ASICS Noosa Tri 16 ($135)
Introduction
Ben: In a run shoe era of carbon-plated super foam trainers and racers sometimes it is a good idea to go back to the future, to those uptempo do-it-all all simple construction trainers, a category I really enjoy to run. The Noosa Tri 16 is such a shoe!
The colorful Noosa Tri 16 is just such a shoe. No plate, no super foam but a very light weight of 7.5 oz / 213g (US9) with a very decent stack height of 34.5mm heel / 29.5 mm forefoot of Flytefoam Blast +, ASICS GuideSole rocker geometry and some snappy flex to help propel and a reasonable $135 price.
The Noosa Tri 16 is bright and bold as were many of its predecessors. No plate. No mega stack. Just a light, peppy daily trainer with wild colorways and lots of energy return. Everything about this shoe is refreshing and easy, from the loud laces to the crayon-like colorway to the smooth and simple ride. Let’s dive in.
Pros:
GlideSole tech lives! snappy quick ride: a pronounced rocker with flex, no need for a plate: Sam
Plenty of lively, friendly & responsive cushion, upgrade from FlyteFoam to FF Blast Plus: Sam
All around versatility from faster workouts, to daily training. to racing
Light weight: 7.6 oz / 215g for near maximal 34.5 /29.5 stack height, & 12g drop from prior: Sam
A true trainer/racer : Sam
Performance race ready, secure and comfortable upper : Sam
Good price point, light, peppy, great upper, very durable (Ben)
Cons:
Wish it had FF Turbo instead of Blast+ but then it wouldn’t be $135 and such a great value: Sam
A tiny bit of added stack and this shoe would rival such heavyweights as the SuperBlast and SuperComp Trainer. (Ben)
Most comparable shoes
Hoka Mach 5 & 6
Hoka Mach 5
New Balance Rebel v4
Endorphin Speed 4
Stats
Approx.Weight: men’s 7.5 oz / 213g US9
Sample Weight: men’s 7.3 oz / 207g US8.5
Stack Height: men’s 34.5 mm heel / 29.5 mm forefoot ( 5 mm drop spec)
Platform Width: 80mm heel / 67mm midfoot / 100 mm forefoot
Available July 1, 2024. $135
First Impressions, Fit and Upper
Sam:: As always the Noosa Tri is colorful with a fun and beachy vibe!
I did not test the Noosa Tri 15 so I can’t comment on the differences in upper materials or fit but this is one great fitting performance type upper.
The engineered mesh is thin, soft and pliable yet holds the foot extremely well without over-squeezing as it has some give (unlike say the more mono mesh of the Hoka Mach 6). It is made of 75% recycled polyester. There are plenty of perforations through the mesh so breathability has been just fine.
The toe box is relatively broad and has plenty of toe over head room with the firmer part of the toe bumper only at the very front. Length is just right and hold is excellent upfront.
The gusset tongue combines soft mesh upfront with leatherette upper tongue with a large hole and wide strap to assist with rapid pull on for tri purposes. The sides of the upper tongue have padding. The nonstretch laces have a bit of friction to their surfaces with lace up quick and secure. Never any on-the-run adjustments in any of my test runs.
The heel area features moderate collar padding that extends down far and a rigid heel counter. Compared to images of the Noosa Tri 15 I note the achilles collar is now lower and no longer “elf” shaped. Rear lockdown is excellent.
The fit is true to size for my medium to narrow feet. I think moderately wide feet will also be fine here due to the soft somewhat stretchy front of the shoe.
Ben: This shoe is extremely comfortable and wearable upon step-in. It fit my size 9 feet beautifully. You can’t help but smile when you open the box and this loud, less-than-serious shoe awaits you. It looks great and feels great. The tongue sits beautifully, no pinching or problems.
It has, as Sam noted, a nice broad toe box and a highly cushioned, supportive heel collar, both of which add to its overall comfort.
Somehow the shoe finds the perfect middle ground between not enough stack and too much stack (i.e., it’s not a Hoka Bondi by any measure, nor is it a more minimal-feeling Elliot Trainer or Peg 41). While still paying homage to its triathlon roots with a sizable pull tab on both the tongue and at the heel, the Noosa is ready to compete with the most popular daily trainers on the market. (Ben)
Midsole & Platform
Sam: The midsole moves to ASICS FF Blast Plus (at least 20% bio based) from Flytefoam and this is the key upgrade to the Noosa Tri. Blast Plus and its slightly softer ECO version, as far as we know, is a non supercritical foam found in many current ASICS road and trail shoes such as the Nimbus, Kayano, and as a layer in the Magic Speed 4. It is a light responsive foam and the admirable weight of 7.3 oz / 207g men’s in my sample US8.5 on a near max stack height of 34.5 mm heel / 29.5 mm forefoot demonstrates this.
The geometry includes ASICS Guide Sole technology found on shoes such as Glideride and Evo Ride, a rocker type approach throughout the whole stride without plates which I have always found effective. And it is super effective here with easy roll at all paces with a snappy flex.
The midsole provides plenty of responsive cushion. It is not as soft and bouncy as say Saucony’s PWRRUN+ and Pb is or Hoka’s new supercritical foam in the competing Mach 6 but is quicker responding, more decisive and more stable than those foams. I particularly noted the deep stable rebound off the heel and the quick toe off feel from the shoe’s flex. This indicates to me that it would be a very solid choice for hilly courses where plates can be an impediment.
Ben: The identity of the Tri Noosa rests literally on a wonderful midsole, which is slightly softer than the SuperBlast and slightly firmer than the NovaBlast. I found it to be perfect for both cruising and a couple of more peppy miles at the end of the run. It is light and responsive and is not afraid to pick up the pace a bit; the rocker geometry is propulsive and glides you through transitions easily.
Ben: Like Sam, I found the ride to be considerably more snappy than the Mach 6 (as well as Mach 4 and 5, incidentally). When pushing faster paces, it feels almost like a super trainer / tempo shoe, such as the ever-popular Endorphin Speed 4.
While I don’t think this shoe is marketed as a tempo shoe, I found it to be much more stable than almost all of the other shoes in the super shoe category, given the ample heel collar and substantial platform.
At slower paces, it feels very controlled and easy and certainly very comfortable. It would be hard to call a bright fluorescent shoe made by a major retailer a “sleeper” or “flying under the radar” but this shoe has all the makings of exactly that as far as recent daily trainers go. It can compete with any of them and likely can best be billed as a do-it-all shoe for your summer miles.
Outsole
Ben: The outsole is constructed with ASICS Grip from AHARPLUS. It is reliable and offers good traction. With its origins in the triathlon world of wet feet, quick transitions and the like, it offered a lot of grip underfoot. To my eye, the outsole also promises significant durability. After a number of runs in my pair (85% on roads and 15% on trails) I see almost no wear at all.
Ride, Conclusions and Recommendations
The Noosa Tri 16 is a light and lively daily trainer. While originally billed as a triathlon shoe and still holding some of that in its DNA (especially in the tongue and heel where we see tabs for quick pull-on) it is firmly a shoe for runners looking to log summer miles at virtually any pace. It has a bold, colorful upper that fits beautifully and a fun ride that is willing to roll with your pace, either on easy days or amid some tempo work. The stack is substantial though not overwhelming. Like many of its ASICS siblings, this shoe is well-made, reliable and highly durable. It is a kind of sleeper pick as it flies under the radar even in the ASICS lineup, let alone the broader shoe world at the moment. (Ben)
Ben’s Score: 9.8/10
A minor, minor deduction as I would’ve liked just a touch more stack
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Sam: In a run shoe era of yet higher stacked and priced complex run shoes, the Noosa Tri 16 stands out. Simple, comfortable, effective, fairly priced at $135 it is notably versatile and fun to run. For sure it leans faster paces but it also handled more moderate daily runs just fine and especially if you miss the more direct feel of shoes of a few years ago but here without their harshness due to the excellent FlyteFoam Blast Plus foam. A true do it all shoe, it can also serve as a racer especially if you don’t care for rigid plated shoes.
Sam’s Score: 9.65 /10
While a very reasonable 7.5 oz / 213g I wonder what ASICS supercritical FF Turbo foam in the mix might do for weight and increased energy return.
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Sam’s Noosa Tri 16 Video Review (21:00)
with comparisons to Novablast 4, Magic Speed 4, New Balance Rebel v4, and Hoka’s Mach 6 and Mach 4