and have a good "pop" to them but are still great for indoors. out of those three for indoors I'd say go for milers if you can find a pair in your size

from the saucony line, I'd say go for it if you feel like it. I tend to lean more towards nike spikes personally, but if you want to branch out more with brands then go for it. The saucony endorphins (md version for you as you do the 800) were based off a nike spike. Lightweight, good responsiveness and comfortable, but not as aggresive as the vitories. the new endorphin line up seems promising and I'm looking to try them out at some point.

you said you dont want your legs to get beat up so your willing to sacrifice some weight for protection. in that case you should definitely give the mambas a look at as the lack of aggression they have compared to the victories allows your legs to not get beat up as easily. they also have thicker midsole foam and a more flexible forefoot plate. what they lack in agression (compared to victories) theyll make up for in their responsiveness and protective qualities. best part is they are still in that 4 ounce range without sacrificing too much protection. so between the mambas and milers is where i would look in terms of protection while retaining either/or agression/responsiveness.

if you like your current spikes then there is no reason for you to switch unless you feel thats whats preventing you from getting faster, which from the sounds of things you dont seem to think. theres always going to be some benefit, whether it be physical, mental, or by some other means, to wearing a quality pair of spikes but its whatever you take out of it.

spikes are meant as an assistance to running faster, not the means by which we do. the most important thing is the person in the spikes, after that it comes down to how you feel about them (comfort-wise, performance-wise, and whatever else you feel will get the job done). if you like running in the streaks (i'm assuming the flats, not the cross version?) then go for it. Its really a preference thing, I for one prefer to run most xc courses in flats unless i cant get any traction. at higher speeds i'd say that spikes definitely start to have a benefit but it never hurts to give something new a try every now and again.

if you want to gives spikes a try, maybe you could go about in a progression manner. start off with cross spikes, just to get used to the idea of running with spikes and then work from there.

I'll offer any opinions people want on spikes but just remember that it comes down to how you feel wearing them.

anyone have any input on the Saucony Endorphin LD 2 and how they compare the Victory, Matumbo, and the Mamba?

anyone have any input on the Saucony Endorphin LD 2 and how they compare the Victory, Matumbo, and the Mamba?

Hi thanks for all the input, could anyone tell me how the Mizuno Osaka 5 compares to the Nike Matumbos/Mambas and to the Saucony Endorphins?

Thanks your advice is much appreciated.

the endorphin lds are the same thing plate wise as the md's just minus two spikes and have more of a heel to them, but not that much more.

comparatively, i think there like an ounce and a half heavier than the victories and matumbos, about the sameas the mamba's. not an incredibly aggressive spike but has a comfortable, light upper and a solid feel to the plate and has some decent snap to it on toe off. if i had to choose between either the matumbo or the endorphin's, i'd go with the matumbos due to them being lighter and offering the same protection if not more (and i'm pretty sure they offer more. if price is an issue tho, then endorphins.

compared to the matumbos they are heavier but not by much and get you on your toes a bit more and have a decently stiff full lenght plate. aggression i've heard they are about the same as the eldoret II's. they will definitely get you more on your toes due to the negative heel so at that point it would make more sense to just get the md's as they are more aggressive, maybe .2 or.3 ounces heavier, and are the same from there.

victories are definitely more aggressive but not as stiff due to the forefoot only plate whereas as the mambas have the same snap as them, maybe a touch less but are more responsive and offer slightly more protection.

Ok thanks that was really helpful, think I will go with the Matumbos

Does anyone know if eastbay will ship Nike Zoom Matumbos to Canada? I checked some other websites and they didn't and you can't get them in Canada apparently

I personally love the Saucony Endorphin LD 2, its my favorite track spike. You can't go wrong with the Mautumbos but I think the Endorphin LD 2 are a better value for what you are paying for them.

@JB would it be fine to wear the streak XC's on the track for say a 3200?

What about the puma slx zone?