Asics haven't really been innovative in the running shoe market for some time. They've sat back and relied on their old reliable like making small tweaks to it's hugely successful Kayano and Nimbus range whilst keeping updates coming to the Cumulus and GT2000 range. It's worked for them for so many years they've probably been afraid to change anything.
Meanwhile brands like Brooks, Saucony and in particular Hoka have come in and taken slices of Asics market share. Asics have finally come out with a shoe that is different to their everyday range. The Glideride is the start of it but they are essentially building a range that is set to compete with the new comers.
The first thing you will notice about the Glideride is how similar it looks to a traditional Hoka Bondi or Clifton. It has the Rocker look about it and looks very familiar. The fit is more generous than Asics normal fit and that has to do with the Stretch design of the upper on this shoe. I haven't worn Asics in over 12 years apart from the Rep giving me the odd pair of Nimbus to test out but I've ended up giving them away to a friend as in my opinion there was better options out there.
This is the first pair of Asics runners i've liked in years. I've actually worn them out which for me doesn't normally happen with a pair of shoes. Cushioning in them is very similar to Hoka. In the Hoka range I normally run in the Clifton in the wider width fitting. In the Asics I felt ok in the standard width. You can definitely feel the rocker effect in them. The support under your arch is also familiar to me from years ago with Asics.
How long did they last- A lot longer than my Hoka to be fair. I'm big at 90kg so I go through shoes quick enough. The first thing to go in a shoe is the cushioning and I start to pick up niggles typically my Calf tightens up as the runner comes close to end of life. This happened at around 600k for me is a decent length of time to get out of them.
We've sold a decent amount of them in store already and feedback has been good. I think this is going to be a big seller for Asics but it'll take a little bit of time, like any new shoe on the market takes a few years for word to filter out and also the repeat purchases.
Big guy looking for a good cushioned training shoe this is a good option. I'm not too sure you're light club runner is going to like it.