Goat Head Gear: Sole Spikes vs Lowe's Sheet Metal Screws

Disclaimer: I got these free from the company.  I'm not paid but I did get them free.  I'm not swayed by free gear.  Cash might sway me but not schwag. They did  send me stickers too.  Stickers are cool.

So let's compare.  On the left is the Sole spike.  On the right a sheet metal screw.

Size comparison.  Bigger isn't always better but some times it helps (insert dirty joke here).

The real difference is where the rubber meets the road.  Or in this case where the steel hits the trail.

As you can see the sole spike on the left has a Phillips style cross cut into it.  

Giving it 4 nubs.  The sheet metal screw is just a flat heat style single cut. The edges of the outer rim are raised a bit giving it a lip.  

Installation tools.  On the left is a driver handle that I used to force the sheet metal screws in. On the right is the actual nice proper driver that came with the sole spikes.  

Sole spikes also came with a magnetic driver to hold the spikes as you install them.  

Victim number one: old pair of Brooks Adrenaline ASR's

Victim number 2: Hoka One One Mafate's

Brooks got the Sole spikes

The Mafate's got the sheet metal screws.

The Sole Spikes cost $23.95 for a pack of 30 and that includes the driver.  Which is a pretty cool bonus.

Lowe's sheet metal screws were about 4 bucks for 30.  Of course that does not include the driver I used.

So let me be honest again.  I thought these were going to be bull. I'm a cheapo  and I thought that a screw is a screw (insert dirty joke here).  

These are beautiful screws (insert dirty joke here). They are really high quality and feel indestructible. 

Insertion was easy (insert dirty joke here). It was much harder to ram the big ones in (insert really dirty joke here).  

So after a bit of trail testing I can say that I really did fell a difference.  For both shoes I felt increased grip on trails, but I did notice the screws more that I did the sole spikes.  But that I mean the screws felt clunky and I noticed them hitting roots and things.  The sole spikes felt much more natural and almost felt like cross country spikes. 

I haven't lost a screw on either one yet and they feel pretty stable on both.  I really recommend the screw and glue method (there is a dirty joke in there somewhere).  Screw them in almost all the way then put some shoe goo or super glue around the threads and the base so they lock down for good. This way you have a permanent snow/ice/trail shoe.  As much as they say the screws will not harm the bottom of your shoes I would recommend that you use an old pair of shoes to convert. You do not want to be screwing these in and out all the time ( well maybe I do, dirty joke insertion).  

In conclusion as much as I want to say go with the cheap sheet metal screw solution the goat head guys have really made a superior product that is better than a normal screw.  Everyone wants a better screw ( yes this is where you put it, and yes that's a dirty joke insertion site). 

The reality is the better hardened stainless steel screws will be cheaper in the long run and will last longer.  They are purpose built for running and are not just a jury rigged solution. Plus the tool that comes with it really does make all the difference.  Way easier than my socket driver.  

So they are making this really hard for me (IDJH) but I have to say I recommend Sole Spikes from Goat Head Gear.

I will definitely harvest the sole spikes from this pair when I am done to reuse and will probably buy another set later too. 

But for now, I gotta run...

Addendum:  just want to say thanks to the guys from Goat Head Gear for the product and for being very classy.  I was totally ready for a negative review I was going to show that the cheapo solution was better but it turns out I was mistaken.  The product really does work as advertised and works better than the cheapo budget solution.

Happy Chrismahanziqua to all! And to all a good run!

Addenda:

Wore these at a disc golf tournament I played in and many people were asking about them. I had great grip on the dirt and had a bit of fun making random claw marks on trees with the cleats.  Looked like a pack of wild werewolves came through!

Ultraspire Formula 250 Bottle

So I will start by saying this might be a bit of a rushed review.  I am sitting at my house getting prepped to go to work tomorrow for the next 3 days straight as hurricane Matthew is heading towards us.  I live in the Charleston SC area and I am an emergency room nurse and guess what doesn't close during hurricanes?  So I will be away from my family and friends living in the ER for the next 3 days straight.  But I said I would do this review and dammit I'm gonna do it!

So for starters, prejudgements...

I hate squishy bottles.  I don't own collapsible bottles.  If I put two in the front of my vest when I run I feel like a chick wearing a water bra.  Sloshy I can deal with, but squishy on my chest....




First impressions....

So it looks a bit like a sex toy or something, and once I filled it with chia it felt even more like something that my wife might use when I'm not around.  It just needed a little vibrating motor.

I tried filling it with water and that was a funny but horrible mistake.  Being made of super soft high quality silicone is great for durability and not getting that nasty smell/taste that some plastics can get.  But as for being able to drink water from it... I felt like the Hulk grabbing a regular squeeze bottle.  I was just smashing it even with my most gentle force and getting an uncontrolled blast of water into my face and going about the room.  Ultraspire suggests that you hold onto the gray hard plastic cap or the top blue rim of the bottle which is also hard plastic to allow for the cap to screw to something.  I suggest not using thin liquids at all!  That is what regular bottles are for.


Then I tried it for what I think it was made for.  Thick liquids like gels and my own chia mix which is very thick and gelatinous.
  
And then I came to appreciate the design.  Kind of like trying trail shoes on concrete.  These suck, oh wait let me try them on the actual soft trails they were meant for! Light bulb!  They are actually awesome.

Once the Formula 250 Bottle (250 as in 250 milliliters!)  was filled with an appropriately viscous liquid then it began to shine!

I took it out on several runs and even took it into work once filled with chia for a quick liquid lunch on the go, not the 1950's martini liquid lunch.  It was performed brilliantly and better than I could even have expected with my pre-bias against squishy bottles.

It is simple to use.  Kind of like some big condiment squeeze container.  Just pop the cap, squirt, recap, go.  It seats well in all of my race vests I have used so far, I did try putting it in my shorts pocket but it felt way too weird...

Cleaning was easy too.  The material lends itself to shedding materials and water so it was basically swish water and clean.  I didn't even worry about soap in the bottle because the silicone is a very nice grade and I do not for see it absorbing odors.  Sometimes when you use soaps in plastics they will retain the smell/taste.  As a former scuba diving vendor and a current emergency room nurse I deal with a lot of silicone based products.  High and low quality is very easy to distinguish and this is high quality food grade.

There is a very stout ring loop on the bottom of the bottle that is apparently meant for hanging it to dry.  There is also a ring attachment on the blue plastic mouth of the bottle that can again be used for whatever you want to do.  Wear it as a lanyard?  Make it into a very large key chain fob?  I figure if I cut the extra loop of the bottom of the bottle and the side I can save 26mg of weight with will mean 0.25 calories less burned thereby shortening my race times by an average of 3 thousandths of a second!  Or I will keep them and hand lucky charms off them to ward off the Evil Trail Spirits!

Final thoughts...

I would never have thought to buy this.  I was asking around for stuff to review and Ultraspire said this is what they had.  I was reluctant but did it.  And now I am glad I did.  I have a new fuel pod in my arsenal and it has become my favorite.  I used to use Amphipods little gel flasks but the Ultraspire Formula 250 is not my gel fuel flask of choice.   Very glad for the chance to review a product that I really thought I would hate.  Also kind of scary as a reviewer.  How am I going to say something nice about this product to not burn my bridge with a company but retrain my integrity as a reviewer, since I don't make any money at all off this site.   I am very glad that it turned out the way it did.  I will still not change my stance ion collapsible water bottle for now but I will say that squishy bottles are awesome for gels.  So thanks a lot for ready this everyone but I gotta run!

Run Memes

Just some run memes I did off my twitter...


hope at least one made you guys smile.  Click a link in the ads and buy something!  Gotta run...