Hi, I'm Andy.
And welcome to The Running Channel where today I'm gonna be taking a look at
some potentially revolutionary running shoes,
which have been three years in the making the Salomon Index 0.1.
And for once we're not talking about carbon plates,
but the fact that these are both performance running shoes and a hundred percent
recyclable, but how are they any good? What I'm going to answer those questions.
But before I do,
please support us in what we're trying to do at the running channel,
by hitting subscribe and tapping the bell icon to be notified when we upload new
videos. Now let's take a look Salomon sent us the shoes to test,
but we've not been paid to say nice things.
And everything that you're going to hear is my honest opinion. Now,
the reason we wanted to show you these shoes is because they do seem like a
genuine game changer. At the end of their life
you send the shoes back and then they're a hundred percent recycled into
constituent parts, which you then used to make new ski boots and fabrics,
for example, and it comes on the back of other shoe manufacturers,
also looking at different ways of making and buying running shoes.
So watch out for things like On's Cyclone subscription-based shoe,
which we'll be able to get later this year,
the Index 0.1 is the result of three years of research and development at
Salomon's Annecy based design center in the French Alps.
And the whole concept of the shoe is based on circular lifecycle design
principles.
The upper is made from recycled polyester and the bottom unit is made from TPU.
When you're finished with the shoe,
you had the Salomon's website print off a label for free shipping to your local
collection centre, and then send it off.
They are aiming to minimize the transport costs in that subsequent impact on the
environment,
by having collection centers in various different places around the world.
They can then be separated
into their upper and mid sole sections with each part being recycled slightly
differently. The midsole itself is ground down into tiny pellets,
which would then be reformed and combined with new TPU to make things like ski
boots and then the upper, the fabric essentially ground down as well,
and then reformed into yarn, which is then woven into new fabric.
Also something that I think is pretty cool,
but ultimately the rest of the industry should be looking to follow anyway,
is that there's no inclusion of extra stuffing paper or hang tags on the shoes
themselves in the box.
So that minimizes the material that's used and Salomon have actually shifted to
using FSC certified packaging, all of their running shoes.
So there's a focus on the recyclable element,
but this isn't a gimmick or a prototype.
This shoe aims to be a genuine performance running shoe for use as a daily
trainer. So for your easy or longest steady runs.
It weighs in at 285 grams, which feels about right for an everyday trainer.
Light enough that you can get rolling on some faster runs,
but also substantial enough to provide you with the cushioning and support you'd
expect on those slightly longer runs.
It has a 9mm drop and the moulded sock liner is also made from
recycled material. I'll give you the most important bit.
The mid-sole uses a nitrogen infused TPU foam.
Now most running shoes either use a TPU foam like Adidas Ultraboost,
or an EVA, which is common across a lot of different shoes. In this case,
that foam is combined with Salomon's, R camber, rocket geometry,
which aims to give you propulsion through foot strike and helps spend less time
in contact with the ground. The midsole itself,
particularly the chunky heel section is a little bit wacky,
but overall it's an aesthetic, including the colourway,
which has really understated that I like.
And I can't wait to get out and try them out for a run.
So let's give it a go. It's time to put them on.
And what are the first things you notice is the extra layer of material around
the front to protect the toe area that actually continues all the way around the
outside. And you'll see,
there's almost a shear panel in the outside of the upper where you can
more or less see through to the inside.
The midsole is one solid unit of that nitrogen infused TPU.
And there are sections on the bottom of rubberized outsole to give you extra
grip, as well as a section in the middle, which is just that TPU
mid-sole. Putting them on and lacing them up the tongue and the material used
around the inside of the heels, actually really comfortable and really soft.
And then the laces seems to allow the upper to conform really nicely to your
foot. And it's a pretty nice fit straight away. So they feel really comfortable.
I'm desperate to get out there and give them a go on the road now. Okay.
So out on the run, first impressions actually pretty good,
definitely firmer than something like an Adidas Ultraboost 21
or the Nike Pegasus 37, which are really bouncy.
So definitely gives you a firmer firmer ride. I can feel the,
R camber rocker rocking me forward and propelling me forward.
They feel like a regular pair of running shoes though.
I wouldn't say they feel like some kind of weird prototype or recycling
experiments.
The combination of the lacing and the upper give it pretty good fit.
They feel relatively supportive. There's definitely plenty of room in them.
I've got relatively narrow feet and they seem to come up pretty true to size.
So you should be okay with a slightly wider foot too.
I've mainly been on road on this run with a few wet patches,
definitely no issues with grip or anything like that.
Although I've not really tried dialling up the pace too much.
I set off easy, built up to what I'd consider a steady pace.
And now I'm just throwing in a few strides at the end to see how they feel
running that little bit quicker.
Certainly no problem transitioning from easy to steady, to faster striding pace,
they feel nice.
So, run done time to head inside for the verdict.
So we know what it is and I've been out and run in the Salomon Index 0.1. So what did I think?
Well,
ultimately the first thing I would say is there's no getting away from the fact
that it's quite a firm feeling shoe.
So compared to the shoes that I already mentioned, so Adidas, Nike's Pegasus,
even something like New Balance's Fresh Foam,
there's no way that this feels as plush as that.
So if you want an everyday trainer, that's going to be really cushioned and soft,
then this isn't it. But I was pleasantly surprised.
It felt quite responsive. The rocker geometry definitely was a positive.
I felt like I could run quite quickly,
but there was the caveat that it just wasn't quite as forgiving.
So you did feel the road a bit more.
I definitely know people that prefer to have more of a feel the road when they're
running. So that could be a real positive,
but that's something that you look for and the eco credentials of these shoes
are unquestionable. So in a period of time,
when companies are being criticized and I received plenty of deliveries where
the packaging is so wasteful anything that's looking to reduce the footprint
of a product on the environment is a really positive thing.
So if you like the sound of what I've described in terms of the way that the
shoe feels and ultimately performs,
I appreciate this is only a first look and I haven't had a chance to run
comprehensively in them. Then it might be worth giving it a go.
Particularly if it's something that ultimately helps to save the planet.
What do you think? What do you think is the future of running shoes?
And do you have any questions about these shoes or any of the shoes on the
market right now? We'd love to hear from you.
Please let us know in the comments below and I'll see you next time
on The Running Channel.