Review: Asics Gel Nimbus 9, on cloud 9?

Review: Asics Gel Nimbus 9, on cloud 9?
The Gel Nimbus series is Asic's premium range of running shoes in the cushioning category. As the word Nimbus, which is defined by http://www.dictionary.com/ as "a shining cloud sometimes surrounding a deity when on earth" suggest, the shoe is ostensibly able to provide one with a feeling of being on clouds. In other words, great cushioning! The Gel Nimbus has always been touted as a great cushioning shoes by serious athletes and in the runners' circle. The 9th generation of the Gel Nimbus also received the Editor's Choice award by Runner's World not so long ago.

So when the Gel Nimbus hits the local shores about 2 months ago, I went out to get a good look at the shoes. The shoes certainly looked beautifully designed and featured with perhaps the most amount of visible gel compared to all previous Nimbus. Suffice to say that I was sold just on designed alone. Here's my review of the Gel Nimbus 9.

Weight 4/5
The Gel Nimbus 9 is built lighter than other shoes in Asics' cushioning range, i.e. Landreth and Cumulus. Out of the box, the weight is pretty decent. However, it is not a light shoe and there are certainly shoes from other manufacturers in the cushioning range that are lighter. Its upper had quite a number of overlays, providing a magnificent visual treat. As mentioned earlier, the Gel Nimbus is beautiful to look at. Of course, it being in my favourite colourway, i.e. red, silver and black, helps too. The downside of the visual treat is that the shoes are not very breathable. In fact, it actually felt a little hot after about 5km or so running in the shoes.

Cushioning, Stability, Responsiveness 4/5

The Gel Nimbus has perhaps one of the most technologies from Asics built into it. Just on the midsole alone, it featured the "Solyte" foam, Impact Guidance System or "IGS" that guides the foot from heel strike to toe-off, Space Trusstic System providing mid-foot and torsional support, Dynamic Cradle providing support and guiding the foot for efficient toe off, and of course generous application of Gel in both forefoot and rearfoot. Whew, what a mouthful...

My experience with the shoes is that the shoes provide decent cushioning. However, with all those above-mentioned technologies built into the shoes, the cushioning is somewhat a little below my expectation. The shoes also offered only decent stability and responsiveness. Given that this is Asics top of the range cushioning shoe, I was rather disappointed by the cushioning, stability and responsiveness.

Fit, flexibility, traction 3.5/5

The fit of the Gel Nimbus is true to size and good. Once again, Asics deployed a gamut of technologies to ensure that the fit and flexibility is good. In this department, Asics incorporated Biomorphic Fit in high buckling areas to reduce the effect of material bunching that can cause discomfort and blistering. There's also the Personal Heel Fit or "PHF", which is a layer of high-density or memory foam which wraps around the heel and archilles tendon.

Now in theory, the PHF is supposed to decrease slippage in the heel whilst increasing comfort and fit. However in reality, I found the fit of the shoes a lot left to be desired. Somehow, I was never able to get a nice snug fit in the heel area. And although the shoes never felt like falling out during the run, the feeling of the shoes being unable to provide a lock-down feel is rather annoying.

Traction of the shoes are very good here. Asics uses its signature Ahar material which provides good grip.

Durability 5/5

After taking the Gel Nimbus 9 for about 90km (with the longest run being 25km), I can savely say that the shoes felt the same as the time I took it for the first run. In other words, the shoes don't require any break-in. Ironically, I had hoped that the shoes' cushioning and fit (particularly in the heel) could have improved. Having said that, it also means that the shoes are highly durable. In particular, the out-sole showed minimum wear. I am confident that this shoe can last in excess of 800km for me.

Overall 4.125/5
Like my last review (the Adidas MegaBounce+), the Asics Gel Nimbus 9 does not quite live up to its billing as a top cushioining shoe for me. The cushioning and fit was sadly disappointing and I have certainly had other much better cushioining shoes with better fit at a cheaper price!! The breathability of the shoes is also an issue to me. Having said that, the durability of the Gel Nimbus 9 is unbelieveable. And that may be the only consolation for shelling S$190 for the shoes.

Disclaimer: The opinion rendered is strictly my own, based on my personal experience whilst running in the shoes. It is not intended to act as any technical or professional advice. Please do not rely or infer on this when deciding which shoes to buy as every runner's profile is different.