Nnormal Kjerag - Less is more

[@Not_So_Common_Sense]

On my second pair after approximately 10 months. My all-time favorite shoe regardless of terrain. It really is outstanding even when used as an "uptempo" road shoe.

[@SagasuRunning]

Agree. It’s very well mannered on the road. The lug pattern really does work. I’m considering a second pair so I can put more road miles on them.

[@travymoto1]

I love mine. I have only worn them twice. Each was 28miles at the same event 1 year apart. Flawless.

[@SagasuRunning]

A truly special shoe. 👌🏻

[@pete801]

Brilliant review. Ive been looking at buying this shoe and have watched endless reviews..... This is the best one

[@SagasuRunning]

This is an outstanding shoe. Absolutely outstanding. You are going to love them.

[@RodRanDusted]

My favorite shoe of all time. Moved from the Clifton’s. All miles on paved roads as well.

[@SagasuRunning]

I’m considering getting a second pair for road running… I totally feel you here. The midsole foam is something special.

[@i.p2088]

When I see the terrain you run I am glad I run on the road 😂

[@SagasuRunning]

Hahaha. It’s fun though. I enjoy technical terrain, always have.

[@grankvarsvik4153]

Got 150+ kms on mine. They were stiff and uncomfortable in the beginning but luckily broke in quickly. These were supposed to have extra space in the toe box, but I find that to be mostly in length, not in width. I think it is on the narrow side by the the forefoot, giving me some abrasion on the inner low side of the big toes and also on the same area right behind the base of them in the start. I run mostly in the mountains on technical terrain with these and got blisters there when exeeding 15-20kms in one go. But that improved greatly with break in and they are still getting better in regards to that. Lockdown and ground feel is like nothing I have tried before and they feel really fast. Grip is extraordinarily good and predictable even on wet rock. And they will never catch anything making me trip like for instance Speedgoats do. I attribute that to the relatively short and rounded lugs. If your run consists partly of pavement they can do that too, although not fantastic. By the looks of them so far they will last a very long time.

[@SagasuRunning]

There is definitely a short break in period. Luckily they didn’t give me any blisters or hotspots during that time. But once broken in they have been very consistent in fit and feel… still no issues. I also agree they are very well mannered for road running. The lug pattern is quite good for hard surfaces.

[@toddboucher3302]

Great video if that’s really perfect I’m talking about the tow box because the only reason I can’t take one of the Solomon S labs real long distance pass like 3540 miles is because the narrow tow box ends up hurting my feet and then I’m switching to something else, but if I always said if I could get a load of the ground, salmonwith just a few millimeters or millimeter to wider. It would be beautiful and it looks like that’s what he did.

[@SagasuRunning]

That’s exactly what the Kjerag is. I believe it’s 5-8mm wider in the forefoot and the Matryx upper is cut differently which adds to the width as well. Don’t get me wrong, this is still a narrow shoe, very much a euro fit. However it’s more classic Adidas racing flat fit than s/lab fit.

[@iakona23]

I really really like your shoe reviews. I’ve been considering buying the ASICS Superblast. For cold/wet/winter running and light trail running, I was considering the Puma Deviate Nitro 2 Waterproof in all-black color. I may have to consider this one for light trail running as well. I would really like to hear you talk about Taiwan. I’ve always wanted to visit. I visited Japan once and I really loved it there.

[@Not_So_Common_Sense]

Superblast has mediocre wet traction (and stones can get stuck into the outsole pattern).. A fantastic shoe but not my first choice for winter/light trail runs.

[@SagasuRunning]

The Superblast will be fine for wet road, not ideal but it will do just fine. Just avoid anything type of gravel or wet leaves in it. I don’t have experience with the Puma but it seems it should be able to handle a lot. As for the Kjerag… I can’t image a shoe further away from the Superblast in stack and feel… but you definitely will be getting experience on both ends of the spectrum there. I enjoy the Kjerag for road running as well, though it runs like an old school racing flat on roads (which I like). Thank you for the kind words and support! I have talked about Taiwan quite a bit in my videos. Is there anything specially you are curious about regarding running in Taiwan?

[@SagasuRunning]

@user-kl3lg7tf3n-anx1ous Agree with this.

[@iakona23]

@@SagasuRunning I’ll go back and find what you said about Taiwan earlier. It doesn’t have to be about running. Yes I know the Superblast and the Kierag are very different tools. I have the Puma Velocity Nitro 2 and it does pretty well for light trail running with the Pumagrip. But find it a bit mushy in the heel area.

[@jackkasperski2912]

Fascinating shoe!

[@SagasuRunning]

It really is… as a running shoe, period. Not just a trial shoe. It’s a really special one.

[@TinQuijano-i8v]

Trail that you've shown I wouldn't even be considering running in. I'm bringing out the Columbia or Merrell boots and be going very slow😂

[@SagasuRunning]

Haha. It’s not all that, but terrain like that is pretty representative of the trails here in Taiwan. You’ll always have to contend with stuff like that somewhere on it. Additionally… it’s often wet here in the winter… which makes our terrain even more interesting. Buffed out fire roads don’t exist here.

[@verde-bj2mx]

hey! i ran my first pair literally to the ground - till there was a hole in the outsole. over 3000km. the lugs were almost gone. the upper had zero damage though! durability is bonkers: would have had 4 or more Salomon pairs for the same time period/distance. i used the same size as in Salomon. just replaced with the new color: different fit! bulkier and wider, beware. now back to a new pair but old colorway: strangely a bit smaller. so overall: sizing is quite a mess. but once the break-in period is over (for me it's mostly numb feet, i'm 60km in my new pair, still not broken in) - it's perfect. i wish the fit was more consistent, it's a lot of money to be gambling on the sizing of every particular pair. cheers.

[@SagasuRunning]

Wow… 3000km… I’d email them, with some photos of your 3000km Kjerags… they are currently looking for durability stories for the Kjerag. Sounds like yours would be prime for that. Noted on the sizing. Are the new pair you got from the latest releases? The greeen outsole release?

[@verde-bj2mx]

i already sent them the old shoes, so they have them. unfortunately, though friendly, they are not too helpful in the customer support. they do deny any fit changes. it also seems they are mainly interested in people with sm presence. as for sizing, yes - the new pair i purchased was beige, from the latest release. it has a few minor changes but MAINLY is really bulkier in the heel, so i was rolling my ankle because i couldn't get that same lockdown, the laces are thinner and stretchier, so it doesn't help either. by having two shows next to each other you can tell the difference. and as you mentioned here in the review - they aren't too easy to get in, but the new colorway - you just slide the foot right in. and for a new user it can be no issue, i just know the show too well by now after 13 months, and wanted the same experience. after all i was able to return them because the (lack of) insole was coloring all my socks in yellow. i doubt it's a defect of my particular pair but it is what it is.. anyway, sorry for lengthy comments. i was looking for more recent reviews to see if others have had similar issues. your review seems great, it would have been very helpful to me when i was first considering them. cheers! @@SagasuRunning

[@SagasuRunning]

Oh, then if they have them… I’m sure they have looked at them. They have a small team and are scaling CS services for sure. Hopefully they will get support dialed. Interesting note on the new models. I know the foams and materials changed in the heel but didn’t know it was that big of a change. Good to know. I’ll keep an eye out for them.

[@m.ch4rmaland3r10]

I am a big Salomon slab pulsar fan, cant say for the rest of their other ones. At 170g in us8.5 (should have size9) it is 23/17mm which is light than Kjerag. I have not tried Kjerag but it more than double in price for the Pulsar. Based on what I gather slab pulsar is quite similar to the Kjerag. The draw back for me in the Pulsar is the short lug are not great in muddy or wet condition. I do think megagrip, as I have it in other trail shoe, is good but recently trying the FujiLite4, that is a suprisingly awesome grip. I really hope I can get a hold of this shoe at decent price to try. I run mainly in technical trails, single track, loose rocks and I prefer non carbon low drop shoe. Also great for my plantar I find for me.

[@kgenest100]

You may want to buy a Salomon Pulsar SG which has bigger lugs than the light grey Pulsar. In 2024 the SLAB and SLAB Pulsar SG will be merged.

[@SagasuRunning]

We seem to have very similar tastes in shoes overall. I’m curious about the s/lab Pulsar, especially the SG version… but am on the fence as to if I’m going to buy a pair to compare to the Kjerag. I will cover the s/lab Pulsar 3 in 2024 as it will be interesting to see how their development of the shoe continues without Kilian’s input.

[@m.ch4rmaland3r10]

@kgenest100 I already have SG, and the Pulsar advanced got it both at 60% off last month. Banger deal. Advanced model I should have size down may reserve that for non technical or just fire trail

[@m.ch4rmaland3r10]

@SagasuRunning I would skip the slab pulsar unless it is on a great deal, but the v3 looks quite interesting. The other salomon (confusing naming model) pulsar range is not that great, especially the plated execution when I tried it at the store. I have the pulsar advanced, and that is even more minimalist but should have downsized half a size. Without the lacing, it is a bit loosy goosy. Overall, all the slab pulsar I think I can even run on the road because of the low lug depth except the sg model.

[@SagasuRunning]

@@m.ch4rmaland3r10 I’m definitely not interested in the plated Pulsars, at all. I’m thinking of covering the new Salomon Genesis (non s/lab) and any update to the s/lab Genesis they do in 2024. That shoe intrigues me for a bunch of reasons. Kilian did want the original pulsar to be a road shoe for the trails… that is what he got for sure.

[@brianreiter5572]

Interestingly my sizing experience is the opposite. My 12.5 US Kjerag is slightly short which is ok but for a long day would cause me toe rubbing problems. I took the retailer advice to size down 0.5 and also that was (at the time) the largest Kjerag sold. I normally wear a 13 US or 31cm down to as short as 30.5cm. In Salomon s/lab Sense SG I wore a 13 US / 48 EU / 31cm. In La Sportiva, it is 13.5 US / 48 EU / 31cm. In VJ, 14 US / 48 EU / 30.8cm. NNormal says 12.5 US is 30cm and (new) 13.5 US is 30.5cm. For me the size down a half size was wrong. I don't understand what exactly is going on but the "longness" people describe and needing to size down is not my experience. But in cm terms maybe it is. The 30cm feels more like 30.5cm.

[@SagasuRunning]

Odd, just about every review I’ve watched and the people I’ve talked with about the Kjerag have all size .5 to a full size down. Maybe it’s something with the upper end of the sizes that runs different. Something to do with how they scaled the lasts up for the high end of sizing.

[@brianreiter5572]

I know. I have a good running friend who is Italian who swears by the cm / Japanese sizing method as the most reliable across brands.

[@SagasuRunning]

@@brianreiter5572 Taiwan also uses the Japanese sizing method (I’m a 27.0 in most shoes) and I also find it to be much more understandable, even as an American. 😂

[@RowOfMushyTiT]

I think is not a linear relationship. So larger sizes might not have the same problem as the smaller sizes.

[@SagasuRunning]

@@RowOfMushyTiT Possibly… that would make sense.

[@Andre-wm2ir]

Hey Chris, I've been following you channel since your first takumi sen 9 video and really appreciate your analyses of the shoes. So I am a little sad that you wanna focus more on trail running (shoes). I can tell you from my experience (talking with my fellow club runners and competitiors): Most will watch the big marathons (Berlin and London) and the majority follows the world champs and a few follow the diamond league meets. But nobody has the slightest interest in trail and/or ultra running (shoes or competitions let alone watch them). But I will keep watching the road running shoe videos. Take care

[@SagasuRunning]

I’m still going to be covering road running primarily… there definitely where my head is still at. I’m just going to mix in some other types of running into and the conversation. There is a ton of interesting tech and ideas over on the trial side right now… some of it has come from road shoes but some of it I can see applications back over on towed shoes. It’s fascinating as a gear nerd for sure.

[@luizbertoncini]

Reminds me of the brazilian shoe olympikus corre trilha

[@SagasuRunning]

I had to Google that one. I see a minor similarity in the Vibrim outsole but the styling looks like something Saucony would do.

[@Pittimus84]

Any update on this shoe planned in the near future?

[@SagasuRunning]

Nothing I've seen or heard hinted at... but Nnormal is always improving their product...

[@Pittimus84]

@@SagasuRunning Lol, I meant an update from you about the shoe and how it's doing now.

[@SagasuRunning]

Oh… it’s still as good. I’m at around 240k on them… the toe bumper (midsole foam) is beat up but otherwise the shoe is in very very good shape. They feel as good as they did at 100k. Plenty more in them. They will be in a video in Sept… I’ll talk a bit more about them there. Stay tuned.

[@aditudose4762]

Does the upper gets a little bit loose after the first or seventh run? I feel that they are too narrow but the length is perfect. I don't have this issue with Takumi sen 9. I would appreciate your feedback on this. Best

[@SagasuRunning]

Not really. The Matryx material doesn’t really stretch. However as the shoe breaks in and forms to your foot and the materials “give” a little you may gain a MM or two… but nothing substantial. I’ve found the upper fit to be very consistent from KM 10 to KM 170…

[@aditudose4762]

Thank you so much!