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

Okay, yes, those sure are fugly.

Please tell me you only wear those running? And not like out and about in your daily life?

If you're a man and you're looking for a similar shoe to just 'wear around' I'd recommend New Balance.
They have the dad shoe thing DOWN! Behold the 'dad shoe' line (I hope they discontinue these..)

http://www.newbalance.com/men/shoes/work-shoes/

If you really use those for running there are better shoes for running out there - try
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/s/ref=is_s?k=gel+nimbus+18+womens


Otherwise PLEASE go to a good store and pick something more fashionable. Please...

Call the company. I have a specific shoe by Brooks. When they discontinued it, I called in a panic. The nice lady on the other line let me in on a great tip- they don't discontinue shoes, they rename them and make a few upgrades. But they are essentially the same shoe. So call Nike and ask what your shoe's new name is.

holabirdsports have discontinued styles of athletic shoes. I also learned this the hard way. Now, when I find a running shoe I like, I buy it in multiples.

Anonymous wrote:OP: for running? Or just for hanging out?

Seconding the strong recommendation for Balega Hidden Comfort running socks. Can't live/run without them. They're pricey but you can find them on sale online, and they last forever.

Also seconding the idea that when you find a pair of running shoes you like, you should buy a bunch of pairs, because next year's model is unfortunately guaranteed to be completely different.

The new pair is generally used for walking, jogging, gym. The retired pair gets used for hanging out. I've been wearing the Initiator for years and from what I've seen it is now discontinued, it may have gone through subtle changes over the years but the shoe has been generally the same shoe, which is why it has worked for me for so long.

OP: for running? Or just for hanging out?

Seconding the strong recommendation for Balega Hidden Comfort running socks. Can't live/run without them. They're pricey but you can find them on sale online, and they last forever.

Also seconding the idea that when you find a pair of running shoes you like, you should buy a bunch of pairs, because next year's model is unfortunately guaranteed to be completely different.

Anonymous wrote:What kind of "athletics" do you need the shoes for? If you are wearing them to play basketball, it won't help if we recommend baseball cleats.

Walking, jogging, gym.

Anonymous wrote:https://www.shoeshow.com/product/122371/

They have them.

Wow, thank you! For whatever reason I didn't run across that site on my search. The heel is slightly different than my most recent Initiators but the difference is subtle. I will definitely be ordering some of those. This is great news.

What kind of "athletics" do you need the shoes for? If you are wearing them to play basketball, it won't help if we recommend baseball cleats.

https://www.shoeshow.com/product/122371/

They have them.

Do you know the qualities of the shoe?

ie if it was just a general all around shoe, made for people that strike their feet a certain way, etc?

Based off of a quick search on the Nike Initiator, only found a link on Amazon for men's shoes that I don't think had much details on.

Maybe you can go to a shoe store, where they watch how you walk and see if they can recommend something for you.

When I was looking into investing more money into a quality pair of shoes, Brooks came up a lot. Previously I thought Brooks was a boring funny/brand, compared to some of the more "fashionable" ones that you see. But the more I looked into them, the more it seemed like they make some quality shoes. You can find some of them at Nordstrom Rack for about $60 to $100 from time to time and depending on the model.

I looked into Saucony for a little bit too. But I think you have to be careful of the model you get. I was interested in them because people used to describe them as cheaper New Balances (which are good too but I wanted to try something different). But I know some people who complain about their Sauconys, which might've been ones on the lower end side of their offerings.

But that's probably the same for every manufacturer.

Definitely go to a running store that carries a bunch of different brands. It may turn out that the $140 shoe is the one that works the best for you, but then you can do this: you buy one pair from the person who helped you, and then you keep an eye out for it online cheaper for the next pair.

I wore Brooks Trance for years, but was disappointed with the last pair I bought. I love Asics Kayanos, but can't stomach paying $140 for a shoe all the time. I have been wearing Nike LunarGlide shoes for my basic midweek training (5-7 miles at a time) and those can be found cheaply in the older models, so I haunt the internet for discontinued models and ugly colors nobody wants.

Ugh, that happened to me a few years ago. They were New Balance, and I hated the new version. I managed to find 3 pairs of the old version at a New Balance outlet online. I bought them all.

Does Nike have an outlet store? Try that.