As a triathlete I've been wanting to try out Zoot for a while now and now I see why they are so popular in the transition area. Last season I was using the Pearl Izumi Streaks but never could wear them without socks (tried during a sprint distance time trial-no short races other then that to try this out), and I always had trouble with traction on them. The first thing you will realize with light weight racing flats is that they dont have much material, there isnt much to them and they are designed to feel that way as well. This can be a blessing and a course, a design flaw when you want to use them on gravel surfaces (more on that later).
This is a transition shoe and in that regard I didn’t feel like I could get them on and secured to my foot any faster than a regular racing flat fitted with elastic laces. The heel pull tab was difficult to hold on to while jamming your foot in even with dry feet and I’m sure difficulty would increase with wet feet. Once in, my foot did feel secure with the quick lace system which never even hinted of slipping or come undone during any of my runs.
My runs were a mixture of gravel and paved surfaces and I found that these shoes just couldn’t hold up to gravel surface. It was less then 5 miles into a run that the issue began to present itself, the sole suffered some damage in areas not covered by the rubber traction. Those concerns aside, this is the first pair of tri running shoes I’ve been able to wear without socks, without blisters and feel with a few minor tweaks this shoe could be exactly what I’ve been holding out for and would quickly be added to my transition mat.
ZOOT OTEC
(Very much like the Ultra Tempo 4.0)
I fell in love with this shoe from the moment of my first few strides; Light and flexible yet supportive. Very comfortable upper with no seams. Great color combo, good luck trying to get a run without someone stopping you to check out your kicks. I had an effortless training run that was surprisingly at race pace, I checked my watch twice! I will without a doubt be racing in these this weekend at the Cherry Creek Sneak 5 miler. They compliment my toed running style nicely with a little forward lean that you dont notice until the next morning's calf soreness. They have a narrow toe box without sacrificing frontal landing surface and stability.
"Less Weight, Less Water retention, lower temps, less exertion per stride. Upgrade to Zoot."
See a continued review here!
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