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Asics Gel-DS Sky Speed

Gear Institute
Jordan Wilson June 2011

What It Is

A very lightweight, high-mileage training shoe for midfoot strikers and slightly overpronating heel-strikers. It also serves as a mid-weight racing shoe.

Retail Price: $105

85
About The Gear Institue Rating
  • 95-100 Extremely high recommendation.
  • 90-94 Enthusiastically recommended. Exceptional.
  • 80-89 Highly recommended - few reservations.
  • 70-79 Recommended. Standard performance.
  • 60-69 Fair. Recommended for certain uses.
  • 50-59 Poor. Not recommended in general.
Click the rating number for detailed information.

The Good

The Bad

The Verdict
  • Very fast, very responsive, low weight, high-mileage ready
  • Too firm and low-riding for comfort-oriented runners, not cushioned enough for heavy heel-strikers, not stable enough for moderate or heavy pronators

Impressive. The Gel-DS Sky Speed is a very responsive (firm and fast-flexing), very lightweight training shoe. It's average to wider feet, and can double as a racing shoe for middle-of-the-pack runners (but is too heavy to be a sub-elite or elite racing shoe).

Asics Gel-DS Sky Speed

The DS Sky Speed is just as responsive as many of my racing flats, but provides more cushioning allowing for less fatigue and faster recovery times after tempo runs. It begs you to run fast.

These are not shoes for heel strikers. The heel unit is there for support but does not impede a midfoot-striker's stride, as is the case with shoes with thick heels. The midfoot and forefoot sections are also narrower than normal for ASICS, in my opinion, giving it a truly neutral platform. There is also plenty of real rubber on the outsole making this a trainer that will hold up to high mileage training, on- or off-road.

The Sky Speed provides a good snug that kept my foot locked in place, which is especially important on 20+ mile runs, and especially on long downhills.

The Sky Speed is not the lightest on the scale, but it makes up for that fact through providing an extremely responsive ride. I can even use it for longer tempo trainings whereas I typically use racing flats. I can’t consider it a racing shoe for myself, but for a trainer, it is very impressive.

This shoe is best suited to neutral runners and slight pronators. While Asics lists the shoe for mild pronators, I would say that anyone with more than a slight over-pronation would need a shoe with more support.

Images courtesy: asicsamerica.com

How We Tested It

Tester Jordan Wilson of Ft. Collins, Colorado ran 200 miles in this shoe. He's 130-pound, midfoot striker who wears a size M8.

The products featured in this test have been loaned to the Gear Institute. For more on our policies regarding editorial objectivity and sample returns, see here.

Ratings

Smoothness

9
10

Responsiveness

10
10

Heel Cushioning

4
10

Forefoot Cushioning

4
10

Forefoot Volume

3
10

Value

  8
10

Gear Institute Rating (Total Score)

  85
100

Specs

  • Footstrike Type: Midfoot & Forefoot Heelstrike/Neutral
  • Shoe Type: Minimalist
  • Speed: 8
  • Forefoot Flex: 3
  • Waterproof?: No

Weight

9.8 oz

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