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ASICS Noosa Tri 16 Review: Fast, Light, Plateless Fun!
Jul 16, 2024
In the video, I share all Noosa Tri 16 00:00 details, 05:17 from the run impressions of fit and ride, 09:51 comparisons to the Novablast 4, Magic Speed 4, New Balance Rebel v4, and Hoka's Mach 6 and older Mach 4 and 19:41 Conclusions.
The colorful Noosa Tri 16, a moderate stack height un plated uptempo trainer, gets a big midsole foam update to FF Blast Plus from firm older Flyte Foam.
It comes in at a very light weight of 7.5 oz / 213g (US9) with a stack height of 34.5mm heel / 29.5 mm forefoot. It includes ASICS GuideSole rocker geometry and has snappy flex to help propel. It is very reasonably priced at $135. It will release July 1, 2024
Samples were provided at no charge for testing purposes with no additional compensation. The opinions herein are entirely the author's
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0:00
We're going to take a look at the Noosa Tri 16
0:05
It's $135, available July 1st. It's a super fun looking and running shoe, plateless with a new Flight Foam Blast Plus
0:14
midsole foam. I've taken them out for several runs, so I'm going to give you my thoughts as well as some
0:20
detailed comparisons. Okay, everybody, let's dig into the details of the Noosa Tri 16, then I'm going to take
0:27
them out for my third run on the roads of Rye. I'm also on the run and after I'm going to compare them to some of the other competitors
0:38
but also some of the other shoes in the ASIC's current lineup, the Magic Speed 4 and Nova
0:45
Blast 4, as well as the New Balance Rebel V4 and two versions of the Mac from Hoka
0:54
So let's talk about this little guy here. So it is a unplated shoe, it's an up-tempo trainer and as you can tell from the name
1:05
it has sort of a Tri focus, Tri heritage. They're always super colorful and here, colorful and a little bit kind of more subtle motif
1:15
to the colors. They do have some Tri specific features, namely the pull tab here, both pull tabs, very nice
1:23
and a big hole here. I don't run Tri's but I like this shoe and it's a distinct improvement, I think, over
1:31
the 14, which was the last I ran. What is it, what's different
1:37
It gets a Flight Foam Blast Plus with at least 20% bio-based
1:43
As it's midsole, there is no plate here, but you do have ASIC's guide sole technology
1:49
which was so effective in shoes such as the EvoRide and the GlideRide
1:53
It really moves you forward. It is a 5mm drop shoe with a 34.5mm heel, 29.5mm forefoot, so 5mm drop
2:05
I don't think that's a change and neither is the Stackite, but the big difference here
2:08
is the new foam. It also gets ASIC's Grip Rubber and I like the little extra kind of lugs there
2:17
You can see the projections and the holes through, as it is a relatively flexible shoe
2:24
something I like in kind of an up-tempo trainer that isn't plated
2:30
The upper is a nice, thin, very thin actually, engineered mesh that's, as you can see, it's
2:40
not like a super soft kind of mesh. It has some substance to it, but it also has a bit of stretch, so the fit is really good
2:48
I'll comment on that, but it has an excellent fit, relatively wide toe box
2:54
There is a gusset tongue, a little hard to see, but we do have some pads on the side
3:00
of the lace-up. Laces are really neat. They're kind of a little bit sticky, maybe a bit long, but they really, really stay put
3:09
And a bit of a change, the heel collar, I think, is now lower, less elf-like
3:15
Maybe a bit more pressure back here for some people, but it didn't really bother me, but
3:20
that's definitely a change. So it's $135 and it's available July 1st, and I think as we look at different kinds
3:31
of shoes with more and more plated shoes, higher stacks, there is a definite place for
3:35
this kind of an all-arounder. And I would say that I could easily daily train in it, and maybe more so than some of
3:43
the other shoes we're going to talk about, especially the Rebel V4. Very soft, forces really, really need to be fastened on its forefoot, unlike here
3:52
This is an all-arounder. Now in terms of weight, we come in at 7.5 ounces, 213 grams for US 9
4:00
Very competitive for a non-supercritical foam shoe with a decent, that 34.5, 29.5 millimeter stack
4:11
It is a 5 millimeter drop. Sometimes with soft shoes, I find that the 5 millimeter drop isn't enough, and also sometimes
4:21
it depends on the geometry, but the Guide Sole really works well here to drive me forward
4:28
Any pace has been good. So this is really an all-around, light, light daily trainer to up-tempo shoe
4:36
You'll hear my commentary, but I also think it's a great option if you want, if you're
4:42
running a, say, a half or a 10K on a very hilly course because you've got the flex
4:48
Let me show you that. You've got some nice flex. You've got a really bouncy, not hyper bouncy, but really rebounding heel
4:59
I'm going to take them out now for the third run on the roads
5:03
It's a beautiful day here in Rye, and I'll give you the thoughts from the roads and then
5:07
some comparisons and conclusions, and here are our comparisons to come. Stay tuned
5:16
So we're at the end of the beach here at what's called the Beach Club, and let's talk about
5:30
the fit. So it's true to size. The mesh is sort of a mono-meshy, but with a bit of stretch, a bit of kind of snappy
5:43
stretch, a bit short, but I wouldn't size up compared to, say, the upcoming Magic Speed
5:52
4, which has sort of a stretchier, more knit-like upper. This has a wider toe box, but it isn't as stretchy
6:01
It's got a unpadded tongue with little padded wings. You can't quite see them there
6:10
It's got the hole for pulling on triathlon. I'm not doing any tris
6:14
The laces are a bit long, but they're a bit sticky. They go through the hole super well
6:19
Never had to adjust in the three or four runs so far. Midfoot with the gusset, very well held
6:26
Heel counter is a bit lower, I think, than the 14 and 15 were, noose a tri
6:31
Works just fine. Maybe a bit more pressure at the very top because we don't have the flare, but not bothering
6:40
me at all. So all in all, it's a performance-oriented upper, but a comfort-oriented one as well
6:49
especially up front with that somewhat wider toe box and a little bit of stretch
6:54
It's a really, really fine, fine upper. If you want to compare to, say, the Mach 6, the Mach 6 is lower volume, less stretch
7:03
Of course, it's available in a wide as well as the regular. So this is a bit roomier than the Mach 6
7:11
And it's, in terms of the Rebel V4, the Rebel V4 has more volume
7:18
It's a very thin material. I kind of prefer this for my foot, but if you have a slightly wider foot, the Rebel's
7:24
upper might do you a bit better. And we'll talk here in a bit about the ride, comparative ride from the run
7:30
Still going to keep going. Cruising along about sub-10 minute pace now, a little faster
7:38
So in terms of the ride, very direct, responsive. That means it's not a super bouncy ride, although the bounce off the heel is noticeable
7:50
It's not overly soft. It's very kind of smoothly directed, quick, quick feeling off the ground without being
8:02
exaggerated, stable, a lot of good front snappy flexibility. I actually took them the other day on a far hillier course, and I noticed they climb really
8:15
well and they're great on downhills. So if you have a 10K or even a half on a hilly course, I think they make a great choice
8:28
because sometimes clay to choose can kind of get in the way, especially on climbs and
8:34
then can be unstable on the downhills. Good for that. More comparison, Rebel V4, new balance, softer foam for sure
8:47
I showed you that or I'll show you that less stable, about the same stack height, although
8:54
it's several tenths of an ounce lighter. It's more strictly speed shoe, whereas this is a speed plus if you want a lighter daily
9:07
trainer and racer, I think a better choice, maybe not as exciting, but much more practical
9:15
for me. We also have a Geissel here that we found in some older shoes such as the EvoRide and
9:23
GlideRide, and it really directs the foot in the direction of travel
9:28
And now that instead of just regular flight foam, we have the Blast Plus, really energizes
9:34
the stride here. The landing is smooth, then you get a great transition and then a smooth, quick toe off
9:45
Very nicely done with Geissel. So let's start with a sort of a complimentary shoe in the A6 lineup, the Nova Blast 4
9:53
Well, the obvious difference here is in the stack height. As you can see, we have a 41.5 millimeter heel, 33.5 millimeter forefoot in the Nova
10:08
Blast, whereas we're at 34.5 and 29.5 in our Nusa Tri
10:19
So we have an eight millimeter drop shoe with much more stack height
10:24
It is basically the same foam. We have the same Flight Foam Blast Plus, it's just a higher stack shoe
10:32
So it'll tend to, I think some people might like it for somewhat longer runs
10:40
The upper is thicker than what we have here. It's comfortable, but I'm going to lean with the upper over here on the Nusa Tri
10:49
There's no need for really as much upper as we have here, although it is super comfortable
10:54
Now, in terms of weight, that extra stack height, same foam, does make it 9.1 ounces
11:02
compared to 7.5 ounces. So 258 grams versus about 213. So there is a weight difference, but of course you've got more cushion
11:13
In terms of the outsoles, you can see quite a difference there
11:18
You can actually, let me go back a bit, you can see the platform widths here
11:24
Let me turn it around. It might be a bit easier to see that way
11:28
You can see how much wider the platform is on the Nova Blast
11:35
The platform is 190 at the heel, 70 at midfoot, 115 forefoot, whereas over here we are quite
11:48
a bit less. We are at 80 millimeters at the heel, 67 midfoot, and 100 up front
11:59
So a narrower platform, a lighter shoe, more agile, a bit less cushioned
12:05
It really depends on what you need. So let's move on to the next comparison
12:09
We'll stick with Asics with the Magic Speed 4. Magic Speed 4, big change to this shoe
12:16
We just reviewed it on the channel and you can see the review
12:21
So the Magic Speed 3 was carbon plated and was sort of the other up-tempo kind of shoe
12:29
in the Asics lineup and was sort of another way to do it
12:36
Your up-tempo, light kind of trainer. Well, with the Magic Speed 4, we become a max cushioned shoe with a considerably higher
12:46
stack height. So we're at 43 and a half millimeters heel and we are at 35 and a half forefoot
12:56
So we have a considerably higher stack than our Nusa Tri. We have a full carbon plate as before in the Magic Speed, but a much higher stack
13:06
And we have a dual foam combination here. The Flight Foam Turbo, which is seen in Asics racing shoes, is a central core
13:15
And then we have basically the same Flight Foam Blast surrounding it as sort of a carrier
13:22
It does weigh just a little less than an ounce more than our Nusa Tri
13:28
Of course, it has that higher stack. I see this one as more your long steady run shoe, whereas before the Magic Speed was sort
13:36
of your faster kind of up-tempo shoe with the plate. And I think the Nusa Tri in the Asics lineup is now the one for your up-tempo kind of work
13:50
Okay, let's move on to the next one. We're going to talk about the Rebel
13:53
So the Rebel V4 from New Balance has almost exactly the same stack height
13:59
It is a bit lighter, a couple tenths of an ounce, a few grams lighter, five, six grams lighter
14:05
And it sits on a broader platform than our Nusa Tri. Nusa Tri
14:09
Let me try to get to show you that. You can see it's a broader platform
14:15
Its flex pattern is a little bit different. It's way up front versus our little bit longer flex pattern of the Nusa Tri
14:29
The Rebel has considerably softer foam, considerably softer foam. And it really requires you to be up on the front of the shoe way more than our Nusa Tri
14:41
at least for me. The heel is very, very soft. So while it's pleasant, it's not as stable or as sure-footed as our Nusa Tri
14:52
I think the Nusa Tri is a more versatile shoe at about the same weight
14:58
In terms of their uppers, they both have thin uppers. I think the Rebel's is a little broader, it'll accommodate wider feet a little bit better
15:10
It's more minimal, that's for sure. It's the Phantom fit. Not quite as comfortable, I guess you could say, but very, very similar
15:18
You can see the heel counters are about the same height, maybe even the New Balance is
15:23
a little bit lower. We have a bit more heel counter substance in the Asics
15:31
Both are great up-tempo shoes. Depends on what you need. The Rebel is a bit more exciting, maybe
15:40
Maybe not as practical. Its foam is a blend of Peeba and EVA, but it's mostly EVA
15:49
Very soft, very low-density. Whereas over here, you've got a little bit denser, certainly plenty of cushion, a bit
15:56
more kind of responsive, quicker-reacting. Whereas here, it's more a bouncier feel
16:03
Okay, let's move to the Hoka Mok. Okay, the comparison to the Hoka Mok
16:07
So I've got the 6 here and the 4 back here. I did not run the 5, but it was quite similar
16:14
Now the Mok got quite a bit more stack height in this version
16:19
So it's up to now to 37 at the heel and 32 at the forefoot
16:27
5mm drop, whereas we're over here, we're 34.5, 29.5, 5mm drop. So they're both 5mm drop
16:35
However, the biggest difference in terms of what comparing them is, you can see how much
16:45
broader the Mok is to our Anusa Tri. The width here is 70mm, 90mm at the heel of the Mok, 10mm more than the Anusa Tri
17:02
And the midfoot's about the same, but we are also 10mm wider on the Mok at the forefoot
17:10
So the Mok gets a supercritical foam, which it didn't have before
17:14
It's very energetic. It's a bit softer than our Anusa Tri. You can see it's quite soft, not super soft
17:24
But I would say it really changes the character of the shoe a bit
17:30
And if you could kind of say how it compares to the 4 back there, our Anusa Tri sits right
17:37
in between in terms of kind of firmness and utility. The 4 and the 5 had that midsole, that outsole that was rubberized foam
17:49
They were quite firm. I felt quite firm, a bit too firm, whereas here we're quite a bit softer, but not quite
17:56
as responsive as our Anusa Tri. If you're looking for the up-tempo kind of action, the Anusa Tri fits the bill a little
18:09
bit better than the Mok now, whereas the Mok leans more towards daily training, whereas
18:14
before they were more an up-tempo shoe. So they're both great options
18:19
In terms of the uppers, well, the Mok is the lowest volume upper, although I think there's
18:27
a wide of the choices here. It's a similar kind of material, but there's less stretch
18:35
It's a bit stiffer than the softness here, you can see. So it's a relatively low volume upper in comparison to the Anusa Tri
18:45
Tough match up there. I personally would go, I think I would go with the Anusa Tri, at least for my preferences
18:55
I like the quicker response, if you will, of a slightly firmer foam, whereas over here
19:03
it's more a daily trainer, maybe a bit more all-arounder, and certainly more all-arounder
19:08
than the Mok used to be. And we have a full rubber outsole, which before they did not
19:15
So very close comparison between these two in terms of weight. The Mok, with its wider platform, is a little bit heavier
19:25
It's two-tenths of an ounce, or about two-tenths of an ounce heavier, but it is lighter than
19:33
the Mok 5, that's a 4, which was almost eight-tenths of an ounce heavier than our Anusa Tri
19:42
So, great options. Okay, let's do some conclusions here. I really like this shoe
19:51
It kind of fits the bill of a snappy, up-tempo trainer with plenty of cushioning
19:56
In terms of pros, I had the GuideSole Tech as being really effective here with the rocker
20:03
and the flex. There's no need for a plate here. The cushioning, FlightFoam Blast, is not super critical, but it is lively and responsive
20:13
Lightweight, 7.5 ounces, 215 grams for a relatively near-maximal stack height of 34 1⁄2", 29 1⁄2"
20:26
So it's a true racer trainer. Its performance-ready upper is comfortable, really comfortable
20:32
One of the best kind of performance-oriented uppers of the year for me
20:38
Well, the cons, there's only one. I wish it had full FlightFoam Turbo instead of Blast Plus, but then it wouldn't be a $135
20:48
shoe and a great value. So we're going to have a multi-tester review real soon on Road Trail Run
20:55
The Noosa Tri 16 is available July 1st, $135. Great value and a fun shoe to run as an up-tempo kind of shoe, daily trainer
21:08
And there's something still to be said for the plateless shoe in today's max stack world
21:16
Have a great run