Good Place To Buy Running Shoes In Patong?

[DudeNo1]

We visited a few of the shops / kiosks selling running shoes by the roads near the beach and Jungceylon, but they're all really crappy fakes that use rubber soles and absolutely no support of any kind, so that's a pretty much guaranteed injury sooner or later. We don't wanna shell out 3000 thb+ per pair at the mall, so where do we go to get good fakes, the kind you get from China that you can't even tell apart from real Nike's? Maybe 1000-2000 per pair would be ok, but just not 3000+ pls. Thanks!

[falkan]

Do not buy copies if you use your shoes frequently, they look good but china copy or not does not matter..

[DudeNo1]

Do not buy copies if you use your shoes frequently, they look good but china copy or not does not matter..

Actually I bought some $300 Nike's off eBay in China for $75 and they lasted me longer than any shoes I've ever worn, with extreme wear (sprinting) daily. I'm a big believer now. Soo, where do I get some in Patong?

Edited January 22, 2011 by DudeNo1

[fiddlehead]

To the OP: you might want to read a book that's popular in the states right now, called "Born to Run"

If you believe the author, the more expensive the running shoe, the more injuries received from them.

Minimalist shoes is the new talk of the town with Vibram Five Fingers seeming to be the hot one.

I don't like their look and bought a pair of Puma's for trying this technique.

You land on the ball of your foot instead of your heel as the expensive Nike's and such force you to.

Barefoot running, minimalist shoe running, moccasins, etc.

But, to answer your question, there is a sports shop in the mall where the Home Pro is near Chalong that sells hi-dollar shoes.

I often check out the second hand shoe store near Robinson in Phuket town as I've found New Balance 902's in there already and Montrail's too. These shoes are almost impossible to find here except online i believe.

Another option: go to one of the hash house harrier meets every Sat. and ask around. They have been running here a long time and seem to have good shoes.

Another problem with here is the glue breaks down and the soles come off after a year, even on New Balance shoes.

So, another reason why not to buy really expensive shoes.

Good luck in your quest.

[ScubaBuddha]

I once bought cheap "Power" brand (900B or so) and they fell apart quickly. You can find them in any shopping mall in Thailand. Same thing happened when I bought from a street vendor, as they are obviously copies. Then I bought a pair of real Adidas (3000B or so) and they have lasted much much longer. Try Supersport in Jungcyclon shopping center.

Edited January 25, 2011 by ScubaBuddha

[DudeNo1]

I once bought cheap "Power" brand (900B or so) and they fell apart quickly. You can find them in any shopping mall in Thailand. Same thing happened when I bought from a street vendor, as they are obviously copies. Then I bought a pair of real Adidas (3000B or so) and they have lasted much much longer. Try Supersport in Jungcyclon shopping center.

Haha, I just bought some Power's an hour ago. Pretty hilarious how I only saw this now. Oh well, they were only about $25 and look and feel awesome, so even if they last 4 times less than the real thing (I'm guessing more like only 2 times less), I'm still paying the same price... but hopefully a lot less, we'll see.

[ScubaBuddha]

I once bought cheap "Power" brand (900B or so) and they fell apart quickly. You can find them in any shopping mall in Thailand. Same thing happened when I bought from a street vendor, as they are obviously copies. Then I bought a pair of real Adidas (3000B or so) and they have lasted much much longer. Try Supersport in Jungcyclon shopping center.

Haha, I just bought some Power's an hour ago. Pretty hilarious how I only saw this now. Oh well, they were only about $25 and look and feel awesome, so even if they last 4 times less than the real thing (I'm guessing more like only 2 times less), I'm still paying the same price... but hopefully a lot less, we'll see.

Just keep re-glueing the soles, as you will need to do soon, and they will last a little longer.