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| Men's Karhu Fast 2 Fulcrum_Ride |
MSRP: $130.00 http://www.karhu.com/
4/18/2011 UPDATE: http://www.emergingrunner.com/2011/04/karhu-fast-2s-live-up-to-their-name.html
The Emerging Runner and Adventure Girl have been independently testing the Karhu Fast 2 Fulcrum, the Finnish shoe company's newest neutral performance shoe. We did not compare notes until the end but we found ourselves primarily agreeing on how we view these shoes. What follows are our individual impressions along with our collective assessment.
The Emerging Runner's take on the Fast 2 Fulcrum
When it comes to running gear I'm definitely a shoe person. When assessing a running shoe I tend to start with high hopes. I figure that when a company puts serious research into its product their shoe is likely to have some upside. Sometimes this proves out and sometimes I end up disappointed. I've become increasingly interested in minimalism and that has changed my expectation for running shoes. I now look for a shoe that provides: 1) reasonable protection from the ground, 2) a minimal drop between the heel and front and, 3) a relatively low profile. My experience running in the Saucony Kinvaras supports this view. However, every runner is different and every shoe has its fans. When Karhu sent me a pair of Fast 2 Fulcrums I was excited to try them out. According to Karhu this shoe is targeted to the "race training focused runner seeking a highly responsive running experience." That sounded promising. I watched this video on the Karhu site and was further intrigued.
Karhu is known for its high performance shoes that use "Fulcrum" technology to help move the runner along. The negatives I'd heard about the brand were that the mid-foot fit on some models tended toward the narrow. I asked for a pair of Fast 2 Fulcrums a half size up from normal and that was a good call.
First impressions (before running)
The Fast 2 Fulcrums fit me well enough, snug but not tight in the midfoot and toebox, with very slight slippage around the heel. This may be because I'd ordered size 11's vs. my normal 10.5's. Tighter lacing near the top took care of that. Standing in the Fast 2 Fulcrums for the first time was interesting. I'm used to the Kinvara that stands 21 mm at the heel with about a 5 mm ramp angle to the toe height. The Fast 2 Fulcrums stand a towering 36.7 mm with almost 12 mm of drop. Karhu builds a "fulcrum" wedge into the mid-sole in front of the arch that supposedly promotes forward motion. I thought that the fulcrum felt a little unnatural as I walked across the floor for the first time. Still, the shoe was perfectly comfortable and I reserved judgment until I ran.
Putting the Fast 2 Fulcrums to the test
My first report on Emerging Runner stated: "While the Kinvaras are light and very flexible on toe-off, the Fast 2's are very stiff at the front. Far stiffer than any other shoe I own." The Fast 2 Fulcrums seemed to loosen up after repeated runs but I still consider it a stiff shoe. I had hoped for a zippy feel when I hit the street but neither the fulcrum nor the rigid forefoot returned energy like other shoes I've tried. I began to question whether this shoe was a good match for me when I crested a hill and on the way back down felt my stride disrupted. It was as if the shoe and my foot were trying to travel on slightly different vectors. My mental picture at that moment was of a grocery cart with a misaligned wheel. Subsequent runs on the treadmill were better but my satisfaction when running in the Fast 2 Fulcrums never quite matched how I feel when running in the Kinvaras, Grid Tangents or Brooks Adrenalins.
Putting the Fast 2 Fulcrums to the test
My first report on Emerging Runner stated: "While the Kinvaras are light and very flexible on toe-off, the Fast 2's are very stiff at the front. Far stiffer than any other shoe I own." The Fast 2 Fulcrums seemed to loosen up after repeated runs but I still consider it a stiff shoe. I had hoped for a zippy feel when I hit the street but neither the fulcrum nor the rigid forefoot returned energy like other shoes I've tried. I began to question whether this shoe was a good match for me when I crested a hill and on the way back down felt my stride disrupted. It was as if the shoe and my foot were trying to travel on slightly different vectors. My mental picture at that moment was of a grocery cart with a misaligned wheel. Subsequent runs on the treadmill were better but my satisfaction when running in the Fast 2 Fulcrums never quite matched how I feel when running in the Kinvaras, Grid Tangents or Brooks Adrenalins.
My comments on one such run: "That [doesn't] mean the shoes failed to perform, in fact they took everything I threw at them. It was really about the feel compared to my Kinvaras and GTS-10's that move more naturally with my foot." My last street run with the Fast 2 Fulcrums confirmed that while the Karhu is a good shoe it doesn't really work for my style of running: "I decided to try some quick acceleration to see if the shoe transformed to a quasi-racer when run at higher cadences...The Fast 2's didn't give me the feeling of speed. In fact, during "speed play", they felt less stable than when I ran at my normal pace."
Conclusion
I'll admit that I'm biased against the high ride and the firm forefoot of the Fast 2 Fulcrums. Both attributes run counter to what I look for in a running shoe. The shoe is substantial and its build quality and materials are top notch. The Fast 2 Fulcrum's cushioning is very good considering its relatively light weight. However, though I had hopes of using it as a racing shoe, I found the lack of response from the Fast 2 Fulcrums disappointing. As a general athletic shoe I think they're fine. I've had more than one satisfactory run with the Karhu's on the treadmill and I like wearing them on the elliptical machine. I may even take these shoes out on the road on occasion for a change of pace. However, in the end, the Fast 2 Fulcrums felt neither fast nor agile. Other reviewers may disagree with me (I've seen a couple that do). Fast 2 Fulcrum may provide the desired characteristics that a different runner values. If you are a runner who prefers a low flexible racer trainer you may find this too much shoe for you.
Adventure Girl's take on the Fast 2 Fulcrum
Karhu's marketing of their neutral Fast 2 Fulcrum is honest without embellishment. Their website states that the Fast 2 Fulcrum is for the runner desiring a "firm and responsive ride". True to its name, Karhu has moved the fulcrum of this shoe forward in order to encourage quick stride turnover. The first time I put these shoes on I was tempted to rock back and forth from my midfoot to my toes because the fulcrum point makes a natural rocking motion. And that's exactly what this fulcrum position is encouraging you to do while running--roll forward onto your toes while striding. This is done to quicken your stride rate and shift you towards forefoot striking.  |
| Woman's Karhu Fast 2 Fulcrum |
I haven't yet attempted to transition to a forefoot style of running but every run I've taken with the Karhus has made me conscious of my midfoot landing in a way that seemed to sometimes gently (and sometimes not so gently) nudge me towards a forefoot strike. If I were to exaggerate the sensation of the fulcrum transition I would describe it akin to the sensation of falling forward. The nudging made it feel very much like the Fast 2 Fulcrum's were actively training me. This training was appreciated when I went out for a run with fresh legs, but on the few runs where my legs were less responsive the fulcrum rocking and forefoot encouragement seemed more than I could handle.
Karhu also bills this shoe as firm, which is immediately apparent. Most of my runs have both a sidewalk and a trail component. On the sidewalk I was stuck by the cushioning presence of firm foam between my foot and the concrete. Since I normally run in the minimal Saucony Kinvara this additional protection was surprising. The Karhu foam, however, doesn't provide a sense of springy-ness, but instead dampens the feel of the running surface. For all its cushioning, the Fast 2 Fulcrum weighs in as mid-weight at 9.1oz (for a point of comparison the Kinvara is 6.7oz).
On the trail portion of my runs I found the Fast 2 Fulcrums to perform moderately well on flat, well-packed trails, but it didn't prove to be rugged enough for rocky, slippery, or steep trails. The tread on the Fast 2 Fulcrum isn't very pronounced and the model isn't billed as a trail runner, so the lack of performance on difficult terrain was not unexpected or disappointing.
The woman's Fast 2 Fulcrum is an arresting shade of orange, with yellow accents and sole. I felt conspicuous on the streets while wearing these shoes. At midday this made me self-conscious, even to the point of once deterring me from wearing the Fast 2's when I was meeting a fellow runner I didn't know well. However, at both dusk and dawn, it made me feel more visible to traffic (i.e. safer).
Conclusion
The Karhu Fast 2 Fulcrums will not become my go-to daily trainer, because the fulcrum rocking added unnecessary work to my run and it wasn't a natural fit with my strike and stride. If I decide to make a concerted effort to move toward forefoot striking I think the Fast 2 Fulcrums will be an excellent training shoe to encourage and speed that transition.
Summary
What's Good:
- Quality of materials and construction
- Well ventilated upper
- Light weight
- Fulcrum technology enables mid-foot landing
- Highly visible
- Forefoot responsiveness
- Lateral stability
- Bulk
