Sports
Power/Nordic Walking Shoes Review: New Balance 1091 [5/5]
14 Jan 2008 11:21 AM /
I had a knee surgery in March 2007 due to a damaged meniscus. Before that I used to play Basket-Ball quite extensively and when my left knee started hurting me, I converted to Running. Looking backwards, this proved a very silly move. Though I enjoyed Running a lot, it has only made the problem worse until I couldn't run without feeling a strong pain in the knee. My surgeon made me stop by the end of 2003.
By June 2007, I felt ready to go back the way of Sports and Health in general. But Running was not really an option. So I converted to Power Walking, Nordic Walking and Swimming. It proved to be an excellent combination. I will give you a more detailed account on an upcoming post to this blog.
Being an ex-runner, I knew that shoes were paramount and I didn't want to feel joint pain anymore. So I decided to put as much money as required for the sake of comfort and painless effort. I bought a pair of New Balance 1091 Nordic Walking shoes.
First, let me answer the question "Why New Balance and not an another brand?". At the time I used to practice Running, Asics was my Church. I worn off many pairs and I was satisfied overall. I looked for Walking shoes from Asics and they weren't many. But NB has a lot of models to choose from. My mom and my brother who are seasoned Walkers also told me all the good things their feet think of NB shoes. One of my coworkers, a Marathoner, who tried both brands told be that NB was excellent for his activity but less solid on the long term than Asics.
I started my "path" with a basic NB model (I can't recall the model exactly at this time and they are out of my reach in the basement). I was amazed how much comfort I got for a so low a price (I bought them for less than 30 EUR). But after a 45 mins session, my feet were sore. They were also a bit awkward to walk with at a reasonable speed. So I went to Au Vieux Campeur and bought the NB 1091.
These shoes are pretty expensive. At least when I got them (131 EUR). They now sell at half that price. But even with this hefty price tag, they proved excellent. Weighting approx. 425 g, they are heavy but you get an amazing stability and cushioning. My feet never felt sore with these shoes. And I can walk for more than 2 hours at very interesting speeds (8.7 Km/h Power Walking) with no problem. The upper fabric is made of Gore-Tex®. At first, I was afraid this might be problematic in hot/mild temperatures. But hey, it wasn't ... well almost. The fabric is breathable enough to be able to practice your favorite Sports in all weather. The only serious problem I had with it is its initial rigidity. I had problems for bending correctly my feet during the effort but after 5 sessions, the rigidity was not a problem anymore. Of course, the Gore-Tex® proved very efficient during my Power/Nordic Walking sessions under a rainy sky. This happens rather often in Paris. And I had quite a number of 1.5h+ sessions under a heavy rain during which my feet were kept perfectly dry. The Strike Path technology participates a lot in stabilizing the foot during the Walking gait cycle.
After more than 7 months of using the NB 1091 extensively two to four times a week, they started to be worn off. The Gore-Tex® fabric has broken a bit on the sides where it connect to the Toe Protect band and I decided to get two new pairs of NB shoes which I will review after a few months of usage.
If you are looking for excellent shoes for Power/Nordic Walking in all weather conditions even for extensive periods and you don't mind paying a Premium, look no further ... The NB 1091 are simply amazing!
By June 2007, I felt ready to go back the way of Sports and Health in general. But Running was not really an option. So I converted to Power Walking, Nordic Walking and Swimming. It proved to be an excellent combination. I will give you a more detailed account on an upcoming post to this blog.
Being an ex-runner, I knew that shoes were paramount and I didn't want to feel joint pain anymore. So I decided to put as much money as required for the sake of comfort and painless effort. I bought a pair of New Balance 1091 Nordic Walking shoes.
First, let me answer the question "Why New Balance and not an another brand?". At the time I used to practice Running, Asics was my Church. I worn off many pairs and I was satisfied overall. I looked for Walking shoes from Asics and they weren't many. But NB has a lot of models to choose from. My mom and my brother who are seasoned Walkers also told me all the good things their feet think of NB shoes. One of my coworkers, a Marathoner, who tried both brands told be that NB was excellent for his activity but less solid on the long term than Asics.
I started my "path" with a basic NB model (I can't recall the model exactly at this time and they are out of my reach in the basement). I was amazed how much comfort I got for a so low a price (I bought them for less than 30 EUR). But after a 45 mins session, my feet were sore. They were also a bit awkward to walk with at a reasonable speed. So I went to Au Vieux Campeur and bought the NB 1091.
These shoes are pretty expensive. At least when I got them (131 EUR). They now sell at half that price. But even with this hefty price tag, they proved excellent. Weighting approx. 425 g, they are heavy but you get an amazing stability and cushioning. My feet never felt sore with these shoes. And I can walk for more than 2 hours at very interesting speeds (8.7 Km/h Power Walking) with no problem. The upper fabric is made of Gore-Tex®. At first, I was afraid this might be problematic in hot/mild temperatures. But hey, it wasn't ... well almost. The fabric is breathable enough to be able to practice your favorite Sports in all weather. The only serious problem I had with it is its initial rigidity. I had problems for bending correctly my feet during the effort but after 5 sessions, the rigidity was not a problem anymore. Of course, the Gore-Tex® proved very efficient during my Power/Nordic Walking sessions under a rainy sky. This happens rather often in Paris. And I had quite a number of 1.5h+ sessions under a heavy rain during which my feet were kept perfectly dry. The Strike Path technology participates a lot in stabilizing the foot during the Walking gait cycle.
After more than 7 months of using the NB 1091 extensively two to four times a week, they started to be worn off. The Gore-Tex® fabric has broken a bit on the sides where it connect to the Toe Protect band and I decided to get two new pairs of NB shoes which I will review after a few months of usage.
If you are looking for excellent shoes for Power/Nordic Walking in all weather conditions even for extensive periods and you don't mind paying a Premium, look no further ... The NB 1091 are simply amazing!