We had a sample pair of the all new Saucony Kinvara 5 that fits well with Frank. With his big race of the year coming back then, we without any hesitation gave him the pair for him to try on and was delighted that he chose it as his race shoe for the Comrades Marathon. Here's his review on the next chapter of "Fast", the Kinvara 5.
By Frank
By Frank
My "love" affair with the
Saucony Kinvara series became stronger over the two years and now the
relationship continues with the fifth generation, and it became stronger than
ever when it helped me to my third and best Comrades finish ever! And 2 weeks
later, helped me to complete yet another 90KM at the Back 2 Endurance 2014
earning a third placing! All in the same shoe, the Saucony Kinvara 5 (K5)! And with
close to 300KM of running distance in it, it’s finally time for my take on it.
The Kinvara series has retain much of its
DNA since the first generation. Still at 4mm heel to toe drop with stack height
of 22mm versus 18mm while retaining the same weight of 216 grams for size
US8.5, minor tweaks has been made to make turn the good shoe into a great shoe.
While many agreed that the K3 was the best among all with the K4 suffered some
durability problem on the mesh, I must say that it isn't what you think until
you try the K5!
Kinvara 5, Kinvara 4 and Kinvara 3.
I personally enjoyed the K3 very much with
the first pair enjoying approximately 700KM running distance before I retired
it. The second pair which was my race shoe for Comrades Marathon 2013 went
through about 300KM before I decided to immortalise it due to the contribution
it made towards my big race. No tearing issue and wear and tear of the outsole
was reasonably good. The K4 however, though as enjoyable and performed pretty
similarly to the K3, yes suffered from some tearing issues on the toe box's
mesh. Mine started to show after hitting 400KM.
Saucony was quick to respond to the
problem with the K4 and that gave birth to the K5. The mono mesh used in
previous generations is now replaced by a new stronger but yet light and
flexible mesh. And yes, it is very breathable too and one does not need to
touch it to know its new. It looks different too and in a good way as it gave
the shoe a very clean look. Some minor repositioning of the FlexFilm material
is made to strengthen certain high wear and tear areas without making any
sacrifices in weight and flexibility too.
Up close on the new mesh.
Hidden under the new mesh at the mid foot
region is a new system call the Pro-Lock which is made by some plasticity
spandex material, first introduced in Saucony's track and field footwear. As
the name suggest, it's a system that runs at the sides of the internal bootie
of the tongue to lock the foot down in the shoe while we run. And instead of
going across the foot, it goes under it and it felt good as it dynamically move
with the foot's movement secured by the laces.
The Pro Lock system for the arch.
Next, the minimal collar is now plush with
memory foam paddings call RunDry all around it. Gone are the days when I had to
take precaution in wearing mini crew socks to minimise the chances of chaffing
at the Achilles region, The plushness of the new material is soft to the touch
and grabs my ankle gently without any irritating issues. And I must say, this
is probably the best upgrade in the "Feel" department!
New RunDry material for the collar.
Now with the upper and cosmetic department
heading towards a positive change, next will be the outsole. The top of the
range PowerGrid foam continues to cushion off the impact. And while I had no
durability issues on the K3 and K4's outsole, Saucony decided to add additional
rubbers on the lateral side of the mid foot area. Not that I can feel any
difference but perhaps the outsole can last longer. One thing that I do feel or
rather say hear the difference will be the suction sound from K3 and K4
whenever I walk on mosaic tiles. Gone is the sound from K5 and I suspect is due
from the tread design of the rubbers which literary gives more traction
especially on tile pavements.
Outsole of the fourth (above) compared to the fifth (below).
Many including Peter Larson aka RunBlogger has said that the K5 is the best
Kinvara ever made. While I've not worn the K1 and K2 before as I find them too
soft, I do believe Saucony is heading at the right direction with the K5 and it
is much a superior shoe over the K3 and K4 and I am starting to see that some
changes are made based on the racing heritage especially the Type A series.
Hey.. After all it's the shoe that smashed by Comrades time!
The Saucony Kinvara 5 should be available
nationwide at authorised Saucony dealers suchs as Running Lab, Stadium, Studio
R and Royal Sporting House beginning September 2014 and will retail at a
recommended selling price off RM399.00. And there may be even a special water
resistant version call the RunShield series coming to our shores too which was reviewed by Jamie recently.
Colours galore for the Spring Summer collection of the Kinvara 5.
Disclaimer - The pair of Saucony Kinvara 5
reviewed here is a complimentary media sample pair given as part of my
sponsorship program with Saucony Malaysia.
