Pearl Izumi EM N1 Road review

I have posted several of post here on my blog about the upcoming Pearl Izumi  E:Motion project. Now some of the shoes has been released and I was quick to order a pair of EM N1 Road. Pearl Izumi has been researching and testing these shoes for over three years now and promotion videos and Timothy Olsen record breaking Western State 100 last summer caught my attention. I really liked the idea of the new dynamic off set and a smooth ride. In the past I have really like the Pearl Izumi Streak for its light weight and really nice road feeling. So when I got the shoes I was eager to test them. It was like Christmas eve here in NJ!

Pearl Izumi would like to describe the Dynamic offset like this:



Pearl Izumi Info
Our lightest road style, the Road N1 is designed for the runner seeking a light-as-a-feather, ultra-smooth running experience. Perfect for race day, our E:MOTION midsole promotes a smooth and quick running sensation with the liveliness you need for maximum speed.
 Dynamic Offset
1mm at initial contact to 4.5 mm at mid-stance.
Ride 
 Lightest weight dynamic offset-shaped E:MOTION midsole delivers a responsive, smooth ride with an ideal balance of cushioning and support.
Fit
 Seamless Upper creates a supple, glove-like fit.
Comfort
Moisture management spacer mesh keeps feet cool and dry.
Weight
8.2 oz / 232 g

 My Take:

First Impression
The N1 Road is a very good looking shoe for sure. I'm not sure about the neon green color option but the black and blue is very eye catching to me. when putting them on, I start to worry, the heel feels very insecure. I'm trying to adjust the laces but the secure feel is not there. Other things that catches my eyes is the waffled laces, these guys usually helps to secure the fir but not in this case. I was a bit worried.

 Upper
Pearl Izumi continues  to improve its seemless upper with a great result in the front part, how ever I find hard to secure the heel cup. The Heel cup is semi firm and its very thick pattered. Im trying to secure the heal by adjusting laces but the feeling over all is sloppy. I do not  get a secure snug fit around the heel. The mesh is very nice and soft the front of the shoe impresses me, snug but still gets the toes a chance to spread out. As mentioned above the shoes are equipped with waffled laces which improves the fit over all. In short: Nice upper but the heel slippage worries.

Midsole and Ouotsole
So Pearl Izumi is not talking about heel drop or stack heights, instead they are focusing on the Dynamic offset. But off course the heel drop has an impact, Runningwarehouse has measured the stack height and drop to: Stack Height: Heel (22mm), Forefoot (15mm), so a drop of 7mm. The ride promotes a nice midfoot strike but I do not experience any "game changing revolution" dynamic offset feeling......
The midsole EVA is very firm and offers surprisingly  flat affect to me. I'm used to PI Streak which have a nice energy return but I do not feel the same energy return using the N1. I had hopes for a nice smooth ride but the feeling is not there, its kind of feel dead! The outsole has blown rubber and has a full contact to the ground. When looking at the outsole it does not look like it would provide a good grip, but it actually does a nice job. In short: N1 offers a ride that is firm and flat, the energy return is missing. Outsole offers a nice grip and seems to be durable.

Summary
The N1 is suppose to be Pearl Izumi E:Motions racing option. When other brands releasing racing flats that come in under 7 oz, the N1 comes in over 8oz. The N1 has a thick EVA midsole that offers a flat affect ride with minimal road feeling to it and it does not gives you a "race day feeling" when putting them on. I like to feel fast on the race day and N1 does not offer that feeling. Pearl Izumi continues to offer a nice seamless upper but the heelcup could offer more. I experienced a none secure fit in the N1. Dynamic Offset is to me just a marketing campaign and  a way to catch runners attention. Stack Height and Heel drop is still there and that is what the most runners are looking for. I hope Pearl Izumi continues to improve their "other" shoes like Streak, as I feel the Streak is a much better option for the race day with a nice road feeling.

After I been experienced Pearl Izumis E:Motion Project it was like the Christmas Eve that never came. Maybe I had to high expectations? I realize its hard to design a whole new shoe line and it took Pearl Izumi over three years to design the E:Motion shoes. In my opinion E:Motion need further tweaks to get the nice smooth and road feeling right.

Pearl Izumi new website for E:Motion

The N1 trail shoe has now reached the stores. Rumors says that the N1 road version is delayed but Pearl Izumi has not confirmed this rumor/information yet. According to PI representative, they aim to release N1 in the end of Feb. 


http://projectemotion.pearlizumi.com/

My shoe list for 2013

So I'm trying to transition toward a more Midfoot stike. So far so good. My legs feels better, shins fresher and I recover faster after my runs. Part of the transition have been 4mm drop shoes. They have really been working great for me and it seems like 4mm is the sweet spot and the way to go. Since December 2012 I have been using Saucony Kinvara 3 and Skechers GoRun Ride (Review is coming soon). So my list for 2013 will cover 4mm shoes, during 2013 I might try zero drop shoes but at this point I dont see a need for that.

In no particular order:

• Saucony  Fastwitch 6 ( Runningwarehouse sneak peak). Saucony has shaved of apx 1oz of Fastwitch 5. It come naturally to me to go with the same brand as my to go shoe Kinvara. ame drop and hopefully same feeling. The 6th edition carry over the midsole unit from 5. The changes are in the upper. Lighter mesh and Sauconys Flexfilm technology. Fastwitch 6 comes in right under 7 oz, release date early Feb 2013 . 

• Pearl Izumi E:motion N1. PI's new running shoe line I have presented earlier here on the blog. The dynamic offset sounds really interesting to me, but a big question is what the really heel drop is. Not that it really matter if you really have a mid foot strike, but I believe it has for me as I'm in the middle of a transition. On my blog you can find most of the Emotion and N1 information here: http://runningswede.blogspot.com/2012/12/pearl-izumi-emotion-project.html . Ni is the one I have my eyes on and it might be a Boston Marathon 2013contender.........

• Skechers Go Run 2 has already been released. Now with a less aggressive Midfoot strike "bump". The pods on the outsole has been remodeled in order to collect less pebbles during your run. Both this upgrades are very welcomed by me. The upper has also been a updated. I'm very impressed by my Skechers GoRun Ride and its upper. The upper has a sock like feeling and it snugs your foot perfectly. If they have succeed to do an even better upper on the GoRun 2 the shoe might be a 2013 best shoe contender!

• Skechers Go Speed/ Go Meb. What! Skechers gets two shoes on the list! yes that is right! While other shoe companies are laughing at Skechers, they better start to take Sketcher seriously. Skechers will take shares on the market for sure. By adding Mebs Olympic racer to the line, they will have a more complete performance shoe line with five really good shoes. Not much info has leek about racer but it was on Meb's feet during the London Olympics 2012, placing fourth and best American! Some info here from runblogger: http://www.runblogger.com/2012/07/skechers-go-race-mebs-olympic-marathon.html. Another contender for Boston Marathon for me, if it gets released in time. Skechers says April for the release.

Pearl Izumi Emotion reviews

Since I dont have the shoes myself yet, I have been searching a bit for reviews. Here is a few of them. It looks promising and hopefully I can post my own reviews soon......

http://akrushtri.blogspot.com/2012/11/product-review-pearl-izumi-project.html

http://cyclingandrunningforwomen.com

http://beatcityreviews.blogspot.com

Here you can find all the videos of the Pearl Izumi Emotion shoes!

Pearl Izumi E:Motion Project

I have to admit, I love running shoes. Pearl Izumi has been making running shoes for almost a decade now and lately they have released shoes that I really like. Like the Streak II, a smooth racing flat with no extra blings and bells.
About a month ago I started to rethink how I can improve my running. My gait was kind of "weird" and totally off. According to my coach the stride was not as efficient as it should be. The toe off was totally off. I started to look at old running pictures when I used a 4mm drop shoe, the first generation Kinvara and the gait was there! So I have decided to move to shoes with a lower drop and no extra bling or bells. That is why I'm so excited to read about Pearl Izumi's new project E:Motion. Just rubber with an dynamic off set. I really appreciate shoes with a nice smooth transition and a great road feel. I'm pretty sure the new E:Motion shoe will deliver that. The shoes has been in the makings for over 3 years and Pearl Izumi are covering all the grounds. Race shoe N2, trainer N2, trail shoe EMN1 etc...Here is a great link to all the shoes of Pearl Izumi E:Motion line (The first part is in Swedish but the info about the shoes English) http://www.shimano-nordic.com/publish/content/global_cycle/sv/se/index/news_and_info/news/pearl_izumi_e_motion.html

Here is what Pearl Izumi says about the new project:

Here is another sneek peak of the Pearl Izumi  E:Motion line:

Tim Olson of Pearl Izumi Ultra Team used the trail version of E:Motion when he smashed the record during Western State 100!!
The N1 and N2 are the shoes I really like to try and I cant wait until Feb 2013 (some stores will get them early Dec 2012) when the E:Motion line get released. Hopefully I'll get the chance to use these shoes in my upcoming races like Boston 2013! I'm going to updated my blog with reviews and thoughts.