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Kinvaras equivalent? (Read 973 times)

keeponrunning


    Hi.  I've been running in the Saucony Kinvaras since early spring, and I love them.  The only issue is, they really don't seem to last.  I no longer track my mileage, but they can't have more than 250-300mi on them.  Does anyone know of a similar shoe that lasts longer?  I was thinking of the Free, but i've heard of them not lasting as well...

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    komen96


      Which verison of the Kinvara? The 3 is apparently much more robust than the 2.

        Which verison of the Kinvara? The 3 is apparently much more robust than the 2.

         

        That's not been my experience. I think the 2 is more durable than the 3. But then I also get about 500 miles out of the 2.

        Runners run


        Roadrunner's Apprentice

          I'd be interested in hearing this as well.  I have just over 80 miles on my Kinvara 3's now and I can see the wear already.

          2014 Goals:

          - sub-26 5K : sub-56 10K : 1st half marathon

          - Tell my excuses to shut up and lace up...

          komen96


            I admit that I can't speak from experience, as I've only run in the 3s, and only have about 190 miles on them so far (with no signs of wear). However I read a lot of reviews before purchasing the 3s, and by far the majority of reviewers who had run in both the 2 and 3 felt the sole on the 3's was more durable, which makes sense as it was modified from the 2 specifically for this purpose. It is possible the upper might be less durable. I wonder where keeponrunning was experiencing the wear?

              I hated the 2 so I picked up some extra pairs of the 1 when it was on clearance so I haven't tried the 3 yet. (My first pair of the 1 lasted only ~200-250 miles but I love the feel of them.)

               

              I like the Kinvara feel more, but the Brooks Pure Flow were almost as comfortable and I got >500 miles out of the one pair I've owned.

               

              Brooks surprised me with the Pure Flow. I had run in T5 Racers a while back and thought they were fast but had an uncomfortable toe box and later I used the Ghost as a trainer and they reminded me of generic sneakers rather than a quality trainer, but I was really happy with the Pure Flow and highly recommend another look at Brooks.


              Why is it sideways?

                You could try the NB 890. I found these less durable than Kinvara -- felt broken down after 350 miles or so. The Kinvara 3 seems more durable to me, except for the upper.

                 

                All of these highly cushioned flexible shoes will be less durable in the sense that they will lose their cushion. Whether they continue to work for you after they've broken down depends on exactly how they break down. My Kinvara 2s -- for me -- broke down unevenly, whereas the 3s have broken down more evenly...

                 

                YMMV.


                SMART Approach

                  Saucony Mirage is similar.  I have 240 miles on them and lasting longer than my Brooks Ghost.  Maybe because my heals are not wearing out as fast since less stress on heal with lower heel to toe height.

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                    You could try the NB 890. I found these less durable than Kinvara -- felt broken down after 350 miles or so. The Kinvara 3 seems more durable to me, except for the upper.

                     

                    All of these highly cushioned flexible shoes will be less durable in the sense that they will lose their cushion. Whether they continue to work for you after they've broken down depends on exactly how they break down. My Kinvara 2s -- for me -- broke down unevenly, whereas the 3s have broken down more evenly...

                     

                    YMMV.

                     

                    Similar experience here.

                     

                    Kinvara 1: 376

                    Kinvara 1: 348

                    Kinvara 1: 297

                    Kinvara 2: 440

                    Kinvara 2: 427

                    Kinvara 2: 400

                    NB890: 400

                    NB890: 380

                    NB890: 360 (today will be their last day)

                     

                    So, the Kinvaras were kind of all over the place, though the 2's lasted longer. and the 890s on balance did start to feel bad around 350 or so.

                     

                    Now that I look at that pattern...looks like I get impatient with shoes.

                    Come all you no-hopers, you jokers and rogues
                    We're on the road to nowhere, let's find out where it goes

                      I've actually been running in the Kinvara since they came out.  I loved the one and two, but the three is killing me.  I've had plantar fascia and achilles problems since I started in them.  I'm actually in the process of trying to figure out what's next.  I can't wear the T7 (too tight) and the Brooks foot pod thing drives me crazy.  I have a pair of the Mizuno Wave Ronin 4 on order as well as a pair of Free's.  

                       

                      I realize the Ronin isn't really a minimalist shoe, but it's a fast racing flat and the extra 6mm will likely help my achilles heal up.  I'm really hoping the Kinvara 4 will be better for me.

                       

                        Mark

                        My Kinvara 2s -- for me -- broke down unevenly, whereas the 3s have broken down more evenly...

                         

                        YMMV.

                         

                        YMMV indeed. My reaction so far is the exact opposite--the 2 wore more evenly, the 3 seems to be breaking down unevenly. Especially right under the ball of my foot, which is really the only place that matters to me.

                         

                        The other thing (and maybe this has to do with the softer upper material) is that the 3 already has that very curved shape with deep wringles accross the top of the toes to it after only 220 something miles, whereas an old pair of 2's which I retired after 580 running miles are still my walking around shoes and they look fine. I think this contributes to my perception that the 2 is more durable--the 3's just look like they're wearing out faster.

                         

                        I was at the Saucony factory store the other day and found a pair of 2's in my size and grabbed them. So I have those waiting in the wings for when my current 3's get close to retirement age.

                        Runners run

                        zoom-zoom


                        rectumdamnnearkilledem

                          All of these highly cushioned flexible shoes will be less durable in the sense that they will lose their cushion. Whether they continue to work for you after they've broken down depends on exactly how they break down. My Kinvara 2s -- for me -- broke down unevenly, whereas the 3s have broken down more evenly...

                           

                          YMMV.

                           

                          I only have 137 miles on my first pair of Nike Free Runs 3, so it's too early to make any call on cushioning, but I will say that the bottoms already look really worn.  Nike used very little of that really durable (BRS 1000?) black sole material and it's pretty clear what a shuffler I am during some runs.  I have a really worn area under the ball of my foot and another one sort of forward of the center of my heel--areas without the durable sole material.  Sometimes I wish companies wouldn't go to such lengths to slightly lighten the weight of a shoe.  I expect these to be really worn down by 250 miles and probably really slippery on snow.  I have a pair of Brooks Pure Flows (which I don't like as well, so I don't wear them as much) that I expect will have similar issues.

                          Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

                          remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

                               ~ Sarah Kay

                          komen96


                            This site has a LOT of data about shoe mileage. It would be interesting to see summaries of average total mileage before retirement for the shoes people are tracking mileage on here. For common shoes with a lot of people tracking data, it could give a very solid comparison of average durability between models.

                              I got 450+ miles out of my last three pair of Kinvara 2s before the harder rubber lugs were worn away.  I am short of 350 miles on my first pair of 3's and they are about done. 

                               

                              My problem is I supinate pretty heavily and wear the outside of the shoe to the side of the ball of my foot.  The 3's have relatively little of the harder rubber there and are taking a beating quickly.

                               

                              I've never had a complaint with the cushioning breaking down on them, they seem to be an incredibly soft shoe, even after several hundred miles.  I end up tossing them when the outside third of the front of the shoe is worn completely smooth down to the softer foam the bulk of the sole is made of.

                              Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul.

                                 felt broken down after 350 miles or so. 

                                 Jeff at al, can you describe somewhat what it means to feel "broken down". 

                                 

                                I have two pair of K2s and one feels much better than the other at right around the same mileage. I don't expect to get more than 400 miles out of them. One pair just feels flat and unresponsive.  Like the structure of the shoe (what there is of it in the Kinvaras) has "broken down" as you say. Is that what you mean by broken down? But the soles are in decent shape and have worn fairly evenly. The outside lateral edge has definitely worn down a bit but not that bad. 

                                 

                                My K3s only have ~ 50 miles on them so I can't speak to the wear. But they do feel firmer than the K2s so far. 

                                 

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