Topic: What shoes should I wear for Parkour?

[Gearsighted]

K-SWISS Ariake, next question... 

Post questions and suggestions about shoes here. Everybody has a different opinion, but some important points:
1.) The shoe should be hella' durable. We obviously abuse our shoes a lot, so they have to be designed to take a bit of punishment.
2.) The shoe should be pretty light. There is a balance between this and durability that depends on personal preference.
3.) The shoe should be relatively inexpensive. No matter how durable we think our shoes are, we're going to tear them up pretty quick, so it's nice if they don't cost 150$ a pair
4.) They should have good grip on many different surfaces. It helps if they don't have much plastic on the sole that could cause you to slip when doing precisions or other techniques.
5.) They should have decent shock absorption, and good insoles can make a difference here. This is no replacement for good landing technique, though.

That's all I have right off the top of my head. Some of the good shoes I've owned:
1.) Nike Air Max Pegasus- I've had 3 pairs of these, they are light, and have good grip and shock absorption. They are actually relatively durable, but their light weight negates this a bit.
2.) Merrell Chameleon Slams- Very durable and good grip. They had better grip before they changed from the Octagrip sole in the new Chameleon II's. They're pretty damn heavy, though, and without insoles the shock absorption is sub-par.
3.) Brooks Adrenenaline trail runners- These shoes fit great and the shock absorption system is AWESOME. The soles fell apart relatively quick, though, mainly due to the fact that they aren't one solid piece but a lot of cut and glued pieces together.
4.) Saucony Grid Aura TR5- These shoes fit great and are relatively durable, but the shock absorption isn't quite there.
5.) Solamon XA pro 2- These trail runners are durable, breathable, protective and have great grip. The one-pull adjustment system is hella' sexy too. The arch doesn't fit my foot right, though, so I have to drool over them while they're on the shelf.. 

[Skipper]

Well, i live my life by the merrell chameleon slam II's. they may be a bit heavier than most, but MY feet cant tell too much of a difference between them and any other shoes. I have punished these shoes and they still look brand new. As gear said, they changed the grip on them so now they only have 5 times as much grip as the runner up, rather than 10
All in all, i think the only downside is the weight. 

[Altimot]

i got my merrel stormriders, a little on the heavy side but are quite nice, i think. Also, insoles help a lot too. those are pretty cheap too.

[Deft]

Well after reading Skippers and Altimot's praise of Merrells I will just add that I am VERY happy with my Merrell Chamelion Ventelator ll.
The only complaint is in the weight but all the other benefits (grip, shock absorbtion, & feel,) outweigh that one drawback.

[ERI104]

the Merrell ´Chameleon II Stretch Gore-Tex®

[klaymen]

 so far i have used two pairs of asics gels, a pair of nike air run dual-d's, some wal-mart brand, and skate shoes.

the asics have been pretty much perfect. good support, good grip, durable, light, everything you look for in a shoe.

the pair of nike's that i had started falling apart within the first month or two. everything just about was as good as the asics that i had, except the durability was crap. i have heard from others that nike crosstrainers don't really hold up well in the parkour world.

the wal-mart shoes were all around crap.

the skate shoes offered good cushioning, as well as good grip on flat surfaces. however, there is no ankle support at all as your feet need to rotate when doing flip tricks on a skateboard. also, on uneven surfaces, the skate shoes are pretty much worthless. durability is pretty good, on them (they are built to be raked across essentially sand paper)

so all around, i'd have to say get a pair of asics gels. but wait until you have been training for at least a few months, otherwise you won't know what to look for.

here is a link to the shoes that i am currently using. they are holding up beautifully (i got them cheaper at dick's sporting goods):

[Rafe]

I loved the Salomon XA shoes would highly recomend them.

[Niroshine]

Asics GT-2100 for me. The salesman from a running shoe shop told me to walk, and he figured out what gait I had. He said I had a high arch, so he recommended the Asics for me. I tried on the Asics and the Nike Pegasus, and decided that the Asics was a tighter fit. You don't want your ankles to be loose during jumps :p. Sure, it doesn't offer LOTS of shock absorbency, but that could be fixed with correct landing technique and insoles. The Asics are great because they're pretty durable ( withstanding wall runs since 2005. lol), comfortable, and breatheable. They're not too bad looking either

When choosing a shoe, it's good to know
-what kind of feet you have (narrow, wide, high arch, etc...) since different feet have different types of needs
-whether you want it to be breatheable (mesh) or waterproof (gore-tex). Both have their advantages. With mesh shoes, I find myself complaining less of heat build-up, but water gets in. With gore-tex shoes, it's the opposite.
-what's more important to you: grip, shock absorbency, everyday comfort, price, or style. Not every shoe will give you all five.
-whether it'll hurt if you kick someone else in the family jewels with them

[Steez]

another vote for the merrell chameleon slams here!
i'm planning on getting some new insoles really soon though, these ones were decent at first, but now have become quite 'sub-par"
they are pretty heavy, which is not too fun if you're running distance track , however, the resistance training is a good thing sometimes.

my father, although he does not do parkour, has used nike air pegasus for years to run in, and he loves 'em.  they are a great running shoe, but i have no first hand experiance on how they hold up through parkour. 

[CabPettit]

Brooks Dyad 3----excellent shock absorption but it lacks in necessary traction for a lot moves requiring you to plant your feet into a wall. If you are just running and jumping they work fine, but if you ever need to latch onto the surface of the ground for anything the traction isn't the best.

[LockDown]

klaymen what model are those they look nice and how much?

I have had converse all stars, new balance 574, new balance of some other model,asics gels and and nike attempt II

all stars: light, durable, no grip, no shock absorption, and cheap
new balance 574: light, grippy but horrible on wall runs however, ok durability, hardly any shock absorption, $30
new balance: heavy, grippy but wore out quick, $40, good shock absorption
asics gels: light, grippy, regular shock, $35, durable except
   --the grip came off from the sole rather quick because of the way it had a space in the sole pattern and gate I was doing some work on tore it up. other models I don't think wold have this problem tho. I would definitely use asics again but a different model

using the nikes for about a month so far they are as good as the asics I used but more expensive but had a better grip pattern to me.

[Matthew Menze]

Well, I am really new to parkour...I mean, I have always been into the whole...jump off stuff to piss mom off thing...but yeah. So i don't have much experience with shoes.

But...what i wear...i only own one pair of shoes. is a pair of etnies...no clue on the modle number...don't matter anyways, cuase they are all the same, I don't know why i like them so much, I am not a skater (i think needing a piece of wood to do your sport is BS) maybe its how they are flat on the bottem and let you feel the ground really well...maybe they have magic fairy dust in them...who knows.

But they work great, my last pair lasted me a year (granted i wasn't doing parkour, but i wasn't nice the them in any case) they are light enough...the lack that rubber on the toe...but thats fine, i mean...i go up the rock wall just fine with them. plus since they are pretty touch, you don't need to buy new ones ever couple months...i said my old pair lasted a year because i was being conservitive, they probly lasted 1 year and a half. they seem to take the shock fine...and they are only 60 bucks.

They suck for the first few weeks though..until you break them in and soften the leather up.

Matt

[Steez]

i've heard good things about asics from runners....how are they for parkour? (ie, grip, etc)

[Brian Belida]

I recently had a pair of Asic Gels [i think that's what they were called?]. I really liked them, grip was good, flexibility was good, etc. My only qualm was that the rubber on the bottom started "flapping" off in what seemed like a short time.

Could have been a fluke though :]

[Cliff Boz]

Akh: I have Asic Gels, too. That's what I started out w/ and I've recently bought a new replacement pair. The rubber on the bottoms have not come off on mine at all, so maybe what you experienced was a fluke. *shrug* The main thing that happened to my last pair was that the rubber on the ball of the foot wore straight through due to tacs and wall-runs, etc. But that took over a year.

[Brian Belida]

HEY YOU'RE THAT GUY! :]
Yeah, other than my fluke-specific shoes, I love the Asic Gels. Previously I had some Merell Chameleon Ventilators which were pretty good all around other than their weight [a bit heavy] and the color totally clashed with me.

[Jim B]

I'll definitely second (or third) the Asic Gels. Started wearing Asics way back in the day for high school track. They feel good, are lightweight, and surprisingly tough.

I've had no problem using them for parkour. They're comfy, give good support, and grip well.

[Reese LeBlanc]

Chameleon Ventilators +1.  I just picked up a pair in DC before I left for about $70.  I like them about the same as the Chameleon Slam IIs I still have.  In general, I've had great success with Merrell shoes.

I used to have a set of New Balance (not sure which ones) that absolutely sucked for grip.  The soles were WAY too hard. :shrug:  I'm sure some people would have liked them.

Reese

[Altimot]

well, i just got some merrel chameleon stretches and they rock. Pretty much every springs guy has a pair. So when we go out to do pk, we all have our COPK shirt and jeans and our exact same pair of shoes, lol.

[Ol No Knees]

Ok, first post here, I'd like to make it a good one.

I have an interesting condition going on with my body, specifically, my feet. My left foot is about two sizes (US) larger than my right foot. That's about a 9 and a 7. Now, I have three options:

1. Buy two pairs of the same shoe (Mix n' Match)
2. Buy one pair, but swap them out in the boxes (Stealing? Kind of....)
3. Wear hi-tops (so the right foot doesn't slip out of the larger shoe, but the extra room is.... difficult)

As of recent, I've been praciticing with your standard Converse All-Stars, but they lack in.... just about every field with the exception of weight.

I also had an operation on the right foot a few years ago, and it now lacks a full 360 degree rotation. Up and down? Yes. Left and right? Not so much.

I need a shoe that can help me out with my situation. Any suggestions?