Forums >Gears and Wears>Whatever Saucony did to the Triumph line, I approve!
I know some people probably hate them now, but I love them even more.
My last pair of Triumphs were T4s, and they were fantastic. They were also the useful life of my orthotics. After my orthotics died, I had to experiment with stability shoes, and settled on the Asics 2100 series. Never had any problems directly related to the shoes.
My last pair of Asics had since seen better days, so I headed out to the store to see what I could see. A bit strapped for cash and on a lark, wanting to relive the "good old days", I threw on a pair of Triumph 7s on clearance for $70.
I thought I'd grabbed the wrong box.
My T4s were beyond cushioned and had a great ride, but not so much on the support or pronation control without orthotics. I had tried on other Saucony models, and the Hurricanes made me heel strike something terrible, and the... I can't even remember what the other motion control shoes I tried on by them were but just... no.
The Triumph 7 is a complete overhaul, apparently, and while they're still labeled as a neutral shoe, I can tell that - for me anyway - they aren't. If they were, I'd be icing shin splints right now, and I'm not.
I tried to Google to see what changes they'd made, except the obvious cosmetic ones, and couldn't find anything. So WHAT did they do to these shoes to make them so wonderful? Inquiring minds want to know. Also, did you run in the "old" Triumphs, and if so, do you love or hate the new design, or not find it much different.
I liked the Triumphs - I think I was wearing them for about a year - but had to give up on them. They were good for a few hundred miles but then I would start to get pain around my ankles. So, I took it as a sign I should try something else. Plus, I felt like I wasn't getting my moneys worth replacing them so often. So, now I wear Asics Nimbus and New Balance 1080s. Ankle aches have gone away and they seem to hold up a little longer. But, I'd be open to trying the Triumphs again down the road.
My blog is JT Running DC. It's awesome. Guide to Washington DC Area Running Routes. Guide to the New York City Marathon. Guide to the Boston Marathon. Guide to Running Gear. Guide to Running Clothes.
What was the last triumph model you tried? I think the redesign was with the T6s, but I could be wrong on that. I'm just returning to the model myself.
It looks like I went through six pairs of 7s. So, I definitely liked them and stayed with them for a while. I tend to be loyal like that - once I find something that works for me, I stick with it. But, I'm also paranoid about running injuries. So, the ankle thing had me concerned. I thought maybe a different shoe would help and it seems to have done so. But, it could be one of those false causality things. Maybe it's not the shoes and my ankles have just gotten stronger.
Triumphs are my favorite shoes. The 7's were my least favorite...though I have 3 pairs of them. I loved the 5's, 6's were OK, and 8's are a lot like the 6's. The only things I noticed different on the 7's were 1) the upper was different...different seams...that caused me to blister and lose a toenail and 2) the heel seemed a little higher, which I was not a fan of...but it seemed better on the 8's. I'll be happy when the 8's go on sale.
As for your ankles Julia...I never tie my shoes tight, ever...I tie them loose when I first buy a pair then never untie/tie them again. The 7's, I had to go back and re-tie them so they fit ever looser...or they did squeeze my ankles weird. But I had to do that with the Nimbus 12's too.
I'll be happy when the 8's go on sale. As for your ankles Julia...I never tie my shoes tight, ever...I tie them loose when I first buy a pair then never untie/tie them again. The 7's, I had to go back and re-tie them so they fit ever looser...or they did squeeze my ankles weird. But I had to do that with the Nimbus 12's too.
I'll be happy when the 8's go on sale.
Yeah, I did notice my 7s were more expensive than my other shoes. My last pair I bought was $140 while my other shoes are still in the $125-$130 range. Not a huge difference but...
And, the laces thing is interesting. My feet are a little on the narrow side, so I could believe I might have been tying them too tight.
The first pair of higher end running shoes that I bought were Triumph 5s. Turns out the very next week the 6s came out, so when it was time for me to get a new pair of shoes I picked up another pair of 5s on sale for cheap. I should have bought a few more spare pairs, as I was not familiar with the way shoe manufactures change their shoes so dramatically with each revision. So I ended up with 6s the next time, and while they were OK, I still preferred the 5s. I think I went through 3 pair of 6s before supply ran out, so then I went to the 7s. I hate the 7s. I have developed tendinitis on the tops of both feet while running in these shoes. I have a thick foot and maybe the increased height of the heel leaves me with less room? I'm not sure what happened, and it may not be the shoes fault (maybe I was tightening them too tight), but I had to get something else. My local running store put me in Asics Nimbus 13s. They seem to be easier on my feet, but time will tell. I was wondering about the Triumph 8s, but my local store no longer carries that model. I'll pick up a pair when they go on sale. I think I saw that the 9s go on sale sometime in the fall.