We take a look at some of the latest shoes from manufacturers you may not be familiar with plus some exciting new models from more established brands
All reviews are independent and unbiased views and are based on running real miles in these shoes. This piece contains affiliate links, which means we may receive a small commission if you purchase using these links.
Mount To Coast – P1 – $160.00
Adding to their lineup of daily trainers and race day shoes aimed at ultra-distance athletes, Mount to Coast now adds a supportive trainer with this, the P1.
The same PEBA and Nitrogen mixed midsole provides the lightweight midsole cushioning that retains a smooth and responsive feel with the added 3D-Archrail. This flexible structure runs from the midfoot into the ball of the foot and helps reduce overpronation. The result is a very smooth riding shoe that provides excellent support without feeling intrusive. The shoe retains other features that make it easy to simply pull on and go: a circular knit upper for a seamless fit, adaptive lacing that hugs the midfoot and a dual-zone insole for additional arch support and heel stability.
Available in the UK soon, Mount to Coast is one of the most exciting and innovative new brands right now.
Mount to Coast P1
UYN – Synapsis – £179.00
This Italian brand is best known for its garments created using a circular knitting process, which reduces seams and improves fit and breathability. The upper of the shoe uses UYN’s innovative construction techniques with a partial double-layer sock design, with the instep and toe-box being single-layer and the toe, sides and heel double-layered. This provides a great fit, reduces the chance of blisters and optimises breathability.
Cushioning comes from a Freebound heel design: a cantilever-type construction that compresses both horizontally and vertically to absorb impact and remain balanced. Additional stability and energy return are optimised by the brand’s HALO (Heel Active Ligament Outerframe), which essentially wraps around the heel of the foot and in conjunction with a full-length chassis, enhances energy return.
The shoe is packed with technology and certainly showcases what the brand is capable of and potentially more exciting models in the months ahead.
UYN Synapsis
New Balance – Fresh Foam X Balos – £200.00
Whilst the brand will be familiar, this premium training shoe is somewhat of an undercover hero. At first glance, the shoe appears very similar to the best-selling 1080 model, but looks can be deceiving and the Balos, while offering plenty of cushioning is a much more responsive ride than its stable mate.
The cushioning is a PEBA-blended foam (think supershoe springy here) and there’s lots of it. It’s crafted into a highly rockered design and this creates a soft, smooth and enjoyable ride that carries you along the road with comfort and ease. As you’d expect from a premium model, the upper is super-plush with neat padding around the tongue, ankle collar and Achilles, making the fit as great as the feel.
The Balos is a fast-flowing daily trainer that’s light enough to make it an option for tempos and interval sessions.
New Balance Balos
Diadora – Gara Carbon – £240.00
Remember the Diadora Titan shoe of the 1980s as worn by a certain Seb Coe? Well, that brand is back and leading the way is their carbon-plated racer.
The Gara Carbon features a full-length plate and combines it with a proprietary foam, Anima PBX, a PEBAS made with super-critical foaming to increase energy return and reduce weight. From the first few steps in the shoe, it feels every bit as good as every other supershoe on the market right now and even better in some areas as it feels stable and controlled as both the miles and speed increase.
With Italian styling, the shoe features a beautifully fitting upper which uses Matryx mesh, a material that uses carbon yarns for strength, added structure and durability and of course, the gold-coloured accents give the shoe a classically appealing aesthetic. The shoe performs as well as it looks and with a range of models to back it up, Diadora is certainly sure of making an impressive return.
Diadora Gara Carbon
Diadora – Cellula – £170.00
For daily miles, this model from Diadora features a soft, plush 40mm stack midsole made with Anima foam for a more responsive yet lighter feel.
While the shoe is a neutral model, it does cup the heel and feels stable and the broad base also contributes to the naturally stable feel of the shoe. The ride is soft and welcoming and the shoe feels like it is simply eating up the miles. It’s a 5mm drop into the forefoot and while a little lower than many daily trainers, it feels a very smooth transition from heel to toe.
The upper is a simple, uncomplicated design and very well put together. It wraps the foot perfectly and is one of the nicest fitting models I’ve tried recently, with no excess or creasing and a nice level of padding around the heel and Achilles. The Cellula is a workhorse shoe for daily miles but provides a sumptuous space for the feel at the same time.
Diadora Cellula
One Mix – Pace Beam – around £87.00
These carbon-plated shoes offer great value for money. At under £100, they can often be found in the sale at the brand’s website.
Weighing around 235g, they are perhaps just a little heavier than some race day models, but they are feature-packed with the latest technology. The midsole is a supercritical foam with a hollowed arch that highlights the carbon plate. This hollow shows how the foot flexing and the carbon plate combine to give a high level of energy return and a spring-like feel.
The carbon plate is broader in the heel of the shoe and this creates excellent stability, a feature many carbon racers forego. The midsole also wraps up around the side of the feet to create additional stability, keeping the foot central and focused providing a good push-off. These shoes aren’t short of innovation and at this price make a great entry point into carbon racers.
OneMix Pace Beam
Qiaodan – QingHong – around £117.00
Weighing in at just under 100g, these shoes are lighter than the box they arrived in!
They feature a super-lightweight supercritical foam and a full-length carbon plate, with an upper that disappears around the feet. Available via the website AliExpress, navigating to find the shoe can be tricky, but they are certainly worth searching out. A truly minimalist design, these could be the lightest carbon-plated shoes on the market.
The brand has a range of running shoes specifically race day models with these being the lightest. Over 5k, I found them amazing and perhaps over the marathon distance, they’d work too, but these certainly aren’t an everyday model so don’t expect long-term durability. The sole is a slither of rubber but proved enough traction for me on a dry day. The shoe is exceptionally responsive and the toe-off offers a track spike-like experience, so save them for your best efforts.
Qiaodan Qing Hong
Qiaodan –FeiYing PB4.0 – around £121.00
A little more substantial than the ultra-lightweight QingHong, this model can certainly handle the demands of the marathon.
With a little more than a passing resemblance to one of the original supershoes, the PB4 features a dual-density PEBA-based midsole with the brand’s unique Q-Arc Plate, a carbon plate with curves running laterally as well along the length of the shoe. This plate creates a very positive energy return and really punches the foot up away as you run. Again, it’s best at race pace, but the softer layer of foam above the plate makes the shoe easier to handle at a variety of paces.
Weighing in at just 220g, the shoe is in the same ballpark as many other racers but competes very well on the value front, where it’s every bit as good as many mainstream options at around half the price. If you are willing to order from overseas the PB 4.0 again demonstrates that there are some great shoes to be had.
Qiaodan Feiying PB4
HOKA – Mach X 2 – £170.00
Whilst HOKA is now as well-known as any of the big-name brands, this model may well have slipped under the radar purely because of the sheer number of new styles launched by them in recent months. The Mach X 2 is a new lightweight racer/training model that offers the responsive and propulsive feel of a race day model yet with the added cushioning of a daily training shoe.
A Pebax (plastic) rather than carbon plate is embedded within the highly resilient PEBA foam midsole and offers a great level of energy return without stiffening the shoe to the same extent a carbon plate does. This makes the shoe much more versatile and useable daily. Essentially, you can experience race day ‘spring’ any day of the week! This type of midsole construction also offers more general stability and makes the shoe a viable choice for a wider range of runners.
The fit and upper are more similar to a racing model, but as a whole, it is a shoe that’s more than capable of daily miles at any speed.
Hoka Mach X2
Brooks – Ghost Max 2 – £145.00
Another ‘quiet’ update that may have slipped under your radar is the Ghost Max 2. Updated with nitrogen-infused foam, the Ghost Max 2 jumps bang up to date within the max-cushioning daily trainer space. With a 39mm stack height in the heel, there’s certainly no shortage of cushioning and the combination of deep stack and soft, springy foam makes for a very plush ride.
With such a deep stack, this isn’t a performance shoe, but it does feel very responsive for such a model. The overall feel is a welcoming and smooth riding experience that provides a little spring in your step when required. The brand’s GlideRoll geometry creates a rocker from heel to forefoot and aids the gait cycle and a broader base to the midsole and slightly raised side walls in the rear foot make it a very stable neutral model. The upper has an engineered mesh design and the usual high-quality fit and feel of a Brooks shoe.
Brooks Ghost Max 2
» Subscribe to AW magazine here, check out our new podcast here or sign up to our digital archive of back issues from 1945 to the present day here
