Karrimor Running Shoes

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Comments

  • You aren't being forced to ok there...  Suck it up and live with it 

  • To all

    I'll like to agree with ben davies 15 on his submissions. I currently work for SD and can attest to his claims. 3days ago my store manager got a bonus of £36,000 after we smashed a regional weekly sales record.....with I and 2other "red shirts" breaking KPI record sales. As a show of appreciation for our dexterity we were offered cookies n fizzy drinks in the staff room. In addition we were paid half of a month's wages. How generous...I just love my employers...(lol).

  • You've said that already..... Forgetful ? 

  • I guess Karrimor have something going on with SportsDirect?

    www.d2ride.co.uk

  • only half a months wages or half a months wages on top of your normal wages.........the majority of jobs get no bonus' how ever good you are in your job....

  • SirVelo Micalmous wrote (see)

    I guess Karrimor have something going on with SportsDirect?

    www.d2ride.co.uk

    Do you ever read any of the threads ? Or just promote your blog ? 

    and I bet the WTC and A.S.O. are thrilled with you using their registered trademarks to promote your business.

     

    Sports Direct own Karrimor btw

  • Ben Davies 15 wrote (see)

    Taxi Driver

    Barefoot running is the most expensive kind there is. 

     

    no its not, its free, and even if you mean wearing "barefoot shoes" i still disagree, whilst shoes like the merrell trail glove are toward the higher end price, they are far from the most expensive, upper mid range at worst, and my merrells last 1000+ miles, my asics used to need replacing at 600 ish

  • Marc.S wrote (see)
    Ben Davies 15 wrote (see)

    Taxi Driver

    Barefoot running is the most expensive kind there is. 

     

    no its not, its free, and even if you mean wearing "barefoot shoes" i still disagree, whilst shoes like the merrell trail glove are toward the higher end price, they are far from the most expensive, upper mid range at worst, and my merrells last 1000+ miles, my asics used to need replacing at 600 ish

    To properly convert somebody from running in a conventional running shoe to running barefoot (i.e. in such a way that they don’t get horrible injuries), you need two pairs of shoes.  You need to put them in something intermediate to convert them to striking on the forefoot, then you have to buy the barefoot shoes themselves, some of which are not cheap.  Without weighing in on either side of the barefoot debate, it should not be seen as a cheap option. 

  • Sorry to ressurrect this thread but I actually just joined this forum to respond to the original question regarding Karimor running shoes..Went to Sports Direct today and was given the sales-pitch about Karrimor being the shoes to go for. Annoyingly I fell for it and bought a pair (it's been a while since I've bought running shoes). Went for a run in them and all I can say is that it was like running with pieces of wood strapped to my feet.

    Awful shoes. Just awful. And I went for the most expensive pair in the shop as well.

    I washed them down and took them back to the shop explainging they were terrible. The girl at Sports Direct looked like it wasn't the first time this had happened and refunded the money straight away. 

    I bought a pair of Nikes instead - a different world compared to the Karrimors. 

    Just thought I'd chip in with this in case anyone else falls for the sales line when visiting Sports Direct.

    DO NOT BUY KARRIMOR RUNNING SHOES - YOU'RE BETTER OFF STRAPPING SOME DEAD CATS TO YOUR FEET.

  • I have a pair of Karrimor Trail Shoes and after getting a proper gait analysis and looking at what I needed (I am a neutral cushioned shoe runner), the Karrimor one is actually perfect for trail running (although not good for any road as there isnt enough cushioning).  They give me good support and are comfortable, light and relatively quick drying too.  The big test I gave them was doing Total Warrior this year and they werent overly heavy even when covered in mud and soaking wet!  They arent bad as a starting shoe or for someone who doesnt run everyday.

  • I have run about 7yrs now & done 5 mara's & found Karrimor clothing to be the only cheap decent running gear about. The tee's & shorts lasted me +3yrs without falling apart. Saying this I have been the really annoyed on the karrimor shoes/staff in SD though, selling shoes indisciminately to people that don't know their gait WILL cause injuries (put a message on SD's Facebook, but it was swiftly removed. I totally relate to some convo's on here, although personally I don't want a springy cushiony trail shoe, more a hard protective one. Anyway, I normally run in brooks gts's, but the trail version is too narrow, asics trabucco gave me blisters, & every other shoe I've tried for the past 6 months didn't feel right. So in desperation tried on several Karrimors & 1 pair felt ok (excel duels?) I'll report back in a week on what they are like.. 5yrs of buying decent trail shoes that STILL weren't right for me is getting beyond a joke!!!
  • The only repeat only thing that the Sports Direct business model values is undercutting the competition.  If you shop with them, it must be on the basis that this is the only thing you want from them. 

    Because they own Karimorr , they get their products for cost as opposed to trade price.  This means that the mark up is significantly greater.  It should also be noted that some key running brands have refused to sell them their flagship running shoes.  This is another factor that might have forced them into pushing their own brand products. 

  • Right, I've had the Karrimor Excel Duel shoes a month now and done about 50mi of proper xc in them so feel I can give them a proper review. The shoe has deep lugs on the sole and i did not slide in the mud going up or down the steep hills in my area. The rock protection hard plastic in the arch of the sole also worked well and I felt confident that on rocky trails I wouldn't injure my feet. BUT, when you first get the shoes out the box you can tell the uppers on them are not very sturdy and sure enough after 25mi (not even a marathon) run in them I noticed both sides of the toe box on both shoes were starting to rip, after 50mi they now have 2cm rips on both shoes. I have also replaced the insoles of them with ones from my brooks gts's as they might as well of been made from cardboard. I will still continue to wear them until they break as they are comfortable and do the job, but I'm afraid that probably isn't gonna be too long. Most running shoes last 300-600mi, 50mi is just not acceptable.
  • Useful info total_virus.

    It's interesting that most negative comments on the shoe come from those who haven't worn them, but just assume they must be bad because SD own them. While the majority of those that own them and have run in them seem to feel they are OK shoes. 

    Comments that the shoes are hard is useful information - some people are looking for that sort of protection when going off-road because there are rocks and stones about! Trail shoes are not intended to be used continuously on roads, so that needs to be borne in mind. Trail shoes tend not to give the sort of cushioning that you'd expect from regular running shoes. 

    On the whole, based on what I had read, I was inclining to give them a go - they are, after all, a third of the price of most trail shoes. But hearing that they are falling apart after just 50 miles is not encouraging. That is grounds for a refund under the sale of goods act. I'd be interested to hear how you get on. Seems that another person who took his shoes back almost immediately had no problems. I once had a long fight with a manager at Millets when I returned a pair of their own brand Peter Storm leather walking shoes that broke just after a month's use. He said that it was out of guarantee so woudn't replace them. He did eventually. 


  • I firmly believe any company that has to plug their own product every chance they get is on commission and therefore is full of shit. When your interest is for your own gain your advice is going to be biased to that. 

    The clothes are fine, I don't need advice on those! Whenever I've been into store (been into a couple of diff stores a couple of times for my latest pair) and EVERY time I get them asking. Getting told that top selling companies (Saucony being the best!) actually design them and one bloke even went as far as having this little kit to sales pitch to me. 

    A pair of shoes I bought for trail were "ok", the only thing trail about them was the grip, the trainer itself isn't very comfortable. I bought a cheap pair a few years ago and they did the 3 peaks, and not much else as they were falling apart!

  • The bottom line is that Coco the Clown could design some perfectly satisfactory running clothing, but designing a running shoe that works is a bit harder. 

  • As steep hill descents are too dangerous at the moment for trainers, i've forced my wallet open to buy my first pair of trail running shoes, a £30 (discounted from £119!!! hmmm) Karrimor Excel trail running shoe to put through their paces until they fall off my feet. Reference to the 25 and 50 miles of use does not fill me with confidence (thanks Total Virus). I'm doing Beachy Head in October and given most of the comments above, i dont think its worth asking for votes on who thinks the shoes will make it!

    I'll check in to give a review of the shoe after i've got a few miles under the soles.

  • The BusThe Bus ✭✭✭

    If you want a decent cheap shoe that can cope with all the slippery mud you can throw at them get yourselves a pair of More Mile Cheviot 2s . You can pick them up for under £30 and the grip is awesome (not for tarmac at all though!)

  • I have a pair, agree with that. Work fantastic in mud, can run as fast as possible in them whereas in some other trainers i'd have to walk very carefully through the same sections, also agree about tarmac, you really need to forefoot strike on tarmac, heal striking on tarmac in them will hurt.

    I think they are ideal for this sort of weather, come summer and solid trails it might be worth looking at something a little more forgiving.

  • MuttleyMuttley ✭✭✭

    Cheviots here too. Good for soft slippery stuff, not so good on hard trails (that's when I break out the Adidas Kanadias).

    I use the mark 1 Cheviot, which at £30 from Start Fitness is a steal.

  • The BusThe Bus ✭✭✭

    Start fitness will do the mark 2 for under £30 if you hold them to their price promise image. Same grip, but a lot less clunky than the 1

    I do hope we are going to see some some and solid trails again this year! If we do, there's bound to be some end of line New Balance trail shoes that will do the job on a a budget...

  • Glad I found this thread before I replaced my trainers. Went into Sports Direct last week and noticed they had a much larger stock of Karrimor in their running section than I previously remembered. Having had previous bad experience with Karrimor clothing (tops that are a terrible fit mainly) I decided to look online for reviews of their trainers & came across this thread.

    Went back today, asked to try on a pair of these Nikes and was suggested the Karrimors as they provide better support (apparently!!). I said I would prefer to stick to the ones I had in my hand & was then told the Karrimor compared with the more expensive Asics they had on display but at a fraction of the cost. I almost had to laugh after reading this thread and knowing they like to over sell the brand. I pointed out that they have a name for being an inferior product & that on multiple recommendations to steer clear of Karrimor. They looked a little bit worried that other people nearby may have overheard. Might cost more but when it comes running we need to look after our feet first and foremost (and our nipples second image)

  • SilkTorkSilkTork ✭✭✭

    I ended up getting a pair of Saucony Grid Tuned Trail Running Shoes from SportShoes.com for £29.98 including postage. 

    I have used them extensively since January. They are excellent. Good grip in mud and wet grass, and good cushioning on tarmac. Proper shoes.

  • Put my brand new Karrimor shoes on for the first time, and one of the lace toggles pulled straight out. My weekend away was then ruined!. Got in touch with them when I got home,as I paid cash and could not find the receipt their reply was, tough!. even though the shoes are obviously unworn. I would have liked to have posted a pic to show you.

  • Hi, thought I'd post what had happened on sports direct f,,,,,,, .page. But they took it straight down. Lots of other people are fairly abusive about them, but their posts are still up...how strange.

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