Nike Free Review

[eastcoastsurfer]

I picked up a pair of the 7.0s today. I'm squating with them after work, so I'll try to come on tomorrow and give my opinion. I'm replacing a pair of NB 989s (they really have too high of a heel) with them for lifting.

As far as basketball goes, I have a pair of shoes just for playing. I find that having shoes for a particular purpose allows me to get shoes that work best for that purpose and they seem to last a lot longer to boot.

[Chrisatc]

Originally Posted by zambro

I'm a bit contrarian sometimes, so I'll just say that I'm a little skeptical of how great the Free's are. I wonder if there's what Cosgrove would call an "overreaction" to Nike Frees right now. Of course, I haven't tried them, so you can take my thoughts with a grain of salt.

Just looking at them, the rear of the shoe seems to be elevated. How is that like running barefoot, assuming that running barefoot is great? While feeling the floor may be better for deadlifting or other standing lifts, what makes the Free's so much better than other flat-bottomed shoes that cost a lot less?

Here's an interesting article that discusses whether the Frees are teh awesome: http://www.orthosportedu.com/files/u...ot-Running.pdf

I think the overreaction has already occured and people now use them for mainly comfort, at least those who like them. You are 100% correct that they are not equal to barefoot due to the elevated heel for one and second that they are still a shoe. But IMO, they are better for certain activities than other options.

IMO as well, prices are all over the board according to this thread, some for $10, others for $120, for one, styling is much better than some options such as Chucks.

[eastcoastsurfer]

Just finished my workout with the 7.0 Frees. I have to say they are a really nice workout shoe. I could see where people with wide feet would find them uncomfortable. They are designed to basically wrap your foot as closely as possible. I guess this means Nike had to go with the most common foot width.

They are much flatter on the heel than I thought they would be. Going from my NB 989s I almost fell back a couple times while squatting. Grip and energy transfer to the floor was good. I'm still wearing them after the workout just b/c they really are that comfortable. My only complaint is that they don't seem to breath as well as I thought they would. This could just be a consequence of the fact that they are designed to fit your foot so snugly.

[Jeff Rage]

Originally Posted by Chrisatc

IMO as well, prices are all over the board according to this thread, some for $10, others for $120, for one, styling is much better than some options such as Chucks.

The ones I got for $10 were kids (which normally retail for $55), and they were at least a year old (not like ones found currently on other sites.)

The Men's retail for $85. If you want custom colors, it's $100. Some people have gotten them at outlets for 1/2 price.

[jdford]

FYI for those in the GTA...Si Vous Play Sports at the Yorkgate mall (Jane/Finch) has several models of Frees on sale for $69.99. I picked up another pair for indoors (4.0) and love them.

[dawong]

finally bought a pair. i got the 7.0 for $32 with tax!
REALLY COMFORTABLE.

[Frank.S]

Ive had mine since christmas now.. I only wear them for workouts, 3-4x a week. They are still like new.. I really like them.

[Kevin T.]

Got mine a few weeks back. Had to get new shoes for school as the old ones had a hole in the bottom. Convinced the parents that I was long overdue as those had lasted me 3 years, so I got my frees. I love um. The one thing I did find however, and it just stopped, was that during practice my calves and lower leg would be killllllling me. My guess was the adjustment from normal shoes to wearing the frees all day to wearing the cleats for practice and games. I noticed that they didnt bother me yesterday, so all is well.

I haven't lifted in them yet as I haven't lifted period. We just finished up a two week stretch where we played 9 games in 13 days and on top of that I had to study for AP exams. But, I'm looking forward to giving them a try when I workout next. I'm not sure if I'll like to wear them to lift, as I lift barefoot at home. I'm looking forward to using them for agility work, however. Definitely want to pick up another pair to keep these nice for school. Heading down to Virginia sometime this summer, so I'll hit up the Nike Outlet store down there. With that place and the UnderArmour factory store, I better start saving :p

[ParanoidAndroid]

I've had mine since january...I intended to only use them for lifting, but since they are so damn comfortable, I wear them almost everyday. I don't think I can go back to other shoes now...

[milkman21]

Just got my 7.0's this week, and I'm very pleasantly surprised.

I had tried on a pair or two when they were first released, and there was not much lateral stability. The new ones (7.0 trainers) have added lateral stability, and they really are great even for unilateral leg work. I don't feel like I'll roll an ankle like I did when I tried on the old ones.

[Kevin T.]

Oh yea that rolling the ankle thing reminded me. I played basketball in these the other nights. A bunch of us just went to the park and started a game. Worked great. No problems what so ever.

[BamaDave]

Originally Posted by BamaDave

Yeah, I don't think these are intended for most long distance runners, except for racing.

Ironic that I posted this in October 2006, because I have been using Nike Frees for about a month for all of my long distance running with a max run so far of 14.3 miles. In general, I have less fatigue post-run after using these shoes and less muscle soreness. Some consistent problems I had, like tight hammies and tight hip adductors have become far less of a problem. I'm planning to continue to use them and see what happens. I'm recovering from an injury and just resumed running about 6-1/2 weeks ago after a 4 month layoff, so I'm not sure, yet, what will happen with my speed, ability to endure longer runs in the 20+ mile range, etc.

I know the purists who promote barefoot running and/or running with minimalist shoes don't like the thick soles on these. They are not as thick as typical running shoes, but substantially thicker than a true racing flat. The flexibility of the sole, though, is a huge difference from typical running shoes as is the lack of any significant support in the upper -- especially at the heel. Almost like a slipper as far as the upper!

[BamaDave]

Originally Posted by Kevin T.

Oh yea that rolling the ankle thing reminded me. I played basketball in these the other nights. A bunch of us just went to the park and started a game. Worked great. No problems what so ever.

I really wonder how much excess ankle support in standard shoes contributes to ankle problems, since the ankles never really have to strengthen or have much "awareness."

[Kevin T.]

Originally Posted by BamaDave

I really wonder how much excess ankle support in standard shoes contributes to ankle problems, since the ankles never really have to strengthen or have much "awareness."

That's been my thinking for a while too. A big reason why I do as much as I can barefoot and rarely get taped is to strengthen the feet and ankles. Been working so far.