The release of the Nike MetCon 1’s shook the CrossFit shoe scene.  You had to know that Reebok was going to answer back with something, and they did a hell of a good job keeping it a secret!  Unlike Nike’s viral marketing campaign for the MetCons, where everyone knew about them, the Compete’s seemed to be completely unknown to the world.  The only glimpse I got of it beforehand was from a vague Instagram picture, and I had absolutely no clue what I was looking at.  Reebok and Rich Froning debuted the Compete 6:14 the same day that the Nike MetCon’s came out and honestly, I think that was a little too late.  They picked a time frame where the whole entire world wanted the Nike’s and hardly anyone cared about Reebok shoes anymore.  The price?  $195, a whopping $75 bucks over a shoe that people DO want.  Anyways, I’m not here to discuss the marketing tactics of Reebok.

First impressions 3/4/15: The initial response from people on social media about these shoes was, lackluster.  I mean, just look at them.  Kevlar is awesome, but these shoes are definitely not winning any beauty contests.  The shoes feel, confidence inspiring; like they were just built to do work in.  Honestly, I could go climb a rope right now in my brand new shoes and not think twice about doing it; a big thing that I don’t like doing with new shoes.  I’m pretty sure that’s what Froning was going for when he helped design these shoes: a no frills, no BS, functional fitness shoe.  They completely stripped away the insole, half of the sockliner, the Duracage, and anything weighing the Nano 4.0 down.  The shoes tip the scale at a featherweight 8.8 oz, lighter than any Nano before it.  If you’re familiar with Inov-8’s or New Balance Minimus shoes, that’s what these shoes resemble.  You could probably just go barefoot in them if that’s your thing, it almost feels like they were made to do that.  With the omission of the Duracage, comes a ton of flexibility, giving the shoe a sock-like feel.  The outsole has very sharp treading and the Rope-Pro area is pretty much just spikes; that should grab the rope for climbing well.

After spending a little more quality time with the shoes I’ve got a few more things to point out.  The yellow, heavier duty shoelaces it comes with are impossible to keep tied with one knot.  It wasn’t until probably the 4th time they came loose in a single 400m run that I decided it was time to double knot them.  I’m probably going to switch them to the black laces, which are the same found in the Nano 4.0’s.  I think the addition of kevlar could have been used better if the outer was actually kevlar and not just an reinforcing overlay on top of the fabric.  Effectively, it probably offers a bit of abrasion resistance but mainly it seems to be for decoration.  Going back to the insole, removing the insole from my Nano 4.0’s gives the same low profile feel that the Compete 6:14’s do, except the bit of glue that holds the insole there.  One might even dare to say that it’s the same thing.

Workout 1 3/4/15: First workout in the books was more of a plyometrics based metcon.  Five rounds of 10 pull-ups, 20 push-ups, 30 sit-ups, 40 air squats and a 400m run.  The shoes performed well for the air squats, providing a solid base and power delivery.  These shoes were definitely made to squat in, the lack of an insole gives them a very low profile and direct ground feel.  Surprisingly, they didn’t make my feet ache at all from the run, probably due to how flexible the shoe is in addition to the 3mm drop.  My step felt natural and overall it reminded me of running in Inov-8’s and New Balance Minimus’. The omission of an insole makes sure the 6:14’s are definitely geared towards just working out; forget wearing them casually or even coaching in them.  Since your foot sits lower in the shoe, I find my ankles rubbing on the sides of the insertion point. They’re not comfortable at all to walk around in, hence the name “Compete”.

Fit: I got these shoes in a 9.5, and they fit fine this way.  My toes rub up against the front a bit, but if I sized up the toe box would just be too big.  It wouldn’t be such a bad idea to use these shoes without socks, since they’re so reminiscent of Inov-8’s or Minimus, but I don’t think going half a size down is necessary on these shoes.  The toe box is similar in size to Nano 4.0’s, nice and wide.  The heel and midfoot areas seem to be a little bit more narrow, but not as bad as the Sprint’s.  SIze these shoes the same as you would your all of your Nano’s, as they retain mostly the same figure.

• Compete 6:14 – 9.5
• Nano – 9.5
• MetCon – 9.5
• Chucks – 9
• Lite TR- 9

Original Article and Video by: Joel at AMRAP