Nike + iPod (DOES IT WORK???)

[steventrihard]

Anyone have reviews on the new Nike + iPod gear that tracks pace/distance/etc??? Also do i HAVE to spend a 100.00 on Nike specific shoes, or can I alter to fit my show of choice?

[NateDawgK2]

i havent tried nor heard anything about the I-Pod equipment

But last year Nike put out an MP3s player that had the exact same feature, connected to your shoes to give you the pace / distance info

I had this player, it actually worked well for a time, but sometimes the shoe part would stop talking to the player and it would turn off and tell you that you ran 1/2 mile when you know you just ran 10
and sometimes it would only pick-up every couple of steps so it would think you were going faster or slower then you actually were, so that got real annoying, but it still worked for the most part so I enjoyed it

finally, the player itself just stopped working all together, stopped playing songs, stopped turning on, stopped everything, interestingly enough, this happened about 2 days after my warranty ran out, so I wasnt very pleased considering it was around $350 !

considering the problems I had with the same technology, just used for a different mp3 player, I would say it is probably not real durable, but maybe they have worked out some of the bugs at this point, and using the Ipod instead of the junk mp3 player im sure makes a difference

it also seemed to mess around with my heart rate monitor if I wore both at the same time, but i am not sure about this or I just got that in my head, cause the average heart rates always stayed pretty accurate

hope that helps ya

[munckee]

I've been running on a Nike+ kit for about a month now. I haven't had any problems with it at all.

I tried on the various Nike+ shoes, but I wasn't happy with the fit on any of them. I read up on the various methods other people have used to put the sensor under the laces, etc, but I didn't feel like messing with any of them. Finally got ballsy and took a dremel to the insoles of my shoes and made my own Nike+ slot. I've now done it with a pair of New Balance shoes and more recently with a pair of Asics with no problems either time.

[virturace]

I have been running with the Triax Elite for the past two seasons and have been amazed at the accuracy. It's always within feet per mile for accuracy.

My running coach and I got the Nike+ - his with the Nike shoes and mine I attached to the underside of the Triax shoe pod. We both calibrated on a track before our run.

At the end of 9 miles (mapped before hand for accuracy), the triax was basically dead on (about .01 miles long). My coach's Nike+ was 1.8 miles long and mine was 1.45 miles long.

During the run, we were holding a steady pace on a flat road the Nike+ was about 1:30/mi fast. In a word - it is useless.

Plus considering that it doesn't work w/ any heart rate monitor, the data is only ever half-complete - even if it were accurate.

[christri25]

Originally Posted by virturace

I have been running with the Triax Elite for the past two seasons and have been amazed at the accuracy. It's always within feet per mile for accuracy.

My running coach and I got the Nike+ - his with the Nike shoes and mine I attached to the underside of the Triax shoe pod. We both calibrated on a track before our run.

At the end of 9 miles (mapped before hand for accuracy), the triax was basically dead on (about .01 miles long). My coach's Nike+ was 1.8 miles long and mine was 1.45 miles long.

During the run, we were holding a steady pace on a flat road the Nike+ was about 1:30/mi fast. In a word - it is useless.

Plus considering that it doesn't work w/ any heart rate monitor, the data is only ever half-complete - even if it were accurate.

you seem biased in your report

[virturace]

I do? How so? I LOVE the triax (a Nike product) and I LOVE the iPod. I was hoping like heck that the two would be great together. In fact, we had already committed resources at virturace.com to integrate the data into user profiles.

My only bias was with regard to HR, but I could live with that until they developed the solution (we were told that this is under development). After using the Triax Elite - a pro level product - the Nike+ is, to me, a kid's toy.

My only bias came after testing it. I have done three or four more runs and the same result each time.

[beads1985]

I tried it out at a race expo this past weekend and I think it is a great concept but it does need some work.

I spoke to the rep and they are looking into tying it into a watch with HRM, and all the iPod functions.

I am not a fan of any of the Nike shoes. T
he toe is too narrow for me.

I would like to see it as an add on to other shoe brands.
Maybe as a replacement insole.

Until then I will have my iPod and my separate HRM and watch, and shoes.

[glbrum]

You don't need to buy actual Nike+ shoes. All you need is the sensor that you put in the shoe. You don't even have to put that in the shoe. You can tape it to the tongue or strap it to the laces. It works off of the motion of your foot, not the pressure of you stepping on it.