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The Asics Gel-Nimbus 26 is the top neutral cushioned shoe in Asics’s line-up, while the Asics Gel-Kayano 31 is the top stability option, but the latest versions of both shoes have a lot more similarities than differences. In this video Kieran, Nick and Tom talk through their running experience in each shoe and suggest which will suit different runners.

Check out our reviews of both shoes:

Asics Gel-Nimbus 26 Review:
Asics Gel-Kayano 31 Review:

JUMP STRAIGHT IN:
00:00​​​​ – Intro
00:44 – Design & Key Stats
01:34 – Shoe comparison
03:31 – How’s The Fit?
07:13 – The Run Test
16:14 – Verdict

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Hi people welcome to the Run testers and In this video we're getting stuck into Two of asex big hitting daily Cruisers We have got the asex Joel nimus 26 and The K 31 both shoes pack big midsole Stacks plush uppers and they're built For cruising your daily miles in cushion Comfort the ASX Joe Kayo add stability Features to provide extra support and Prevent over pronation but in some ways Those stability elements are really Quite subtle and you could argue that The Kayo it's basically a more stable Spin on the neutral Nimbus so with just $5 between them on price how do you know Which of these cushion dailies might Suit your running best well watch on for Our aex jarano 31 versus aex Joe Nimbus 26 Review first up some quick key details Then well the gel Ciro 31 stack height Stays the same as the cirano 30 with 40 Ms in the hill 30 m in the 4ot for a 10 Mil drop the GEL Nimbus 26 packs 42 Ms In the Hill 4 Ms in the 4ot for a larger Stack but a lower 8 mil drop when it Comes to weight in our UK test size 8 And a half shoe the Kyo 31 tips the Scales at 11 oz or 312 G the Nimbus 26 Weighs in at 11.1 o or 314 G so there's Very little to choose between them on Weight on price the aex Janu 31 has Jumped up five bucks over the previous Generation it's now $165 it's still £

1880 in the UK that makes them slightly Pricier though in the US than the aex Joel Nimbus which comes in $160 or £80 In the UK let's do that thing where we give you A quick shoe comparison then like the Past gen shoes the Nimbus 26 and the Caro 31 still share much of the same Design DNA that's because the changes to The Caro are minimal you've basically Got a new out soole with more breathable Uppers the nas 26 and the Caro 31 follow A similar midsole setup with the same Combination of super soft flight foam Blast Plus ecofoam I don't know how many Going to get more names into these foam Names but anyway they've also got Pure Gel heel inserts essentially some Springy rebounding material that's Placed at the heel to create sof and More cushioned Landings and soak up a Bit more of that impact particularly if You land further back in the shoe the Carno 31 has a lower Mido stack there's 2 mil less heel in the less foam I Should say in the heel and four mil less Under the 4 foot now a bigger stack Tends to mean less stable R so that Makes sense the CaRu 31 also features ASX 40 guidance system which is a combin Of elements designed to support the foot Each time it hits the ground for better Stability now this includes a more Pronounced heel bevel a sculpted midsole

An additional medial foam that guides Your foot on Landing up top both the AIC Shoes feature quite thick dense but Pliable uppers got gusted tongues on Both shoes the CaRu 31 has new more Breathable engineered mesh to increase The ventilation on the run the nimbers 26 has engineered stretch knit uppers The heel packages here are almost Identical with big padded collars the Tongues are similarly plushed too got About the same thickness and comfort the Only thing to note really is the numers 26 Are knitted and they're slightly more Pliable I would say slightly more flimsy Even now if you flip both shoes over They both have generous coverings of Updated hybrid ax scrip rubber that's Been tweaked to improve grip and Durability the grip patterns are Different with more grooves cut into the Cho 31 the rubber on the 31 ALS so looks A bit thicker in places Too okay first up quick look at fit then Well the Kayo 31 you've got a good Thumbs width of room at the end of the Toe box there's also lots of flex here Wiggle room for the toes it's a nice Flexible upper they feel nice and Spacious moving back into the laces I Get good lock down again I'm always Looking at the across these kind of two Toe Knuckles they hold nicely here but They don't restrict and there's enough

Flex here for movement and room and that Is a really nice fit back up the laces I've got really good solid lock down Across the top of the midfoot you've got This sort of medium padded tongue that's Quite flexible but takes any edge off The uh laces super comfortable here back Into the heel colors nice and plush you Know big Comfort good hold just stay put Really nicely I have no movement there At all and overall the fit on this one Is pretty good when you go into the Nimbus 26 it's a pretty similar story Actually you've got a good thumbs width Again again these uppers are nice and Stretchy and nice and flexible there Feels like there's plenty of room it Makes the overall shoe in the toe box Feel nice and roomy and volumous and Again back into the areas of the toe Knuckle these very very similar to the CaRu 31s in terms of how they they hold Without restricting which is a bit of Flex here you're not going to get any Sort of trouble in that section which is Great the laces here one area I I get Good lock down across the top of the Midfoot here they hold really nicely I Think you can see there's a little bit More sort of squeezing going on to get That sort of lock down and the one thing I did find is this sort of knitted Tongue it takes a little bit of dragging To get it into position it's a little

Bit more fussy and a bit more fiddly It's just a bit more sort of plyable is A c word of saying sort of flimsy back Into the heel collar it's the same drill As the K of 31 almost identical in terms Of the way that they hold and feel and Pad in terms of the fit if anything I Would say that the Kayo 31 just has a Little bit more room and volume in the Toe book so it feels a bit more spacious This one the Jim nimbers 6 feels a bit More snug but overall I would recommend Running in your regular running shoe Size in both of these shoes as you can See I ran in a UK and a half which is What I'd normally run in an ax and I Think the fit on both of these is really Comfy and spacious and really well Played from Ax so the fit for me in These two shoes pretty easy I find these Shoes to be very very comfortable both Of them have a lot of padding they're Very similar in many ways in how the the Shoe is formed the materials the midsole Everything like that is very similar in These shoes um and I would say that I'm A size eight in the UK both of these Shoes I found to fit very very well I Definitely stick to my size in both of These shoes um there's plenty of space In the four foot for wiggle room of the Toes um and I had no issues at all so Nice easy one for me stick to stick to My size uh in the UK both very

Comfortable shoes with no issues so Comes the fit of the two shoes I've Actually got different sizes with these I've got a UK 8.5 in the Kano and a uk9 In the Nimbus now across asx's range a Uk9 is what I generally go for that's The right size for me Ino like the super Blast super Blast 2 The Meta speed sky And Edge and Magic speed but in the big Cushion shoes I did find UK arm was a Little bit big with gonus 26 and it Wasn't really a problem but just a Little bit too much room I don't need That much room in the shoes I tried an 8.5 in the Keo and it fits me better so If you're someone who's also on the Fence between two different sizes I'd Probably go for the smaller one they are Quite roomy shoes but at the same time Having a big roomy fit in a shoe like This isn't a problem it's a big cushion Shoe it's nice to have a lot of comfort At the front there as well if you prefer A bit more room found the fit around the Heeler fo to be all good for me no kind Of slippage or rubbing or anything like That so yeah no real problems with the Fit of either shoe but I would suggest If you are in between two sizes go for The smaller oness it's quite a roomy one I Found so in testing I've logged at least 30 miles in each of these shoes I did a Little more in the ax Joe Nimbus 26 I

Focused most of my testing at the easier Low and slow end but I logged some Faster intervals within Those runs to Test the pace range and the versatility As usual my test miles were mainly on on Road with the occasional Excursion onto The light off-road park and River paths To test that stability I also did a side By-side mile where i r one mile with one Shoe on each foot to get a better sense Of the differences between the shoes and Here's what I found so then I've just Done the side by side mile I've got the Aex Jael car 31 on the left foot I've Got the aex Joel Nimbus 26 on the right Foot for me having done that run these Shoes very feel very similar on the foot In terms of the overall Comfort the way They hold the way the uppers Flex all of That stuff you're getting very very Similar package the key difference for Me that came out when I did that run was Just the GEL Nimbus you can feel the Higher stack it sets you up a bit higher It's also tuned softer and a little bit Springier than you'll get on the K 31 This is perhaps not surprising the Caron 31 has those stability elements and it Has that lower stack a little bit less Foam really to add that kind of Stability to bring that and it just Feels a bit more controlled it feels a Bit flatter when you land there's not Quite as much of a cushion kind of roll

Through as you'll get with the Nimbus 26 So I think difference here I mean I can Run in both of these screws quite Happily even though I don't necessarily Need a stability shoe I think the Stability elements on the Kayo 31 are so Subtle that I'm quite happy to run in Run in it as well and I run fine it the One major difference I think is just It's nicely cushioned but it is a little Bit firmer and a little bit more Controlled so for me one of the big Differences when you're thinking about These shoes and how you think about them If you need more stability you need more Control you like like to feel a bit more Kind of firmness in that ride then go For the K 31 if you want something That's tuned a bit softer it's a little Bit Springer there's a little bit more Energy coming back uh there's definitely A more in the heel that's the other Thing in the Joel nimus 26 that's the Shoe to go for if you need more Cushioning because you're Landing Further back you're a bit more of a heel Striker that's definitely going to give You a bit more cushion though I think You're going to sacrifice a little bit Of the stability in the control overall I I think these shoes are very very Close there's nothing to choose in terms Of way and the konu 31 really is kind of Living up to what the konu 30 did in

Being essentially a more stable Alternative to the Joe Nimbus 26 both of Them good Comfort cushioned cruisers for Long Easy miles that's going to be their Purpose and for me they're pretty Interchangeable depending on what you Need so if I did this versus a few years Ago with earlier versions of these shoes It would be very very different um but Now these shoes have become very Sim Simar the jelo 31 may be a stability Shoe but it's a stability shoe that has Evolved quite a lot over the last two Iterations and now has become pretty Much like a nice comfortable Max cushion Shoe it has stability elements in it but They are much more subtle than what you Would find in earlier versions of the Keano so instead of having plasticky Medial posts in there and things like That it actually rides just like a Comfortable cushion shoe now you can Still feel those stability elements I When I was out testing it I tried to run In uh different ways to feel for the um For the stability in it and you can feel It when you hit the shoe at an angle uh And it's it's nice to know that that's There but if you are running Consistently and you're not necessarily Massively overpronating or anything like That it just rides like a normal Cushioned comfortable uh running shoe And that foam that's in there works

Really really well um for daily miles For easy sessions all those sorts of Things and just feels like you can you Can use it as a normal shoe which is a Big plus point for these new iterations Of the keano it really has become a uh Very modern stability shoe now which I Would not have said two years ago with The um earlier versions of the shoe now If you need stability it has those Elements in it you can you definitely Get a good level of stability in this Shoe if you don't need stability and I Am told that I need a bit of stability But I don't really use stability shoes Very often it works perfectly it's a Very comfortable shoe you can get a nice Consistent Pace in it uh and I've had no Issues at all in running in this shoe It's not the most versatile shoe in the World you're not going to use it Probably if you're doing races or Anything like that unless you're doing Races to um just maintain a consistent Pace and finish it if you're going for a Sub three-hour Marathon you wouldn't use This shoe because it's a bit clunky uh Definitely doesn't have the pickup in it That you might want to for running at Faster Paces but for most runs it feels Great it was really enjoyable um and Just a very comfortable cushioned uh Cruiser that um gives you stability if You need it the um GEL Nimbus 26 so this

Saw a big development over the past Couple of years as well uh the previous Version I wasn't a big fan of the new Two versions so this and the 25 really Like this shoe I think it's really come On quite a lot and is one of the best Cushion shoes out there at the moment It's very similar to the Keo and how it Feels they both have much of the same Design elements in them it's a very Comfortable cushion Cruiser doesn't have Stability elements in it but it is quite A stable shoe it's got quite a big base On it so no issues there the Mido foam It's a bit bouncy in what get in the Keo Presumably because of the stability Elements that are in the Keo um and it As a result it's lovely little easy day Shoe lovely daily shoe um and it's Slightly more versatile than the Keo not Massively it's not the most versatile Shoe in the world but for some people This shoe would would be a great option If you were just buying one shoe and uh You even wanted a RAC in it at a Comfortable Pace uh so uh other than That I just think that uh in the Realms Of uh cushion shoes at the moment it's Definitely one of the better options uh Out there and definitely really really Accessible shoe for a lot of people who Just want Comfort cushioning and just a A little bit of um versatility when it Comes to those daily runs uh but really

If you compare the two shoes they are Getting very similar now apart from Those stability elements if I took out The both of these shoes the only real Difference that I would notice is the Extra little bit of um bounce it's not Massive it's not bouncy shoe in the World but the Mido does have a little Bit more bands to it than the the kanano The other thing as well is if I over Pronated massively I would notice that In in the Kano um and even though the Stability is fine and the gel 26 it it's Not a stability shoe so you won't notice Those elements in it but overall they Are very similar in what they deliver And really comes down to whether you Need those stability elements in the Shoe so it comes to the run test I've Done a lot of running in both of these Shoes probably done a bit more in the K Actually as I had it recently in a spell When I didn't have a lot of other shoes So I used it quite a lot then a couple Of long runs in the Kano one long run in The Nimbus I've done actually a workout In the Nimbus and then obviously lots of Kind of General daily training in them As well just mooching around big cushion Shoes they definitely Comfort first Shoes both of them it's fair to say and They are pretty comfortable on the run I Think overall I've probably had a Slightly better time running in the Kayo

Which is probably a bit of a surprise For me as I am a neutral Runner and I Enjoy the Nimbus a lot but actually I Look back and I was comparing the Nimbus 25 to the Kayano 29 lot of similarities In the shoes and how they felt underfoot I think is that still the case here and I've actually enjoyed the k a little bit More maybe partly because I have Slightly smaller size in it and that's Fitted me a bit better but like I said I Didn't really find the fit of the nimus A huge problem but I did find the ride Of the Kano just a little bit more to my Taste it's got a slightly firmer feel And it feels like it turns over a little Bit more easily and naturally for me Like it just helps me keep moving I've Got quite a high Cadence style and I Feel like it's a shoe that I move Through my stride a little bit better Than in in the Nimbus it's still a very Comfortable shoe obviously you've got The support elements in there but They're not at all intrusive or anything Like that on the run as a neutral Runner It feels like a comfortable neutral shoe And I have really enjoyed it for long Runs just ticking over a little bit of Extra support is certainly no bad thing I think especially when using shoes in High mileage weeks like if it's not an Intrusive element to the shoe the Stability features then I don't think

It's a bad thing to have it even if you Are just a neutral Runner and I have Found it a very comfortable shoe numers Is the same like it's got the same kind Of feel Under Foot cuz the Foams are Very similar you've obviously got little Slightly different densities with the 4D Guidance system on the Kano but it Doesn't come across that much did a Short run wearing B shoes at the same Time and yeah they do have quite a Similar feel in terms of the foam but Like I said I feel like I just skipped Through a little bit better on the Kayo And it has a slightly firmer feel which I think I appreciate because it's not Like it's at all firm or uncomfortable But it is a little bit firmer than Nimbus which again isn't overly soft and Squishy they are both quite balanced Shoes it's not like you're really Sinking into Nimbus I don't think but I Just find that the overall balance to it Is slightly preferred in the Cayo all Round they could be daily trainers and Versatile shoes if you're maybe a newer Runner or you just prefer a really Protective cushion shoe like this for Everything but for my rotation I would Stick both in very much as the cushion Chew for just easy slow runs long runs That kind of thing like have up the pace Both shoes and it's not the most Comfortable experience just cuz not

Really built for that they don't turn Over that well for that kind of speed And yeah so all round i' certainly would Say they're very very much cushion shoes For easy runs on my run test I slightly Prefer the feel of the Kayo 30 so ivert it to be that I think they Are both pretty similar shoes these two They're both expensive they're both Pretty comfortable they both do a Similar job of eating up those easy Miles but I prefer the ride feel of the Kay myself I am a neutral Runner but the Support you get here is not intrusive Silver unwelcome in any way so I enjoyed The feeling I got from it on long runs And I do think like I said in the run Test it turns over a little bit better For me than the ja Nimbus 26 but it is Pretty close between them I think it's Also very close between these shoes and The previous generation like there's not A lot in it and it is often discounted Now the older shoe when it comes to Picking between the Nimbus 26 and 25 I Think I actually preferred the Joe Nimbus 25 in terms of ride feel so I'd Look for a deal on the old shoe for sure With that one but if you are sticking to The latest Generations I'd say certainly Give the Caro a chance and maybe give it A triy and if you're a neutral R and You're just instinctively reaching for The Nimbus cuz it is the shoe designed

For neutral Runners but actually I think The feel of the Caro is really good and It's a shoe that anyone could appreciate Regardless of whether you need stability Or not I said nus is a good shoe as well Nice cushion shoe but yeah I prefer the Car so my verdict on these two shoes Pretty simple really if it was me I Don't necessarily need stability in my Shoes um so I would go for the Gel Nimbus 26 um I think it's very Comfortable enjoyable uh daily easy shoe To wear I think it's uh there's I've Never had any issues with it it's not my Favorite cushion shoe I'd still go for Something like New Balance Mo V4 because I just like the way that that rides a Bit more I think it's got a little bit More of a fluid transition and I prefer The foam in that shoe but this is up There it's one of the best ones out There at the moment well worth looking At if cushioning and comfort is your Focus if I needed some stability Elements in my shoe I would definitely Go for the car now it's one of the best Stability shoes out there really Delivers an enjoyable comfortable Experience that doesn't necessarily feel Like a stability shoe for most of the Time um but if if you don't need Stability you don't need those elements And you still get a little bit more pop A little bit more versatility from the

Gel nimus 26 so if you're if if you're Choosing between these two shoes it Really comes down to whether you need Stability or not I think now with the New developments in the Kono it it means That if you do need stability you're not Losing a lot from these shoes previously You might be a bit annoyed that you had To wear the older Kos because they Weren't very versatile at all they did Feel a bit clunky um and it was a bit un On stability Runners that they had to Use that shoe and there wasn't another Option for them now I think if you need A bit of stability you're not going to Lose a lot from getting the Kano over The Jael nimas 26 but you still get the 26 if you didn't have any stability Issues ver it then while the nimbers 26 And the Caro 31 deliver cushion Protective rides that soak up slower Daily miles really well they'll both Happily manage long runs in comfort and Cater for your easy everyday recovery Runs those kind of things now which shoe You choose between these two I think Will just depend on whether or not you Need stability if you do the Kyo 31 is The shoe for you if you run in neutral Shoes the ners 26 is probably the better Option I think Nas 26 on balance is a Better shoe overall offering more Response a somewhat smoother ride and a Bit more overall agility if you're a

Heel Striker I think there's more Cushioning at the back here to help with That too if you've used Inus 26 though And found yourself wanting a similar Ride just with some added control and a Bit more stability the CaRu 31 is a Great option if you're a neutral Runner And you want a shoe that's a shade Firmer the K 31 stability is also subtle Enough that I think you can choose this Shoe to but just get a little bit of a Firmer more controlled ride now for good Stability alternatives to the K 31 I Think lots of Runners swear by the Nike Invincible 3 I don't particularly get on With that shoe but I know people like it For me the sakon tempus or the sakon Guide 17 and the Brooks GTS also make For great options check those out for Soft protective Landings with a touch More Up Tempo ability the Brooks ghost Max and the sakon ride 17 and the New Balance 108 v13 I think are all worthy Alternatives to the nimbers 26 so check Those out we've got reviews of all of Those shoes on the channel so be sure to Go and have a hunt and uh see what we Made of them so there you have it that Was our head-to-head between the aex Joe Nimus 26 and the aex jel Caro 31 we hope You found it useful hit like and maybe Share it if you did if you're not Already we'd love it if you'd hit Subscribe as well if you're after a good

Daily trainer guide I'm going to pop a Video up now that might be well worth Watch that should be of interest to you Go and watch it otherwise thanks for Stopping by we hope to see you again Soon on the channel but in the meantime Happy running people