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Created page with "{{DISPLAYTITLE:Skechers GOmeb Speed 2 Review}} The Skechers GOmeb Speed is based on a shoe designed for the top marathon runner, Meb Keflezighi. I was expecting a..."
{{DISPLAYTITLE:Skechers GOmeb Speed 2 Review}}
The Skechers GOmeb Speed is based on a shoe designed for the top marathon runner, Meb Keflezighi. I was expecting a remarkable shoe, especially as Skechers can be quite innovative. However, the GOmeb is rather heavy for the cushioning it provides, with midsole foam that's firm verging on hard. The GOmeb lacks the cushioning that would improve your [[Running Economy]], so it's quite a lot slower than you might expect (or want). {{H:WhatToLookForInShoes}}
{| class="wikitable"
|- valign="top"
|[[File:Sketchers-GoMeb-Speed-2-top.jpg|none|thumb|350px|Sketchers GoMeb Speed 2 top]]
|[[File:Sketchers-GoMeb-Speed-2-bottom.jpg|none|thumb|350px|Sketchers GoMeb Speed 2 bottom]]
|- valign="top"
|[[File:Sketchers-GoMeb-Speed-2-inside.jpg|none|thumb|350px|Sketchers GoMeb Speed 2 inside]]
|[[File:Sketchers-GoMeb-Speed-2-outside.jpg|none|thumb|350px|Sketchers GoMeb Speed 2 outside]]
|}
=Cushioning, Running Economy, & Performance=
[[The Science of Running Shoes]] indicates that some cushioning improves [[Running Economy]], which will reduce the effort required to run. I found that the lack of cushioning in the GOmeb clearly changes my running stride, and I was slower than I would be is a slightly heavier, but better cushioned shoe like [[Hoka Clifton]]. Of course, a shoe like the [[Asics Gel Hyper Speed]] that's both lighter and has more cushioned is even better.
=Characteristics=
* {{H:WhyBuy}}. I'm not sure who the GOmeb would suit. You'd have to be looking for a shoe that is fairly light but offers little cushioning.
* {{H:cushioning}}. The GOmeb has a respectable thickness midsole for its weight, but the form is quite hard. This provides only a minimal level of cushioning that is not enough to provide the full improvement in [[Running Economy]] you'd get with a more cushioned shoe.
* {{H:drop}}. The GOmeb has 6mm of drop, but when the shoe is worn this is reduced to only a nice 2mm.
* {{H:structure}}. There's only a single density of foam, so there's nothing to interfere with natural biomechanics. (The white foam on the pictures is just paint, not a different density of foam.)
* {{H:flexibility}}. The GOmeb is quite flexible; more than I'd expect from such firm foam. There is also a hard plastic plate just under the insole that covers the middle part of the shoe, from just in front of the heel to just behind the forefoot. You can see part of this plate in the pictures of the bottom of the shoe as a black area. This reduces the flexibility of the middle of the shoe, but the human foot doesn't bend much in that area so it shouldn't cause a problem.
* {{H:outsole}}. There are small round patches of outsole (blue on the picture of the bottom). The placement of these is a little odd; why put them under the arch where there's little or no wear, but not on the heel which is a common wear point for most runners. If Skechers expected the GOmeb to only be purchased by forefoot runners, why not move the outsole from the middle of the shoe to the forefoot? It seems the placement of the outsole has more to do with creating a pretty marketing picture than a practical running shoe.
* {{H:shape}}. The GOmeb is not designed to fit a human foot, so I [[Shoe Modifications| cut open the toe box]] to allow my toes room and my foot to move naturally. The GOmeb is also a little narrower than some shoes.
* {{H:upper}}. The upper is a little thicker than I'd like and inflexible, but mostly seamless. There is only a tiny amount of padding around the ankle opening, and the padding is rather hard. Strangely the rear of the shoe has an extra lining where most shoes would have extra padding, but in the GOmeb it just adds thickness. I found the GOmeb less comfortable than other shoes, mostly due to the padding around the ankle opening.
* {{H:tongue}}. The GOmeb has a thin, unpadded tongue that's the traditional design with a tab to hold it in place by the laces.
* {{H:lacing}}. The thin flat laces worked well, and I had no problems with the laces coming undone while running.
* {{H:heelcounter}}. The heel counter is rather larger and stiffer than I'd expect or like in a lightweight shoe.
{{BuyShoes|RW=T|RRS=T|AZ=T}}
{{ShoeGraphs}}
=A Comparison with other Recommended Shoes=
{{:Shoes-include}}
The Skechers GOmeb Speed is based on a shoe designed for the top marathon runner, Meb Keflezighi. I was expecting a remarkable shoe, especially as Skechers can be quite innovative. However, the GOmeb is rather heavy for the cushioning it provides, with midsole foam that's firm verging on hard. The GOmeb lacks the cushioning that would improve your [[Running Economy]], so it's quite a lot slower than you might expect (or want). {{H:WhatToLookForInShoes}}
{| class="wikitable"
|- valign="top"
|[[File:Sketchers-GoMeb-Speed-2-top.jpg|none|thumb|350px|Sketchers GoMeb Speed 2 top]]
|[[File:Sketchers-GoMeb-Speed-2-bottom.jpg|none|thumb|350px|Sketchers GoMeb Speed 2 bottom]]
|- valign="top"
|[[File:Sketchers-GoMeb-Speed-2-inside.jpg|none|thumb|350px|Sketchers GoMeb Speed 2 inside]]
|[[File:Sketchers-GoMeb-Speed-2-outside.jpg|none|thumb|350px|Sketchers GoMeb Speed 2 outside]]
|}
=Cushioning, Running Economy, & Performance=
[[The Science of Running Shoes]] indicates that some cushioning improves [[Running Economy]], which will reduce the effort required to run. I found that the lack of cushioning in the GOmeb clearly changes my running stride, and I was slower than I would be is a slightly heavier, but better cushioned shoe like [[Hoka Clifton]]. Of course, a shoe like the [[Asics Gel Hyper Speed]] that's both lighter and has more cushioned is even better.
=Characteristics=
* {{H:WhyBuy}}. I'm not sure who the GOmeb would suit. You'd have to be looking for a shoe that is fairly light but offers little cushioning.
* {{H:cushioning}}. The GOmeb has a respectable thickness midsole for its weight, but the form is quite hard. This provides only a minimal level of cushioning that is not enough to provide the full improvement in [[Running Economy]] you'd get with a more cushioned shoe.
* {{H:drop}}. The GOmeb has 6mm of drop, but when the shoe is worn this is reduced to only a nice 2mm.
* {{H:structure}}. There's only a single density of foam, so there's nothing to interfere with natural biomechanics. (The white foam on the pictures is just paint, not a different density of foam.)
* {{H:flexibility}}. The GOmeb is quite flexible; more than I'd expect from such firm foam. There is also a hard plastic plate just under the insole that covers the middle part of the shoe, from just in front of the heel to just behind the forefoot. You can see part of this plate in the pictures of the bottom of the shoe as a black area. This reduces the flexibility of the middle of the shoe, but the human foot doesn't bend much in that area so it shouldn't cause a problem.
* {{H:outsole}}. There are small round patches of outsole (blue on the picture of the bottom). The placement of these is a little odd; why put them under the arch where there's little or no wear, but not on the heel which is a common wear point for most runners. If Skechers expected the GOmeb to only be purchased by forefoot runners, why not move the outsole from the middle of the shoe to the forefoot? It seems the placement of the outsole has more to do with creating a pretty marketing picture than a practical running shoe.
* {{H:shape}}. The GOmeb is not designed to fit a human foot, so I [[Shoe Modifications| cut open the toe box]] to allow my toes room and my foot to move naturally. The GOmeb is also a little narrower than some shoes.
* {{H:upper}}. The upper is a little thicker than I'd like and inflexible, but mostly seamless. There is only a tiny amount of padding around the ankle opening, and the padding is rather hard. Strangely the rear of the shoe has an extra lining where most shoes would have extra padding, but in the GOmeb it just adds thickness. I found the GOmeb less comfortable than other shoes, mostly due to the padding around the ankle opening.
* {{H:tongue}}. The GOmeb has a thin, unpadded tongue that's the traditional design with a tab to hold it in place by the laces.
* {{H:lacing}}. The thin flat laces worked well, and I had no problems with the laces coming undone while running.
* {{H:heelcounter}}. The heel counter is rather larger and stiffer than I'd expect or like in a lightweight shoe.
{{BuyShoes|RW=T|RRS=T|AZ=T}}
{{ShoeGraphs}}
=A Comparison with other Recommended Shoes=
{{:Shoes-include}}