Spikes: Help!

I don't know anything about spikes so I need some help. What are the top XC spikes out there, some decent (middle range) ones? I don't really care about price, I need to get educated!

Thanks

i have the nike zoom forevers for 50$, but they're usually 90$. very good spikes.

Since I'm a complete xc noob, what advantages do spikes have over traditional running shoes, and are they for everyone?

whenhen wrote:Since I'm a complete xc noob, what advantages do spikes have over traditional running shoes, and are they for everyone?

If you're from California, chances are you probably won't need spikes unless you are one of the top runners who has a chance of competing in the national level races (NXN, FLN). Spikes provide better traction and tend to be lighter. Same story with flats, basically a lighter shoe. However, I feel the difference is probably more mental than physical.. I mean, it will probably a few seconds difference (maybe 1 second per mile), but you just feel fast.

whenhen wrote:Since I'm a complete xc noob, what advantages do spikes have over traditional running shoes, and are they for everyone?

they give you slightly better traction on hills, and wet and muddy surfaces. they are also a lot lighter, and tighter than training shoes. and they help you run more on your toes.

everyone doesn't like them but most do.

Thanks JYoung.

back to the original topic...

This topic names a few if you're interested in looking through it (don't have time to name some spikes now, maybe later):

http://www.talk.dyestat.com/showthread.php?t=88073

Just Because wrote:I don't know anything about spikes so I need some help. What are the top XC spikes out there, some decent (middle range) ones? I don't really care about price, I need to get educated!

Thanks

pffft....typical canadian ignorance

Basically, you can't go wrong with Nike spikes.

i love my kilkennys i as well as other people i know used them for both xc and indoor.

i hear harambees are the best xc spikes this year.
ventulus 2 is the best spike ever made IMO, yet its made for the steeple.

runnergirl93 wrote:i love my kilkennys i as well as other people i know used them for both xc and indoor.

i love my kilkennys too. after having nike spikes up until last year i probably wont get nike again.

xc_babe09 wrote:

runnergirl93 wrote:i love my kilkennys i as well as other people i know used them for both xc and indoor.

i love my kilkennys too. after having nike spikes up until last year i probably wont get nike again.

I liked my kilkennys but I don't love them. I got kilkennys again but I'm looking at other ones on the internet.

I'm probably going with the same brand for spikes that I use with my trainers.

^ does it work that way??

Alright, I'll post some actual info.

Basically, when looking at a spike, you want to pay attention to 3 basic things, the upper, the spike bed/plate, and the fit. Naturally, you need to actually go to a running store to feel the fit, but you can look into the upper and the spike bed online. For the upper, the more overlaid mesh it has, the heavier it is going to be. Even a half ounce off of your shoes can be a big difference. The trade off is, if you buy a pair of 4.8 ounce spikes as opposed to a 7 ounce pair, they probably won't last as long. So you might want to look into a light pair of spikes for racing, and a slightly heavier, more durable pair for workouts.

I don't know enough about spikes to say anything about the spike bed, but just make sure that if the shoe doesn't come with spikes, you have spikes and a wrench. Note for when you are trying out spikes, they should be tight on your feet, and they should push you up onto your toes.

Now, a list of some high quality spikes (most spikes are $50-$100 regardless of quality):
Nike Zoom Forever XC (XC spike)
Mike Zoom Miler (Miler spike, works for XC)
Nike Zoom Lanang (Mid-Distance/Steeplechase spike)
Nike Zoom Ventulus 2 (Distance spike)
Nike Zoom Eldoret 2 (Mid-Distance Spike)
Puma Harambee II (Distance spike)
Brooks Mach 9 (Distance Spike)
Saucony Kilkenny (XC Spike)
Asics Dirt Dog (XC Spike)

There are a lot of other good quality spikes I didn't mention, but when I think of distance spikes, these are the shoes that pop into my head. Go to a running specialty store that caries spikes and ask them about it, they often have very knowledgeable staffers there to help you.

ATribeCalledGreg wrote:Why not go to a store and try on the ones that fit you best and feel best and not just buy them based on what everyone else has?

yeah I heard of this store near me where you step on a mat and analyze your foot and all that jazz and then they pick the perfect shoe for your foot.

Im gonna go sometime this week. :]

From experience, I would not recommend the milers to anyone with weak calf muscles as they have little to no support. They are extremely aggresive so if the terrain is tough, it would do fine but you will be sore as hell the following day.

TnF_T wrote:From experience, I would not recommend the milers to anyone with weak calf muscles as they have little to no support. They are extremely aggresive so if the terrain is tough, it would do fine but you will be sore as hell the following day.

are you talking about the regular milers or the miler xc's?

my bad i was talking about the miler, never tried the miler xc, i use the forevers xc

yea the miler xc's should be better for a 5k.

and the forevers are awesome.

If there is a specialty running store near you, then I would suggest going there. They will have a lot of options and you'll probaby be able to give them a short test run. The store I go to lets me try on as many pairs as I want and run down the street with them (w/out the spikes in...) to see how they feel.

i think i heard somewhere that spikes make you like 5-10% faster, but dont quote me on that...but i think spikes are alot mental...i use the jana xc stars from nike but those are girl shoes so i would recomend them but there are some alot like the jana xc's for guys i just cant remeber what their name is....and nike is the way to go with spikes most the other companies spikes suck

mae2937 wrote:i think i heard somewhere that spikes make you like 5-10% faster

lolwut

ProtestTheZero wrote:

mae2937 wrote:i think i heard somewhere that spikes make you like 5-10% faster

lolwut

it's not that hard to figure out...