(October 13, 2011) To give an idea of the last time I bought a pair of running or cross training shoes, I selected the Asics Gel Evolution 8 in 2007. These were one of the most comfortable shoes I had ever worn, but I had issues with the sole separating twice within the first two months I had them. Asics was excellent in replacing them, so I had no reason to think that this new Asics GT-2160 would be anything less than excellent.

As a person with a history of bursitis in my right knee, I’m stuck with finding shoes that are sized correctly so that my orthotic inserts can fit properly into a shoe. This is usually easy with running shoes thanks to all of the mesh allowing the shoe to stretch quite a bit.

Among the shoes I tried, the New Balance MR1080 was at the top of my list with the Asics. I also tried shoes by adidas, Reebok, Puma, and K-Swiss, but nothing matched the others for comfort. In the end, I chose the GT-2160 because they seemed to have a bit more lateral support than the MR1080.

This is in no way a criticism of the New Balance shoe. In fact, from what I felt on my feet, it has even more cushion for runners that are running primarily straight ahead, but I tend to work on my lateral movement as well as typical running in the off-season, so the added stability was the deciding factor.

The most interesting feature of Asics shoes to me in the IGS System, which is short for Impact Guidance System. The design of this system is to link category specific components to improve and support the foot’s natural movement patterns.

This is accomplished throughout the entire step, distributing shock when the heel strikes the ground, guiding the foot through a neutral position, and then enhancing propulsion from the toe. The IGS and Gel System throughout the entire length of the shoe result in a cushioned, responsive shoe that I really enjoyed.

Weighing right around one pound each (I wear size 14), these are not the lightest shoes on the market, but there is a lot of mesh to provide plenty of ventilation and I barely noticed any weight at all.

The GT-2160 is designed with mild to moderate over-pronators in mind. This means that instead of the move moving in the natural way, the foot actually angles inward, collapsing the arch as the foot moves through the stride.

After having the shoes for a month and wearing them during my off-court training and at the gym, I couldn’t be happier with the performance. They are incredibly comfortable, and light (by comparison to tennis shoes).

They do not have quite the same outward stability as my old Asics, but they were not designed with that in mind. One aspect that I’m still on the fence about is what they call the PHF, or Personalized Heel Fit, which uses memory foam on both the interior and anterior sides of the heel collar. While it’s not necessarily a bad thing, it seems to be a frill that I could do without.

Asics continues to impress me with their running shoes, and some in our office love the Gel Resolution 3 for tennis, so it seems that Asics is doing something write. If you are looking for something with comfort in mind, definitely try this brand out.

Thanks to our friends at Tennis Express for pictures.