Tag Archives: Carboman
Montrail Rogue Racer Quick Review
If all you do are flipping through trail running mags, you’ll know that Montrail has been around for awhile, since 1993, in fact. They’re sponsor for the Western States 100 (http://www.wser.org/) and elite runners like Geoff Roes (course record holder of WS100, Moutain Masochist 50, Wasatch 100 among others), Dakota Jones, Max King and Sean Meissner. In 2006, the company was acquired by Columbia Sportswear and along with Mountain Hardwear, form a pretty strong alliance of outdoor and trail
The Montrail Rogue Racer (MRR) is hardly a new offering from the trail running footwear company. Released back in end 2010, I first spotted the MRR in the Gardens outlet of World of Outdoors (WoO) in early 2012 and was quite taken by the conventional look and lightweight of the model. Quite a departure from the Salomons then. Of course, Salomon has emerged as the hip brand and has introduced the versatile road-to-trail category. I’m a fan of the Skechers GOtrail which have plenty to offer for 2 hours in the trail but for something longer, I’m hoping the added midsole stackheight, but not too much, would give me more comfort.
I’ve only ever had 2 trail shoes, the GOtrail which is sill in service, and the Cascadia 4 (heavy and chunky) which I’ve donated. The MRR sits in between the 2. With a weight of 8.8oz and a heel stack of 18mm and front of 9mm, Montrail seems to have dialed into the sweet spot of trail shoes as far as I’m concerned. The upper has little overlays and wide mesh. The laces are of conventional type as are the lacing system. There are no lace garage to stash your laces, so ensure they’re double/triple knotted. The tongue unfortunately isn’t gussetted and debris may find a way into it. Small reflective strips on the front and back complete the upper package.
The MRR has a pretty flexible mid and outsole. There are flex grooves that run lengthwise and across as well. The outsole design is made up of clusters of 3 micro lugs which felt a little soft but surprisingly durable. The configuration of the lugs gave me a large measure of assurances during my outing in Kiara and FRIM. Montrail brands the rubber compound Gryptonite™ and I certainly am very happy with the traction provided. I went over sharp rocks, fallen and wet tree trunks, river stones, grass, packed earth, leaf covered tracks, sandy sections and tarmac and the MRR never slipped. You can see from the closeup of the outsole that the little lugs are pretty durable too, even after 20K of off road trekking and running.
Ventilation and drainage properties are excellent. While there are no drainage ports on the outsole, the shoe drained superbly within 10 minutes of running after being dunked in a running stream for 5 minutes. No blisters encountered so far.
A protective but thin Trail Shield covers some parts of the midsole. It’s not Kevlar nor TPU but unless you go over some treacherously sharp rocks, the MRR should be able to hold itself.
If there’s one thing the MRR could do better would be keeping out the sand and small pebbles. On both outings these pesky elements somehow managed to enter the shoe. The reason for this I suspect is due to the absence of a gusseted tongue.
With WoO selling them at RM230, the Rogue Racer is a pocket friendlier alternative which delivers on many counts to the RM350 (after discounts) and above Salomons while you explore your interests in trail running. It’s more than enough shoe for the casual trail runner at a price point that you can’t really complain. The Skechers GOtrail (check out a 3-way review here) is a more exciting shoe to me, allowing for some displays of nimble footwork 
. Word has it that something exciting may be on the way as well, so options are on the rise in the trail segment for sure.
Yurbuds Inspire Duro Review
Being so time-pressed, I’ve, last year, donated my hi-fi components of close to RM9,000 (no point keeping it and letting them rot) and my music consumption is now done through multiple channels i.e. in-car listening, portable music players (own collection or Spotify) or home streaming via Apple TV. Everything is all about “on-the-go”. Admittedly compressed audio formats are like pariahs to hi-end audio elites but I still love music enough to pay attention to good sound quality.
From left: Griffin, Ultimate Ears, Sony, Yurbuds.
I’ve gone through many earbuds, over-the-ear cans over the years and have had several duds before as well. It’s noteworthy to mention that for all my pickiness, I still look for value-for-money purchases and think that RM600 is too much to pay for such accessories. The ones I have in my active use are Griffin (with built-in mic, balanced sound with a sweet midrange), Ultimate Ears (with built-in mic, decent midrange, a little bass centric, sweat/splash proof), Sony PMP (with built-in mic, bass heavy, sweat/splash proof), Bose (over the ear, similar qualities to the Griffin) headphones and most recently Yurbuds Inspire Duro.
What made me set out to look for yet another pair of earbuds was the problem with how nearly every bud I stick into my ears to drop out in the course of running. No matter which size of silicon tips I change to, one (usually left side) bud will inevitably slide off. Causes range from the movement or sweat, or simply because I’ve finicky ear canals. Getting to the end of a workout with both buds still lodged in ear is impossible. I don’t head out on my runs with my ears plugged, mind you, except that recently I’m hooked to a series of podcasts that I listen to during my runs at the KLCC park. I don’t listen to music when doing running for safety reasons.
A closer look at the buds.
Closeup of the angled jack and silicone tips which is rather prone to picking up dirt and lint.
So when I saw the bold claim that using the Twist & Lock process, Yurbuds are guaranteed to stay in your ears, I’ve to give them a try. It helps that the price isn’t prohibitive to start with. The buds come foam packed, complete with a spare pair of silicon tip of another size, a clip and a little brochure. Not forgetting a little storage bag to stow everything away. The Inspire Duro version is Ironman co-branded not that it’ll improve sound quality. The casing for the cables is made of tangle-free Kevlar fabric and so, should be durable. The cables are a little long, though. Yurbuds positioned their products as sports accessories so the Inspire Duro is geared to take sweat, sun and rain. To put the buds on, start from the back-pointing position and then twisting to the front. Like how this video demonstrates. It’s easier than it looks.
How did it stand up to the rigors of the real world?
One word: Awesome. The buds are not of the noise isolating variety to purposely allow some ambient sound into the ear for safety reasons. This is a good move as it’ll not block out the wearer’s situational awareness. I was able to listen to in-car conversation even while listening at moderate volume. The low-end is a little lacking as can be expected from such a setup. Therefore, the Inspire Duro isn’t something I’ll pull up when doing any serious listening.
However, out on a race course, the sound quality produced by the neodymium drivers was good enough. The fit was excellent and throughout the half marathon, the buds stayed in my ears like they weren’t even there. Even when I unloaded cups of water my head repeatedly on that blazing hot morning, they stayed in and kept pumping out the tunes. This has to be the best fitting buds for the active person out there. It’s not an audiophile-grade gear but it does its job well in a very light package.
The Yurbuds Inspire Duro retails for RM269 and along with the other models are available from Running Lab located at Tropicana City Mall.
adidas Climacool Revolution Short Review
The Climacool Revolution (I’ll call it CCR for short) hit the Malaysian shores just as the recent heat wave hit the country. Mornings and especially noons were scorchers. Lunch time temps have been between 32 – 35 Celcius and if you’re one of those who finds sweaty feet a problem, you just need to get a more breathable shoe. Short of drilling holes into the upper and midsole of your current pairs, the CCR employs plenty of vents. Without getting into the technical jargons, vent ports are found all-round with the use of highly breathable upper mesh, midsole “fins” and outsole drainage ports that let air in and out with each step you take. Even the colorway is a cool blue – maybe if you stare at it long enough, it’ll even give you the chills 
!
Weighing in at 10.6 oz (I don’t have the offset measurement), the CCR is just a tad heavier than a typical performance trainer. It has an admittedly odd look but doesn’t have the bulk of traditional shoes. From the outset, the shoe doesn’t give the impression that it’s suitable for high mileage running. And you would be correct because it’s not meant to do that. adidas has instead positioned the shoe as a casual/lifestyle trainer, which you can wear in the gym, short runs and walkabouts. It runs true to size, which surprises me since I’ve always found adidas to be a little on the narrow side.
On your feet, the shoe rides close to the ground like a performance trainer. The forefoot is flexible enough and though the midfoot to the heel section appears stiff with the presence of the plastic “fins”, the shoe didn’t feel stiff in my walkabouts to warrant a negative comment. In fact, they helped channel breeze and air into the shoe. My socks stayed completely dry after an entire day out.
If you’re a casual fitness enthusiast who does a little of everything and has a problem with hotspots, heat buildup and sweaty feet, you’d want to give the CCR a try.
Disclaimer: The adidas Climacool Revolution was a media sample provided by adidas Malaysia.
Bidor Half Marathon Race Report
It’s almost ironical that in a year of little running pursuit, I finally had the opportunity to participate in the Bidor Half Marathon. Bidor is a small little town situated 1.5 hours from KL but unlike Radiator Springs (those who watches Pixar animation would know), Bidor sees a bit more life than the one off Route 66, in that it’s home to the famous (some say overrated) Herbal Duck Noodles, best Hong Kong Chee Cheong Fun in the country and a few other hawker-fare.
As such, it’s a popular stop for the traffic plying the North-South Highway. Thankfully, the small town charm hasn’t deserted it and after a year’s hiatus, the Half Marathon is back.
The plan was made early with Frank to make the trip up and the accommodation was promptly secured – the Grand Kampar Hotel located 30 minutes away in another small town further north was to be our home for a night. Kampar, a former bustling tin-mining town, is another charming spot in the Peninsula though nowadays it hosts more students of a local university than miners. I’ve stayed at the nice hotel some years ago when RunnersMalaysia helped a local community kicked start their fun run initiative.
The posse consisted of Roy, Cham, Frank and I. It would be a bit unusual as in our case, the driver was the woman. The drive up was smooth and we headed to the race pack collection at the community hall. Bidor is basically served by 2 main roads and thus the venue was easy to locate. The day was turning into a scorcher and by the time we were through with the haphazardly organized collection, we hunted for an eatery for a late lunch. Alas there was non to be found and we had to settle for Pun Chun. Only that we didn’t order the famous herbal duck noodles. Everyone unanimously agreed that the dish is overrated. The guys ordered mix rice which was great value but the womenfolk’s wantan noodles were poor.
The stomachs somewhat satiated, it was time to continue with the journey northward to Kampar, to check into the Grand Kampar Hotel. It wasn’t my first time there having stayed there with the family some years ago. The Family Suite was perfect for the 4 of us. The plan was to put in a short run around the scenic lake/mining pool but the weather was so hot, I hopped onto the treadmill instead for a 30-minute easy jog. The 6:00 pace was so pedestrian that I thought I could be a little aggressive on race day.
3-Comrades Marathon bound. I felt out of place.
Once Francis was checked in, the group headed out to look for dinner and what else to eat but claypot chicken rice, a dish Kampar is famous for. By now, you’d have detected a trend about this trip – mostly about caloric intake. The hot weather called for something icy, so the group chilled out over dessert for awhile at a nearby cafe near the hotel. As the area is mostly populated with university students, I remarked that I suddenly felt very old. Back at the hotel, the usual pre-race rituals took place – every one slunk into their own corner laying out their gear. Then it was lights out for me at 10pm.
2 Samsung Galaxy Notes provided alarm services the next morning and my “breakfast” was a Clif Bar and bottled water, before the 30-minute drive to Bidor. At 6:20am, the area was already teeming with cars and runners. We were lucky to have found a car park close to the race start. Nothing is ever too far away in Bidor. Unknown to nearly everyone, I was testing out 2 pieces of gear that morning – Yurbuds Inspire Duro and the asics Hyperspeed 5. I’m usually not a fan of listening to music at the races but thought that the half would provide a tough test. However, I would caution against wearing new gear in a race.
7am and we, the half marathoners, were let off. The crowd was just nice and the narrow streets posed no problems. After a kilometer or so, we found ourselves heading out of the town and into the outskirts. The residents were out, observing us quietly. It’s done well to progress from a tiny community event to something a little more international. Some Caucasions and most certainly some Singaporeans were observed to be in the crowd. In this first section of the race, I found myself zeroed in on Uncle Fila (a familiar road racing vet) but he was slowly but surely putting pedal to the metal. My pace was sub 5:30 and felt very easy. The sun was already up and warming the countryside air. There were a few hints of what’s to come i.e. rolling hills in the 2nd part of the course. An early climb was easily tackled and I thoroughly enjoyed the brisk yet comfy pace. I fell into pacing with Wind Fong from the 3rd K up to around the 6th K and that gave me something to focus on. I was cautious not to follow him too closely as he’s a habit of taking off rather quickly. Needed to conserve for what’s to come.
Pacing with Wind Fong. Photo courtesy of Dannie Choong.
One K after the 1st u-turn I was surprised to find myself running alone. The sun was getting warmer and warmer and the trees on both sides of the road would soon be unable to provide much shade. Exiting the 1st section of the course and heading into the waterfall section, runners found themselves having to squint into the sun. I rebuked myself for deciding against wearing the sunglasses. I duly got to the undulating and twisty sections and my pace began fluctuating – my legs were fine but the heat was slowly but surely getting to me. Having not raced a half marathon this late (Brooks started much earlier and therefore was over earlier too) for sometime, I was so not conditioned for running in the heat. Tried to refocus and successfully brought my pace back down for a few Ks until the final climb over a ramp which I walked up, sapped dry by the sun. With just 2Ks to go I caught back to Roy and Frank and we finished close together in 1:58.16.
No longer smiling. Notice the strong shadows?
Hanging on Frank and Roy’s coattails. 2 other ultra runners have finished way ahead. There’s something about these fellas. Photo courtesy of Jason Tan.
Odd one out – the only one without ultra running credentials. Francis was [placed 7th in his category. Photo courtesy of Vivien and Foo.
With the GCAM training partners.
What followed after the race was more eating before heading back to KL, to wrap up a nice road trip. A word of “Thanks!” go out from me to the organizers and volunteers of Bidor Runners for putting up this race. I hope they can start earlier – the route is nice and should be very pleasant to run when it’s cool and early. I’m grateful too to the many photographers who were present on course for capturing memories for us runners. They too, had to deal with the heat. I’m now more confident to be a little more aggressive in attacking the next 2 races i.e. Standard Chartered KL (Half) Marathon and the Gold Coast (Half) Marathon.
Skechers GObionic Ride Review
The Skechers GObionic (review here) was one of 2 of my favorite zero drop shoes (the other being the Brooks Pure Drift). But in terms of overall construction and fit, the GObionic has the edge. Roomy forefoot, superior flexibility, breathable, easy to slip on and off, it also has a high degree of road feel. But if you’re like me, someone who appreciates a little bit more TLC, you’ll love the GObionic Ride (GBR) even more. So what’s the difference?
The “r” denoted Ride. The GObionic has “m” to denote Minimalist. It’ll be foolish to think that the Ride removes the road feel, though.
It’s easy to separate both the shoes really. The models in the Performance Series with “Ride” affixed to the shoe names mean they’ve a bit more built-up than the original. For example, the GOrun 2 and the GOrun Ride are 2 different shoes, with the Ride having a deal more cushioning. Likewise the GBR has a hint of extra cushioning than the original GObionic.
The GBR weighs in at 6.95oz compared to the 6oz of the GObionic.
Without the removable insole, you drop close to half an ounce.
The other difference is the drop. The GBR has a 4mm instead of zero, thus it’ll be more accessible to newcomers to minimalist/transitional shoes. I’ve worn such shoes long enough to no longer notice the 4mm of difference . All the good stuff that the brand excels at is still there: well construction upper, breathability, flexibility. The use of 3M Scotchguard for a degree of dirt and water repellent properties is retained.
Durability in the high-wear areas are given a substantial boost with the use of rubber plugs. The GObionic is the one at the top of the photo.
Toe to toe. Subtle changes to the upper don’t detract the wear experience.
With a bit more protection, cushioning and durability added, the weight naturally goes up a little, albeit the whole package remains under 7oz. The visual descriptions out of the way, let’s now go to the wear experience. I wear US9 for all my Skechers but the GBR feels like being a little roomier than usual. Ideally an 8.5 would fit better but the size mismatch is not as bad as one would think. The Compressport ProRacing socks work well with the GBR, thus I don’t wear any other socks with it. I also laced them up a little snug and found it nice that there’s no pressure exerted to the top of my feet.
My first run in the GBRs was a moderate-paced 15K. I appreciated the responsive cushioning the shoe provides. They’re by no means close to what, say, the Nike Lunaracer feels like nor should they be expected to. After a few sessions in the GBR, the Asics Hyperspeed 5 feels like a luxurious trainer! The GBR will still give you a firm road feel but it’s still not a shoe you’d want to, or can, heel strike in. With this baby, your cadence is going to be high (I recorded an average of 186 for my runs using the Polar S3 Stride Sensor) and you’ll be pottering along efficiently on your mid to forefoot. As a result, your lower legs are going to get a nice workout. If having the insole is too much for you, just remove it and get even closer to the original GObionic feel. The insole still slides around (just like the in case of the GOrun 2 – review) if you walk around sock less in the GBR but I’ve no such issues when running in them. Just glue them to the footbed if you find this irritating, but do note that you won’t be able to remove them after doing so.
Nick has run the marathon in the GObionic but I know I won’t be able to. However, having logged close to 30K, in the GObionic Ride I finally have a “road-feel shoe” that I can take on longer runs of up to 21K – on days when it calls for leg strengthening.
Take your pick.
The Skechers GObionic Ride is already in-stores and are retailing for RM399 and RM369 for the men’s and women’s models respectively. The full range of color ways are expected in by mid-May.
Disclaimer: The pair of GObionic are review shoes kindly provided by Skechers Malaysia.
C1 Hits Double Digits
Today C1 crossed the double digit mark. I can’t believe it’s been 10 years since we’re blessed with parenthood. I was never a party person, more an introvert, never adventurous in anything, even pre-parenthood. Being on the docile side of the equation never guarantees a by-the-book experience when it comes to parenthood and marriage. You’ve got to work at it and they’re both a lifelong learning experience. There are ups and downs and even days when you think you’re on the brink of desperation to be sure. But somehow, after just chipping away, you find that you cross one milestone after another. It’s a lesson that I hope I can bring into my running as well. Just keep at it. Just keep plodding on.
3 months old. He came out a big baby at 4 lbs 7 oz (4.3kg).
6 months old. By 10 months old, he was off disposable diapers (except nighttime) saving us a great deal of money His stroller was a heavy China-made one that cost RM50 which my wife lugged back from Penang on an express bus. No new fangled over-priced fashionable ones for us, thank you.
4 years old and he hadn’t lost his baby fat. 3 months ago, he welcomed C2 into the family.
The 3 males in the pride, 6 years ago.
At a tae kwon do grading last year.
Taken sometime last month.
The last few weeks were spent poring through thousands of his photos and they bring back so much memories. I’m particularly fond those posted here. That’s one of the satisfaction of being parents I guess. So to C1, a very Happy Birthday. All of us love you very very much
Quick Take On The Nike Flyknit Lunar One
If you’re intrigued by the Flyknit upper of the Flyknit Racer (reviewed here) but think that the Racer or Trainer is a little too minimal for you, there’s the 3rd option – the Lunar One.
Also made of the same Flyknit fabric as the Racer and Trainer, the Lunar One is a traditional shoe that’s along the lines of the Lunar Glide. Both the Glide and Lunar One have Dynamic Flywire, simple upper (though the Lunar One’s are of different approach) and relatively similar outsole configuration.
I reckon that the Lunar One rides lower to the ground – it certainly feels so – if only a little than the Glide’s (which has an 11mm drop). The other difference is the Lunar One dropped the Dynamic Support feature on the midsole, which makes the shoe less clunky. The Lunar One is an ounce lighter than the Lunar Glide, only 8.35oz for my US9.5 would you believe it. Yes, sometimes appearances can be deceiving.
The upper has a tighter weave than the Flyknit Racer as you can see from the closeup below but breathability is still good. Much of the design cues come from the Racer, such as the very flat laces (you still need to triple knot them) and how the Dynamic Flywire is used in creating a snug fit through the mid foot.
Tighter weave.
Design cues from the Flyknit Racer and Trainer
Come undone. Just like the Racer, the Lunar One’s laces easily come undone, even after double knotting
Dynamic Flywire (in green) also functions as lace loops
Because the flex grooves don’t cut across the lateral to the medial side, flexibility suffers. Nike could do well to redesign the Lunarlon midsole to have deeper grooves such as those found on the Vomero.
Not particularly bendy, if a little stiff as you can see from the photo below.
That’s the max it flexes.
How then does the whole package fare on the run? I’ve taken the Lunar One on several runs, nothing long, just maxing out at 7K. I found it to have a bouncy yet responsive ride. The most surprising thing was I had very little problem in maintaining a mid foot strike throughout my runs. However I wasn’t able to lift my heels as high as I would normally do while running around in a transitional shoe. The upper in the forefoot region has a little more stretch and give than the typical upper. The use of Flyknit essentially eliminates extraneous layers, indirectly taking up less space. As a result, my toes had more room to spread.
The Lunar One is a largely a nicely put together shoe for someone wearing traditional shoes. The Flyknit upper is definitely a winner and with a weight that’s under 9oz, this group of runners would be tempted to take the Lunar One as a race day shoe for the half and full marathon. Where it comes up a little short is the stiff midsole and finicky laces.
Striking
The Nike Flyknit Lunar One is now available in Nike stores in the country. The shoe is a review pair provided by Nike Sales Malaysia.
