Reebok Forever FloatRide Energy

It has been a long time since I last update my blog and well I'm back again to introduce another shoes into my closet. This time I going to write about an underrated light weight trainer by Reebok which ironically not many people know it is a British brand that manufactured athletic footwear back in the 60s 70s era. After that period the brand underwent through a few rounds of different management and in summary today Reebok's market positioning is more well associated with Cross-fit and Athleisure segment. Recently the brand has invested back into performance running category and started to join in the "Energy-return" bandwagon trend with its Floatride Energy midsole foam. A new midsole foam material that is similar to Adidas' Boost foam in terms of structure and tactile feel, composition of TPU pellets.

Weight of 240g for size US7H (25.5cm)

Thanks to my friend from Reebok for recommending this model Forever Floatride Energy to me as a replacement for my aging Nike Pegasus Turbo which I gladly paid for it. I'm always keeping a lookout for lightweight trainers (LWTs) since as a marathoner, I spend the bulk of my mileage running at an easier pace. My criteria are light in weight yet plenty of cushioning for protection which Forever Floatride Energy fits the bill (Why the shoe name is so long?). Just to keep it simple the upper has nice seamless engineered mesh which is common for today running shoe standard, flat laces that lock well and a responsive midsole and durable outsole... enough said, nothing bombastic which is good; less is more. The main unique selling point is the midsole which feels like Boost but lighter and more lively when picking up the pace.

Currently, in my arsenal (click to see my shoe gallery) I have 3 neutral LWTs that in my opinion serves me well in this section and not in any particular order they are:

1. ASICS Noosa FF (+) thick semi-firm cushioning midsole, 10mm drop geometry relieves my Achilles tendinopathy, the shoe last (shape) is quite stable for overpronators, price is relatively cheap as version 1 and 2 are already marked down discounted prices at ASICS Factory outlets. Fit true to size and the toe box is spacious (-) outsole does not grip well and wear off pretty fast on road.

2. Nike Zoom Pegasus Turbo (+) most responsive midsole among the 3 shoes with the React plus ZoomX, 10mm drop geometry relieves my Achilles tendinopathy, outsole holding well even at 600km. (-) price is way too expensive, shoe toe box and waistline too narrow and not recommended if you have low cadence overpronators, so this is for runners with faster turnover. Fit need to increase by half a size due to a narrow toe box.

3. Reebok Forever Floatride Energy (+) not the lightest among the 3 but they do feel light on the foot, no frill high tech story but it works base on simplicity. A good amount of Floatride Energy foam that has excellent bounce-back characteristics and yet a good level of cushioning. Just like Noosa FF it has a wider shape (last) than Pegasus which give sufficient stability for neutral to overpronators. The outsole has plenty of carbon rubber for increased durability. 10mm drop geometry relieves my Achilles tendinopathy. Fit true to size and spacious toe box. Lastly it has the most attractive retail price of SGD139 versus P35Turbo's steep SGD259 (-) Heel Counter too firm which I feel can be further softened to shed some weight and relieves my insertional Achilles Tendinopathy.

Depending on the purpose of the run I will decide base on their traits although all 3 are great options to consider for aerobic to slightly faster pace runs. Bear in mind there will never be the best shoes for everyone since we have different requirements and expectations. As for now Forever Floatride Energy is a steal buy for me as Noosa is a discontinued model while P35 Turbo is "forever" expensive. Available in two colours Cobalt-Navy or black-white for men (Teal-white or black-white for women) you can find them in all local Royal Sporting House that is the authorised distributor for Reebok retailing at SGD139. I guess Reebok is making a good comeback with these new collection of performance running shoes and do check out their strip down racing shoes the Floatride Run Fast (8mm drop) retailing at SGD199.