Fleet Feet Sports San Francisco

It’s great when I find a store with knowledgeable staff. Fleet Feet Sports in San Francisco http://www.fleetfeetsanfrancisco.com/ is just such a store.

Owners Brett Lamb and Kim Holt are passionate about running, passionate about shoes and are passionate about making sure their customers have the best fit possible. At Fleet Feet Sports in San Francisco, you’re not just a sale, you’re part of a running community they are active participants in. Their goal is to help you achieve your running or fitness goals, which shows in the care and fitting their staff bring to helping you find just the right shoe.

If you live or are planning a visit to San Francisco and need expert advice when purchasing your next pair of athletic shoes, Fleet Feet Sports San Francisco is the place to go.

Shoe Review – Asics Gel Evolution 4 (Men’s)

Trying to find a shoe for a wide foot can be a problem, especially if your foot is deep and wide. Many podiatrists tend to go with Brooks (Addiction) or New Balance (1123) which isn’t always the best choice. In fact, Asics Gel Evolution in many cases is a much better choice, especially if you wear size 2E.

As this image below shows, the Gel Evolution in Wide (2E) is much wider than the Brooks Addiction in 2E. It is also has a firm heel counter making it much more stable than the New Balance and much better overall for pronation control in addition to being lighter weight.

Bottom line, if you have a wide foot and are wishing for sleeker design, lighter weight, stability and motion control in your running shoe, then Asics Gel Evolution 4 may be just right for you.

Shoe Review – Asics 2140 Trail

It seems many running shoe companies do not put the same effort into trail running shoes as they do non-trail running shoes. In fact, similar to hiking boots, trail shoes are often heavy, wide and a poor anatomic match to most feet. Asics 2130 Trail shoe was in this category, however the new 2140 Trail shoe is much improved and I recommend it whole heartedly for those trail runners wanting support as well as a more form fitting design. 

 It easily accommodates an orthotic which is great. An inflexible, firm EVA midsole makes this a stable shoe as does the firm heel counter. The upper is made of lightweight mesh, which is not too deep in the toe box and the sides are nicely padded for a comfortable fit. It comes in both medium and wide widths, which accommodate  most feet unless your foot is really wide. 

Shoes On the Brain – Team FDFAC

As Bette Midler sings “You gotta have friends”. In my case, this blog would not be possible without the contributions of my two friends and Financial District Foot & Ankle Center (www.fdfac.com) colleagues – Samantha Gibson, BSc (Hons) and Jonathan Leach, C.Ped. In addition to being fine medical providers, they act as my sounding board, assistant problem solvers and Shoes on the Brain experts extraordinaire. They not only make patient care fun, but shoe sleuthing as well. Thanks Sam and Jonathan. Your help is greatly appreciated.

Shoe Review Brooks Adrenaline GTS 8 vs. GTS 9

Brooks Adrenaline has been the exact same shoe version after version since the GTS 6. Now however, they have changed not only the version number (8 vs. 9) but also the shoe.

• The Adrenaline 8 is much narrower in both forefoot width and throatline opening which is identified by arrows below. If  you have a tendency toward heel slippage, than the wider throatline as found in the 9 will be more difficult to secure snugly.
• Width – Overall, GTS 9 is wider than GTS 8. Again this will be a problem if you are counting on the GTS 9 to be a good match for a narrow foot.

• Toebox depth – The GTS 8 was very shallow in the toebox, while the GTS 9 is not. This shoe fails the pinch test http://drshoe.wordpress.com/2008/01/15/pinch-test-shoe-toebox/ for someone having a shallow forefoot.

If you have a narrow foot and found the perfect fitting running shoe in Adrenaline GTS 8 , you will be disappointed with the extra volume found in GTS 9. In fact you may want to try Asics 2140  in narrow width instead. If you hve a wide foot, however you will like the changes GTS 9 provides.

Shoe Review – Saucony Grid Stabil 6 vs. Progrid Stabil CS

I recommend Saucony Grid Stabil 6 daily for narrow feet needing a lot of support. This year Grid Stabil was replaced with Progrid Stabil as Saucony’s ultimate support shoe. Unfortunately, Progrid Stabil is nothing like  Grid Stabil and if you wear this shoe, you may be headed for injury if these differences matter to your foot type. Here are the major differences.

• As the image shows below, ProGrid Stabil is flexible whereas the Grid Stabil is not. Rigidity is important if you pronate excessively or have forefoot pain.

• Medial Midsole – The Grid Stabil has a firm medial midsole whereas the ProGrid Stabil has a less firm (softer EVA) midsole. If you are a heavy pronator, you need a firm medial midsole.

• Deeper Upper – The ProGrid Stabil has more more mesh, is wider and has a deeper uppr than the Grid Stabil, making the shoe much wider overall. This is not good if you have a narrow foot and will cause your forefoot to move side to side motion more, which may cause pain.

• Flex Grooves – The Progrid Stabil has an additional flex groove which create more forefoot flexiblity. One of the reasons I like the Grid Stabil isthat it doesn’t flex in the forefoot. The same cannot be said of the Progrid Stabil. The Grid Stabil is also narrower overall than the Progrid Stabil.

In summary, the Progrid Stabil is not the same as the Grid Stabil. It’s wider, deeper and less stable. If you have a narrow foot and you need firm medial support and an inflexible forefoot, then the Brooks Addiction is a better choice than the new ProGrid Stabil. If you have a medium foot, then Saucony Guide is a much more stable shoe.