ASICS Gel Nimbus 20

Product Review - Asics Gel Nimbus 20 - 28th March 2018

When taking advice about any runner or reading review like this, you should always consider the perspective that the writer is coming from when doing a review. Mainly for runners, you need to know what runner the writer regularly runs in, this will give you an idea of when he/she says "soft", "spacious" etc, how that compares with your definition of the same.

For me, although I have around 5 different runners, at present, my 'go-to' runner for the past few years has been the Asics Cumulus. I will include this in comparisons below, along with other runners.

About the Nimbus

The Nimbus has always been Asics soft runner and probably the choice runner for marathon runners around the world. In the last version, the Nimbus 19, Asics introduced their Flytefoam technology to the Nimbus and made it a much firmer runner. So if you have been running in the Nimbus for years and have yet to make the move to a pair of 19's or 20's, you might need to prepare yourself for a change. It's not the soft cushion it once was.

Narrow vs Wide

I'm told also told that the latest Nimbus is much narrower than previous versions. This is one of those situations where perspective is important. To me the Nimbus 20 feels like a wide base runner, this would be compared to the Cumulus and especially the GT-2000. I've actually put them all 'sole-to-sole' and it's especially true in the forefoot.

So if you are used to Nimbus, it's narrower, if you are used to other runners, it's probably wider. But what does that mean? Well the positive is more stability on the longer runs. The negative, but maybe this is in my head, is that the others would be better for speed.

Airy vs Porous

The engineered mesh is a very open, designed to be more breathable and flexible. And it certainly delivers on this. So if you are a runner who suffers from heat in your feet, and there are many, this is a brilliant update.
A word of caution though, it's not just the air that gets through, I took them out in the rain one day and my feet were soaked!

My Nimbus 20's in the cold weather in Cork, then in the very hot temperatures in Florida, the famous 10 mile clay loop. The airy structure was good here. See Instagram for more.

What I liked

These are a great runner to take out on longer runs. Although they may not be as soft as previous versions, they had plenty of softness for me. And they have a good solid structure, so still an ideal runner for marathoners. 

What I didn't like

I won't be using them for short races, but to be fair I don't think that's where Asics are positioning them. There are far better runners in the Asics line that are built for speed. 

I also wasn't mad about the wet weather performance, as I'm ok with the standard level of ventilation of other runners.

Final Verdict

There's not a huge difference between Nimbus and Cumulus, but you can expect to see these Nimbus 20 on my for the Dublin Marathon this year!

Nike+ Running App - Changed for the Worse

The Nike Running App is one of the most popular downloads for runners and general fitness enthusiasts for years. It has tens of millions of installs on Google Play and IOS. I've used it myself on occasion, I have the Nike+ sportswatch, and used the app if I forgot the watch.

Change - and nobody's happy about it!

Recently Nike decided to completely re-vamp the app saying that it was being designed "for runners, by runners" (I thought that only race directors had copyright on that phrase!). But the response hasn't been good, and they've angered their large base of users.

What's Changed?

So the main functions are still in place, it'll track your route with GPS and measure distance and pace. What they have changed is things like sharing, challenges and coaching. The first two are a bit of an annoyance for the user really, if you like sharing on social media, then it's now become really difficult. If you got involved with challenges within the community (which were very popular), then these have been replaced by hashtags, which seem pretty crappy. 

But most importantly in my opinion, if you were following one of the coaching plans, you just lost all your historic progress. For me, that's one thing that would mean a swift delete of the app, and download the Runkeeper / Strava / MapMyRun.

With Asics recently acquiring Runkeeper for $85M, have Nike just opened a door for them?

ASICS FuzeX

Product Review - ASICS Fuzex - 25th February

About the runner

In mid January I got the 'new to market' ASICS FuzeX runners. The concept behind "fuzeX" is that it is a fushion of the Gel and Foam in traditional runners. So rather than having a Gel Insert in the runner, they are both mixed, what this means is that there is no difference in impact regardless of where your foot strikes.

But let's get one thing straight, I was pretty excited to, as always, to break out new runners!

How I got on

I've taken the runners out now on a good few short runs (3-4 miles) and only a couple of mid-distances (around 10 miles). I've brought them to two races, but have yet to bring them out on a long distance race (half marathon +).

What I liked:

• Weight - these felt pretty light on my feet, definitely a plus.
• Comfort - typical ASICS, these felt very comfortable to wear. Nice cushioning feel on impact.
• Fit - Good fit, felt particularly good around the ankle area. A lot of space in the "toe box" area, perhaps more than I need personally, but not a problem.

What could be better:

• Speed - Although they are light weight, I felt that they didn't have the usual "springiness" of an ASICS runner. Felt a little flat, but I mainly felt that in the shorter races, like 5K, less of an issue for longer distances.

Can't judge yet:

• Stability / Durability - Can only give this verdict after some serious wear and time. They seem solid, like most ASICS runners, so I would imagine they will stand the test of time.

Final Verdict

A pretty solid runner, good for a runner with a neutral gait. Although lightweight, it probably won't be my runner for short races, but will be for middle distance. Will see how it fairs over long distance.

The heel - good for Neutral runner

Getting ready to hit the road

The lady's pair are VERY pink - thanks to the wife!