The Asics Gel-Nimbus 26 mostly sticks to the same design as its predecessor, the Asics Gel-Nimbus 25, which is no bad thing because that was one of the best max-cushioned shoes on the market. However, there are some updates to the new shoe that do change how it feels on the run, as Kieran and Nick go over in this video. Here’s our full review of the Asics Gel-Nimbus 26.
JUMP STRAIGHT IN:
00:00 – Intro
00:15 – Design & Key Stats
01:41 – How’s The Fit?
02:42 – The Run Test
08:41 – Verdict & Alternatives
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Hello and welcome to run testers my name Is Nick and this is our review of the Aex J Nimbus [Music] 26 so the gel nimus 26 is the top Cushion Cruiser in the aex lineup it's Obviously a Max cushion shoe that Happened with the last version of the Shoe which increased the stack height Compared to the gel nimus 24 that was Quite a big update for the shoe and now The gel n is not a very big update on The 25 Al there are some changes which Obviously we'll be coming on to the Price is a little different in the UK It's now £180 which is obviously quite Expensive for a cushion shoe whereas in The US it's $160 about par of the course The weight's gone up very slightly it's Now 318 G or 11.2 o That's Just 3 G or So up on the previous version that Weight is in my UK size 9 you've got an 8 mm drop and a stack heite of 42 mm at The heel 34 at the 4T which is half a Millim higher than the J was 25 so the Midsole largely stick next to the same Setup as the previous version of the Shoe you've got a big slab of asx's FF Blast plus Eco foam and then some pure Gel under the heel just a little bit of Pure gel under the heel there got a wide Base and sidew with foam to make sure It's still a pretty stable shoe despite This very high stack you've got an
Engineered knit upper with a stretchy Knit tongue there as well obviously Loads of handing around the corner of The shoe to make it clear this is a very Comfortable cushion shoe and then Probably the biggest update you have With the new shoe is the outso which is Now a hybrid of ax scrip and a plus Rubber materials as the previous shoe You had just ahar rubber j25 wasn't the Grippiest shoe in the world and aex has Updated the outso try to make it a more Reliable shoe on that front especially When running on things like greasy [Music] Pavements so in testing I ran in my Regular us 9 and a half running shoe Size the fit for me was good with a Plush stepping comfort you would expect From a nimbus you've got the padded heel Collars that hold the heels well the Tongues boost the overall kind of plush Feelings without being overdone the Uppers I think WRA quite nice and snugly But there's ample room in the toe box And enough Flex in these uppers to make Them feel spacious I got decent lace Locked down across the midfoot too these Are not as natural and instantly Disappearing on the foot of something Like the sakon ride 17 which I've been Testing recently and that's partly due To the weight and the heft of the shoe But comfort and fit here is reliable and
I would recommend going true to sizing These shoes so I've got no complaints at All about the fit of the G libus 26 in My normal running shoe size it's a very Comfortable shoe aex has updated the Eyelets on the shoe and created a more Secure midfoot hold they say and it is a Good midfoot hold but I haven't really Noticed the difference compared to the Jail Nimbus 25 which did fit me very Well as well good amount of room in the Tie box good hold at the heel so I would Stick to your normal running shoe size With the G nbus [Music] 26 so run testing then an intesting I've Covered around 45 miles in the aex Joel Nbus 26 I've done a shorter faster 5K Effort a few hourong 10ks and one very Ploty 3-hour social half marathon that Was really slow mostly on roads but I Also tested the stability and durability On some light muddy and wet off-road River pods now first up a disclaimer I Wasn't the Nimbus 25's biggest fan I Tend to prefer my shoes lighter and more Agile what I'd like to call a little Less shoe on the foot so with the minor Tweaks here and that extra weight that's In the 26 I wasn't really hopeful that I'd suddenly fall in love with this shoe Now from the first step in what you will Get here though the Nimbus ooes plush Comfort your feet feel well held by the
Padded heel collar and you get nicely Cocooned without feeling kind of cramped By these wrapping knit uppers you Instantly know that you're lacing up Plus shoes that prioritize Comfort over Speed and a agility the ride is largely The same drill as the Nimbus 25 I mean Very little has changed here if anything At all there's loads of soft plush Comfort with a cradled footed that takes Almost all of the road out of each foot Strike but isn't completely devoid of Energy there's a lot of sink but a Little bounce too there's a stiffness to The midsole here as well I think that Helps with the clip along a bit too Though initially I found the transition Somewhat disconnected I didn't get the Seamless roll through that I was really Hoping for from The Rocker in the early Miles and everything was a little bit Slappy these shoes hit the ground with a Lot of slap you can hear it no matter How I tried to run in them whether I S Of root back a bit further on my heels Bit further up on my for I had that Slapping wasn't a big fan of that and This certainly isn't one of those shoes That disappears and feels natural Straight Out of the Box again not like The sock ride 17 which I thought was a Dream to run in from the Get-go now by the end of a 17 mile run That I did I also had hot spots at the
Back of the toes and a bit of discomfort On a couple of the metat tassel I've Tested hundreds of shoes in the past 12 Months and this is the first time I've Had that from any pair of shoes I didn't Get it with Indus 25 either but I put it Down to that sort of slight feeling with A disconnected midsole sensation where I Feel like the toes and the back of the Shoe don't necessarily move in unison Now I ran in some wet conditions where The knitted uppers held a lot of water Too and that may have contributed to Kind of wetness Under Foot also made an Already heavy shoe feel much way through On the foot which I didn't enjoy now Speaking of w conditions to test the Grip improvements here I did some AB Testing in the rain versus the nimus 25 On the tight Corner circuit with some Slippier sections there's notable Improvements here to the grip the nimus 26 is much stickier when you need it to Be they also handled some of those Slippier off-road miles without any Trouble as well now while the nimus 26 Isn't a stability shoe I think the wider Kind of platform that you've got here in The forer and in the heel makes this a Pretty reliable stable ride for such a High stacked shoe when it comes to Durability after my miles this shoe has Barely been touched and when it comes to Big mileage I think the ners 26 are
Clearly built to last with a combination Of a really sort of resilient foam Strong uppers an all round robustness I'd expect this to get big mileage Without any trouble at all so I've done 75 km of running in the ax ja Nimbus uh 26 I've used it mostly for easy runs Including one longer 90 minute run I did Also use it for a pretty hard workout While I was away on holiday because I Didn't actually take any far shoes with Me and this was the only option I had so I've done one hard interval session in The shoe as well which was interesting At first I really felt very similar to The ASX Jo ners 25 and you know that is Still the case it is very similar to the Asx2 You' got loads of the same features Here slightly tackier out soole and but The midsole feeli is very similar indeed And that means a lot of good stuff like The ride is comfortable it's cushioned It's protective but it's not overly Squishy or unstable at all it's a pretty Nice balanced ride you've got enough of A rocker going on to smooth out your Stride so the miles do tick over nicely It's not a light shoe at all but it Doesn't feel too heavy when you're just Mooving at easy Paces doesn't feel too Big either it just rolls through quite Smoothly a little bit back from the Phone but not much doesn't sink in too Much either it's really well balanced
Whilst being really nice and comfortable So obviously not really for fast runs Like I did that interval session I do 2 Miles and 11 minutes then 5 4 3 2 1 Minutes on with a minute off in between And then another hard mile did that on a Canal in Scotland and did the two miles Okay and then Pace started to drop a bit Through the later reps felt quite tiring In the shoe just cuz it just is that bit Bigger than a speed shoe I'd like you Know either like a nice lightweight shoe Or a see modern shoe with all the tech In it but you know you can go and do any Kind of run in this shoe obviously like Of all shoes but it certainly wasn't at Its best for fast runs it's very much a Shoe that enjoyed a lot more for those Easy cruises and long runs one thing I Really did notice actually though in That session was that I got a lot of 4 Foot discomfort with the shoe and that's Something I just started to noticed a Lot more with it as testing has gone on And that's the big difference I think to The Jael Nimbus 25 so this new outso Compound is a bit Slappy and it's a lot Louder the shoe but also I think it's Putting a bit more Force especially Through the for as a heel Striker as I Slap through with the shoe it did start To just cause a bit of pain now that was Really noticeable on the hard run that's The only run i' say it's been a
Significant problem because I was Putting a bit more Force Through the Shoe you know everyone's going to go and Run one mile reps and that kind of thing In this shoe it's not really what it's For but when doing that I did notice That fall for discomfort coming through Quite strongly by the end of the session And then when I did my long run in the Shoe as well I got a little bit of it Like not enough to really make it feel Uncomfortable but more than I got with The ja numus 25 so basically what I feel Is like the outsold has added a little Bit of grip it's a slightly better Material in terms of grip but it's lost A little bit of the softness maybe you Had from the ja Nimbus 25 five as a Result and maybe in general this has now Firmed up the ride slightly might make It a slightly more versatile shoe as Well but I do think as a Max cushion Shoe it's now lost very small amount of The comfort you had from the ja 25 now This is all very fine margins like I say But that is probably the biggest change I noticed during my run test compared to The previous model and I would also say That with the G num 25 the grip wasn't Great on my first run in the shoe it did Slip around some greasy Pavements but After that I didn't really have any Problems with it the grip it like Scuffed up a little bit and even on gy
Pavements it was okay it still wasn't The best gripping shoe in the world like Compared to like an Adas or a puma Training shoe with a really good outso Materials but it was okay so you are Getting an improvement here but it Hasn't come for free I think you are Getting a slightly slapp ride and a Little bit less comfort as a [Music] Result some other is that the asex J 26 Is still a very good Max cushion shoe One of the best Max cushion shoes but That is also true of the ax Jo 25 and I Think I would certainly recommend trying To find a deal on the older shoe for now Not only because it will be cheaper CU It's in sales and it's very similar all Around but I do think it's margely more Comfortable because of that different Outsole material though if you are very Worried about grip then you will get Slightly better grip with the new shoe Tell if you are really worried about Grip I'd probably just go and buy you Know the Puma magnify Nitro to because You got really good grip on that shoe Better than you get even with the gimbus 26 now there are loads of other shoes we Can compare it to in this area we'll do Some full versus videos but to whip for A few now in case you're making that Decision uh then the first one is the New Balance 1080 v13 which is a lot
Softer than the Jo 26 I found it a Little bit wobbly and I found that I Didn't like it so much for longer runs Or any kind of run Beyond fairly short Easy runs just cuz the softness didn't Really suit me I prefer the slightly More balanced midsole you have here it's Still a soft comfortable shoe but get a Little bit more back from it than with The New Balance but if you really want Just an allout squishy shoe New Balance 1080 v13 you know does do that role as Does the Nike Invincible 3 which has a Bit more bounce to it but that is not The most stable shoe the upper is not Very well fitted I don't think and I Don't know just never really clicked With a Nike Invincible 3 didn't really Enjoy running it very much Nike Invincible 2 was a really good shoe I Like that but the three fit wasn't right The ride was a bit sloppy yeah I Wouldn't I prefer the Jo numbers 26 put It that way the pure magnify Nitro 2 I Mentioned already is probably my Favorite Max cushion shoe just cuz it's Fairly light and cheap for a Max cushion Shoe it's got a bit more versatility to It while still being very comfortable And you know great for what these shoes Are mainly designed for which is those Easy and long runs and it's got that Really good outso like I mentioned Already so that's a really strong option
Got a slightly higher drop more of a Traditional ride than the slightly more Rocket feel you have with this shoe the Oncloud eclipse is not really just built For easy runs I think that's much more a Versatile highly cushion daily trainer I Think that's a really good shoe if You're going to mix up your runs but You're going get a bit more comfort from The ja Nimbus uh 26 if that's all you're Looking for a protective cushion Sho the Jo 26 does that the cloud Eclipse has a Bit more about it for faster runs ghost Max from Brooks I think is's another Really strong competitor I think that's Another one that's a fair bit cheaper Than a lot of Max cushion shoes whilst Delivering on the role that those shoes Are meant to do it's really comfortable I found that the Rocket Ride actually Made it not too lacking in versatility So I think yeah I really enjoy the Bricks ghost MK I'd probably say go for That over the Jo number 26 this is maybe Slightly more cushioned and all that but The ghost Max and the magnify Nitro I Think are better value options that Still do all the stuff you want the max Cushion shoe to do really well then There's a Sak Triumph 21 and the S ride 17 which have a lot of similarities now I'd say those are also more verstile Shoes than you get here the R 17 is also A fair bit cheaper that's actually
Another one I'd whack in with the pummer And the um the Brooks ghost Maxes Another shoe I'd probably consider Getting instead because it is still a Very cushion comfortable shoe it's a Fair bit cheaper little bit more Versatile yeah really good shoe all Around and actually one I think i' be Looking at as well is the ax Nova blast 4 which we've just been testing lately Again Fair bit cheaper than the on nus 26 uses the FF blast plus Eco phone but With a geometry that's much more Geared For a variety of runs it's got a lot More about it for fast runs it's a fair Bit lighter I still found no blast 4 as Comfortable as the GEL Nimbus though so Do think that's another shoe I'd look at Instead of the Jael Nimbus 26 despite This being a very good Max cushion shoe The no blast 4 is also a Max cushion Shoe but a bit lighter more versatile Find a bit more fun to run as well so That's another one I'd maybe look at Ahead of this shoe but all I do think This is a good shoe I don't think a lot Has changed from last year I'm not Entirely sure the changes for the better Just cuz I did find that ride a bit more Slappy uh and there are loads of good Shoes in this area area but if you pick It up you're probably going to like it a Lot it's just quite expensive especially In the UK and you can get better value
Cushioned options from aex and others Verdict then and like the Nimbus 25 the Jael Nimbus 26 is a competent daily Trainer cers for the easier end of your Weekly mileage it's not a shoe to run Fasting by any means and it lacks some Of the versatility of other daily Trainers I think some of those other Shoes coat better across a range of Paces and I think offer more value as a Result but if you're after guaranteed Easy cruising comfort in a highly Cushioned neutral daily trainer you're In the right place with this shoe it's Soft cushioned comfortable on easy paced Runs or recovery runs that's what the Nimbus 26 does best they'll have to Enjoy heavier bulkier shoes because this Is a bit of a beast as far as I'm Concerned if that's you and you enjoy The ASX Joe ners 25 you'll like this Shoe because essentially it is the same Shoe those tweak duffers have marginally Improved the fit security and the grip You're out sold provide more confidence When conditions get a little trickier Underf foot but otherwise nothing really Has changed here and these shoes pretty Much identical if you already owned the Previous generation shoe the Nimbus 25 There's no real need to upgrade at as a Result if you're a newcomer to Nimbus I'd recommend looking for deals on the Nimus 25 as well so you can save
Yourself a chunk of money right now Because that's essentially how subtle The upgrades are here between the Generations now if you want the same Cushion protection in a more Nimble shoe For me the sakon ride 17 that I've been Testing recently is a much better option Offers the same sort of similar cushion Comfort but there's more versatility at Different range of paces and it's Cheaper other alternatives I think Include the Brooks ghost Max that's Another slightly cheaper option there I Also prefer the NOA blast 4 actually and That one's cheaper as well if you like Your max stack a bit firmer and more Responsive also take a look at the Oncloud monster or even the oncloud Eclipse those are some other shoes that Might fit the bill [Music] Here that's our review of the asex J 26 Let us know what you think in the Comments below please do like subscribe Ring the little bell my voice is about To go uh see you next time
