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Some Veloci background: Veloci founder Tyler Strothman is a young man (Not just because I am old) from the Houston area who has attended Rice and has been on the track and field team for Rice. He was encountering calf pain and also tightness in the forefoot in many shoes and identified a niche in the market, a foot shaped toe box with a high drop, that was missing. He was inspired to take action and as a result, we have Veloci Running.
I met Tyler at the Houston Marathon as they were set up for the expo, with the just newly launched Veloci Ascent, as their very first shoe and were promoting it. I was a fan of the design language, but even more of a fan of Tyler and his investor's that were set up and relayed a great passion for running and their product. I had put aside money for 1 shoe at the expo and decided to support the local start up.
Veloci has an instagram, even if you don't purchase a Shoe from them, I would invite you to follow their journey into the the shoe manufacturing world. https://www.instagram.com/velocirunning/
1. I have harsh mechanics
2. I am a neutral runner
3. I have a standard to narrow, accommodating foot shape
4. My left foot turns out slightly (slight toe out), which leads to an awkward flow of my left heel and tends to rub the ground when my mechanics get tired. This leads to some outsoles dying quickly in combination with my harsh overall mechanics.
5. I am a pro level sweat machine. This is one of the reasons I have a good rotation of shoes, I like to let them air out.
6. I started running at an older age, no proper training and my steady pace is in the mid 9 minute per mile range.
Heel-To-Toe Drop: 10mm
Shoe Shape: Naturally shaped featuring a spacious toe box for foot comfortCushion: HighWeight: 9.5 oz (My size 12 left weighed 11.8, right 11.5)
Support: Neutral
Best For: Road and non-technical soft surface
Foam: EVA, OBC, POE, & TPU
Width: A naturally-shaped D width for toe movement.
Shoe Geometry: Rocker geometry for a smooth heel-to-toe transition
Tongue Type: Gusseted (attached)
Outsole Material: Rubber
Upper Material: Light, breathable, woven
Heel Counter: To keep your heel locked in place
Heel Stack Height: 39mm
Price: $169.00 (if you order through their site, you get 10% off first orders)
I like the design of this shoe. Design is a very personal thing as everyone has their own taste, but I like the clean look to this shoe. It lends itself to a shoe that you can use for multiple things. I have worn this shoe out and about with the wife, to work and of course for running.
The upper is very comfortable, has a nice fit around the foot, has a gusseted padded tongue and the laces stay put when you tie them. The heel counter holds the foot in place well with nice padding around the collar. The toe box is foot shaped, but not so huge that the shoe feels out of control while running at different speeds. It provides the room for toe splay, while holding your foot stable in place.
It is a very well designed upper
Veloci has a nice layer of rubber, strategically placed on the outsole of the shoe. It has a nice feather design within the rubber and provided a nice traction experience during my time running.
With that said, this is also my area of concern with the shoe and how it interacts with my mechanics. As noted in the bias section, I tend to rub the rear lateral side of my shoes. Some shoes are worse than others and this shoe has fallen into the worse partnership scenario for me. I am putting a solid amount of blame on my mechanics, but I do also tend to get 4-500 out of Brooks shoes and 3-400 out of Saucony and Adidas shoes. My worse shoe victims have been Altra and Craft. I will have to add Veloci into my victim category now as I have worn off the lugs already at 41 miles in my wear area. That said, the rest of the outsole is showing very little wear overall.
I am just noting this so if someone has that same type of wear, they are aware of this on the shoe. If you do not have that kind of wear issue, this outsole appears to be durable and a great design.
The midsole foam is: EVA, OBC, POE, & TPU. For me this foam started out quite firm on the first run or two and then settled into a ride that is on the firm side, but with some response and give on impact. It seemed to take a bit to bed in the foam, but once it did, the foam in combination with the rocker of the shoe gave it a really nice and supportive ride.
I have seen some comparisons to the Nike React foam (I have never run in this foam), for me it reminds me of the foam in the Brooks glycerin 20, Saucony Triumph 20 and Craft Endurance shoes. The ride also reminds me a bit of those shoes as they share the 10mm drop set up. For me, the comparison to Brooks is a positive because I have over 1400 miles of running in Glycerin 20's, so it clearly works for my mechanics on underfoot feel.
The shoe is one of the heavier trainers I currently have, but I did not notice the weight underfoot. The shoe carries as a lighter shoe, which shows the design is not weighted too much to the bottom of the shoe but is a well balanced shoe. With that said, I always look for a shoe to get lighter, so hopefully they can work on this in future iterations.
The shoe has a very nice, smooth transition with my mechanics. The foam is not a foam that does the work for you, but if you put effort/force into it, it will reward you for that work.
I have an issue (like probably a lot of runners) with the trend on shoes getting more expensive. I am not sure why Veloci chose this price point to launch at. It may be because they are trying to start the brand with a higher end view (On Running in the beginning, Diadora etc.) or if it has something to do with the cost of doing the start up and they plan on bringing the price down over iterations, but it is something I wish was a bit lower. The price point puts them in competition with shoes like: Brooks Glycerin ($165), Saucony Triumph ($160), Asics Nimbus ($165), Topo Atmos ($160), Altra fwd Via ($160), On Cloud Surfer ($160) and the list goes on.
The thing Veloci has going for it is that none of these brands currently offer a foot shape design with the 10mm drop. The Altra fwd Via is probably the closest comparison, which has a foot shaped design with a 4mm drop and nitrogen infused foam. To Veloci's credit, they have chosen a competitive price market but hit a niche design que to differentiate itself.
On the shoe: I would have no issues recommending this shoe to other runners. It has a nice modern design, can be worn for multiple uses (run, walk, lifestyle) which makes it a great shoe for taking on trips or everyday use. The shoe is made with quality and has a very nice ride, it would make a great addition to most running shoe rotations. My only 2 concerns are my wear area and the price point, but again those are partly my mechanics and me not liking to pay the current market pricings.
On the company: I look forward to seeing where Tyler and company take this brand. I will continue to follow and support their efforts. The shoe does not look or feel like a very first off the presses shoe, you can tell the care and pride they put into their product.
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