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In the video, Sam 00:00 details the Nimbus 28 with comparisons, 06:33 A/B run with Nimbus 27, 09:40 from the run review of fit and ride with comparisons, 14:43 Conclusions.
Available January 2026. $170
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0:00
Hello everybody, Sam from Road Trail
0:02
Run. Today we're going to take a look at
0:03
the AS6 uh gel Nimbus 28, the 28th
0:08
edition of the stable neutral trainer
0:11
from AS6. It's $170. It comes out
0:14
January 1st. We're also going to compare
0:16
it to the 27 here. Um, and you can
0:21
already see there's significant changes
0:23
underfoot.
0:25
And we're going to also talk a bit about
0:27
the uh the Mega Blast here. Far lighter.
0:31
So, um in terms of uh the the shoe, it
0:35
is a quite high stack shoe. I would call
0:38
it a max cushion at 43.5 heel, 35 uh.5
0:44
um uh forefoot. So what we have is um a
0:49
midsole as before of flight foam blast
0:53
plus an EVA I think with OBC olphin
0:57
c-olymer block in the mix. It is not a
1:00
super critical foam midsole here but we
1:04
do come down a lot in weight. we come
1:07
down to 9.59
1:09
ounces, 272 grams in the US, um 8.5. And
1:15
that compares to my 27 here, uh 24 g
1:20
lighter. It was over 10 ounces. So, we
1:22
lose a lot of weight um or relatively uh
1:26
decent amount of weight and we're well
1:28
below 10 ounces in a max cushion type
1:32
shoe. Uh let's also um uh talk a bit
1:35
about uh what AS6 is calling out as kind
1:38
of the big change and that is the
1:42
outsole design. As you can see
1:46
it's a more kind of minimal approach. Uh
1:50
we don't have a uh as we did before a uh
1:55
lateral uh piece through here. I found
1:59
the um 27 rigid and not much fun. I've
2:03
already run once in our 28. I'm going to
2:06
take them out and do an AB test with the
2:08
27, but there's clearly clearly a
2:11
smoother transition here. Uh and while
2:14
it's still a rigid rocker type shoe,
2:17
these grooves and the kind of linear
2:21
pattern of the midsole uh really help
2:24
the ride here. It's no longer kind of as
2:27
stiff and awkward. But we'll get into
2:28
this specifics, actual specifics when I
2:32
actually take them out. Uh, so there's a
2:34
lot of cushion here. Uh, it is still an
2:36
EVA foam. Uh, maybe the last gasp for an
2:39
EVA type foam, but it is a mighty fine
2:42
one that AS6 has perfected over the
2:44
years. We're seeing more and more uh,
2:46
trainers of this type. for example, um
2:49
A6 own Mega Blast, I'm sorry, and Super
2:53
Blast uh going to Supercitical Foams. Uh
2:58
and I think, uh this may be the last
2:59
time we see flight foam blast in the
3:02
Nimbus. But it it's not a disadvantage
3:05
cuz during my first run, I found it very
3:07
nicely stable, decently reactive. It's a
3:10
bit denser and firmer feeling than a
3:13
many of the super critical foams, but
3:15
overall kind of more responsive, more uh
3:18
traditional, but certainly highly highly
3:20
cushioned. Um, in terms of that outsole,
3:24
just a little bit more. While there's
3:26
less, if you will, surface area of
3:29
rubber, I think a plus, I think you can
3:32
see it is also somewhat thicker. Um, so
3:36
I think we're going to get good wear.
3:38
Now, the upper uh as kind of a plush uh
3:43
max cushion trainer. The Nimbus is known
3:45
for that along with having a decent
3:48
amount of stability and certainly more
3:51
stability I think than the Mega Blast
3:54
due to the upper. It moves from kind of
3:57
a woven type material to a knit. Um now
4:01
the knit here is not um it conforms to
4:04
the foot. It's not super stretchy.
4:07
Sometimes knits can be overly stretchy
4:10
and kind of insecure. Very, very
4:13
comfortable upper here. The famous
4:16
stretchknit tongue of the Nimbus is is a
4:20
little a little kind of thinner and
4:22
softer. The you'll see when I take them
4:25
out, the the the fit is really really
4:27
smooth from this lacing system. We've
4:30
got fairly similar
4:33
padding on the inside here of both.
4:35
Maybe a touch firmer and thicker in the
4:37
27. A bit more plush here. And of course
4:40
we have the famous stretchy pull tab of
4:43
the Nimbus. It's a nice to have. It's
4:46
kind of fun. Um so o overall this is a
4:50
smoother fitting upper. I'll get uh AB
4:52
and we'll really get into it. But um so
4:55
it it's a a a very comfortable. I'd call
4:59
it a plush upper but not a kind of
5:02
overdone one.
5:04
Uh there are other some other kind of
5:06
obvious comparisons. Uh it was kind of
5:08
interesting. I was looking at the stats
5:10
for example of the Vimeo Plus exactly
5:13
almost the same weight but 2 millimeters
5:16
higher and that one has all Zummex super
5:18
critical foam. So that's kind of
5:20
interesting that this still EVA type
5:23
foam base shoe is very competitive with
5:27
a super critical. Now, the difference
5:29
with that Vimeo Plus is the outsole
5:31
coverage is much more extensive um and
5:34
probably grippier on snow. Uh and they
5:37
use that, I think, to stabilize. And
5:39
then just your regular VRO um with a
5:43
combination of ZoomX and X, a very
5:46
similar foam to the flight foam blast
5:48
plus here. Um is actually um uh quite a
5:53
bit quite a bit heavier. Um it comes in
5:56
half an ounce heavier than this. So,
5:58
they've done a really good job
5:59
maximizing
6:01
uh what they can do with weight here.
6:03
Under 10 ounces is really I think where
6:06
I like to be in a daily trainer for
6:09
sure. And now, of course, many of them
6:11
are getting way below that, but uh for
6:13
this big stack height, very reasonable
6:16
price 170, good value. So, let's take
6:19
them out for that AB run and we'll get
6:22
back to you later. And after the AB run,
6:24
I'll take them out solo, give you my
6:26
impressions from the run and some
6:28
conclusions from the New Hampshire Cup.
6:30
So, let's talk about the relative fit
6:32
and uppers here of our two during our AB
6:35
run. I think the 28 is a touch more
6:39
relaxed. Uh there's a bit more stretch
6:42
kind of through the midfoot. I think
6:44
it'll accommodate uh wider feet uh even
6:48
better than the the 27. And also I'm
6:51
noticing uh the heel, you can see the
6:54
heel counters are, let me get oriented.
6:59
Uh over in the 27 is a little higher.
7:02
Here it's a little lower. You've got
7:04
again a bit more relaxed heel hold. Uh
7:07
here it's a a bit more solid. Um they're
7:11
both absolutely true to size. In our 27
7:16
we have sort of a me woven mesh type
7:19
material whereas over here we have a
7:21
knit. You can see the knit has some some
7:24
give but not overly stretchy as knits
7:27
can be. Um overall I would say they're
7:32
equal in kind of volume with the uh 27 a
7:37
bit more secure and that also I think uh
7:40
may translate a bit to the ride. I'll
7:42
get to that in a bit. Um but also very
7:46
noticeable here in terms of the ride the
7:49
um given the changes in the outsole
7:52
pattern less through the lateral uh
7:55
midfoot then here we have a much easier
7:59
rolling shoe.
8:01
It's also a touch softer I think because
8:03
of the the a little bit less uh rubber
8:06
coverage. I don't think the Flight Foam
8:08
Blast Plus is really any significantly
8:11
different. So, you just got a bit more
8:13
smooth rolling.
8:14
The 28's front rocker and tow spring is
8:18
clearly longer and more pronounced.
8:20
Less of the kind of awkward feel at
8:22
midfoot I felt with this big stack in
8:24
both of them now in the 28. Well, I'm
8:27
going to keep running here. It's kind of
8:29
a gray day here. Let's talk about the
8:32
comparative rides between our two
8:35
Nimbus.
8:38
The uh
8:40
28
8:42
has an easier kind of flow through the
8:44
midfoot, no question, and a kind of less
8:48
rigid feeling toe off than the 27. It's
8:52
not a huge difference, but it's enough
8:55
to make me prefer them cuz I found the
8:59
27 quite rigid through the midfoot.
9:04
Also, I'm noticing the more skeletal, if
9:09
deeper, rubber outsole
9:12
gives a bit softer, less rigid feeling
9:16
landing the heel and a smoother toe off.
9:20
Those grooves up front, decoupling
9:23
grooves helping that.
9:26
So,
9:28
bit more relaxed ride. Maybe a teeny
9:32
touch less stable, but still very much a
9:35
stable, neutral shoe.
9:38
So, I just came off the road, but why
9:40
not a little beach here with our Nimbus
9:44
28. So, on the road, there's definitely
9:48
a nice nice roll forward. I also have
9:51
noticed compared to the 27, the rocker
9:55
up front and maybe also the toe spring
9:58
is accentuated. That helps with the roll
10:01
with this rigid shoe. Both are rigid.
10:04
Um, and the rubber
10:08
provides nice response. It's a bit noisy
10:11
actually on the road. It's relatively
10:13
thick if in narrow strips. Heel landings
10:17
very stable.
10:19
It's a bit more relaxed than the 27 and
10:21
ride. That's a good thing. It's
10:24
interesting because Nike's new structure
10:27
plus also kind of a similar approach.
10:32
They kept the lateral rubber
10:36
which here
10:38
uh in this Nimbus goes away compared to
10:42
27.
10:44
I think both approaches work well. the
10:48
structure. Plus, I think it's a bit more
10:50
kick over towards the uh medial side
10:56
after landing. This is a bit more kind
10:59
of straight in line.
11:02
Uh and but their midfoot support pretty
11:06
close. Maybe the Nike a bit more because
11:08
of its panel and its kind of forward
11:11
high walls. This is definitely a bit
11:15
more neutral in feel.
11:17
compared to that one. And also compared
11:21
to the Cayano, the gel Cayano, that's a
11:23
shoe that's so broad, highly stacked
11:26
that I just really can't run it. That's
11:29
if you really need a lot of stability
11:31
and control. And then if you want
11:34
something a bit lighter in AS6, uh the
11:37
GT 2014, excellent choice. Um that's a
11:42
lighter kind of support stability shoe.
11:44
I'm going to keep going.
11:45
Now that I'm a few miles in, second run.
11:48
Starting to really feel it here. What
11:50
I'm noticing is the front rocker very
11:54
effective. Uh really rolling me forward
11:58
far better than the the 27
12:02
and some of the other rigid rocker
12:04
shoes. Maybe even the bomero plus is
12:07
flatter feeling. Whereas before the 27
12:11
was very flat feeling. So, we got a nice
12:14
roll forward here. You can hear the a
12:18
bit of slappiness from the outsole.
12:20
That's because instead of going with
12:24
soft front rubber with all this stack,
12:26
they went with firm strips that also
12:30
provides response to go with durability.
12:36
And so, there's some pop off the front
12:37
here.
12:39
The ride is neutral stable, no question.
12:44
Plenty of cushioning.
12:48
I think the rocker here is considerably
12:52
more effective at moderate paces than
12:56
the mega blast and super blast. Found
13:00
those kind of abrupt, not particularly
13:05
rolling in action.
13:08
But here, look at that pretty house. Uh,
13:11
we've got a nice smooth roll off the
13:14
front. Lots of pop off the heel. Really
13:18
steady performer.
13:22
Now,
13:24
what is that building? Well, it used to
13:27
be attached to the house, maybe with a
13:29
barn. And that is four outouses from
13:34
19th century. Isn't that amazing? Okay,
13:37
I'm going to keep going. So that front
13:41
roll and so that front roll and that
13:45
kind of kick off the front sort of feels
13:49
like what I'm calling these days a
13:51
bottom loaded plate or the outsole
13:54
serves as a bit of a plate. Uh we saw
13:58
that in the Sakccin Azora as well,
14:02
Dorphin Azura where the outsole and the
14:08
rocker
14:09
are are shaped, if you will, to roll the
14:14
foot and provide response.
14:17
Uh so the plate, there's no plate here.
14:21
Uh and it's not
14:23
embedded higher up or any of that. It's
14:26
kind of a new phenomenon.
14:29
And by eliminating
14:32
gluing in a plate, you're als they're
14:35
also able to keep weight down for such a
14:39
big shoot.
14:41
Everybody, some conclusions. You're on
14:44
Abanaki Golf Course here. This is about
14:46
the only time of year I can get on the
14:48
cart pass.
14:50
Soon there'll be snow. But anyway, our
14:53
Nimbus 28 sees a smoother,
14:57
more effective rocker ride. Teeny touch
15:00
softer,
15:01
more
15:03
a softer kind of more knit-like upper
15:07
without any slop. And I'm going to call
15:11
it kind of a super trainer. You're going
15:14
to say, "Wait, no plate, no super foam."
15:16
Well, we got 9.6 oz, 270 g.
15:21
That's about the same as a bomero plus
15:24
for example. We've got 43 and a half
15:29
heel, 8 mm drop. We got the max. Our
15:33
foam is a really evolved EVA. There's no
15:37
doubt about it. It isn't super critical.
15:40
I wish it was, but it does its job
15:43
because it provides a nice responsive,
15:46
stable ride and that nice rocker, that
15:50
modified outsole really kicks me forward
15:53
very smoothly.
15:55
Uh, and then at the price 170,
16:01
what you're also getting is a fantastic
16:04
upper. Usually in the 150 160 even
16:10
highly stacked super train super
16:11
critical foam
16:13
something suffers it's usually the upper
16:16
but here AS6 made the decision to stick
16:20
with their flight foam blast plus still
16:23
relevant given they
16:27
have the mega blast for those of you who
16:29
want a sort of much lighter springier
16:34
less I'd say less stable, faster ride,
16:38
less forgiving of form. So, all in all,
16:43
they've done a good job here
16:46
with this latest version, and I'm kind
16:50
of happy because the the the 26, the 27
16:55
were lumpy, lumpy, yet they retain the
16:59
essence of the Nimbus here. neutral
17:02
stable trainer with a with lots of
17:05
cushioning and a deluxe upper at a
17:10
reasonable price. So, I'm going to
17:12
finish this run off. I'm about four
17:14
miles in, another mile before that.
17:17
Thank you very much for watching. Have a
17:20
great run.