The Kiprun KD900X LD+ is the top long-distance carbon plate racing shoe in Decathlon’s in-house line-up, with a high stack of PEBA-based foam and a full length plate. With a price of £200 it’s a little cheaper than most super-shoes, but can it deliver a similar level of performance? Kieran and Nick give their verdict here.
00:00 – Intro
00:15 – Design & Key Stats
01:40 – How’s The Fit?
03:00 – The Run Test
09:20 – Verdict & Alternatives
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Hello welcome to Runers my name's Nick And this is our full review of the Kipron KD900X LD [Music] Plus so the KD900X LD Plus looks better On paper than it does when saying that Out loud that name is a longdistance Focused carbon plate racing shoe from Kipron which is a Kathlon's in-house Brand it was the top of the range carbon Shoe that was available from Decathlon But now there is the KD900 Lab which is A super lightweight shoe geared up more Towards short events but this probably Could still be called their top Long-distance racing shoe all round it's Got a pretty high price for a Decathlon Product it's £200 or £220 that is still Cheaper than most of the carbon plate Running shoes out there but there are Certainly notable examples of big brand Shoes coming in at the same price or Even slightly cheaper in the UK it Weighs in at 240 g or 8.5 O that's in a UK 8.5 has a 4mm drop with a stack Height of 39 mm at the heel 35 mm at the Forefoot now it comes to design of the Shoe you've got quite a stiff and Plasticky feeling mesh upper here not Much reinforcement at all around the Back of the shoe it's very much a Lightweight upper geared up for racing Then you have a Voam Plus midsole that's Made from blended materials but it's
Mostly pea and it's there's more pee in There than with previous models of the Kiprron 900 racing shoe series you got a Full length carbon plate running through That which you can see from the bottom You also got this quite distinctive Mid-foot cutout here and a very Pronounced rocker on the shoe as well Then you've got a rubber outsole with The usual coverage you see on racing Shoes these days with pretty extensive Foroot coverage and a couple of strips At the back to protect the [Music] Heel when it comes to fit I ran in a UK And a half US 9 and a half which is Generally my size and what I found works In previous kit run shoes and I describe The fit here as really very roomy Generally comfortable but probably on The long side it's a bit too long for me In fact like they're carrying a little Bit too much right into the forefoot the Toe box is essentially a little bit too Long what that happens or that means is It creates a slight disconnect in the Ride into the forefoot and the toe off i Think it sort of doesn't feel quite as Compact now I like to think that if I Came half a size down to make things a Little bit more compact that may change The ride somewhat get a bit more punch Out of them so I definitely take care When sizing for these and potentially
Consider going half a size down so it Comes to fit of the KD900X LD Plus i've Gone half size down on my normal UK size I did try my normal size and it came up Quite big general it's not my favorite Fitting shoe the upper isn't very Comfortable it is quite stiff and can be A little bit scratchy at times i've not Had any really major problems during my Testing but I've certainly not enjoyed The feeling of the upper throughout my Test runs in the shoe especially this Kind of stiff plastic overlay you have Around here it doesn't feel that Comfortable but it is pretty lightweight I'm sure it's going to be fairly durable And like I say it's not proved a major Concern during testing but the fit isn't The best on the shoe and I did have to Go half size down or it ended up just Too long for me so look out for that Maybe in terms of [Music] Sizing now in testing I've logged around 30 km in the kit run i refuse to say the Whole name it's just too long i can't Remember it all the time so I've done Marathon pace training runs some tilts At 5k pace and I've done a run up to 90 Minutes on feet and all of that all of That has been on the road while training For the London Marathon now if there's One thing I want a Kip Run shoe to do It's to deliver a good solid performance
At a much more affordable price i'm Quite forgiving it doesn't have to be Right up there with the best shoes but It should be affordable my worry here is That we've moved a little away from that Formula it's much easier I think to Forgive a shoe that's doing a solid job If it's massively undercutting the Competition felt the same about watches You know Corals used to do this with the Watches however I don't think that's Happening here now and when it comes to The ride though I get some bounce spring And propulsion from the midsole i think They're quite soft they're lacking a bit Of the stiffness that gives life to the Shoes like the Metas Sky Paris or the Brooks Hyperion Elite 4 PB that we've Been testing recently and at the same Time the bounce that you're getting from The softness I don't find it quite as Pronounced compared to the softer super Shoes like the Addios Pro 4 or the new Sock Endorphin Elite 2 the mega soft Mega bouncy shoe from Sccy i don't get The rebound energy from the foam here in The kit run so everything feels Cushioned but it's less energetic than Those shoes now that's fine if you're Picking this for a fast daily trainer It's a good sort of super trainer option Rather than an allout super shoe but for Racing I really wanted something that Serves up that full race energy now I'm
Not a huge fan of the uppers either They're still quite plastic they're a Bit rigid a bit unforgiving and this is Definitely an area I think that Kip Run Has room to improve on now for me the Last generation of these was a bit Closer to some of the previous gen Carbon shoes and it was cheaper so for The cheaper shoe that kind of Discrepancy that sort of bar felt a Little bit lower but I don't think that Kipron has moved on as much as some of The new generation shoes that we've got Again the Brooks Hyperin Elite 4 PB is a Big jump the Hocus Cello X12 is a great Shoe the Nike Vaporfly 4 I think has Moved forward all of those now offer More i was perfectly happy doing my Faster training runs in these kit runs But I don't think when you've got shoes Like that out there I wouldn't reach for These to go chase a marathon PB on the Plus side they're very easy to run in When you're moving slow so they are Quite accommodating the platform is Fairly stable there's quite a good sort Of reliability underf foot so they'll Take the edge off the road really well It's just when you put your foot down And try and punch things up a bit more That they just lack that kind of cheat Code energy that I think you want from An allout racer on to run test then and I've been using the Kipron KD900X LD
Plus during the latter stages of my Marathon training for all the London Marathon used it for a variety of pretty Hard training runs during that time and I've done a pretty nasty track session Running K reps in the shoe along with Progression runs a longer progression Run finishing down towards my marathon Pace that kind of thing performance has Been pretty much there throughout my Testing i'm not entirely convinced by The ride feel but I do have been hitting The kind of paces and effort levels I'd Expect from you know runs in a carbon Plate shoe like this i haven't really Been blown away by the shoe overall i Don't think necessarily it delivers Quite as fast and responsive a ride as The best carbon plate shoes and while This foam feels pretty good I'm not sure It really matches up to the experience Of the top tier arm shoes you get these Days so a lot of that is just down the Ride feels a bit flat for me like I Don't really feel like I'm getting a Load of punch off the front of this shoe Like it is rockered and the foam is Responsive like it's firm you can push Against it and run well but don't feel I'm getting that really high level of Energy return that maybe I get from Other brands and I don't feel the push Off the forefoot in the same way that Again I do with racing shoes from other
Brands actually generaliz feels quite Dense for me landing at the heel like it Does transition quite quickly but it's Not as snappy as some shoes and for a Shoe with a very exaggerated design like This it doesn't really feel that Aggressive i do think the foam here is Built for certainly a balance of Durability and speed and you probably Are going to get pretty durable Experience out of this foam cuz like I Say it does feel quite dense but it does Detract a little bit from performance When you're looking at fast running i Don't think necessarily delivers the Kind of oomph I'm now expecting from a Carbon plate shoe like I say I did go Down the track i It was a pretty tough Session i was running K reps at Alternating 310 and 320 perk pace and I Got for it pretty well i was it was a Late sub actually in for that session Because the Mazuno Wave Rebellion Pro 3 Was chopping my Achilles too much in the Warmup to use it so swapped into the Kip Run even though it's not the most Comfortable upper i don't have any major Problems and like I say the speed was There i just didn't love running in it That's basically that's the best way to Sum up it doesn't feel like I'm running As well in it as some other carbon shoes I don't feel like I'm getting as much Push from it and while it is fast it can
Work well it almost feels more like a Shoe I'd wheel out for a lot of training Lines like that rather than really Looking at it as a bonafide race day Option compared to some of the other Shoes been testing recently with loads Of carbon shoes hitting the market at The moment i just feel getting a little Bit more from most of them I got from The Kip Run during testing that said the Performance has been there like I say so Maybe it'll be even better for some People i do think it is a fast shoe just Don't think it's as fast as some other Shoes also don't like the upper as I Mentioned in the fifth i just think it's A bit scratchy it's not that comfortable Which again for a marathon focused shoe You want the shoe to disappear on the Foot a little bit more and not worry About what's going on on up top and a Lot of shoes have slightly fiddly uppers At times but once it's all dialed in and Locked in usually they're pretty good And with the Kipper I was just a bit too Aware of the upper throughout as with The previous model sometimes this Plastic overlay just felt like it was Maybe rubbing the top of my foot a Little bit that kind of thing so do Think that could be improved and the Foam I think still has a little bit of Improving to go to match up to the best Phones out there it just doesn't deliver
That energetic dynamic ride that you are Getting from some other brands and as a Last point on the run test like it's a Fairly heavy shoe and you there's been a Bit of a move towards lighter shoes Certainly this year which I really favor As someone who really likes lightweight Shoes as a high turnover runner i just Prefer that and for a UK 8.5 to be 240 Grams that's putting it right up at the Top upper end of the carbon plate Spectrum these days for me is normally I Wear UK 9 and most of the ones I've been Testing in fact nearly every shoe I've Been testing lately has been lighter Than this shoe in a slightly larger size So I do think again all builds to me Into the idea that you're getting a Really durable fast shoe here that will Handle a lot of training certainly work Pretty well on race day for sure you Know we've seen some impressive times From pros in this shoe i just don't Think it delivers quite as well as some Other shoes from other brands and it's a Decent offering but it's coming in at a Price that's probably a little bit too High something we'll cover in the [Music] Verdict so the Kip Run KD900X LD Plus is A pretty effective racing shoe it's Certainly an effective fast training Shoe i think it's going to hold up well To a lot of running it has some flaws i
Don't think it's the most energetic and Impressive ride i think the upper is not Very comfortable and it's fairly weighty For a racing focused shoe and it all Adds up to a shoe that I think is a tier Below the very best carb plate racing Shoes out there which would be okay i Think potentially if the price was Coming in a lot lower and people were Looking at this as more of a affordable Budget alternative to the top racing Shoes but 200 pound it's up against know The best shoes out there really or some Of the best shoes out there like the Brooks Hyperion Elite 4 PB and the Puma DV8 Nitro Elite 3 are both 200 pound or Even less in the case of the Puma and I Think they're just better shoes they're Lighter they're more responsive they're Faster still think they're going to hold Up to a lot of running as well and They're more fun to pull on for any kind Of fast running really my favorite Racing shoe on the market the ASX Met Speed Sky Paris is 20 pounds more and Certainly I'd be paying that upgrade to Get a lighter you know like I say my Favorite racing shoe run a couple of Marathon PBS in i just think you're Going toe-to-toe now and I don't really Mind that i decathalon has the resources And the technology and the research to Produce complex shoes that are as good As everything else out there in which
Case go ahead and charge the same price Or even more than them really Interesting to see what the KD900 Lab Feels like and if that's a step up on Other shoes with such a big high price There but this shoe isn't i think I Don't think it's quite at the level of Those other carbon plate racing shoes I've been talking about but the price is More or less equivalent now because You're not making a big saving maybe Making a small saving but you can be Able to find lots of complex shoes and Deals these days and even the Vaporite 4 Is reduced to £200 already the same Price as this shoe so I just think if You're looking at that price for Performance ratio it's not quite there For this shoe like it's more affordable Than some carbon flex shoes but actually You know there are lots around its price Or even less and the performance I think Is a little bit below the best on the Market so overall yeah it's a fast shoe You can race well in the shoe you can Run fast in the shoe but it wouldn't be One of my top options in the car plate Market and the price is a little bit too High I think for the performance you're Getting here verdict then and this Latest Kitfun Racer hasn't blown me away In truth I wanted a bit more from it i Didn't dislike the midsole ride there is A little bit of energy here there's good
Cushioning it's kind of nicely reliable It's pretty stable it's generally Comfortable on the foot i didn't get any Of the kind of rubbing problems that Some people have had it coped admirably At 10k pace but I didn't get that help That you get from the best carbon race Shoes it's got more of a super trainer Vibe for me or a fast daily trainer than A guns blazing sort of PB chasing shoe Though for fast training miles Potentially a good option but pretty Pricey but there are you know we're in That market now where training shoes are Getting pricey but if you're looking for A marathon ratio as well that's going to Accommodate you and keep you comfortable With a bit of energy all the way around For a 4-hour plus marathon these could Also do a good job again I'd argue maybe They're not the best out there for that The biggest problem I can see here is That you're now paying close to £200 and There are many last gen shoes that'll Offer more and even some current gen Shoes that are probably worth paying the Extra 20 to30 for the improved Performance over the kip run so yeah It's just not quite there for me based On price knock it back down to what it Was before and I think it becomes sort Of more compelling but if the price Creeps up I think it's getting harder to Recommend at the moment
That's our review of the Kipron KD900X LD Plus let us know what you think in The comments below please like and Subscribe ring the little bell and we'll See you next time
