Forums >Gears and Wears>Shoe Rant - Topo Athletic
I know this is nothing new, but i am so ticked off, this felt like the best place to vent. A couple of years ago I worked to change my stride and the shoes i had been wearing for years, just weren't working for me anymore. I went through several different shoes looking for something that would feel good and not give me blisters and i finally landed on the Topo Athletic Phantom. It was their very first shoe of this type, kind of similar to the Hoka Clifton....but didn't give me blisters, super cushy with a low heel to toe drop and i loved them.
well, long story short, i ended up with a stress fracture and wasn't running for a while, finally got back, and then of course....the Phantom 2's came out. i was so so happy with the first line, but honestly, i didn't do a lot (okay, i didn't do any) research on the changes that they made in the second edition. I actually very happily found the 2's on Ebay practically brand new for greater than 50% off the brand new price. When they arrived, they looked so different, but i assumed they kept the base of the shoe the same
NOT AT ALL why why why do shoe companies do this??? the heel is much wider and slips on my heel (the 1's had a tight heel and super awesome heel cup) they changed the laces and the outsole to this super stretchy material, and the laces are so long that they hit my feet/ankles the whole run. they changed the toe box to the super wide Alta rounded look. and they ARE NOT CUSHY. i think they wanted to make the shoe more flexible. i just can't get over it. its a completely different shoe. and since i was a dork and got them used from ebay....they are mine now
someday i'm going to organize a GOFUNDME and design a series of shoes that people like....and then reproduce that exact shoe every year, and never every change it. it's like the running shoe companies don't care what the actual runners think about their shoes. as long as they get magazine coverage and have pretty colors they think they are gold. i am so frustrated.
thank you all
Rant over
Problem Child
Altra did it too. My friend has a wide forefoot and a narrow heal. He says Altras are the ONLY shoe he can run in, and learned they change shoe designs for the same shoe the hard way. Even Altra admitted they redesigned the shoe. No idea why shoe companies redesign shoes other than they think something might improve the shoe, or they receive feedback the shoe is too wide/narrow/soft/firm/tall/short/ugly/boring and they listen to the feedback.
Used shoes on eBay doesn't sound like a fair comparison for the width. Last person probably said they were too narrow after 100 miles and sold them. Same shoe, and possible opposite opinions about the width and super stretchy material.
Many of us aren't sure what the hell point you are trying to make and no matter how we guess, it always seems to be something else. Which usually means a person is doing it on purpose.
VDOT 53.37
5k18:xx | Marathon 2:55:22
Some companies are smart and only change the "look" of a shoe that everyone loves (as expressed by sale numbers). Larger companies with huge shoe lineups can do this; Nike, New Balance etc. Smaller companies like Altra, Topo, and for a while Hoka couldn't just add new very similar models with different names, and the marketing team wants to create a reason for people to buy the "new" shoe vs the old shoe on clearance, so they demand some "new technology" or various tweaks of materials. I don't know if any company from small to huge can turn on a dime and bring a redesigned shoe to market in less than a year from planning to sitting on retail shelves. Next Summer's super shoes are already designed and on the irreversible path of production; the only changes still possible might be upper colors or materials.
As for anecdotes about shoe model changes, the evolution of the Clifton comes to mind. It went from OMG WHAT IS THIS? THIS IS THE BEST SHOE EVER! to WHAT DID THEY DO?!!! in just a year, and not getting back to the good graces until model 4 (I think), and fading away again as they continued to make it less cushioned and heavier. Then came the Rincon, which brought the original concept of the lightweight cushioned trainer back to their lineup.
60-64 age group - University of Oregon alumni - Irreverent and Annoying