Shoe Review: Skora Fit

I received these shoes ahead of their release date due to being a part of the Skora Ambassador program.

I first heard of the shoe last year and details were sketchy at best.  There was this beautiful shot of a demo model at a running shoe expo, however:

Skora Fit

Loving the "burnt orange" color scheme - this shot had me salivating and wanting more info.

Fast forward to this past week or so where I finally have gotten my hands on a pair and I can make my review super short, super quick by saying this:

"The Skora Fit is a game changer on the minimalist shoe market.  It's far and away the best minimalistic shoe I've worn for daily training and consistent racing."

That's the super short version.  The short version is that I like the shoe a lot and it's going to be the main thing that's on my feet day to day in training and in races.  I've put almost 80 miles total on them now, and feel I have a pretty good grasp at what this shoe is all about.  In short, it's durable, feels great, light weight, responsive, and looks pretty damn good too.  To top this off, it's slated to sell for under $100 (although I don't have any details on the final MSRP) - so pretty cheap for what you get as well.

Now, on to the more detailed review:

The side view of these shoes is really slick.

Shoes from the top.

The first thing you notice about the shoes is the upper.  It has a metallic material that I don't know the exact name of - but it's super flexy and reflective.  When you feel the shoe in your hands, you can feel how flexible it is - but it isn't flexible in a way that you question the durability of the shoe.

Besides - it looks super cool.

The upper is completely unique, and really looks cool.

Putting them on - you can immediately tell where the name of the shoe came from.  The Fit does just that.  It fits.  The asymmetrical lacing system really hugs your foot, and the padding in the heel tightens just perfectly once you tie the laces down.  This padding is soft - and eliminates the risk of "rubbing" which caused sores and blisters on the Phase (which was my only complaint about that shoe).

The lacing system on this shoe is really spot on.

The cushy material on the interior of the heel provides a comfortable fit.

On the Phase - the hard material on the rear of the shoe would cause blisters and sores on my heels where it went from hard material to softer material.

The Fit also has a wide toebox (pretty standard with Skora shoes), which allows to plenty of toe splay when running.  This gives the shoe a "roomy" feel but does not compromise the secure fit of the shoe.  It really if a perfect combination.

One of the first things I noticed about the shoe when taking it for a run was that the cushioning on the shoe is a bit more substantial than some of the previous Skoras I've worn.  This is a good thing.  It's still minimalistic for sure - no one is going to mistake this shoe with your Hokas or standard running shoe - but it has enough cushion that you can put some serious training miles in them and not have to worry about any injury or foot issues that some people experience when running in really low cushion shoes.  

Exterior of the shoe to get an idea of the cushioning

For people who prefer a much lower profile, you can always remove the sole on the inside and run without that.  Unlike a lot of shoes, when you do this - there is still a "built-in sole", not a barebones hard shoe.  This allows for a comfortable ride and a lower profile, lower cushion feel - if that's what you're after.

The shoe beneath the sole.  Still comfortable and able to be worn without socks.

The feel of these shoes is top notch - there's simply no other way to put it.  I was able to slide them on and immediately take them out for my scheduled 14 mile run with no issues at all.  The shoe is incredibly responsive and has a great toe-off (as do most Skora shoes).  It's lightweight and fast, but at the same time gives you the feeling that it's not going to fall apart on you with abuse.

Which is absolutely true, after putting 6 days of hard running on these shoes (~80 miles or so), they look nearly new with 0 wear on the tread of the shoe.

Outside of a few scuffs - the shoe is practically brand new.

I could see these shoes lasting a very, very long time and I'm stoked to have them.  I'll be wearing these in most of my races - adding an elastic lacing system to them for triathlon use.  This is a fast shoe that can be worn in just about any distance - up and beyond marathon.

They're due to release sometime in late February.  I'll update this blog with more details when the time comes.

In the meantime, you can see that my son approves of them:

kid can't even walk yet and he's taking my shoes already.

Check them out at Skora Running and on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.