NNormal Kjerag: Great for Kilian Jornet, Great for us?

[@TrailrunnerTroy]

Great review! Used the Tomir for the last 75 miles of a 200-mile race last month; excellent all-arounder. The Kjerag has become a staple for more minimalist Mountain-training sessions here in Colorado and I aspire to race longer distances in them.

[@nigellawrence9615]

I had them for Christmas, had my first run in them today, found the grip was great, comfort was great, they looked great be running in these again

[@TheCharliektm]

Real excited to try these,! Arc'teryx also did a shoe with no insole a few years ago

[@Mr_Fairdale]

This is the first time I’ve seen the white color way. It does look sexy. Good to hear about the durability. I’m a cruiserweight running my first 100k next year so I’m trying not to burn through shoes too fast lol. Thanks for the review!

[@thepacepusher]

Yeah hopefully for us who are different body builds than the greatest ultra runners they last almost as long!

[@SeeChadRun]

Overall the shoe really seems great! How's the ground feel in the shoe? I personally would be curious to see how this shoe compares to my favorite trail shoe, the adidas TERREX Speed Ultra.

[@thepacepusher]

Ground feel is moderate. The trails I’ve ran in are not super jagged rocks but a lot of well maintained trails. So it doesn’t have a ton of feel. I’ve never ran in this Adidas trail shoes so I wouldn’t be the right one to give that opinion

[@matsmith1984]

Loved this review! I'm really intrigued by the Kjerag and I think this has pushed me to giving them a go! Loved the video, the trails you run look awesome!

[@thepacepusher]

Did 26+ in them this weekend and still loving them!

[@julsblack1]

Great review, It helps me reaffirm that I made a good purchase, I can't wait to try my new kjerag. Also the the salomon S/lab sense it doesn’t have sole, They have designed those shoes without sole for a few years now.

[@Dogwalkerdave]

I’m a similar size as you and have had the Tomir 1.0 for almost a year and a half and they are extremely durable. Ordered the 2.0 and looking forward to them as well. Worth the $$ if they last as long as they do.

[@andydt82]

Terrex speed pro also come without insoles, and Altra shoes are designed to be worn with or without (I run in the Escalante without)

[@adamtyson1257]

Great review, wonder how sizing changes w/o foot bed. Company will not pay for shipping if you are returning due to size but they will pay return if there is product defect. How are they for using orthotic? I needs stability. Looking to try the Tomir mid.

[@thepacepusher]

I don’t use orthotics so I can’t speak to that. More shops are carrying the brand now (which is where I got these) and tried them on before I bought them.

[@toddboucher3302]

The insult doesn’t bother me a lot of the older, barefoot shoes like the Merrills and stuff never had insoles. They were just a little bit of a padded in one piece kind of thing I’m curious about the tow box. My labs are usually can only take those up to about 50 K because after that, they’re so narrow that my toes are hurt me I like the narrow arch I just don’t like the narrow toolbox and before I bite the bullet that’s what I need to find out.

[@seatownfan]

I never thought of not having an insole, very interesting. I came her because Allie O signed with them.

[@BF-27]

Interesting you mention the laces on the speedgoat 5. I did the same thing swapping my SG4 laces into them and that improved the shoe dramatically. The new Hoka laces are so trash.

[@projectdaily4032]

Would like to know if you have tried the hoka tecton x2. Thinking of going with the nnormal or the x2. But would like to know with one you think is better being they are both 200 dollar shoes.

[@thepacepusher]

I haven’t tried the tecton x 1 or 2 so wouldn’t be fair for me to comment. I just did 100k in this shoe and it was money!

[@projectdaily4032]

@@thepacepusher nice, I’m looking to race a 50k in 3 months and then the 100k in 6 months. I have the speedgoat evo and the altra mont Blanc but wanted to try something better. Evo is to narrow and the altra has its heal slippage and weird lock down.

[@projectshoe]

Adidas Terrex Speed pro also another older model with no insole.

[@trailsandbeers]

Altra Mont blanc can be used without insole, probably others too, so this is not the first. I will never know if this is a good shoe as I have wide hobbit feet and my choice of trail shoes that fit is very limited.

[@swiftcolin]

Did you go TTS?

[@thepacepusher]

Yes and it was good to go 🤙🏼

[@forestcitymountaintrail43]

The no insole thing is something i first saw in the Salomon S/LAB Pulsar, The Pulsar is the shoe Kilian and Salomon put together as to be the "perfect" Sierre Zinal race-shoe for Kilian in 2019, a phenomenal fun,fast and superlight trail/hybrid shoe. The only thing i wish for in the Pulsar is that it was a little bit wider and more stable. For me it looks like Kilian/NNormal took 80% of the Pulsar "DNA" and made it a little wider and better rubber/grip. The Kjerag is a shoe that i really looking forward testing out, regarding how much i like the Pulsar.

[@projectshoe]

Is megagrip significantly better than Contragrip in your experience?

[@forestcitymountaintrail43]

@@projectshoe Yes! There are different types of contagrip rubber on Salomon shoes/models, some models use the same, some models have a softer version, some have harder type of rubber/contagrip, the softer one is better grip but shorter lifespan. But still the best contagrip rubber i have tried is not even close to as good and grippy as the megagrip, i am takling grip on wet rocks/roots. On dry surface everything works. contagrip is getting better, but still a long way to go

[@projectshoe]

@@forestcitymountaintrail43 Thanks for confirming. I am in England and have never tried Salomon as their reputation for grip on wet rock isn't that great, so nice to hear another confirmation. I've had a few pairs with megagrip and find it pretty good. The continental on adidas similar. VJ & NVii are gaining popularity too, both using Butyl rubber. Amazing stuff, definitely recommend. Altra maxtrac awful! Although apparently now improved, but why keep the same name?! Similar to Salomon with different versions of Contragrip I guess.

[@forestcitymountaintrail43]

@@projectshoe Salomon is/must be well aware of the problem them self, i wish there was more budget and tech/testing on outsole rubber than putting this or that plate into a Trail shoe, you have to build the house from the ground and up as they say🤷🏻‍♂️ Who needs a Carbon plate because the rocks are wet ? The Maxtrack from Altra, yes i almost died 3 times because of that 😂 VJ rubber on Salomon shoes🙋🏻‍♂️

[@projectshoe]

@@forestcitymountaintrail43 100% agree on the plates. I enjoy road running too & the concept makes sense there but is illogical on uneven surgaces. Have had similar experiences with Altra! I'm curious why one of the big brands doesn't just start to use Butyl rubber as per VJ. I don't believe its use in road shoes is covered under any kind of patent. Presumably it's either a cost or supply issue.

[@Pittimus84]

Before I heard of this brand I had already started taking the insoles out of my road shoes because I've always for years got blisters on the balls of my feet and edge blister, didn't matter the shoe, socks, insoles, anti chafe. And I like it a lot better, the shoes all fit better, sit lower in it, more stability, no insole there now to contribute to issues. And getting back into trail and mountain running after a long long break stability, grip, durability, lower stack height and plenty of for foot room is what I was looking for. And I still think this is so far the best option I've seen, but some of the La Sportiva shoes as the new mutant is set to drop next year I may look at that also. Also how is sizing, opinions keep varying from the reviews I read or watch?

[@thepacepusher]

Never thought about taking them out of my road shoes as I never suffered from blisters but that’s a great thought. Sizing for me was true to normal sizing. I have ran in La Sportiva but have some friends who only wear that brand.

[@gudboyngdisyerto]

that's a good idea i'd try it next time i go to shoe store. i always have problem with forefoot width of my running shoes so i buy half to full size bigger to accomodate the width and accept that it's longer than optimal length for me

[@Pittimus84]

@@gudboyngdisyerto I find it can work well, I do not like shoes when the insoles are glued in, because if you take the insoles out to provide a better fit the adhesive holds your socks in place which will lend it's self to shearing or friction blisters or both. I have found a thin quality sock liner like fox river can help a lot also in those situations.

[@Pittimus84]

@@thepacepusher It's either gonna be Kjerag or the La Sportiva Cyklon or the new mutant once it drops soon. However for a mountain shoe specifically I want a wider footprint for stability and the Kjerag has the widest that I know of currently.

[@LibraryChoice]

This video sounds so quiet. Something must be wrong with you audio

[@thepacepusher]

Thanks for the heads up. I’ll fix it and reupload. Not sure what happen

[@ryanjcoon1]

Hows the trail to road transition in this shoe?

[@thepacepusher]

I’ve only had very short segments on the road. I would not use this as a hybrid shoe personally. If go nike trail peg 4 as a better hybrid shoe

[@Zimmi1989]

The Salomon S/LAB Sense 7 & 8 also have no insoles, so it is nothing new rather a carry over from "another Kilian shoe"

[@thepacepusher]

Great insight. That I was unaware of so clearly a kilian idea

[@Zimmi1989]

@@thepacepusher looking forward to try this shoe myself! 🙂

[@Ballard74]

600km in my tomirs awesome shoes

[@javierparragarcia4929]

The Pulsars also never had insoles like the Slab Sense