A runner in our local running club has 2,000 KMs on his pair of 001s and is still very happy with them. My feet are flat, narrow and low volume, so when I tried them in a store I definitely felt the « loose heel » issue you eluded to… and that was enough to stop me from buying them… even though I live in Montreal and very happy to see another local brand succeed in the trail running arena (in addition to Ciele and Naak).
Ya, tons of stories around 001s going for those distances (and more). The 001 is definitely not a shoe for a narrow/low volume foot. Out of curiosity… have you tried the 002s? Did the upper changes they made to that shoe work for your foot type?
@@SagasuRunning Great question! No I have not. The Adidas Terrex Speed Ultra works very well for my low volume feet in door-to-trail settings and I use VJs when I need super grip or SLAB Pulsar when I need super light.
Yes, I have 450+ miles in a pair of 001s and the midsole softens up nicely after 100-150 miles. They are comfier than ever and I’m expecting at least another 400 before I retire them.
I’m glad I could introduce you to something new. Dig into their socials and you’ll see plenty of very long use cases from their very dedicated runners.
For the last couple of years I´ve tried almost every brand. I love the peregrine model 13, the mafate speed 4, the trabuco max 2 and 3, TNF summit vectiv pro 2, the calderas 6 and 7, etc, but nothing comes close to the norda 001. This shoe is absolutely incredible: the looks, the comfort, durability, the grip, the colours, and so on. I already have two pairs and I intend to continue buying other pairs on sale. They are extremely expensive but on sale it is easy to find them at prices below 180 euros here in Europe. I also had a lot of hope in the nnormal tomir, but I guess I am no Kilian Jornet.
I should have a Nnormal Tomir 2 review coming up in June. Stay tuned. I will make a point to compare it to the 001. In fact the whole reason I ran in the 001 was to compare it the the Tomir 2. I agree with what you said. It’s a great shoe. Not my favorite for the steep, technical and sticky mud terrain I have here in Taiwan… not to mention the humidity and wetness always present here (I prefer Matryx uppers for that)…. But thinking about how it would work back in the Northeast US, where I grew up, it would be perfection. Given I grew up a few hours from Montreal… I’m not surprised.
@@jamesnolen3934 Altra just went the wrong way while chasing growth. They really lost the plot after Golden left… the Lone Peaks were great in their day and the Escalante was too… but times have changed (drastically).
Some are better than others. The simpler the better. Not having a secondary lug pattern helps the outsole to clear better. Still, with some types of mud. There is nothing you can do.
I’m running mostly on DenFeng Mtn. And Junjianyan trail. I also run a lot on the ridge line that goes from Jiantan to Neihu. Follow me on Strava and go back and look at my runs in Dec/Jan and you’ll see all the locations clearly.
I am interested in this shoe, but I am wondering how it does with hotter weather and water draining. In my area the weather is pretty dry and can get really hot during spring to fall. The second thing is many water crossings. I am concerned with a more durable thicker upper means not great in knee deep river crossings and hotter in summer. Just was curious your thoughts in that regards. I am assuming you will maybe have more to say since you are in a hot humid climate.
The hot/humid weather performance of the Dyneema upper is similar to a Matryx upper. However the inner forefoot bootie and “Norda lock” system (eyelet chain lockdown) material do hold moisture. I’ve had the shoe feel like it has “filled up” with sweat for me and a lot of it seems to be held in those extra material layers, not the Dyneema. It would not be my first choice for running ultra hot/humid climates in the summers. Sun-tropical/tropical conditions are not this shoe’s optimal use case. It would also not be my first choice if I ran in alot of deep water/river crossings. The shoe doesn’t drain well when submerged. I would much prefer a simpler upper, a single layer of Matryx material (+gusset) for both conditions.
Durabiliy in some shoes are already very good. You have shoes like the invincible 3 or the nimbus 25 that can last upwards of 1000km. I’m really considering norda though
Norda is on a completely different level when compared to Asics or Nike. The materials alone are a different league. The outsole and the midsole are also much more robust.
Nike invincible couldn’t last me a year 😅the sole came off and was bald when I threw them away haha But I do walk and run longer than most people 13-24km a day
@@incurab1e they can off after how many km? Because let say you on average do 18km a day, that’s about 6000km a year… no shoe on planet earth will last you that long without a resole at some point ahah
I know this is a privileged position, but I wish there was an equivalent road running brand. Use the best materials and yeah, pass cost along to the consumer.
That's a good example,@@TimGrose. I have heard that Tracksmiths shoe was less than ideal in a lot of ways (narrow and firm being the two nits I heard most), but yes, something like that.
@@elliotendures narrow would have been good for me as have long narrow feet but seemingly too long! Firm is interesting these days as think pretty much every shoe on the market these days is softer than what we used to think of as firm even say 3 or 4 years ago. Things like Boston 9 & even Peg Turbo 2 spring to mind.
Agree,@@TimGrose. The firm thing isn't what held me back. Frankly, I find a lot of the things from New Balance and others just too soft. But the width would be an absolute non-starter unfortunately. I am a much more typical size, but have farmer's feet. To his point in the video, I would also be happy to pay a premium for the small-business aspect. Simply the idea of a small firm trying to make the "best" without concern over shareholders and a balance sheet is incredibly appealing to me. I work in financial services, so I have on qualms with Asics or Saucony doing what they have to do, but a company like Norda or Nnormal just doesn't have the same limitations. Others, sure.
Tracksmith is in the ballpark. Atreyu is the only other than comes to mind, but they are not using as premium materials. The road shoe space is so saturated it’s hard to have boutique brands pop up. It’s amazing Atreyu has been able to make it happen at all since 2020, honestly.
It more compares to the Tomir. The 002 compares more to the Kjerag. I’ll make more in depth comparison video to Nnormal in the coming months. I greatly prefer the minimalism and better ground feel of the Kjerag for trail running. I feel better connected to the surfaces I’m on. That being said, if I was doing ultras I may not feel the same way and might want the buffers stack of the 001. More to come on this in. Stay tuned.
@@SagasuRunning true , it actually looks more like a Tomir now that I think of it. I’ve got two pair of Kjerag’s and a Tomir. I’ve done a 80k in Kjerag and I find that as a more fun shoe compared to Tomir. As you said about the 001 - almost a hiking shoe.
Interesting to hear about some shoes that probably would otherwise pass me by. That said I think my foot shape is kind of opposite to you - long & thin so don’t think this would work for me. I was looking to see if you would show a “full on” view that you did late on which did better show the seemingly wide toebox. That would normally be a red flag for me.
This shoe would be just about the worst option for your foot shape due to the volume and heel design. You’d have endless problems with it I would expect. I still think yours get on well with the Nnormal Kjerag though. If you ever needed a trail shoe.
@@SagasuRunning yeah from my first glimpse of this in your vid thought probably not for me. Good there are options for different runners but I do "worry" that all shoes are seemingly getting wider.
@@TimGrose In the trail space definitely they are, even in “euro fit” brands like Salomon. Road though… it seems more mixed. I’m just happy I have a middle of the road width foot. 🤙🏻
i dont run, but i hope they are durable as they say. i just walk like 2000 steps a day. But i want some good shoes. Hope there better then my on running.
2000 steps a day isn't much and these will handle it just fine for a LONG time. Keep in mind the outsole is a trail outsole, while durable, if you are walking on mostly paved surfaces it will wear faster than the rest of the shoe. I actually prefer them as day hikers than runners at the moment.
Boutique brand? I get they are new but are they not made in China? And while the shoes look great, no style lasts forever so they’ll likely be driven to change things like all good retail manufacturers. Even Patagonia does…. I do love the look of these snd the idea behind them. Time will tell.
Norda is 100% a boutique brand. Possibly the modern definition of one. Sure, they are larger than a few guys hand sewing everything and their supply chain is global, but that doesn't mean they are a small/low overhead company. They also are iterating on their fundamental design. The 001 evolved into the 002 and the 003 "solved" an issue from the 001. I'd expect their next model to do something similar.
Love this shoe. Use them for a mix of hiking and trail running and they always leave my feet happy.
Same for me. It does both very well.
A runner in our local running club has 2,000 KMs on his pair of 001s and is still very happy with them. My feet are flat, narrow and low volume, so when I tried them in a store I definitely felt the « loose heel » issue you eluded to… and that was enough to stop me from buying them… even though I live in Montreal and very happy to see another local brand succeed in the trail running arena (in addition to Ciele and Naak).
Ya, tons of stories around 001s going for those distances (and more). The 001 is definitely not a shoe for a narrow/low volume foot. Out of curiosity… have you tried the 002s? Did the upper changes they made to that shoe work for your foot type?
@@SagasuRunning Great question! No I have not. The Adidas Terrex Speed Ultra works very well for my low volume feet in door-to-trail settings and I use VJs when I need super grip or SLAB Pulsar when I need super light.
@@kgenest100 NNormals would fit you well!
Yes, I have 450+ miles in a pair of 001s and the midsole softens up nicely after 100-150 miles. They are comfier than ever and I’m expecting at least another 400 before I retire them.
The midsole foam is a huge surprise but it makes sense why Norda choose it given how it works over the long haul.
You got my attention at "last forever." I get tired of replacing $180 running shoes every few months!
This one should last quite sometime. Many many Norda athletes are getting 1000km+ in this shoe or multiple years of use. It’s a tank.
Can you compare this against the Nnormal Kjerag pls :)
I’ll be comparing this to Nnormal models in the coming months. Stay tuned.
I am new to this brand and news. I never knew shoes could last this long.
I’m glad I could introduce you to something new. Dig into their socials and you’ll see plenty of very long use cases from their very dedicated runners.
For the last couple of years I´ve tried almost every brand. I love the peregrine model 13, the mafate speed 4, the trabuco max 2 and 3, TNF summit vectiv pro 2, the calderas 6 and 7, etc, but nothing comes close to the norda 001. This shoe is absolutely incredible: the looks, the comfort, durability, the grip, the colours, and so on. I already have two pairs and I intend to continue buying other pairs on sale. They are extremely expensive but on sale it is easy to find them at prices below 180 euros here in Europe. I also had a lot of hope in the nnormal tomir, but I guess I am no Kilian Jornet.
I should have a Nnormal Tomir 2 review coming up in June. Stay tuned. I will make a point to compare it to the 001. In fact the whole reason I ran in the 001 was to compare it the the Tomir 2.
I agree with what you said. It’s a great shoe. Not my favorite for the steep, technical and sticky mud terrain I have here in Taiwan… not to mention the humidity and wetness always present here (I prefer Matryx uppers for that)…. But thinking about how it would work back in the Northeast US, where I grew up, it would be perfection. Given I grew up a few hours from Montreal… I’m not surprised.
Absolutely agree with you. I was a diehard Altra guy.... now they just be collecting dust...
@@jamesnolen3934 Altra just went the wrong way while chasing growth. They really lost the plot after Golden left… the Lone Peaks were great in their day and the Escalante was too… but times have changed (drastically).
I live in Europe but can't find any on sale and if I do they small sizes. What stores do you recommend?
I’d contact Norda and ask directly. They are really good about communications in my experience.
I have 3 pairs and use them for everything, trail, approach, and scrambling. Love them sommuch
They do a lot of things well. I actually love them for hiking/fastpacking and or a casual shoe when traveling as well.
Very interesting shoe and brand.
It is, for sure. I have a soft spot for boutique brands.
We buy running shoes that are light but then the mud adds 300 gr.. Some outsole design prevent this I think?
Some are better than others. The simpler the better. Not having a secondary lug pattern helps the outsole to clear better.
Still, with some types of mud. There is nothing you can do.
Wait you are in Taipei? (14:25) Me too. What trail running groups do you recommend here?
I’m running mostly on DenFeng Mtn. And Junjianyan trail. I also run a lot on the ridge line that goes from Jiantan to Neihu. Follow
me on Strava and go back and look at my runs in Dec/Jan and you’ll see all the locations clearly.
Ok cool will do! Happy trails.
I am interested in this shoe, but I am wondering how it does with hotter weather and water draining. In my area the weather is pretty dry and can get really hot during spring to fall. The second thing is many water crossings. I am concerned with a more durable thicker upper means not great in knee deep river crossings and hotter in summer. Just was curious your thoughts in that regards. I am assuming you will maybe have more to say since you are in a hot humid climate.
The hot/humid weather performance of the Dyneema upper is similar to a Matryx upper. However the inner forefoot bootie and “Norda lock” system (eyelet chain lockdown) material do hold moisture. I’ve had the shoe feel like it has “filled up” with sweat for me and a lot of it seems to be held in those extra material layers, not the Dyneema.
It would not be my first choice for running ultra hot/humid climates in the summers. Sun-tropical/tropical conditions are not this shoe’s optimal use case.
It would also not be my first choice if I ran in alot of deep water/river crossings. The shoe doesn’t drain well when submerged.
I would much prefer a simpler upper, a single layer of Matryx material (+gusset) for both conditions.
@@SagasuRunning Thank you so much for the information! Love the channel keep up the amazing content!
@@adramalech707 🙏🏻🙏🏻
Durabiliy in some shoes are already very good. You have shoes like the invincible 3 or the nimbus 25 that can last upwards of 1000km. I’m really considering norda though
Norda is on a completely different level when compared to Asics or Nike. The materials alone are a different league. The outsole and the midsole are also much more robust.
Nike invincible couldn’t last me a year 😅the sole came off and was bald when I threw them away haha
But I do walk and run longer than most people 13-24km a day
@@incurab1e they can off after how many km? Because let say you on average do 18km a day, that’s about 6000km a year… no shoe on planet earth will last you that long without a resole at some point ahah
Well done. As always.
Thank you. Thank you. 🙏🏻
Have you notice around the upper some white thing after wearing them, I find it kind of weird.
No, I have not.
Curious how Norda compares with Altra or Nnormal.
I won’t be doing any Altra comparisons… but there will be plenty of Nnormal comparisons coming. Stay tuned.
@@SagasuRunning Copy thx
I know this is a privileged position, but I wish there was an equivalent road running brand. Use the best materials and yeah, pass cost along to the consumer.
What like Tracksmith who did an expensive trainer? Couldn’t try it as did not do my size. Guess got to be some limits with such brands!
That's a good example,@@TimGrose. I have heard that Tracksmiths shoe was less than ideal in a lot of ways (narrow and firm being the two nits I heard most), but yes, something like that.
@@elliotendures narrow would have been good for me as have long narrow feet but seemingly too long! Firm is interesting these days as think pretty much every shoe on the market these days is softer than what we used to think of as firm even say 3 or 4 years ago. Things like Boston 9 & even Peg Turbo 2 spring to mind.
Agree,@@TimGrose. The firm thing isn't what held me back. Frankly, I find a lot of the things from New Balance and others just too soft. But the width would be an absolute non-starter unfortunately. I am a much more typical size, but have farmer's feet.
To his point in the video, I would also be happy to pay a premium for the small-business aspect. Simply the idea of a small firm trying to make the "best" without concern over shareholders and a balance sheet is incredibly appealing to me. I work in financial services, so I have on qualms with Asics or Saucony doing what they have to do, but a company like Norda or Nnormal just doesn't have the same limitations. Others, sure.
Tracksmith is in the ballpark. Atreyu is the only other than comes to mind, but they are not using as premium materials. The road shoe space is so saturated it’s hard to have boutique brands pop up. It’s amazing Atreyu has been able to make it happen at all since 2020, honestly.
How would You compare it to NNormal Kjerag ?
It more compares to the Tomir. The 002 compares more to the Kjerag. I’ll make more in depth comparison video to Nnormal in the coming months.
I greatly prefer the minimalism and better ground feel of the Kjerag for trail running. I feel better connected to the surfaces I’m on. That being said, if I was doing ultras I may not feel the same way and might want the buffers stack of the 001.
More to come on this in. Stay tuned.
@@SagasuRunning true , it actually looks more like a Tomir now that I think of it. I’ve got two pair of Kjerag’s and a Tomir. I’ve done a 80k in Kjerag and I find that as a more fun shoe compared to Tomir. As you said about the 001 - almost a hiking shoe.
Interesting to hear about some shoes that probably would otherwise pass me by. That said I think my foot shape is kind of opposite to you - long & thin so don’t think this would work for me. I was looking to see if you would show a “full on” view that you did late on which did better show the seemingly wide toebox. That would normally be a red flag for me.
This shoe would be just about the worst option for your foot shape due to the volume and heel design. You’d have endless problems with it I would expect.
I still think yours get on well with the Nnormal Kjerag though. If you ever needed a trail shoe.
@@SagasuRunning yeah from my first glimpse of this in your vid thought probably not for me. Good there are options for different runners but I do "worry" that all shoes are seemingly getting wider.
@@TimGrose In the trail space definitely they are, even in “euro fit” brands like Salomon. Road though… it seems more mixed. I’m just happy I have a middle of the road width foot. 🤙🏻
i dont run, but i hope they are durable as they say. i just walk like 2000 steps a day. But i want some good shoes. Hope there better then my on running.
2000 steps a day isn't much and these will handle it just fine for a LONG time. Keep in mind the outsole is a trail outsole, while durable, if you are walking on mostly paved surfaces it will wear faster than the rest of the shoe. I actually prefer them as day hikers than runners at the moment.
Montréal FTW
🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦
Boutique brand? I get they are new but are they not made in China? And while the shoes look great, no style lasts forever so they’ll likely be driven to change things like all good retail manufacturers. Even Patagonia does…. I do love the look of these snd the idea behind them. Time will tell.
Norda is 100% a boutique brand. Possibly the modern definition of one. Sure, they are larger than a few guys hand sewing everything and their supply chain is global, but that doesn't mean they are a small/low overhead company.
They also are iterating on their fundamental design. The 001 evolved into the 002 and the 003 "solved" an issue from the 001. I'd expect their next model to do something similar.