Brooks Running Shoes Review

Customer Reviews

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133 of 137 people found the following review helpful.
Excellent Shoe With A Few Changes from Prior Model
By Rugger Burke
New for 2011, this is the 13th iteration of one of Asics flagship models.If you have run in Nimbus shoes in the past, you will find the new model to be very similar to the Nimbus 12 with two minor, but significant functional improvements over the previous model: (1) increased side-to-side stability and (2) slightly lower profile heel. More on each below.For anyone new to Asics or the Nimbus line in particular, it is one of Asics franchise shoe designs. At $120 plus dollars it is also at one of the higher price points, but worth it if you are a distance runner. The shoe is particularly well suited for those with a "neutral" gate and slightly higher arches - there is greater cushioning for the arches. If you are a high-mileage runner (running 25 miles or more a week) optimizing for comfort over absolute speed, this is an excellent shoe to train in to avoid injuries. Running on a treadmill or anything short of hard cement and you will feel like you are running on soft earth.For background, I am 6'1", 175, and run three to six miles several days a week - primarily on city streets and paved running trails, sometimes on the treadmill. Some seasons I kick up the miles for a marathon, but in general running is part of a cross training program. The Nimbus 13s are probably my 6th or 7th iteration with the Nimbus line.With respect to the specific changes for 2011:(1) The improved side-to-side stability is a significant improvement. While not recommended, I wore the shoes to a boot camp-style class that included lots of left-right motion. Having previously tried this in the earlier Nimbus 12, my foot slid precariously around the footbed. In the new model the shoe feels significantly more connected to the foot. This translates well to straight-line running as invariably the terrain will have its uneven spots. In the past this meant jerking up your leg quickly to avoid a twisted ankle, but with the new model comes increased confidence.(2) Another contributing factor to the increased side-to-side stability is the slightly lower-profile heel. Compared to the previous model the heel feels just slightly lower. This may be an influence of the current trend towards natural running in the foot-shaped webby-feet shoes. (For the record I own a pair and like them for walking on soft surfaces, but still like the cushion of a running shoe for the typical hard surfaces encountered in running.) Whatever the reason for this slight change, I would rate it an improvement as there is no noticeable loss of cushioning.Looks-wise the new model is much more "fashion forward" with higher contrast colors than any previous models, which may be a plus or minus depending on your point of view. Both new combinations are slightly plasticy looking - more inline with Nike and others, though Asics is always about a step behind in this respect. The silver-fire color is the safer choice, but the new white-blue combination, looks better in real life than expected, though the white makes your foot look a little larger.Two asides: (a) if you are new to Asics, most people order one size larger than their street shoes - ie, if you wear a 10 in regular shoes, you may need to order an 11 and (b) as in most running shoes, the stock insoles are barely better than cardboard - depending on your running style, distance, etc, you may want an aftermarket insole. But almost all running shoes suffer from this issue, so I am not deducting a star for this.In sum, the new model builds upon the tremendous improvements made in the previous iteration (the improvement from Nimbus 11 to Nimbus 12 was dramatic), but the differences are iterative, rather than groundbreaking. This continues to be an excellent overall shoe for the neutral runner.Hope this review helps you.

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful.
Walking On Air
By M
First off, do some research on what type of foot/stride you have. There are plenty of resources online that will help you decide. I typically don't get too super excited about a pair of shoes but these are an exception. Personally, I've had moderate ankle and heel pain for years after much abuse growing up playing soccer and basketball. After years of dealing with the pain and lots of money wasted on random "premium" shoes, I did some research and found out that I am indeed a heel striker and need a neutral-cushioned type shoe. I also suffer from a heel spur that can cause pretty bad heel pain.Upon switching to the GEL-Nimbus, I saw an immediate improvement in comfort when I walk and run. After a few weeks of using these shoes, foot and ankle pain was completely gone. That was using the GEL Nimbus 10's. Since then, I've upgraded models each year as they are released and have not been disappointed. I typically buy at a local store but I would not hesitate to purchase from Amazon since the shoes are simply so comfortable. For me, differences between the models have been slight and the general comfort of the shoe remains amazing.If you've got heel or ankle pain I strongly recommend these. For running, they are lightweight and have a generous toe box (the area in the front of the shoe where your toes lie flat). The big toe box is a plus as it gives your toes some room during long runs. With other shoes, I've found that my toes could go a bit numb during long repetitive runs.They are a bit pricey but they are built very well and in my opinion, are a value since they prevent foot pain and are a heck of a lot cheaper than custom orthodics I'm told. You will not go wrong with these shoes.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful.
Feel better after two workouts
By Tom
I loved the ASICS Gel Nimbus 10's after they were recommended to me by a shoe salesman. I remember the second I put them on, it felt like I was walking on a cloud and the imediate feel was amazing. I didn't care about the price. I needed the best shoe because I was training for my first marathon. I trained and completed my first marathon with zero problems with the Nimbus 10's, I thought to myself, this is the shoe brand/style for me.After the 10's wore out I tried on the 11's and 12's. I remember thinking the 11's felt perfect much like the 10's but sadly the 12's felt different. I purchased the 11's and have been happy every day since. Now that my 11's are wearing out, I figured that I would just continue to purchase the best running shoe (Nimbus) I have ever worn and that is where the bad news starts.I am stationed overseas so it is hard for me to find a location with my size (14) and shoe preference availablity. So I confidently ordered the Gel Nimbus 13's from Amazon and got a great price. The shoes arrived quickly, for overseas shipping. The first thing I noticed is the Nimbus 13's are beautiful, love the style and I was very excited wear these for PT training. Then I put them on...Immediately, the shoes felt tight in the toe box, a problem I had never had with other Nimbus models. I walked around the house and my confidence went down with every step. I had the terrible feeling that these were not the shoes for me and that I would have to return them. I loosened the laces all the way but the shoes were still tight. Having such big feet, I have had this feeling before and know that if the toe box is tight, I will be in pain after wearing this shoe for an extended period. I walked in them for a few hours and came to the conclusion that I had to return them. I put on my old 11's on the left foot and the new 13's on the right. There was no comparasion in comfort, the 11's just felt better. Another thing I noticed was that the 13's felt uneven under the toes like the shoe wanted to roll forward. The 11's were flater in the toes and I felt I had more control while walking.Update: 11 Feb 12I was so ready to return my Nimbus 13's I even completed the return info at Amazon.com and prepared/sealed the return box. I went to two local base exchanges and tried on the Kayano 18's, Cumulus, 2100's and the Nike Pegasus. Strangly none of them felt good or better than the Nimbus I had sealed up at home. I decided to keep them. Honestly, my feet were sore during the first work out but the second was good. Maybe these shoes need a little breaking in because they are starting to feel really good and I have decided to keep them. Updated rating from 2 to 4.