4 Running Shoes That Need an Overhaul - Part 2
Here we are taking a close look at a second set of 4 running shoes that are in need of some serious changes in order to help revive their once prominent place in the heart's and mind's of hobby joggers and the running community. We will detail what the problems are and how they can be fixed for the On Cloudsurfer 2, New Balance Rebel v5, Adidas Takumi Sen 11, and the Hoka Cielo X1 2.0.
Today we’re back at it with four more shoes that we’re checking into the Supwell Shoe ICU because we think they need some serious life support:
- Adidas Takumi Sen 11—Critical condition: overweight with an unexpected drop in performance
- New Balance Rebel V5—Critical condition: overly soft and lacking energy
- Hoka Cielo X1 2.0—Unstable condition: lost its sense of self with a conflicting personality
- On Cloudsurfer 2— Flatlined entirely: needs a full overhaul to have any chance at revival
Read below to see each shoe’s symptoms, diagnosis, and our prescription to bring them back to life.
Adidas Takumi Sen 11: Overweight with an unexpected drop in performance
Adidas Takumi Sen 11
Symptoms:
- Heavier than marathon racers despite its lower stack
- Muted ride experience & sub-par toe-off
Diagnosis:
The Takumi Sen pales in comparison to true short distance racers.
Prescribed Treatment:
There’s no excuse for a grounded, short distance racer to be heavier than high stack, carbon plated marathon shoes. To truly compete with the Nike Streakfly 2, Adidas needs to get the next version under 150 grams, and give us a more lively, snappy version of Lightstrike Pro.
New Balance Rebel v5: Overly soft and lacking energy
New Balance Rebel v5
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Symptoms:
- Overly-soft foam
- Bottoms out in the forefoot
- Not much pop & speed assistance
Diagnosis:
The Rebel v5 feels more like a lifestyle shoe than an uptempo daily trainer.
Prescribed Treatment:
The Rebel v5 is about as rebellious as plain oatmeal. Lacking the fun, bouncy, uptempo quality that we loved in the v3, the Rebel v5 is the latest victim of the bland EVA/PEBA blend that’s also in the SC Trainer v3. We sound like a broken record, but New Balance should consider moving to supercritical TPU or real PEBA if they want the Rebel to have true speed capability.
Hoka Cielo X1 2.0: Lost its sense of self with a conflicting personality
Hoka Cielo X1 2.0
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Symptoms:
- Mushy foam compound clashes with aggressive geometry
- Dampened bounce compared to the Cielo X1 OG
Diagnosis:
The Cielo X1 2.0 can’t quite decide what it wants to be.
Prescribed Treatment:
Hoka needs to address the confusing mismatch between the the Cielo X1 2.0’s ultra-aggressive geometry and comfort-oriented foam compound. If Hoka wants to keep the Cielo as their pinnacle race product, we recommend pairing the current wild, unstable geometry with a more competitive, responsive race day foam.
On Cloudsurfer 2: Needs a full overhaul to have any chance at revival
On Cloudsurfer 2
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Symptoms:
- Outdated, EVA foam
- No bounce or lively quality to the midsole
Diagnosis:
The Cloudsurfer 2 is a certified brick.
Prescribed Treatment:
As shoe physicians, we call it like we see it: the prognosis for the Cloudsurfer 2 is not looking good. To give it a fighting chance, On needs to stop pretending that standard EVA is a “superfoam.” We recommend implementing CloudTec Phase in a midsole with a lower drop and a modern foam compound.
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