I’m on a roll with Reebok kicks. Last summer when I was training for my first half marathon I tried out Reebok’s cross-training Nano 4.0s and now I find myself hooked on the brands versatile, high performance ZQuicks.
According to Reebok, the low-profile ZQuick shoes are inspired by sports car tires, more specifically they are inspired by the legendary high performance ZRated tires. ZRated tires are known for traction and are designed for serious speed (think speeds of 238 km/h and over) and Reebok’s ZQuick running shoes are designed with the same high speed philosophy in mind.
The shoes are stylish enough to wear outside of the gym, they are uber comfortable and they are affordable… but, do they actually deliver on the performance promises? They do and they’ve managed to stick around long after I first tried them. They obviously won’t have you competing with race cars at the Molson Indy, but the road gripping ability of the shoes will help add a little speed to your runs and add a boost to your everyday gym workouts. Like most minimalist shoes the ZQuicks are incredibly pliable, feature minimal cushioning and offer that amazing ground feel on long distance runs.
Where the low-profile ZQuicks really excel is where I find most other minimalist shoes usually fail… support. These shoes actually offer support and stability thanks to the snug mesh uppers. The uppers not only make the shoes more comfortable, but they allow your foot to move more naturally, while still keeping your foot stable.
Of course, they’re not the first lightweight shoe (it’s worthy to note that they are arguably the lightest trainers that I’ve tried out in a long time) out there to offer rubber foam on a running shoe, but they are definitely worth a try if you’re a fan of minimalist running. If you’re all about your traditional over-padded sneakers you may want to skip these.
