Norda - 002

Love the way the 001s feel but don’t work great for narrower/lower volume feet, lockdown is an issue. Went a 1/2 size up in the 001 and seems spot on. Tried my typical size in the 002 and it’s too small so I just ordered a 1/2 size up. Side wall stuff came unglued fairly quick, I used seam glue on them and it’s kinda holding up. Definitely go for a stitched one like mentioned before. heel cup has given friends issues with rubbing but not for me. After about 60-80 miles they feel like they soften up a bit. If you want a softer ride I can’t recommend the Nnormal Tomir 2.0 enough. 400+ miles and still doing great.

I am 6'3 200 lbs and have put over 1300km on technical trails, gravel, dirt, ankle deep mud, ice and snow on my first pair of Norda 001... and this was a "deffective" pair! 001s are now my goto shoes and I sprinkle a few runs in 002 too. The fit is particular so I strongly recommend trying them on before buying them. On a side note, I am curious to hear why you want to drop weight? In my opinion, trying to cut weight while training for more volume and longer races is a dangerous game and the risk of underfueling is greater than the potential benefits or losing a few pounds.

Switched to Norda 001 2 years ago and have never looked by... simply added a sprinkling of 002, but the 001 are what I wear 90% of the time when I'm out running on trails OR even on snowy streets during the winter.

Definitely NNormal Kjerag. I love that they are so lightweight, simple and comfortable! As the more they age the better they are! I have three pairs of them. I also bought the Norda 002, because I got them so cheap (112€) and I really like the grip of them - better as the grip of the kjerag. But the kjerag is still my number one shoe!

Interesting. I just ran two or three times in my norda 002. And I got problems with my left Achilles. The right one is okay. But I could imagine it could get better let's see

Puh, I have about 7-9 shoes in use I guess. Mainly because I buy those ones which work well for me when they are in sales. 3x Kjerag, one only for races, the other for daily trail runs. But I rotate with two / three other trail running shoes (altra lone peak, Hoka Zinal 2, Norda 002). But some of them will be retired soon. Road Shoes I have just two, but they are also soon before retirement 😄. I know it is too much at the end. But I use all of them from time to time and only retire them if they are really really down. One of the Kjerag has more than 800km yet and still works quite good

Maine/White Mtn runner here. my experience: • wide foot/low stack/general purpose sticky lugs: Norda 002 • narrow foot/low stack/minimal lugs for rocky: salomon s/lab ultra 2,3 • medial width/high stack/fat lugs for mud/long days: merrell agility peak • narrow for mud: salomon s/lab pulsar sg, or any shoe with “cross” in the name by salomon

rocking norda 001’s still, 700 miles in. almost bald lugs and lookin preddy bad but feel great somehow norda 002 for sub 30k races, so fast and so sexi salmon pulsar trail pro for hot days, love em mostly merrell agility peak - put a few miles in these, they feel great if a tad tall

Most of my runs are a hybrid of road, dirt and trail. I have found Speedgoats (5’s and now 6’s) to be totally up to the job. I recently bought a pair of Norda 002’s and they seem like they will be a great hybrid option as well based on the couple of runs I’ve done so far.

They seem to last a long time. I run in the 002’s and love them. I wouldn’t buy the other stuff because longevity isn’t a big issue for a gym bag I don’t use heavily. Shows though, I think are worth it

I ran 300+ miles in the hoka speedgoat 5 then purchased the speedgoat 6 and after less than 60 miles the upper started falling apart from the midsole.... super dissaapointed. I demoed the Norda 002 and 30 miles later I went back to buy my own pair.

Put a little over 30 miles on my 002’s and went for a size 13 (I’m 6’4 225 pounds) they caused some gnarly blisters on my ankle and heel. That’s just part of the break in period. I tried on a size 12.5 at a store in Flagstaff and realized I should have gone with that size. Still going to rock the pair I got as they feel good with a tight lace up. I’ll keep the community posted after the break in period is over and the blisters heal. Training for elephant mountain next year! Ordered the 005 in size 12 for that race

I tried on the 12.5 for the 002 and they fit so much better than my 13’s. Would you recommend going 11.5 for 005 and 001?

If budget is not an issue then I’d recommend the Canadian brand Norda - I bought a pair of their 002s earlier this year and they’re the most comfortable shoes I’ve ever worn. I’ve done 40km through the hills without the slightest discomfort. I chose the 002s because they’re designed for more technical terrain, and they’ve held up really well while scrambling etc.

Good question! They fit small so I’d definitely size up - Norda recommend doing this if I remember. I went up a full size and they’re pretty much perfect.

Presume you had kept original receipt? Similar thing has happened with my pair, peeling at toe box.

Just had a similar experience with Norda customer service. Sole plate slightly delaminated after 125km, and they sent me a new pair even though I’d purchased the original pair from a third party retailer for $110 Canadian. They even shipped them to New Zealand for free!

I don’t think I’d ever stump up full price, but have been able to find some at 30-40% off full price and couldn’t recommend higher (if they work for your foot shape)

I have a pair of 002’s with similar miles and would be surprised if I don’t get close to 1k running miles out of them. I got mine lightly used for $150 and see similarly priced deals all the time on EBay & the geartrade subreddit 

I got the norda 002 on sale and it’s very much jack of all trades master of none. I can climb v3-v4 in them at the gym I work at but slabby climbing on small footchips is hard. Not as good as laspo tx line. In addition I trail run a VK in them 4x/week and they are great in ascending&descending technical vert.   I love plated shoes for racing but if I didn’t then I would easily race a 50mile or 100km ultra in them. 100mile race seem a little long for these though. I have a few hundred miles on mine right now but could easily see myself doubling that and still having some lug profile on the sole. The grip is probably the best thing about this shoe next to weight 

I think Vibram Litebase is pretty grippy and super light for how long the rubber compound lasts. I got 800 miles from a pair of Norda 002’s and the tread was still grippy at the end. Replaced them with the Nnormal Tomir 2.0 and it also has litebase and feels very tacky 

I started wearing carbon plated shoes for trail races a year or so ahead of using them for road. I now split my runs between adidas ASU & AP4. I have the Norda 002 and they run like a dead dog compared to plated shoes. I would try on a few pairs in store and see what you think because I’m certain you’ll notice the pop and speediness right away 

I was going to suggest Norda and usually do for people that want a wider foot. Their price is hard to swallow but I got a lightly used pair of 002’s for half off and was amazed at how well they were made and how many miles I got out of them [800 and still use them for walking]. That being said, I recently replaced them with the 005’s that I got on sale and they are almost too wide/big for me. I got the same size as my 002’s but they just have much more volume than those. I have to cinch the shit out of them to lock my ankle/heel in. I use my 002 insoles in the 005’s because they are thicker and take up more space. In the winter I will gladly wear thick wool socks to help as well. All in all I think Norda makes a great shoe but I will never pay full price for them. Fortunately, as they become more popular, sales are much easier to find than when they first came out. I got my first pair from REI and my second pair off ebay. I have a saved search on the latter and always see a handful of good deals for them there. 

Im a former altra guy. Topo is it for me. Fully worth a try. I also like the norda 002, but they are not quiiiiiite as wide, but I have ~1800 k on my first pair, and 600+ on my second pair.

I am wore an 11 in every set of Altras I had. I wesr a 12 in 002. Though, they are snug when they are new, after ~100k they break in quite well. I do not wesr the 001 or the 003, the upper design for those 2 models is the same, and it pulls on my achilles (and hypothetically, also fits slightly larger). I found Nordas recommendation to upsize 1 full size for the 002 to be perfect.

I have sz 8 in 002 and it’s perfect slightly snug. 8 in 005 feels way bigger, wish I would have stated tts in 005 tbh its just bigger imo

Big NO! from me. Norda does not stand behind their shoes. I ordered my Norda 002 carefully, following their instructions for sizing. I got the shoes just before a work trip and decided to wear them. I did some light walking on my trip, 15 minute walks to and from the office . I used Compeed blister bandaids on my heels just as a precaution against hot spots. The left shoe tore through the Compeed and left me with a bloody heel. My right heel was also lightly abraded. When I contacted Norda, they accused me of wearing the wrong socks. I told them that I was wearing the type of socks they recommend. They told me that any kind of wear meant they would not exchange or return the shoes. If I didn’t wear them, I wouldn’t know they left me with bloody heels. Only buy these if you fancy leaving them in the box. For 275 EUR, I would expect some level of customer service beyond “tough luck”.

I was gonna say norda 002, they are the most stable shoes I've owned, and they have a better heel counter but they won't be much cooler than than the 001. I find my Scott supertrac RC 2 feel very nimble and inspired confidence going downhill, but the rubber isn't as sticky as say vibram. I haven't tried the more recent versions, but Nike Terra kigers have also ticked these boxes for me in the past. The upcoming version will have vibram rubber too.

One big alert for Norda: the ventilation is bad. If you run in hot conditions, they will soak your feet within 30-45 minutes, so better beware. For cool/cold and dry conditions they are great though. The heel counter is a bit weird on the 001, so that's another point to check. The 002 is more standard. The MtC are much better ventilated, but I can't talk to the durability yet.

I had the same issue with the 001 like you at first and then switched to the 002! The cushion on the heels of the 002 helped a lot with it and now they are my go to trail shoes or even for hiking! Maybe give the 002 a try!

I agree that the regular genesis is better than the lab. I've had the Norda 002 (absolutely fantastic) and the genesis lab (excellent save for the grip) and was a bit disappoint with the heel and grip of the lab. The regular genesis solved both issues for me!

I have tried the 001s but the 002s are my favorite trail shoes , with the salomon genesis right behind. The 002s are that good, got them on sale at ssense for $145. ALSO DONT BE AFRAID TO THROW IT IN YOUR WASHER, DESPISE WHAT THE INSTRUCTIONS SAY :)

Norda 002 There is nothing better. Not even the lone peak. And it will last 1000 miles.

I love Norda. I love the style. I love that it’s Canadian. I love that they have great customer service. I received a brand new pair because of a warranty issue (the heel cup was delaminating early on in my older pair) and I was able to keep it. A year on, I just wanted to show that perhaps the dyneema upper is gimmicky because the soles will die before the uppers ever will (I did not specifically keep track of km’s on them). As you can see the old pair’s uppers are still pristine but I wouldn’t trust the treads anymore on a muddy run. Luckily, I have a spare…

Oh shit I didn’t even notice on my newer pair that it’s not stitched. Will have to put some km’s in to see how they hold up. I have been “saving” the newer pair for special occasions (non-mud/wet days).

I love the 002s, the 001s are also great but the lower stack of the 002s is just fantastic. Everyone is making these crazy high stack trail shoes so a 19mm stack and 4mm drop is just awesome. I plan on using the 002s for the Leadville marathon and the 001s for the silver rush 50. I ran the Leadville 100 last summer (I live in Leadville btw) and I have been up the trail multiple times, I could do the course without gps or trail markings. That being said I wouldn't wear the 001s or 002s on the 100 mile course because of the water crossings after twin lakes. I have not taken them through water but that upper material isn't going to drain. You could do something like swap to different shoes at twin lakes and swap back when you come back. There really isn't any water until after twin lakes. After half pipe there is a section that can be wet, but you can avoid it. This week we are getting no snow and lots of warm days (Leadville warm) so a lot more of the course will be runnable in short order. I am not doing the 100 this year but I will be pacing someone, not sure who, I was just going to show up to twin lakes all geared up and will wait for a nice broken runner to drag to the finish line.

Norda 002 Speedland GL:PDX and a pair of Nnormal Tormir's for fun.

Sorry to be that guy, but you posted a pic of the 002. In my opinion, the 002 is better for my runs than the 001. As another person posted, the heel in the 001 was a deal breaker for me. 002 and 005 all the way!!! Good luck!

002 is a lower stack height for increased ground feel and more stability. that's it. \[and sure, it has a padded heel collar, but i'm not going to write an essay on here about how that was an unnecessary solution to a non-existent problem\]. i find them so uncomfortable i can't even walk on hardwood with them on. some people \[those with invincible rocks for feet\] love them. the 005 is intended to be a fast / race / super shoe. the 003 is stupid, it's designed by HAVEN \[a multi-brand luxury gorp fashion store in Vancouver\] and marketed as an "approach" shoe \[i hate it\]. reference - i used to be the norda dealer in my area.

I had these but mostly for walking (and we are talking light walking, like day to day stuff), did one run in them in very light rain and the uppers shrunk (I just left them to dry with some crumpled up newspaper stuck inside) which made the shoe look like a banana and I swear the toe box got a tiny bit smaller (I'm very sensitive to this). Also when I got them I had to take out the factory insole from them as I have fairly "tall" toe box and used a thinner sole which made the shoe uber dead in terms of bounciness (so it seems it's the insole which makes them comfortable). Also I've noticed that the heel wasn't properly sawn to the upper and after some walking in them it was getting worse. Oh and the uppers started delaminating where the dyneema fabric joins the rubber like outer part. I went back to the shop I purchased them from and they went to Norda on how to handle this and I was offered a new pair or a refund (they even mentioned that early models had issues with delamination). Went with the latter as I was worried I'll be going down the same route in 6 months if I get a new pair. Shame as I really like the shape, look and grip of the soles.

You can get along with the heel? I tried the 002 and 001. The 002 were too flimsy of a midsole for me, while my heel was getting obliterated by the 001, just walking around the house.

My 002s also chafe my achilles hard, has never happened to me with any other shoe

I first ran with the 001s, my first pair is still usuable with ~1300km, surprisingly it’s still grippy. But the heel on the 001 is too rough for my Achille (I have Haglund Deformity). Now I run with the 002s, so far my first pair of 002 have ~850km on it and no sign of breakdown. Also these are the only shoes that doesn’t make blisters to my feet. So yeah, they’re expensive but it’s lasting 3x the other brands I tried (Salomon, Hoka, Topo, etc..)

Most stable would be 002 due to upper and low profile IMHO. 002 has a secure feel but not the most stable when it came to the feeling between midsole and upper

You are spot on. 001 is their do it all shoe with long term durability. 002 is their minimalist, technical shoe. I have used it for VK races and other short, technical courses. It has a nice heel collar unlike the 001. My least favorite of the three. 005 is a race day, fun day, long day shoe IMHO. That said I will usually go with my 001 for training and ultra distance races.

I go 0.5 size up for 001 and 005 to 11.5. I go up 1.0 size for the 002. May need to go either 9.5 or 10.

005 and 001 fit the same size, 002 is a half size bigger

Very helpful. Yeah I’ve just done walking in the 002. So nice. Is 001 more narrow?

I love my Norda’s (001 & 002), but no robust heel cup, and I wouldn’t say a particularly wide toe box.

This, I retire my nordas at around 400mi once the foam and tread is going. It trying to save a little bit of money and risk injury.

Norda 002. 4mm drop. 15m/19mm rise. Wide forefoot (they fit me very well and I have a wide forefoot). Vibram Mega Grip outsole (5mm lugs) and Vibram midsole. You will get many many many kms out of that combination. Dynama upper. Again, you will get many many many kms out of the upper. They have great ground feel. My only complaint is they run a little warm and they don’t drain water particularly quickly. Yes, they’re expensive, but they last and last. It’s not unreasonable to get double the kms out of them then say a pair of Hokas. But while they’re expensive, they are not double the price of a pair of Hokas so really, they’re good value.

Yeah have to agree here. I tried 2 different pairs trying to get a better fit (I usually half size up in trail shoes with no wide, so when I did that with Nordas I found that it was still a tad too short/tight and then when i half sized up again the heel rub was insane). I'm kind of shocked they haven't addressed it in a minimal update. The 002 fixed it by adding more padding, but it's the lower stack shoe lol. If anything it should be reversed with the 001 having the padding for a more comfort oriented shoe while the 002 is speed focused. I'm tempted to try the 002 just for that updated heel.

The nnormal Tomir, speedgoat 6, norda 002, s/lab ultra 3 might all fit the bill. I'm just wearing out my last pair of speedgoat 4s, and these have all almost fit the bill for the same purpose.

Yeah i agree. They are standard EVA(? I could be wrong) and vibram. These materials will last 1000 miles or whatever we say to ourselves to justify buying nordas, but itll be a subpar experience for the last 3-400 miles of its lifespan. With that being said it’s just a pair of nice looking shoes, and if it makes you more excited to go run outside it’s worth it.

Norda 001/002 should be the only answer to this question. They are in a league of their own in every category!

I love them. Felt great out the box (size 0.5 up) and you can get a really snug fit with no need to heel lock. My first pair has a little 1,000 km on them. Treat is pretty worn as most of the trails I run are fairly rough. Upper is in ridiculously good shape - definitely couldn't say that about many shoes after 1,000 km. I use them for carpeted trails now as I bought a second pair when I found them cheap somewhere. Only downsides are that if they get wet, they take a good while to dry. But on the flip side, they keep water out for a long time.

Does anyone else find them hot? I wore a friends pair for an 11km race and I found my feet really hot in them. In my mind that makes sense because of the tight dyneema weave but wanted to hear other people’s opinions. Probably was 22 c by the coast and sun so was quite hot at times

If you're looking for durability, Norda trail runners are superior to any others.

Btw don't order Norda blindly - the sizing is way off, and they are pretty wide. Kind of marmite shoes like Altra or Topo in that you really have to try them on 1st.