***Update: looking for a review of the metcon 2? I got you covered right here.***
Finally, I got my very own pair of Nike metcons!
For those who don’t know, the metcons are Nike’s answer to the cross-training (read: CrossFit) shoe, meant to directly challenge Reebok’s nanos. I’ve been wearing nanos myself since I started CrossFit 2 years ago. They’re functional, durable, and comfortable, but they’ve never exactly been a fashion statement. I wear the nano 4.0 right now, and they’re passable, but not my favorite. I was even more let down to see that the most recent release, nano 5.0’s, are an aesthetic disaster as far as I’m concerned. The large, blocky text they’ve been putting on nanos lately is extremely unappealing (writing on shoes? omg nope), and overall the design comes off as too blocky, busy, and masculine for my taste.
Enter the Nike metcon. Finally, deliverance from fugly CrossFit shoes. Clean, simple, and don’t swing too far to either end of the gendered spectrum. Although I was eager to give these a try when the first release was announced, Nike’s metcon debut only included men’s sizes, much to the chagrin of female athletes everywhere (especially those of us with smaller feet!). Just a few days ago, Nike finally released an official women’s shoe in 3 colors. Hopeless teal lover that I am, I fell in love with the black/hyper jade (the Lauren Fisher edition) when I first saw them announced in May.
Getting my hands on these shoes was actually pretty dramatic. On the morning of their release, I got on Nike’s website and added these to my cart within 90 seconds of them uploading. I was immediately added to Nike’s online queue system (did they only upload like 10 pairs?) and waited for over half an hour before I had to leave my house and abandon my laptop. I tried to add them again on mobile, but by then my spot on the waitlist was too low and I lost out. I found them from another retailer, ordered a pair, but was later notified they were backordered til October. Uh, nope. I ordered from yet another retailer and was backordered again. Thankfully, they restocked on Nike’s website the next day and I was able to grab a pair in stock and ready to ship. Mischief managed, and I escaped a total meltdown over a pair of shoes, hah. (Though the $400 I had pending on my credit card after the 3-order fiasco was a bit of a PITA.)
Anyway, as for my actual thoughts on the shoes:
I ordered my metcons in a size 6.5, the same size I wear in Reebok nanos and my normal size for street shoes. I think this was the right choice, so I recommend sticking with your usual size there. Right out of the box, the metcons fit more firmly than nanos. Although lightweight and pretty flat, they’re not a minimalist shoe. They hug your foot, while the nanos are lot more loosey goosey (<- technical term).
The metcons have a more narrow cut, but still have a good amount of room in the toe box. Even though my forefoot is a touch wide, I had no issues with the cut and didn’t feel like I needed to size up for this. They also don’t have the rubber “cage” on the forefoot like the nano 3.0’s and 4.0’s, so the metcons have good flexibility and no pinching anywhere. There’s more padding surrounding the back of the heel (i.e., achilles area, not sole) in the metcons, but oddly my heel actually felt a bit less secure. I didn’t slip, but didn’t feel as locked down in the heel area as the rest of my foot. That’s pretty much my only grievance as far as fit goes.
I also really appreciate the arch support on the metcons. I have fairly high arches, and nanos don’t do anything for me there. I can actually feel arch support in the metcons. To test this another way, I put a metcon on one foot and a nano on the other and walked toward a mirror. From watching my gait, the metcons appeared to do a better job of stabilizing and mitigating pronation.
Both metcons and nanos have a modest 4mm drop from the heel to toe. The sole on the metcon is very firm, and feels slightly thicker and more substantial than the nano. I couldn’t find any specs on sole thickness, so I’m not sure if there are numbers to back this up so I’m not sure if the sole is actually built thicker or if it’s just my perception. This sole construction feels like it will be more comfortable for workouts involving a little more running. I did a quick 400M run warm-up and they felt great.
I wore the metcons in a WOD (one that I totally made up for the express purpose of shoe testing, hah) involving rope climbs, box jumps, power cleans, and overhead squats. The grip on rope climbs was fantastic! I’ve seen shoes flake apart after one rope climb, but you couldn’t even tell I had done anything in these shoes after my workout. I felt stable and secure in the rest of the movements as well. They felt good and powerful for my lifts, none of that squishy, wobbly feeling you might experience while lifting in a pair of runners or cross-trainers.
Overall, I’m really happy with my metcons so far. Not only are they easier on the eyes, they’re also comfortable and functional for my fitness needs. Of course, you don’t have to do CrossFit to get use out of these shoes–they would work well for other types of cross-training and general gym-going. So, if you’re a CrossFitter who wants a little more structure in your shoe, if you have narrow feet and/or find the nanos too wide, or if you like a little more arch support, I recommend giving the metcons a try. On the other hand, if you have a very wide foot or prefer minimalist shoes, proceed with caution. Since I’ve only worn these a couple of times, I’ll be very interested to see how they break in and feel after another month or two of WODs.
Update: I’ve been wearing this same pair of shoes for several months now. They’ve held up very well over the months and broken in nicely. I have zero complaints at this point and will definitely purchase another pair. P.S. I occasionally use a baby wipe to keep them looking on point. :)
Find a pair of metcons here
via Nike | via Finish Line | via Rogue Fitness
These look great, and you’re so right that the Nano’s are UGLY. I really want to get into CrossFit after watching the Games this weekend (I even dedicated a post to it today! It was amazing!) so I might have to order a pair ;)
The nice thing about these is that they’re good shoes for more than just crossfit (and they’re not crossfit-branded like the nanos), so if you end up not getting into it, it’s not really a loss. :) Now gotta go check out your post!
Agreed on the Nanos. The new ones are pretty hideous. Have you ever tried the New Balance Minimus cross-training shoes? I mostly do Oly and general weights at this point (hip injury means no more crossfit, sadly), but they’re my absolute favorite athletic shoes ever. I have this pair (http://www.amazon.com/New-Balance-Womens-Minimus-Cross-Training/dp/B008DS4TY4) and they’re super comfortable and awesome for general weight training, plyos and the like.
I tried a similar New Balance minimus shoe a couple weeks ago (borrowed from a friend) and they didn’t fit my foot very well. Don’t think it was the same one. The pair you linked look nice though! I also tried a pair of my friend’s Merrells (bare access arc 4) the other day that were great, even though they aren’t technically cross-trainers.
I agree with you 100% on the arch support in the Metcons; I have a pair of the men’s in gray/purple and the same women’s ones that you have. That has been the biggest difference I’ve noticed between the Nikes and all my different Nanos (my favorites have been the 3.0s, but I also have 2.0 and 4.0s). I feel much more stable doing olympic lifts in my metcons, to the point where I’ve stopped dragging along a second pair of shoes (my reebok Oly lifters) for some of my strength work. And I was at the Games this weekend – the Nano 5.0s are HIDEOUS in every color combination I saw there. Half of them don’t even match the text color to the shoe and sole color… ew. Great review overall; glad to see Nike finally got into this game. My friend at Nike said he’d give me a heads up on any new colorways that they have planned – I’ll be sure to pass on the info!
Glad it’s not just me who feels that way about the 5’s. It’s reassuring to hear how well yours have worked over a somewhat longer time period. Definitely keep me posted if you hear anything about new metcon colors. :) And I hope you had fun at the Games this weekend!!
Hi Shannon, did you feel that there was a big difference between the men’s and womens Metcons? I am a female about to order a pair of mens Metcons in a size 6 (because I prefer the mens colours), would you recommend I rather get a female pair?
I think it depends on how wide your feet are. The men’s version feel much wider in the toe box than the women’s do. It doesn’t bother me but I have decently wide feet; if you have narrow feet you should definitely do the women’s. Hope that helps!
Awesome! I ordered mine yesterday in this same color when I saw Lauren Fisher’s IG. Can’t wait for them to get here. Thanks for the review! As for the Nanos, they are ugly as sin, but I like the 2s.
Yesss enjoy them! Curious to hear your thoughts when you get them since you’re a crossfitting lady too.
Fo sho! I’m not as fit as you but I’ll let you know how I like them.
Having been at the Games this weekend there was ample opportunity to try the Nano 5’s on. I did, and wasn’t impressed. Looking down at my feet, it looked and felt like a flashier version of the Nano 2’s. Passed on them.
Looked around online and had no luck earlier today, then things changed when I found a Nike store in Santa Monica! I cautiously asked the salesgirl if there was a snowball’s chance that they had the Lauren Fisher colourway in my size. The sneaker gods and odds were unexpectedly in my favor. At first lunge, they definitely felt more stable and supportive than the nano. I will be that little kid who wears her brand new shoes home on the plane tonight.
PLUS… They match the Bali Breeze CRB. Win.
Yesss the bali! The shoes are a tad more blue, but since my tank top and shoes aren’t right next to each other, it works pretty well. So happy for you that you found a pair! Shoe twinsies. :P
Yay! thanks for reviewing the metcons! there has been so much hype on them lately that I was really stuck on the fence getting those vs my first pair of nanos.
been wodding in my crosstrainers … not too stable to weight lift in.
I’ve severe pronation problems which led to my knee problems hence was really worried to get a pair of crossfit shoes with no support. but since the metcons appear to be pretty stable, I will prob stick to those for now. i don’t really want to have to lug a pair of running shoes and xfit shoes everytime i go to the box esp having to commute at least 1 hour by train and bus from work/home to the box (unless they post the wod up real early so I can plan my wardrobe)…. lol
*first world problems* sigh
Yeah sounds like you might be happier with the metcons versus nanos for stability reasons. Only hauling one pair of shoes is definitely way more convenient! I’ve had several jobs where I commuted by bus or even on foot, so I feel those feels.
was the price differences between the nanos and the metcons sizeable though?
haha your pair makes me wanna get the whole outfit!! ie bali breeze etc etc and matching shorts!
Actually they’re close to the same. I paid $120 for the metcons (before tax and ship), which is the same price I paid for my nano 3’s and 4’s when they were brand new. The new 5’s cost a little more at $130, but Reebok does drop the price of older models when new ones come out, so the 4’s are only $100 on Reebok’s site right now, for example.
chiming in to add that i LOVE my new balance minimus trainers [20v4, i think?] for my wide, small feet – just to add an option for those of us with no arches and square forefeet. great review, as always!
Thanks for the input–sounds like I should try those on if I stumble upon them. :)
upload. been up for at least 5 mins
I was driving home so I’d be back like 5 minutes before upload, but of course that didn’t work out, haha.
Glad to see your reviews on the metcons. I bought my husband a pair when they first came out and he loves them. I’ve been very curious ever since. Woke up insanely early (live in HI) to order them in nike and luckily got a pair. I’ve wodded a couple a time in them and so far like them. Even did a heavy lifting day (one rep max thrusters) with them and felt stable.
I do have initial problems with my heel feeling a bit loose and have to wear thicker socks with the metcons. They run TTS and I definitely couldn’t size down. Looks wise, I like the colors (have the same ones as you) and the fact that I could wear them out, say traveling, and working out. As much as I like the nanos 2s & 4s (never cared for the 3s), there is no way in hell that I’ll get the 5s. Too flashy or ugly or something for me. No thanks. :)
Glad you lucked out! It’s nice to hear other people have had positive experiences so far, it makes me optimistic that I’ll continue to like them. Unfortunately I’m a bit under the weather so I haven’t been able to go work out lately, so mine haven’t gotten more test runs. :(
:( I hope you feel better soon.
I love these, can’t wait for the 2.0 Launch this month!
Same!! :)
I don’t do cross fit but I do weight training and I loved the color on the shoe! But I just went to Nike.com after reading your review and they don’t have this color :( the only way they have it is if I customize the shoe and that rockets the price to $170…another :(
Yeah, they phased this color out a couple months ago because they just introduced the Metcon 2 (the pair above is the Metcon 1). I don’t like the new colors all that much, so I wish they’d kept this one! Oh well. :( Hopefully some new colors you like come out soon!