I have been testing my new GoLite Sundragon shoes for a while.
The experiment with them seemed kinda risky at first:
1) First shoes I bought via Internet without trying them on
2) Sole with huge rubber spikes looks pretty unconventional
The thing is I met Robo at Unknown-K, who was running in those shoes and really recommended them. Just as Robo said I found them for only $30 on eBay + $11 shipping. This feels like quite a bargain considering their MSRP is $120, and I would not imagine buying shoes like that in any of specialized sports brick-&-mortar stores at a price below $90 even when on sale. So I decided to risk it.
So far so good!
My feet are extremely sensitive to inner stitches on shoes, and Sundragon shoes do not seem to have any at all.
The shoes are pretty light: 11.8oz is on the low end of the spectrum for trail running foot wear. Compare it to 13.5oz weight of Asics Trail Trabuco 10, for example.
The sizes of GoLite shoes are pretty strange. I usually buy running shoes of 10.5 size, but my Sundragon's are marked as 10-10.5. How comes? They have a PreciseFit system, which is just 2 sets of additional inlays you stick under your insoles. So the shoes I bought are 10.5, but the size can be reduced to 10.25 or 10. This is pretty cool, except that after I used the inlays, size 10 of these shoes feels still a little too big as if it were Asics' size 11.
But the main thing about these shoes is definitely the sole:
1) Long interlocking rubber claws provide the best traction on the trails I ever experienced – whether I run uphill or downhill
2) They used combination of soft and hard rubber, which ensures also good traction on wet concrete too
3) The claws adapt better to uneven surface of trail and help to stabilize your body: they somehow smooth surface unevenness
The shoes are still available for the same bargain price from Designer Athletics on eBay:
http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?satitle=golite+sundragon
($30 + $11 shipping)
Saturday, April 12, 2008
GoLite Sundragon review
Posted by Dmitri at 10:29 PM
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2 comments:
I paid full price for a pair of these. Cost over $100. The worst trail shoes I've ever had. Not only were they not that comfortable, they caused pain in my meta-tarsis. Not that you have to worry about long term pain, after less then two weeks of use they started to rip apart. The fabric is designed to allow maximum breathing, but the holes are too big, unfortunately they let in much of the sand and dirt too.
I also had a foot injury from running in GoLite Sundragon. There is a cushioning issue with them and after you run with them for a while you start feeling all the spikes as if they are pointing inward...
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