Racing Flat Suggestions

I also had and loved the Rats Racers. But the subsitutes you've listed, while good, are not nearly the same shoe. I don't know about the New Balance RC 750, but the Cubato and Streak are significantly lighter than the the Racers and have noticeably less cushioning.

Saucony Fastwitch Endurance might be a good choice for a substitute. And have you tried the current Adidas flat the Supernova Comp? It seems somewhat similar to the Rats Racer, though I never have tried it.

Also, take a look at the Mizuno flats. Particularly the Aero and the Revolver. I have the revolvers and I like them. They're not the same as the Rats, but since I liked both shoes, you might too.

I think the Nike Air Streak Ekiden and/or Air Streak Spectrum Plus (virtually identical to each other) are probably the most similar to the Rats Racer. You'll probably notice that the Nikes are a little firmer feeling, and have a bigger, stiffer plastic plate in the arch. Other than that, they're quite similar.

The Cubato is quite a bit lighter and "floppier" (a nice shoe, but not really anything like the Rats Racer).

The Streak might be sort of similar except for the medial posting, but I think the most similar Nike would probably be the Ekiden or Spectrum.

I don't know anything about the NB 750. The NB 550 and Asics Tiger Paw might also be worth a try. They're comparable to the Rats Racer, but I think both are a little more flexible and less bouncy feeling.

Some of the newer Adidas racing flats (Response Comp?) might be worth checking out. I don't know anything about any of them, except that the medial post on the Supernova Comp is ridiculously big and firm. I like the midsole feel of most Adidas shoes, and I think that'll be hard to find in any of the Nike, NB, or Asics flats that I mentioned.

Sorry, forgot one. I think the Fila Racer is also quite similar to the Rats Racer in cushioning, fit, and weight. It doesn't have the characteristic Adidas bouncy ride, but its otherwise reasonably similar. The Fila Racer is actually one of the flats that I have liked best so far - I preferred it over the Rats Racer.

if talking about racing flats, the best are the nike vapors...hands down.

liketorun wrote:

if talking about racing flats, the best are the nike vapors...hands down.

I never liked the Vapors, but whether they're good or bad isn't important. The guy is asking for something similar to the Rats Racers and the Vapors are absolutely nothing like them.

I am currently using the Adidas Response Competition..very good shoe

The Air Streak Vapor is actually my favorite racing shoe; however, I didn't mention them because as AJ said, they're nothing like the Rats Racer.

Yeow, I had no idea that there were so many shoes called "Air Streak xxxxx". I saw Air Streak II's. Is "Air Streak" Nike-speak for "racing shoe"? Are they all so different?

For the record, I also had a pair of Adidas Adios (not bad, but not as good as the Rats), and a pair of the original (1998?) ASICS Gel Magic Racers (preferred both the Adidos and Rats).

I've had good luck with the Rats in everything from 5k to half-marathon. I also do my speed (track) work in them.

The "Air Streak" (without anything else on the end of the name is the older version of the "Air Streak II". They're both white with green trim. They have a hard, plastic arch plate

These are a decent marathon shoe but they're about 1.5 to 2.0 ounces lighter than the Rats Racers. Their outsole gets chewed up pretty easily though and they don't have as much cushioning. I liked mine, but after I was done with them, I was happy to move on to other shoes.

The response comp is the new version of the rats racer.

How does someone relatively new at this determine which flats are sufficiently "minimalist" and which are simply stripped down trainers? Some flats still have control devices and some still appear to have large heels--is there any simple method to help me sort out this madness?

Why can't they leave a good shoe alone???!!!!