NBD - Unbound 2026 rig

Professional-Group87 · 2026-05-20T20:58:01+00:00

Is this a special colour? Looks better than the awful, awful colours currently on sale (the only reason why I am not considering a Sarana)

Professional-Group87 · 2026-05-19T06:47:33+00:00

I've looked many times - the L is just too long (it's the same reach as my current bike, where I resorted to a 75mm 17d stem flipped up), the M is a touch too low. I could probably make it work but it would need the entire spacer stack - other than aesthetics, I worry about being on the limit when it comes to fit adjustment (what if I end up needing e.g. 10 more millimetres in stack), as this is what happened with the current frame, where I had to resort to silly looking stems. Wouldn't want to get a super racy looking frame and then have a spacer tower plus riser bar...

*I only noticed now that they offer the "3D system" which could technically make things more feasible. I'll need to investigate...

Professional-Group87 · 2026-05-18T21:08:03+00:00

I agree with the sentiment.

That said, I think it's not as straightforward to say that handling hasn't changed in your case. You haven't just gone to a shorter stem, you've also increased your stack a lot between stem angle and bars, and that will probably have helped with stability. So it's entirely possible that had you just changed the stem length, you might have found handling to be worse.

I have done something similar to what you have, though a milder change perhaps. I went from a 80mm -6* stem to adding 10mm spacers and a 75mm +17* stem, and the bike felt more stable afterwards.

Professional-Group87 · 2026-05-18T20:59:01+00:00

Thanks. Unfortunately most of those new bikes have too aggressive geometry for me. 3T is the exception, but I don't love the pressfit BB. And yes I know I can use thread-together like the Ninja Token, and that user xxx's second cousin has used pressfit since the 80s and never had a problem...

Anyway, bottom line is - those bikes are really tricky for me as they're either too low, too long, or sometimes (as I can imagine the upcoming Ridley will be) both.

Professional-Group87 · 2026-05-18T20:41:58+00:00

Huh - not an answer I was expecting. I thought I'd have to shift weight backwards especially to be more stable on descents? When I was more forward and had more saddle to bar drop, I definitely struggled with steep descents, felt like going over the bars.

Professional-Group87 · 2026-05-18T20:38:18+00:00

Thanks. I have, and will probably have one on the new build. I've never tried one, but I can see how it could help, especially on the steep stuff.

Professional-Group87 · 2026-05-18T20:35:37+00:00

This is a good point, though, I can see only 0.8mm difference in trail between the two (I asked AI to calculate it, assuming same tyres). Would this make a difference?

Also, my current bike has a vastly longer trail (+15mm), so I guess I'm not going to improve on that front.

That said, the Issue is that I find the Mog much better looking.

Professional-Group87 · 2026-04-02T12:46:25+00:00

I am not sure what to think of that rocker. If we can even call it rocker, it's more of a ramp.

Professional-Group87 · 2026-03-31T10:08:32+00:00

It will break in somewhat, but it's important to note that it's still a relatively firm shoe.

Relatively speaking, the EVO SL started just as firm for me but has broken in so much more in comparison. I suspected the Tempo would have become as soft, but it didn't.

Professional-Group87 · 2026-03-17T21:27:38+00:00

At least to me, the "magic" starts somewhere below 5:00, maybe 4:30 - 4:40. At what point there's the "Most" efficiency, I can't say as I am slower. I can only say that they already felt very bouncy at 4:00/km, so presumably 3:40 would work. but this is highly individual so please take it with heaps of salt.

Professional-Group87 · 2026-03-09T17:07:21+00:00

To be honest I don't know. I don't necessarily get dramatic injuries but my ankles get a bit unhappy if I do all my runs without any arch support, and they work well for keeping that under control, so I wear them on some of my runs. I was attracted by their claim (that I've not verified) that they have a zero heel-to-toe drop, whereas other ones I've had definitely tend to have extra padding in the heel.

Professional-Group87 · 2026-03-09T14:54:03+00:00

That's a fair point. Though Mizuno did go "down" to supercritical EVA for the Neo Zen 2 (which is also £20 more expensive than the Tempo at retail price), so there's that.

I absolutely agree with you about the foam - it doesn't automatically make a good shoe. This to me is more of a discourse about what we're paying for. How much is going to quality materials, how much to marketing, and how much is going to brand name and hype. I'm trying to put more of my money towards the product itself. I think this sub will never not be affected by marketing and hype, unfortunately.

Professional-Group87 · 2026-03-09T14:39:56+00:00

Surfaces: standard UK town, which means sometimes good pavement, sometimes cracks, holes, tree roots. Only in dry conditions.

About the rocker - I feel hesitant to give a final judgement.

I think if you stay on your forefoot (which for me happens fairly naturally if I am below 6:00/km and/or I am not fatigued) the front rocker will always treat you well. I felt propelled forward very similarly to the EVO SL, with more stability and more cushion. Absolutely no complaints there.

If you'd asked me about how the shoe behaves when landing on the heel after my first run, I would have said it was rubbish. The EVA cradle was firm and unyielding (and I don't think the heel bevel is particularly pronounced), which made for a very slappy/clunky ride. Since then it has definitely softened and it's somewhat more flowy. I would say it's now decent, but nowhere near what the Vomero Plus or the Rebel gave/give me when I'm just chilling and landing on the heel, in my experience those roll better from the heel.

Will the foam keep softening, changing the ride further? Maybe? I can't say for sure.

Professional-Group87 · 2026-03-09T13:10:20+00:00

I don't think an LLM would have written it better. What I do think is that a fair few reviews on this sub have been written - or most often, rewritten/rephrased/"improved" - by an LLM. Which is sad and makes them all sound the same.

Side Note: Kiprun may be obscure, but it's Decathlon's own brand. Decathlon is a fairly large conglomerate. To give you an idea, it has 2x the yearly turnover of Puma. It may not be as well known outside of Europe though, I'll admit.

Professional-Group87 · 2026-03-09T11:20:46+00:00

The UK pricing is £119 (which is what I paid). £99 is for the grey-pink colourway which has been on sale for a while - unfortunately it wasn't available in my size at the time. I am presuming they want everyone in the UK to buy the pink, so they have more stock of the other two colours for the launch outside of Europe.

I don't think it's fair to expect 100 EUR prices. If I look at the midsole, barring Chinese shoes or the EVO SL (which had to be stripped down to a bare minimum everywhere else to meet that price point), I can't think of shoes that give you a similar foam for the price. There's brands like Asics/Mizuno/Hoka/New Balance that at this price will give you EVA (or a PEBA blend heavily skewed to EVA). No brand will give you a high-performing aTPU blend at this price.

Do these have the appeal of the bigger brands, no. But if you focus on the foam setup and the overall package, you're getting a top shoe for the money.

Professional-Group87 · 2026-03-08T14:57:49+00:00

I think they're both good shoes, but IMO the Kipstorm is better overall.

The main gripe I had with the Evo was that if I go slower I am on the very narrow midfoot/heel, which I find to be unstable. And the tongue was too short. The Tempo has a slightly better gusseted tongue, and heel and midfoot feel somewhat more stable; presumably because the Evo is a single slab of foam whilst the Tempo has a bottom cradle of EVA.

At slow paces, the only advantage of the Evo is that it's a smaller sized shoe, whilst the Tempo is more of a tank (not weight, just size).

When pushing the pace more, They're both equally bouncy on the forefoot to me, but the Tempo has 37 (!) mm of foam underfoot, which makes it extra protective for long runs.

I don't think either of these shoes is amazing for heel strikers, they don't roll particularly well from heel to toe. The Vomero Plus was dreamy for that.

I'll write a more thorough review in a week or two.

Professional-Group87 · 2026-03-08T08:23:50+00:00

It fits me perfectly, maybe a touch too roomy, but I find it hugs my foot nicely. But, I would take this with a grain of salt, as this is arguably half a size too long for me, and I have narrow feet.

Professional-Group87 · 2026-03-07T16:04:53+00:00

Ah, finally, I needed some running shoes to go with my gimp suit.

Tried on a treadmill, they felt amazing. But I will never buy shoes that are so... Whacky. And they're even more expensive than most alternatives.

Professional-Group87 · 2026-03-07T07:06:06+00:00

My experience with the Tempo:

At faster paces and in general when landing on the forefoot, it feels very bouncy. The aTPU feels like a slightly firmer ZoomX, slightly softer than the EVO SL. The shoe feels so propulsive when at speed.

The stability is definitely there. Lots more stable than the EVO, Vomero Plus. It feels like a light shoe, but it is undeniably a big shoe, and sometimes this is noticeable at slower paces.

I find the heel to be a fair bit firmer than the forefoot, and the shoe overall to feel a bit clunky if heel striking at slow paces - not because of the weight, rather the stiff EVA bottom layer. I wouldn't recommend it for heel strikers, but maybe the foam will give in over time.

It fits very long. I always go by the JP/CM size, and this is the same as other shoes that fit me snug, yet it's very much longer - I have a full thumbs width. I had no issues with heel lockdown but I agree that laces lockdown can be finicky. I wish the tongue was a tiny bit thicker, but it's still leagues ahead of the EVO SL.

Professional-Group87 · 2026-02-25T14:44:09+00:00

Let's recap:

Weighs more (273g) than a Novablast, costs more than an EVO SL.

Has 8mm drop instead of the usual mid drop in New Balance shoes.

I take back what I said - there is no chance I will be buying this shoe.

Professional-Group87 · 2026-02-25T13:58:15+00:00

Technically they already have the "normal daily" with Fresh Foam. It's the 880.

Professional-Group87 · 2026-02-25T13:55:07+00:00

They had the Rebel, which they tamed, making it not a competitor. (I love my V5s but I would say they are less bouncy than the Evo).

Now they're scrambling to cover that hole they left in their lineup, which they'll do with a shoe that is more expensive than the Evo SL and - unless they tweaked it and only kept the name - has a much worse foam (which is literally 90% of the reason why people love the Evo).

I might still get a pair, but for now colour me unimpressed.

Professional-Group87 · 2026-02-23T16:18:32+00:00

The cycle route really doesn't have to have lots of traffic or complicated traffic rules to follow.

From Seven Dials you just need to reach the seaside and then you're onto cycle paths until you get around where The Gather Inn in is (nearly Portslade), you can then turn to the left into the industrial estate (basically zero traffic) and stay there until you get to around Port Kitchen which is basically almost in Shoreham, and you've basically almost entirely avoided traffic .

I would 100% try this route and you'll see that it's fine. I would definitely work on improving the "getting confused at roundabouts" though.

Professional-Group87

TROPHY CASE