Salming Race5 Review

Salming Race5

Race and Distance are now the only shoes from Salming original line up that still carry their original midsole shape. Some changes has been made to the firmness and outsole rubber over the years but the shape and outsole patterns remains the same.

Race is a pure racing flat that in the past have been using from 5K up to half marathon. I've been thinking about trying Race for the full marathon, but in the end I have always picked Salming Speed or Distance, thinking Race its not enough shoe for me.

I'm now about two weeks away from Boston Marathon, and I'm thinking Race5 with its brand new upper will be my pick for the race, for two reasons. 1)The new upper, secure the foot much better then previous editions of Race. The foot gets centered more and you can take advantaged of the energy return from the cushion in a more secure way. 2)The old Speed is now discontinued and replaced by Speed5. Speed5 is now more of a performance shoe ( review here ) rather then a marathon flat. The new Race5 has the same "raw" road feel that the old Speed had.

Salming Race5 Data:

• Weight: 185 g (UK 9)
• Drop: 5 mm
• Color: Ceramic Green
• Gender: Men
• Stack: 16 mm center of heel 11 mm ball of foot

• Midsole: Runlite™ + Carbon Torsion
• Outsole: Lite rubber
• Lining: Mesh
• Sizes: UK 6,5-12. EU 40 2/3-48
• SKU: 1287025-6700

 

Upper:
Salming Race5 gets a brand new one piece upper. Its a stretchy fabric that hugs your feet extremely well, without being to tight. The foot does not move around and feels more centered over the Runlite midsole then previous Race editions. The mesh is not see thru but feels thin and light enough to be breathable. To build up support around the upper fabric, Salming are using Exo Skeleton technology. Its not the traditional "skeleton" we have seen on all other Salming shoes. Here Salming are using a print technology to create necessary support to the one piece mesh. With this technology Salming are saving weight and the support works with one piece fabric to create a solid "one piece" feeling. The printed "blocks" are also reflective at night, which makes the shoe to stand out. Not that you are racing at night to often, but its a cool feature without adding any extra weight to the shoe.

Pros/Cons
+Extremely hug friendly upper. It just wraps your foot, without causing any hotspots from the support elements.
-Cant come up with any negative regarding the fit, but some of the design feels unnecessary. I'm pretty sure that if you buy the shoe, you're aware of Salmings website.....

Midsole/Outsole
The Salming Race Midsole/Outsole unit has been pretty much been untouched since the very first edition. Runlite has been tweaked over the years a bit but Race5 has the same Runlite as last years edition. Last years Runlite was lighter and more responsive. You will find a carbon fiber torsion unit in the midfoot, to give the shoe some support and a "snappy" feeling. Outsole has lightweight rubber place on strategic places only, to save weight. To save more weight I can see different pattern, perhaps a bit more aggressive outsole, to get a faster feeling. 65% /75 angle is in cooperated as with all Salming shoes. In Race5 case, the shoe feels very supportive as it is also built low to the ground at the same time as 65% remains supportive without flex.

Pros/Cons
+Runlite compound feels very fast and "snappy".
-Race could used 1-2mm more stack height to make it more versatile and accessible.

Over All  
I can understand why Salming keeps its Runlite compound midsole/outsole the same on the lighter racing flats. Its fast, responsive and protective. If you're one of those runners who are missing the old Speed, you can still find the "raw" feeling with Race5 as many of the runners loved with Speed. This feeling might not be for everyone but Salming D5 is the next step up and can be used as an excellent racing flat for the longer distances as marathon.

The Race5 became a much more solid and complete shoe with the new one piece upper, it works better with the Runlite midsole then previous editions, as the foot feels centered in the shoe and secured. Race5 is a good option for the full marathon, as it now feels more secure and supportive
https://www.salming.com/us/running/men/shoes/race/c-756

Disclosure of Material Connection: I receive Running shoes from Salming Running North America as part of their Salming brand ambassador program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

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.