Review: Reebok CrossFit Nano 2.0

This week we take a moment to review Reebok’s much anticipated functional fitness shoe, the Reebok CrossFit Nano 2.0.

Item: Reebok CrossFit Nano 2.0
Price: $109 USD or $149 AUD
Manufacturer: Reebok
Purchase: Reebok/Rogue

And so they arrived! Introducing ladies and gentlemen, the much anticipated Reebok Nano 2.0 shoe review.

After hearing so much about Nano 1.0, when the 2.0 came out I decided I didn’t want to miss out. I know it did not take much convincing for me to buy because let’s face it, it’s a functional fitness product and if it’s ‘CrossFit’ related it has already earned a place in my wardrobe (yes at 40 + years young I found my fashion weakness). So after the page loaded and the Nano’s appeared, I quickly clicked purchase.

Within days they appeared at my front door step. Although at $50 shipping, I didn’t expect anything less. In fact for that price they should have come wrapped with a pretty ribbon and a $30 gift certificate but I digress 🙂

After pulling the shoes out of their box my heart sank on first impression. I thought I had ordered a pair of blue shoes but this colour seemed different to what I had chosen online. On pure aesthetics alone I was disappointed, the blue was just too vibrant (for me). I thought ‘oh great’ these crimson laces and trims will draw a little too much attention to my feet, not my most flattering features.

Anyway after a few minutes I began to reason with myself and put the colour aside, thinking: ‘It’s the wearing that really counts, right? So I did what most do when they get a new pair of shoes and that was do the “back and forth test.” Common you know the one, where you walk back and forth across the room and try and convince yourself the size or colour of the shoe you ordered online and had delivered, really is what you wanted. Then just when I thought to myself, ‘ok these are pretty sweet,’ my wife walked into the room and in a nonchalant way said, “Hi Honey. Nice clown shoes.” Darn. Not off to a good start.

Despite the colour and my wife’s less than warm reception, the next morning I headed out for my morning workout. I was feeling a little self conscious but I was excited to test them during a WOD. Then just as I walked into the box they were immediately noticed by all the coaches, great! I guess I didn’t expect a subtle entrance because with these shoes they are kind of hard to miss.

That morning the workout started off with some Olympic lifting and I found myself instinctively reaching for my pair of Do-Wins lifting shoes. Conforming to the CrossFit routine, once we finished that next up was a nice AMRAP of overhead squats, box jumps and sprints– a perfect test for Nano 2.0.

As the clocked ticked down and the WOD got underway my first OHS felt good, and I quickly established a nice rhythm, finding the Nano 2.0 provided some great balance. As I was knocking off the first couple of reps I remember thinking that these shoes felt similar to my lifting shoes, so I was keen to see how they would transition when I began the other movements.

Moments later and much to my surprise I found myself running with ease in the 200m sprint and found the shoe gave me a good ground to foot response and was great for my Pose technique. Much was the same when it came to the box jumps as the shoe felt flexible but forgiving and gave me the support I required. I also did not find any cramping in my foot which I have often noticed in some minimalist shoes.

By the time the WOD was done I have to say I was throughly impressed with the 2.0 and glad I purchased them. They handled all the transitions well and best of all I didn’t want to remove my shoes (however bright they may be) mid workout when I was faced with the box jumps or the run.

But were they put to the ultimate test I hear you ask? What about rope climbs and or a row? Well I gave that a shot just for good measure and I have to say the result was pretty damn good. During the row they felt as a shoe should, which means I did not notice the foot strap (like I do when wearing Vibram Five Fingers) and was able to push off with my foot as required.

In the rope climb, although I only gave this a short test, in that time they seemed to grip well and the material of the shoe did not seem to burn off like they do on my Inov-8’s. So no visible damage done to the shoe, another tick there even though I wouldn’t have minded if the colour faded.

Technical Details

– Low profile midsole with a 4mm heel to toe drop for a natural fit and feel.
– Die-Cut Ortholite sockliner for most responsive and minimalist feel.
– 3D FUSEFRAME construction for lateral stability and support.
– IMEVA midsole for most responsive feel.
– DuraGrip toe cap application for enhanced abrasion resistance.
– Carbon rubber outsole and sidewall lug wraps for durability.
– Open athletic mesh forefoot for excellent breathability

The Good

The feel: After wearing this shoes for a few weeks and putting them through several WOD’s, I am suitably impressed with the overall comfort and feel. The shoe has not stretched and the more I wear them the more comfortable they feel.

The price: These shoes are a very reasonable $109. Personally, I think that’s good value for a shoe you can wear everyday to the gym. (However it should be noted you can currently only purchase them online. So despite the fact they are $109, remember you will need to add shipping on top of that and trust me Reebok are not cheap depending on where in the world you are (see points below)).

No gimmicks: Reebok has abandoned on the U-Form concept to achieve a good fit. The pair I put on felt comfortable the moment I slipped them on.

Width: Now I know this might not be suitable for some but personally, I love that the shoe is wide at the toe. They still feel secure while providing enough freedom for the toes to move.

Functional Fitness: There is no doubt this shoes is made and designed for functional fitness and is the main reason I love them. I have a pair of Vibrams Five Fingers and a few pairs of Inov-8’s but I already prefer the 2.0s for comfort and for my everyday WOD compared to those which is a pleasant surprise as I loved my Inov-8 before testing these.

Versatility: The fact our sport has so many elements makes it impossible to create a shoe that would be suitable for every modality, yet this shoe sure comes close. I like this shoe for everything besides my Olympic lifting and even then they are great.

The Bad

Colour: By far my biggest gripe is with the colour. Simply put they just do not match the pictures on the website (although I think Reebok has recently updated their image). Yet I am not the only one who has this grip. I know several people who have complained about the fact the colour of the shoe they saw advertised on Reebok’s website was not what appeared when they opened the box. In addition, I don’t particularly like the colour combination of bright blue and crimson considering it does not look how I expected after view online. I am thinking of investing in some white laces to see if there is any aesthetic improvement.

Size discrepancy: After talking to other members of my CrossFit box I noticed there is an issue with sizing, although I should note mine are the perfect fit. That said, I know of two people who who had the Reebok Nano 1.0’s before deciding to upgrade to the 2.0. In both cases they purchased the exact same size as their earlier model but had to return them because they were the wrong fit. One person had to return their shoes because they were too big and needed to go down a size, while the other found the shoe to small and need to go up a size. I have also heard several others complain that they don’t know what size they would be if they were to purchase. I noticed Reebok recently placed a sizing chart on their site so hopefully this rectifies this sizing issue.

Postage price: I think $50 for shipping is nothing short of expensive. Not so much a criticism of the shoe, but it makes a reasonably priced $109 pair of shoes actually $159. I know for a fact it does not cost them that much to ship a pair of shoes to Australia so wish they would sort that issue about. I understand they are a company and need to make a profit but do that on the shoe and don’t make me feel like I’ve been ripped off which I do when you charge me that much for shipping a simple pair of shoes.

Overall

Looking past the colour issue, I think these are a great buy. I will no longer have to spend five minutes deciding if I’m going to endure double unders or box jumps in my lifting shoes. I now have one pair of shoes that will cover most situations in the box. I’ll keep the Do-Win’s for Olympic lifting but if it’s not an Oly session, you’ll find me in my clown shoes!

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