They discontinued my athletic shoe! Now what??

[Anonymous]

I've been wearing the same athletic shoe for years. I found out that Nike has discontinued.

It was pretty much a no frills, old school model shoe with great support. I've tried some of Nike's newer creations and I am not impressed - AT ALL. I wind up with bad knee, hip or even back pain.

So I'm giving up on Nike. I'm looking for shoe recommendations - any brand. I don't care if they are stylish. I want good cushioning, support. Suggestions?

[Anonymous]

I never wear nikes...I lean towards new balance b/c of wide feet, but my new favorite pair is from asics.

[Anonymous]

ebay or amazon

[Anonymous]

When I have a product that is discontinued, I will usually google for reviews of that product and then search the user reviews for recommendations for similar products. These days with so many reviews on-line, it is easier and easier to find similar products, especially when the product gets discontinued.

What model was the shoe?

[Anonymous]

Nike Initiator. I've looked around and there are no new ones in my size available.

A clerk at a shoe store one time told me that it wasn't necessarily a popular shoe but that she had heard enough customers swear by it to think that it was a good shoe. I used to buy them BOGO...thus I am late to the party to find out that they've been discontinued.

[Anonymous]

It's impossible to give shoe recommendations that mean anything. I strongly strongly recommend going to a running store and having them fit you. I was skeptical (and felt uncomfortable because I was overweight and only using them for walking), but holy hell - the difference it makes is phenomenal. They were able to pinpoint issues with different shoes I tried on (my heel coming up out of it, too wide/too narrow, etc), bring out different styles to try on, and even fix a minor issue by lacing them differently. They also had tons of size 10.5, which is a hard size to find in many big box stores and even some online sites. It was about $30 more than buying the same shoe online, but SO worth it especially when switching styles. They were so so helpful and kind. The store I went to was not in the DC area, but just look up reviews for running stores to find a good one.

I ended up in New Balance 1080 v5's (I think the v6 are now out). Not very cute at all, definitely not something I would have picked off the rack. But they feel like freaking clouds on my feet, even a few hundred miles into the shoes. The store also gave me great tips on how to tell when shoes are worn out (that I hadn't found online -- and I'm an extensive researcher).

The store did say the shoes can change a fair amount between versions, so you should still come in and get fit. I love these New Balances so much, for my next pair I'll probably order some 1080's in the cuter colors and see if they fit/feel the same -- and if not, then I'll return them and back to the running shop for me!

[Anonymous]

That's good to know about the running stores. I was afraid that they would be pushing me to buy the more trendy $200 shoes.

[Anonymous]

Here's the ones I have. So fugly, but so amazing. The other colors are a little more attractive, but the Silver/Blue was all the store had in 10.5 and I was definitely buying from them after how helpful they were, and I didn't want to wait to special order .

https://www.amazon.com/New-Balance-W1080V5-Neutral-Running/dp/B00KQ2VIZS?th=1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here's the ones I have. So fugly, but so amazing. The other colors are a little more attractive, but the Silver/Blue was all the store had in 10.5 and I was definitely buying from them after how helpful they were, and I didn't want to wait to special order .

https://www.amazon.com/New-Balance-W1080V5-Neutral-Running/dp/B00KQ2VIZS?th=1

These look promising. Thank you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That's good to know about the running stores. I was afraid that they would be pushing me to buy the more trendy $200 shoes.

I want to say I paid around $130 for them. There was definitely no pushing... if anything, they were telling me "No, that one doesn't seem quite right, let's keep looking."

I'm sure the clerk that you get matters, so that's why I recommend finding a store with awesome reviews -- they won't risk their reputation on bad clerks at a small shop like that. The one I went to is a small chain in my area - 7 stores throughout a major metro area. The clerk that helped me was a middle aged guy who clearly was a runner.

You probably already know this, but I didn't since I was just getting into exercise. He had me put on some non-cotton socks (Balega Hidden Comfort), and those make an insane different too. I guess the phrase is "Cotton is rotten" among runners and can cause blisters, etc. They actually threw in the socks with the shoes, and I only have the one pair since I had a drawer full of otherwise great cotton socks and I don't have blister issues, but I ALWAYS go for those socks first if they're clean and am slowly working on replacing all my cotton socks. The Balega socks plus the New Balance shoes are like heaven on my feet.

[Anonymous]

Okay, last post about my stupid ugly New Balance shoes that I love so much:

One thing I didn't anticipate but LOVE about them is the flat laces. They're flat and they also almost have strands of rubberized material woven into them, I don't know how to describe it. It looks like the newer V6's have them too.

With rounded laces, I have to double-tie them. I don't know what it is about how I walk, but shoes come untied for me very easily. With the flat/elasticized laces, that is no longer an issue and they stay tied without double-knotting. Huge!! Even if you get shoes that don't have the flat laces, I highly recommend checking them out. I imagine there are similar products you can buy just the laces. They also have those no-tie elastic laces. I have those on my water shoes and like them but don't know about them on land shoes.

[Anonymous]

Here's the V6's - the prices are all over the board but the 10.5 in the Pink/Grey are only $85! Tempting for me to buy another pair!!

https://www.amazon.com/New-Balance-Womens-1080v6-Running/dp/B00YVIKK2U?th=1&psc=1

[Anonymous]

I wear saucony and have 10 pairs of the kind I like. They were on close out for $60 / pair so I bought 10. Should last me 3 years.

[Anonymous]

I didn't know that about the socks. Interesting, I'll have to try them. I had a pair of New Balance shoes maybe 15 years ago and I liked them. Then I moved to Aesics (primarily for the look I think) which were also good but the style got discontinued and I wasn't finding anything else that was working for me. And at that point I discovered those old school Nikes and have been with those shoes ever since....well, until now. (Darn you Nike!)

Maybe it's time to go back to New Balance. Those laces alone sound worth checking out. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wear saucony and have 10 pairs of the kind I like. They were on close out for $60 / pair so I bought 10. Should last me 3 years.

You were smart.

My next pair of shoes I will stock up on.