Trust me, I know how hard it is to find parkour shoes made specifically for women
. That's why I've been researching some alternatives. Lately, I've been roadtesting a couple shoes and comparing them. Over the next couple weeks, I'll have some info posted on the Kswiss Kirov and an alternative I've found rather satisfying: the Nike Air Max 90 Trainer I (II for the more recent model).
Something I would like to state at the very beginning, this shoe is NOT made specifically for parkour. It is a crosstraining shoe designed for women. But before you turn away, know that the roadtest weilding some suprising results. Here are a few reasons why the Air Max 90s have proven worthy.
1) They are designed specifically for women's feet.
Unlike the Kirov's, the women's Air Max 90 is designed to fit a woman's foot. This means excellent arch-support and a glove fit. As most of you already imagined, the women's Kirov is exactly the same as the men's, except it comes in pink
. You may be pleased to hear that Nike actually did research on women's exercising needs and met them with this shoe. Also, they don't come in hideous colors. Mine are all black.
2) They provide excellent arch-support and a snug fit.
As mentioned before, because these shoes are made for women, they fit beautifully. That means no having to worry about your feet sliding back and forth in the shoes, and strong arch-support ultimately means relief on your feet. However, as these shoes are not designed specifically for parkour, they do lack a certain amount of "give," which can cause potential heel problems. This can be remedied, however, with the proper heel, toe, or sole inserts.
3) They are extremely lightweight.
The Air Max 90s are the prime example of athletic prowess in a shoe. They feel virtually weightless on your feet, and in addition to the snug fit, you may as well be training barefoot.
4) Incredible grip--these shoes could grip ice! (exaggeration, obviously
)
I've tested these shoes on multiple surface often encountered in parkour, specifically concrete (including brick, gravel, and cobblestone) and wood. The results were amazing. The Air Max 90 provided a sure-footed, no-slip-grip on all surfaces*, even the most smoothly sanded woods I could find. When it came to hauling myself over walls, the shoes provided definite stability the whole time. The shoes tend to grip concrete better than wood, but the "wood-test" revealed satisfying results as well.
*Note: all surface testing was done on dry surfaces.
However, there are some CONS about the Air Max 90
1) As stated before, the shoes have little to no "give" when it comes to landing, which can make the landings more intense and in extreme cases damaging. However, also stated before, this can be remedied with the proper inserts.
2) Breathability is poor. In fact, the shoe has virtually no breatheability whatsoever. So, if stinky feet really get to you that much, these shoes are not for you.
3) Flexibility is only decent. For being so incredibly lightweight, the Air Max 90s take a long time to break in. But the more you use them, the better they will feel!
I'm still roadtesting the Kswiss Kirov's. I will have the full review posted for them as soon as possible.
Thanks!
-Alphfie
Subject: A Satisfying Women's Shoe Alternative 
Wed May 21, 2008 9:16 pm
