Motiva Performance

Hey, what's up Zach here and I'm at the roller coaster capital of the world here, Cedar Point. And I have just spent the last 48 hours in the Nike Motiva. And here are all the t Here we go. Now remember the Nike Motiva is marketed as primarily a walking shoe or a casual lifestyle shoe. However, on their website they do say that you can take there are a lot of pitfalls to that, especially with rocker construction shoes. Especially with the non regular mid and outsole. However, the first the biggest t For sure, in terms of Nike's running lineup t It is including the Invincible Run 3's. The thing I There is really no break in with these whatsoever. And the weave is just a little bit more elastic, a little bit more forgiving on these. However, because the tongue is so aggressively gusseted in the Motivas, you still feel Now the lace line is reinforced with plastic going all the way up. You do get a runner's knot in these because remember Nike says you can jog in them. I will say in terms of lockdown, they feel a lot I really A lot of times, these running shoe companies will not put anyt And n But also, it just makes the lockdown a little better because everyt And if you look at the breathability test on these, I just did the airflow map on them. They did heat up 105. 8 degrees, then cooled down another 57. 2 degrees. But if you look at that airflow map of them, you actually get a decent amount of breat That knit does allow some airflow through there. It's just not a really rapid airflow. So if you're walking in these and not someone using them to run, you're not going to heat them up fast enough. You're not going to get the opportunity to heat them up fast enough, I should say. Especially because the uppers are so light and accommodating. I really think, The only t Yeah, the bird has started to make a pretty decent impression on these. However, remember, these are walking shoes. They're not meant to be running through t I will say, though, to blunt containment, I would have Just because, And I t But we'll talk about that once we get into the mid and outsole. And getting into the midsole tear down, this is what I was most interested in, mainly because, Kind of wanted to see what they looked Now, if you look at the Motiva on the midsole tear down, you'll notice there's not much going on here. T 0. And I actually got a really good look at it under the microscope because there is a little bit of an imperfection in the foam. So you can see kind of how cavernous that Cushlon 3. 0 is. And then when you see the more uniform portion of it on the microscope, you see kind of how it looks almost a little more plastic-y than Cushlon did. So that's pretty interesting kind of showing you where that foam is going from the first iteration of it. Now here it's the latest iteration of it. Now, the one t Everything you'll notice is the rocker in these is really far posterior, kind of Now, the t It really makes the shoes move like locomotive wheels, whereas the Motiva, you kind of sink into the heel, and then that rocker just kind of p And so as the shoe is new, or if you were a very lightweight person, that rocker is going to work very gently and very nice. If you're a heavier person, you could just sink right into the foam here in the heel, and then that could lead to other issues So I t But suffice to say, un Now, because that rocker is so far posterior, these are going to be a lot more stable than some other rocker sold shoes, or it's more distal or more towards the forefoot of the shoe. So you still have a decent landing pad here on your forefoot, kind of give a little more tactile sensation. The only thing is, is those, So those actually got compressed for me after an hour or two, right? Because I'm a heavier dude. So, So I noticed at first those pistons, or, The ones on the lateral side did give you just a little bit of So when you came down and you were loading laterally, as you walk, I noticed that the loading lateral was just a little bit more springy, right? So your step was just a little bit more of an oomph to it. But then after an hour, that just all went away. So I'd say if you want that action, you better be a lighter walker or runner. Otherwise, And that rocker is going to become just more of an elevated arch for you over time. And you look at that Cus 0 on the bounce height test, got 30 centimeters in the heel, 36 in the forefoot. And the reason it didn't do so well in the heel is because it is a rocker. So you have to move the shoe back as you put the ball bearing down on it. So you're not getting, You can utilize, So, 0 has a decent amount of bounce for just how soft and shock absorbing it is. It is still more of a primarily shock absorbing foam in my opinion, but still pretty decent for it is. But two of the most important features of the midsole actually come in the periphery of it. N These almost look But it'same in the midsole. It does have a really big landing pad there on the heel because most of walking, remember you start in a heel strike un So with these, they really want you to have a nice wide stable base, w The other that is to allow for more uniform compression of the foam. And on the medial side, it's just a little bit more bulged out. And that just give it a little bit more oomph when you're coming down on the medial side of your foot for your push off. So really everyt 0 to compress in a way that's going to be more comfortable for you during a walking gait. And getting into the outsole tread, then you have a block pattern in the heel as well as in the forefoot. T And these waves kind of almost mimic how the shoe is going to be moving. But you got t So transition step, it is pretty darn easy in the Motiva. The one t And if you look at the outsole durability test, 10 seconds So They're meant for a smoother gait. So you shouldn't be producing as much friction in these as you would maybe a standard running shoe. So I t And if you look at the speed ratio of the Motiva, it comes in at a 2. 67, w It's not nearly what Nike's better running shoes come in at. But remember, these are walking shoes and the efficiency, or I should say the quote-unquote speed you get from these should be in how fluid they get from one step to the next. The fit of the Motiva though is somet Narrow, medi If you are really narrow, especially if you don't have a super long foot, they can go down a half size on these because of how elastic the uppers are. And in terms of the snake bit and foot, these really do have a lot of caveats to them because n So that's a really good use case to these. However, if you're somebody that has a lot of stiffness, let'say in the Ac So if you're someone prone to that, then you might just want to stick with somet Now, if you're somebody with heel pain, ball of foot pain, it kind of is dealer's choice. You really probably should be consulting with a doctor before you get into a rock or sold shoe because some people are going to 0. Some people are going to Having all that plush foam to come down on, whereas others, it's going to be too much. It's going to be too soft, especially with the rocker pus So there really is no one size fits all to the Motiva. I will just say that an orthotic in these is going to help keep it more of a stiff rocker. But Or let'say you're a chronic ankle sprainer, the fact that they're a rocker as well as a non-uniform sole, you're just going to be a little bit unstable for you. I probably wouldn't recommend these if you are someone in that category. But if you are somebody with ball of foot pain, they're going to take a ton of pressure off of the ball of your foot. Some of this comes back from stress fracture and aroma, things These are going to be really nice because they center all of the pressure kind of right below the ankle and into that where that rocker is kind of a little bit more midfoot and posterior midfoot and heel. I think in terms of the primary foot conditions that, In terms of the rear foot snake bites, l That fit profile really brings me to the performance of the Motiva. I will say these were a real asset being in these for this long, for these We stay over here at Lighthouse Point, w That's a pretty decent walk into the park, through the park and then back. I will say typically for me, if I'm going from flat shoulder rocker and then back, my back can start to hurt a little bit. With these though, because they compress so well, I really never got any of that back pain. These were very accepting and with me, I'm holding my kid on my shoulders a lot nowadays and having that nice huge stack of foam to sink my feet into was really nice. Having all that weight on my shoulder over time, Your heel might sink into these. I think in terms of a shoe, if You're on your feet all day for one extended period of time. I t If you're going to be wearing these for kind of extended times in terms of days and months, To me, these are not jogging shoes. I know Nike markets them as that. I think once they bottom, they become a little bit better of a jogging shoe, but To me, if you're going to get a running shoe, get a running shoe. If you want a walking shoe, then It's just to me, I'm not sure I'd be intermixing them with these, but for what their main marketing is, is to get you really good efficiency for really unforgiving walking conditions, sure. They're fantastic. Of course, I'd love to know your thoughts on the Motiva. Are you looking to pick up a pair of rocker sole walking shoes or just staying with your standard, more flat sole traditional shoes? Let me know in the comments down below. And if you want to check out another pair of similar walking shoes, a little bit more of a resilient midsole setup, kind of the antithesis to Cus 0, the Keen Walk 400, make sure you click into t Respect, rubber and foam. I'll see you somewhere in the sneakerverse.