What rhymes with Shoe?….REVIEW

Welcome back, we will present another direction this week in form of a shoe review. As the run club has grown we have been fortunate enough to attract amazing brands, which results in getting to test some gear. As a bit of a product nerd, I hope you can take something away from this when looking for your next trail shoe.

Originally this was going to be a post just about one shoe, however I think doing a side by side comparison of two very similar shoes will help better inform you into making a solid purchase. The chosen shoes are both trail specific “super shoes” and were both tested on the same trail with the same weather conditions. 18km with a mix of technical downhills, steep climbs, loose gravel and road. 

NORDA 005 VS ADIDAS TERREX AGRAVIC SPEED ULTRA.

*SUPER SHOES

refers to a race day specific shoe, something relatively new to trail running, where with road running they are pretty well known. Usually lighter, more responsive and less durable then a daily trainer.

First things first,  the names alone make one considerably more easy to remember. Let’s break this into 3 categories. 

FEEL ( hows it feel to run in )

005- As an avid user of Norda this shoe felt incredible from the beginning. Their 001 model is nearly perfect once you figure out sizing it’s really hard to want anything more. With the 005 they improved nearly everything to make the transition seamless. It’s lighter, breathes and empties water faster, has a really nice bounce on road and grip that gives you confidence to let it do the work on any rough terrain. It truly is magic. It’s also expensive so maybe that turns you off.

ATASU- At first this shoe felt like their road super shoe with grip. It feels fast but a little unstable when either walking or navigating off camber terrain. It took a few Km’s and some ankle tweaks before figuring out how this shoe wanted to run. It wants to run fast on less technical terrain. I would say it’s the perfect shoe for flowerboy runs or anybody who runs to the trail. It feels so fast and easy to run in when its flat and there isn’t much surefooted-ness needed.

GOOD- (where does this shoe rule)

005-  Going downhill! The space for your toes ( I love toe socks in these shoes )is something special. It was literally the only time I’ve ran a long trail and my toes were happy at the end. For me the heel hold is great and I love how snug the tongue is. Grip is perfect and it performs well on the road. 

ATASU- Running fast. It just begs for you to be on your toes and aggressive. If you do this the shoe just goes. It gives back energy very well. The grip on uphills was great and the upper was super snug and didn’t cause any trouble. Also the sawtooth laces stay tied all day. 

BAD- (what could be improved )

005-  I get Norda’s positioning. It’s expensive for a reason. I think what can be improved here isn’t much in the shoe itself but in the brand narrative and storytelling around the shoe. Norda focused heavily on what goes into the shoe and not necessarily the feeling you get when wearing the shoe.

ATASU- I wasn’t a big fan of the way the energy rods feel underfoot. I’m not convinced that you need anything stiff underfoot. Especially in technical terrain where your foot is doing so much random stuff that this shoe seems to over react in times it just needs to help.  If you are a heel striker at all I would look elsewhere.

Who is it for?  -  A lot of reviews miss this. Although the shoe might not be your cup of tea, who is it good for?

005-  Any previous user of Norda will appreciate. If you have a wide foot and like premium materials this shoe is for you.

ATASU-  If you like Adidas road shoes you will like these. A narrow foot and someone who likes to run on the road and some single track or basically any road in Bali would appreciate what this shoe has to offer. It feels like a road shoe with grip.

There is alot of technical jargon I saved you from in this review and decided to just keep it simple. If it matters I bought the Nordas full price and the Adidas were gifted. 

Let us know if there is anything you want reviewed. I was thinking of a sock review and can likely do a deep dive into Satisfy in the near future. 

Thanks for your time and hope to run together soon.