Got out for an ultra windy run this morning. Not too sure what the gusts were but I was sandblasted out in the countryside. Overall felt alright, still not top notch though. Post run my knee was the worst it has ever been, swelling which I hadn't had before. No clue why this happened but ice, ibuprofen, stretching, etc. continues.
On to the fun. So a while back I had won a pair of Brooks PureGrits and I ended up loving them however the out sole was horrible so I found a place here, Lancashire Sports Repairs, that resoles fell running shoes with a similar sole to the Walsh PB fell running shoe.
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| v.1 Brooks PureGrit original bad sole |
The Walsh shoes are a product of the UK and are cult status in the fell running community here. I think they look cheap and out out of date but many people swear by them AND by their traction. Well anything could be better than the Brooks' v.1 sole.
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| v.2 Brooks PureGrit2 |
As I mentioned before, I got my hands on a new pair of the Brooks PureGrit2 which have a revised out sole (among a few other changes), however still not rugged enough for the UK slop, but they have been great in normal conditions and ideal for someone wanting an on road/off road shoe. Once I had these I then sent off the v.1 for resole. This was all about a month ago I think. I wasn't sure what to expect, my main concern was that the shoe would come back much much stiffer than it originally was.
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| resoled v.1 PureGrit |
I have yet to run in these monsters but as you can see above the resole definitely has given me the traction for mucky muddy UK conditions which was what I was looking for. The new soles have 100% added noticeable weight to the shoes though. Didn't consider the weight gain so I don't have a before and after weight but on my ever exact kitchen scale the v.1 comes in at just over 9oz and the resoled v.2 at just over 12 oz both size 8.5 UK (sorry I work in a UK running store selling to the British, I think it's a US 9.5). Yeah the weight gain sucks but it's life. As mentioned I was worried about the stiffness of the sole. They are stiffer but I can't really comment having yet to run in them. So until then I'll withhold any judgment. If they end up being too stiff I could always cut some slits in the sole to aid in the flex.
So until it gets rainy and nasty out I'll enjoy the PureGrit2!
So how did the re-sole work out? I love the pure grits but the don't stand up to the muddy English trails. I bought a pair of Walshes but not won over by them. This looks like a Frankensteins monster i could love!
ReplyDeleteIt worked pretty well. The quality of the work done was great. Yeah, it of course added expected weight to the shoe but worth the trade off for the insane traction! The main downside was the shoe is much stiffer now. I've been tempted to cut flex grooves in the sole and most likely will when the weather starts to turn after summer. They aren't overly stiff but more like a normal running shoe. A really fun experiment none the less!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the reply. I might just have a play with the re-sole, I'm now eying my favorite road shoes (green silence) and wondering...or should i just buy the puregrit 3!
ReplyDeleteI've been running in the Cadence 3 all winter and it does fit a tad bit narrower than the previous versions. This is supposedly the case with the Grit 3 as well. I've yet to try on the Grit 3, or even see it in person, but I believe they've "improved" the tread as well. I'd guess it still isn't up to UK traction standards though! I've been super happy with the PureProject shoes but kind of disappointed they've made them even a tiny bit narrower. I've only heard good things about the Green Silence but never used them.
ReplyDeleteYo, awesome. What is the name of the new sole material? I've been looking to make a custom sandal with deep tread for running in the loose sandy soil here in Florida.
ReplyDeleteHonestly I have no idea on the specifics of the tread. Here's where I had them done at,
ReplyDeletehttp://www.lancashiresportsrepairs.co.uk/running_shoe_repairs.htm
I'd guess they'd be able to Give you more info or even sell you just a piece of the tread. Sounds like a cool project you've got going on!