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Reddit Reviews
010490ASICS novablast 5 have been my best purchase.
762x35supremacyLiterally any modern shoe you buy is probably going to feel like a Cadillac on your feet compared to Nike Frees. If you like that lower stack kinda ground feel Iād look at something like the Pegasus or the brooks hyperion. If you want something with a little bit more underfoot without being bulky Iād look at the asics Novablast 5, Vomero Plus, Saucony ride or Saucony Triumph.
8bit_aiI'm 6'1, 140 lbs and a forefoot striker and while our weights are different, I feel the road and have similar expectations and experiences to you. Personally, I rotate between the Novablast 5 for my high effort runs and use the Nimbus 27 for everything else, I find it works really well for me as a two shoe rotation.
Mine kicked the dirt at about 430km ish, and Iām 150lbs 6ā1
A1naruthTrue. Recovery runs with tempo over 5min/km. With their low energy return they would make you tired a lot faster than lighter more snappy shoes like for example Novablast 5 (which are also softer than Nimbus 27)
Able-Donut1445I've been running properly for the last year and a bit and looking to replace my Novablast 5s as my easy run shoe. They've been fine, nothing special, and are starting to feel flat and looking for something new/fun. In the middle of my first marathon training block with 2 easy runs a week between 8km-16km. Currently using Novablast 5 for easy run. Endorphin speed 4 for intervals and tempos. Boston 13 for long runs and Endorphin Pro 4 for race day 5'9", 165lbs, HM PB: 1:33:35, 10k PB: 40:28, 5k PB: 19:11. Any suggestion appreciated and welcomed!
Not looking for anything in particular in terms of specifics just some suggestions or recommendations of what other people like or have used. I'm open to anything as the Novablast was my first proper running shoe. It was a good shoe, not amazing but not awful. It was pretty bouncy for the first 100km but after that it became fairly ordinary
Able-Resource-7946Or people actually run in the shoe and find it a nice shoe, like me. The novablast 5 is my favorite daily running shoe. nothing fancy, a little bit boring, just fine for what it's intention.
aboi_11This came at the perfect time. Been casually running on and off for years maybe. I'm overweight at 77kgs, 5'5. To give you an idea of my pace I can run a sub 30 5k. Completed a half marathon in 2024 at 2:45. Mostly do tempo runs but recently started zone 2:tempo at 80:20 split. But my usual week will be 2-3 5-10k runs at 6:30 pace with occasional 15k at a 7:15 pace. Been using Pegasus 40 for 2 years. Recently got a Novablast 5. Super shoes - made me faster. Did a gait analysis but I still feel a slight feet pain but it's fine for now as I'm assuming I'm just breaking in. My question is this - what secondary trainer should I get in my rotation? Mostly to prolong the life of the Novablast 5. Been considering Cumulus, Nimbus, Noosa Tri and Kayano. Leaning towards Cumulus. Much appreciated.
abr797Noosa Tri, Sonicblast or Magic Speed I bought the Megablast for the subt workouts but I don't really like it at those paces. I know I'm in the minority, but it feels a little clunky at faster paces. Last winter I used the Novablast 5 for a lot of the subt workouts & it worked well if you can deal with a softer shoe. NB5 is an absolute gem. It's much smoother than the Megablast & you can use it for long runs. Really baffles me how Megablast is $85 more than NB5.
475 miles I retired them from running (in May) & have used them as work shoes since. They're still soft with a bouncy heel.
Novablast 5. They were perfect for me for long runs. Fun, energetic, protective, with a massive stack of foam. I used Nimbus 26 (not 27) also, but they were firm & stiff. Very protective though, just not fun & exciting like the NB5.
Novablast 5 & Neo Zen. I like flexible & soft shoes for long runs. Been using Megablast lately, but the stiffness makes my legs have to work harder in them. Also my glute hurts in them towards the end. Just bought Altra Flow 2 & wore them for 1 run, but will likely use them to replace Megablast. They feel fantastic.
NB5 is quite a bit smoother than the Megablast.
Both shoes are fun and great. Evo is nimble and fast but with a terrible upper. NB5 is soft, bouncy, and protective. Both are energetic. Both were durable for me. I got 500 miles out of NB5 and 570 miles out of Evo.
For long runs I love fun, soft, bouncy, light, & protective shoes so my favorites are Novablast 5 & Neo Zen. I've found their foams hold up very well too.
Interesting, I never noticed any stability issues with the NB5 & I used it on trails & on grass at times. Now the EVO SL on the other hand. I can hardly even run on grass with it, lol. I could see the disconnected feel though. It's a massive stack of foam. I wish Asics would cut down on their stack heights for their blast series. We don't need 40+ mm heels for all their blast shoes.
I'm at 450 miles & I've tried using them for everything but struggle to find a use for them. At first they were my speed workout shoes but I struggled getting them going at anything faster than 1/2 marathon pace. They feel clunky, & are loud (better now that it's warmed up though.). Then they started giving me major glute & upper hamstring tightness to the point I can't wear them for any speed stuff. Switched to using them for long runs, but lately I can't go longer than 50-60 min in them before the tightness settles in. I have to head back home & switch to my Altra Flow 2s to finish my run. Soon as I put the Altra's on the tightness goes away. I don't know if it's the lower drop or lower stack height or more flexible foam vs the MB massive stack & stiff foam. Occasionally I'll use them for easy runs of 45-50 min but feels like using a Ferrari to do a grocery run when I could just use my $12k Camry errr $90 Altras I do like the sponginess of the foam & I haven't made a dent in the lifespan, so I wish they'd work for me. I get 25% off Asics through healthcare discount but the only ASICs that interest me now are the Noosa Tri & maybe the new Novablast, since I really liked the NB5. Novablast 5 is the best shoe in the Blast series. I'll see myself out now, lol.
Rankings by Use Case
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