News : concept and main models offered by brands

The term urban running has exploded for a couple of years. What exactly is an urban runner? What models can we find in the market and what special features do they have? The material manager of the Broker's Exchange, Josep Gil, takes us out of doubt and exposes us to the wide range of options available to us.

What is this about the ‘city run’?

“City run is a term that refers to shoes that use people who obviously run, but do so in cities where greater activity sociability is allowed. Some peculiarities that occur. Refers to brokers and brokers that do not put the competitive as the first and only value. Stay with other groups of brokers, with whom you share tastes. It does not obsess the continuous reduction of the times, the marks, there is not that ‘stress’. If they have to go fast it goes away but the level of sacrifice is not that of an athlete. The workouts are not usually very long and usually combine it with other sports, especially with the gym. ”

“Without being shoes designed only for gym or running, they are just for running but can be used in the gym. They are running shoes with all of the law, buse the same concepts of cushioning, stability, lightness, fastening, etc., than a shoe that Carles Castillejo or Javi Guerra can use, but other things come into play such as comfort of use. People who wear urban shoes will prioritize comfort rather than functionality. What has more weight is aesthetics. Sobriety is what allows this type of shoe without attracting attention, for example at work ”.

What conditions should the urban shoes meet?

“The shoes that 30 years ago were the most from the athletic point of view today are incredible. There are people who are many hours at work and when he leaves he takes his backpack and goes to train directly and takes advantage of them. So the typical slippery shoe, of strident colors, does not marry this. That is why dark, gray tones predominate ... There are other less visible things like the drop (the difference in heights between the heel and the forefoot). There is a kind of ‘average’ measure that would be between 8 and 10mm drop that are the ones that attack this shoe, a hybrid. Then there is the sole, which does not have a radical strike. The par excellence is the "waffle" type, which is like the waffle maker. The urban corridor has added needs. For example, in town there are sharp turns, to circumvent people, corners, tear off, traffic lights, etc., and they are also a type of people who, as we have said, also use them for gminasio. All those details are taken into account. ”

The urban models of Adidas, the giant within the sector

“In the Runner's Bag we have recently made a breakdown of Adidas' wide range of urban running shoes. The German brand takes eight bodies from the rest, He has made a very strong bet and of course, and even they have appropriated this concept of concepto city run ’.

Of the models, we have a type of shoes that Adidas guides to natural running, but always with a very urban aesthetic on the lines, lower midsole soles, a lot of flexibility and have a fairly low weight. The difference that the Pure Boost have is that they have a continental sole, a half Boost sole and what changes a lot is in the ‘upper’. Pure Boost is in about 250 grams, a fairly light weight for what is a traditional training shoe.

PulseBoost or SenseBoost are training shoes, quite light but somewhat heavier than Pure Boost. Stability control works very well.

The Speed ​​Factory, more focused to show them than at a functional level. It is another concept even at manufacturing level. They are manufactured following a motive. Thought exclusively at the aesthetic level because the entire ‘upper’ follows a theme. For example, the ‘Run for the Oceans’. Continental sole, all the elements of a shoe of the highest quality although it sends the aesthetic.

“There are more models focused on combining running with gym, but las Edge Lux only exist with a woman's finish and with different peculiarities, at the bridge, heel level. The drop is quite out of the ordinary. It can be used in both environments. Then there are other models ‘unisex’ that are not typical of the gym, in any case more designed to run outside but that can be used perfectly inside the gym. So much Sense Bounce as Alpha Bounce they tend to have a slightly larger last than usual without being large, designed for people of all kinds of size and especially for the largest. ”

Models of other brands

“Adidas has a huge catalog. We have mentioned only some, not all. The difference is very large with the rest of the brands, which have not yet made a firm commitment to urban shoes.

• In that sense, for example, by going to the direct competitor of Adidas, which is Nike, the urban shoe par excellence is the Free in its various finishes. They are shoes that are characterized by being very flexible, light and comfortable. They have several models, the 3.0, 5.0, etc. The greater the number, the greater the thickness of the midsole increases. If you want more cushioning you are looking for a higher number. In addition, there are the Premium city, with a shamelessly urban ‘upper’, does not use laces (zippers), the material of the midsole is the ‘React’. Within Nike, perhaps the ones behind it the most is the Flex, lightweight shoe, flexible, comfortable, with a half sole cut by laser, some cuts that go from side to side (it has more than 15, you can roll it on itself).
• New Balance, without having exclusively urban shoes, perhaps they have the Fresh Foam Roav Knit meets several of the precepts. Half sole very comfortable, allows to trachear better on different surfaces, an adjusted price (try not to go off price), I would also say Fresh Foam More ...
• From here and a little more, perhaps the Mizuno Wave Creative, the only ones directed a bit to an urban corridor and seeking maximum cushioning.
• Then I would tell you the case of Brooks. I would choose the Levitate 2 for aesthetics, for the sole, a shoe that can be squeezed to the fullest if possible. ”

“I certainly believe that everyone wants to grow and sell. I think it is a profile to be exploited by many brands, looking for a city corridor profile that is not so technical but that does like aesthetics, comfort. Once the woman has finally arrived and settled, I think Adidas has opened the can and I am convinced that the other brands will be taking models and defining the concept.