NNormal - Kboix 01

Hard pass on these shoes. Online reviews are good are best. Personally they caused a lot of foot pain, even after thinking they would break in.

Solid idea. Kboix experience has been abysmal. Foot pain right out of the box, and even gave it many more miles to see if it improved. Reviews have been across the board too. I would hold off on trying them.

I don’t think Speedland is any more durable than Nnormal or Norda. They are all durable, but I would rank them from most to least durable: Norda, Nnormal, Speedland. I have had all three. Speedlands grip is very poor compared to Norda and Nnormal.

This advice comes from an expert in life cycle analysis and emissions impact. I do it for my job. Almost ALL the sustainability statements made by outdoor apparel and athletic brands are greenwashing, especially those made about specific products. The best thing you can do is wear your shoes longer, even for other things. Buy less! How do you cut your shoes environmentally impact in exactly half immediately? Buy half as many shoes! This is especially problematic with athletic footwear because despite the POSSIBILITY of recycling the materials, it is nearly impossible because of the ways they are glued together. There are a few companies that do make footwear with the direct goal of reuse, long life, and circularity of materials. NNormal is one, but their shoes are very specific and not for everyone (but they design their footwear to be repairable at a cobbler- full length outsole, actual exposed stitching, etc. and their shoes are designed to go at least 600 miles - I will attest that this is true). They do have a new shoe that has a replaceable midsole AND a stitched on outsole so also replaceable - the Kboix. Not cheap, but very interesting, and likely the most sustainable shoe on the market. Frankly, despite claims, I don’t think there is any provable difference in sustainability of specific models of the major brands, maybe on the margins. If you want to stick to those, I don’t fault anyone for doing so, just try to make em last twice as long! It’s totally doable given the modern materials. I put 750 miles on a pair normal pair of ASICS Novablast two years ago. Was fine!

Full agree! I had mentioned Nnormal. I have their shoes, and they are great, but very race focused, technical and not for everyone. Seems like their new models might change that. I am intrigued by Norda, but that would be purely from a durability angle - they don’t have any reference to circularity or ability to repair (tho they do have a single sheet outsole, so maybe??) - very expensive, but if they indeed last twice as long, definitely more ecological. I will speak quickly to outdoor space and trail running space current position on sustainability and ecology - it’s generally terrible and kinda tragic. Honestly, the entire conversation even amongst activists within the scene is sort of greenwashing without direct intent. Running outside in the woods doesn’t inherently limit ANYONE’S impact. “Raising awareness” And saying you care because you like the outdoors doesn’t make you less impactful than someone who says that who lives in the city and loves video games - it might even be higher cause you are driving and flying all over the place. I really need the back-patting within the outdoor community to stop. Except Patagonia ALL the outdoor brands get a D or worse in accountable review of their sustainability goals. ALL OF THEM. I’d say beyond Killian starting Nnormal, Damian Hall and the Green Runners group in the UK (join that, everyone, and do the things they suggest), it’s all kinda not great and self-gaslighting and soooo so underinformed versus other communities. Honestly, I am constantly shocked. There is a nascent desire, but those with the mouthpiece are radically undereducated and still think caring about the outdoors = actual impact reduction. And yes - happy to chat - send me a message!

I can only chime in in Nnormal but figure I will. They were arguably the most durable trail shoe I’ve ever owned, but they had zero cushion/give (IMO). If you don’t mind firm shoes, they’ll last you forever (I ran several ultras in them), but I won’t buy them again because I like a little more comfort.

Speedgoats are super grippy for me but if you want even more bite I would suggest looking into NNormal and Norda.

Big fan of nnormal. Every model uses the vibram megagrip

Have you tried Nnormal? They're a really narrow fit, tried them recently. I think someone posted here their Nnormals and they had aged pretty well.

The NNormal shoes are designed to be durable and I'm up to around 700 miles (1100km) on my Tomir 2.0s. The soles are designed to be replaced (stitched on instead of just glued), but there's nobody in my country certified to do it. But the upper and midsole still feel fine to me.

It really depands what you are looking for. If you want a shoe that is durable, then go for an NNormal--they are extremely durable. Similair to Altras, they have a thin and hard sole. It is especially incredible for downhill running, better than any other shoe I've ever ran with. The only downside is, that it isn't that fast in the flat, but it can still win UTMB and Sierre-Zianal.

I ordered these and can confirm they run at least a half size too big. For me I actually sized down one full size when i exchanged. But the fit remained very odd and I was unable to keep them. They did seem like very high quality shoes though if you manage to have them fit you. (edit: wrote "two sizes" when i meant "two half sizes". fixed)

Mine have 800km on them and look amazingly good. The worst part is trying to clean them, the uppers just refuse to give up the dirt