Topyko Triathlon

Another pair of new shoes, I’ve had these for about 2 months now and have probably logged 50 miles on them. They seem to hold up really well on the trails. Initially I was worried because they feel quite light for a trail shoe. There is plenty of cushioning and the thick soles make it easier to run on stone laden trails. The tox box is large. However the heel is not that well kept in place. I had to lace it all the way up to the last hole to feel comfortable, without the heel wanting to come out of the show on each stride. Overall I’m very happy with them, they feel less sluggish and more responsive than the Mizuno Wave Rider 9′s I’ve been running with.

With the Zoot shoes back at the store, I am running in a pair of yellow New Balance 903. These cost quite a bit less than the Zoots. I like these shoes; they are light and fast, have good grip and seem of good construction so far. I’ve run about 40 miles in them, the tread is starting to wear a little on the heel. Then have laces that vary in diameter every half inch or so, which makes it easy to tie up quickly. I use them mostly for short 5K runs. Don’t expect much cushioning though, but they have sufficient comfort. The color is fun, it goes along with my blue shoes, red shoes, black shoes and now yellow shoes. I am tired of the white typical running shoe with some weird deco on them, its time for color! I have tried running in them bare foot, to compare with the Zoots, and these feel quite a bit more airy. However then same happens after some miles, perspiration leads to blisters without socks… I’ll be using them for my next triathlon, Mission Bay triathlon in October.

Product Test Report: Zoot’s ULTRA Tempo+

Verdict: Expensive shoe, light and responsive, but don’t run barefoot in them ! Hence… what’s the purpose?

Verdict “Gadget or Product”: Gadget

The details:

I’ve been wanting to try a new shoe. I was hesitating between the Newtons that apparently make you run faster and the Zoots which are meant to speed up your transition time. Both are expensive shoes, but the outrageous pricing of the Newtons ($175) got me to buy the Zoot shoes, still $126.06 tax included.

I bought a pair of Zoot ULTRA Tempo+, which are supposed to have the most support. They fit true to size but are only available in one width. They felt a little tight on my foot, so I decided to wear them for a while before attempting a run.

First run, 5K with a pair of socks, went fine. The shoes allow a fast pace.

Second run, 5K with no socks, sunny around 70 degrees. First mile was great, were these the shoes I was looking for? On the second mile, my feet started to sweat a bit, and the shoes started to squeak at each step. Coming up to the third mile and I am starting to feel a distinctive pain on the inside of my right foot. Blisters. The shoe also feels quite hot, I miss the cool breeze in between the toes that I feel with my Mizunos.

Third Run, 5K with no socks, wet day and cool, ran on a trail. I gave my blisters some time to rest, however same scenario all over again. The shoes have decent traction on the sandy trail though.

Sadly, it doesn’t look like my feet will run anymore than 5K without socks in these shoes. So I have to wonder what is the advantage of these shoes? Keep them for Sprint Triathlon events only?

- Ease of entry: the shoes are fast to put on and are snug. The Quick-Lace system does its job well, but close to using your own adjustable elastics ties on a standard race shoe.

- Water flow through: Zoot says these have amazing water evacuation ducts. Well I could probably take my electric drill to my Mizunos and have that too. However it seems Zoot hasn’t figured out that you put your shoes on at T2 not T1. By then you have had many minutes or hours depending on your race length, to dry your feet on your bike. By the time I get back in the transition zone, my feet are surely not dripping with water. Maybe this is an Xterra product if you do off road races in mud and streams.

All in all, these shoes are a nice expensive gadget. They look nice, but its a lot of hype in my opinion, they are overpriced. The “run without socks”, is not comfortable over 5K, hence their benefit are limited, and become comparable to any race flat shoe.

These shoes are by now a prime candidate for a prompt store return and swap for some racing shoes, that I’ll probably rig with some elastic ties.

MT.

Note: Topyko is dedicated to providing real usage feedback on products. All products tested on Topyko are bought by the testers and have not been donated by product marketing companies.