Asics Nimbus 17 Shoe Review
Shortly before my marathon and then afterward, I began running in the Asics Nimbus 17. Since transitioning from Newtons (last year) into a more traditional running shoe, the Asics Nimbus has been a great shoe to me. I reviewed the Asics Nimbus 16 a few months ago. The gel and high cushion in the Asics Nimbus support my feet well. I like more cushion shoes. I do not like lightweight shoes at all.
Side Note: I’m always hesitant to do running shoe reviews because what works (or doesn’t) for me, won’t always be the same for others. I like a lot of cushions and am a neutral runner. This means that shoes such as the Saucony Triumph or Brooks Glycerin are good options for me. This also means. Personally I don’t care for minimalist shoes. Another thing to keep in mind is that I’m not a techy person. Either the shoe feels good to me or it doesn’t and I’ll explain why.
I don’t care so much about the technical side of a shoe so I won’t review that part. Plus, there are much better blog posts that review that anyways…I just give my personal experience with the shoe. (And no Asics is not paying me to review their shoe).
Asics Nimbus 17 Price: 150
The price of the Asics Nimbus 17 is similar to other comparable shoes of different brands such as the Saucony Triumph (150) and Brooks Glycerin (150).
The Asics Nimbus 17 Fit:
The Asics Nimbus has always run a little bit narrow. Right now, Asics takes the glove-like fit to a whole new level. The previous Asics Nimbus was entirely too narrow for my foot. I found myself being comfortable in a mens shoe versus women. I have a widefoot, so I usually run in a wide. With the Asics Nimbus 17, they opened up the toe box space, so my foot has plenty of space to breath. I usually wear a size 9.5 wide woman’s shoe, and my feet fit comfortably into a size 9.5 Asics Nimbus Wide.
One problem I did have was the top inner toe box rubbed my foot raw. I ended up bleeding through the shoe. I know it wasn’t a sock issue. The toe box fit my foot a little bit different and caused rubbing. My foot got used to it within a few runs, but it was unpleasant to see the shoe had caused my foot to bleed.
I like the fit much better than the previous model of the Asics Nimbus. I think Asics did a great job with it.
The Asics Nimbus 17 Ride:
The shoe is much lighter than the Asics Nimbus 16. I still feel as if I have the Asics Nimbus cushion I like but with a lot less weight. I’m honestly not sure how I feel about that aspect. You don’t feel much shock during impact and roll through the gait cycle.
I still feel protected in the Asics Nimbus and I haven’t had any issues or problems with the shoe. The Asics Nimbus 17 does feel a little bit lighter since it weighs less. After about 50 miles on the shoe, I didn’t seem to notice much of a difference in weight.
Overall Thoughts of the Asics Nimbus:
I like Asics Nimbus a lot. I feel comfortable doing my training in this shoe. The major differences (more open toe box and lighter weight) don’t effect my training significantly. I will continue to run in the shoe (as well as a new to me shoe the Saucony Triumph).
Edit to add: I’ve ran 104 miles in this shoe (both before and after the marathon).
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Questions for you:
What shoe do you train in?
Have you ever tried the Asics Nimbus?