ONEMIX Light Armor Review: Value Plated Racer
By David Salas
Many companies are coming along with their carbon-plated racing shoes. Some are aiming to go as light and fast as possible while some others are looking at the shoe design from a more nuanced approach. Onemix is bringing the Light Armor to the table with the goal of having a marathon racing trainer. This is essentially a shoe you can use as a training shoe and also use for race day if you choose. It is a little bit heavier than some of the other racing shoes, but still light and fast enough to turn over.
ONEMIX Light ArmorPrice: $89.99 (sale) at Onemix
Weight: 8.67 oz, 246 g (men's size 8.5), Women's Weights Not Provided
Stack Height: Not provided
Drop: 8mm drop
Classification: Marathon Racer/Trainer
RUNNING SHOE SUMMARY
The Onemix Light Armor is a shoe that can do a little bit of everything. The shoe is aimed at being a "marathon racer trainer." The way I interpret this is a performance trainer that can still race if you'd like it to. The weight is a little heavier than most racers, but still light enough to turn over. The foam, plate, and geometry of this shoe provide a nice lively ride through the forefoot. The transition is fast and keeps you feeling like you are rolling into your next step.
SIMILAR SHOES: Saucony Endorphin Speed 3, Craft Race Rebel, ASICS Tri Noosa 14
FIT
The Onemix Light Armor fits true to size in my Men's 9.5. The length is very dialed in and I had no issues there. The heel is normal width, midfoot slightly narrow width, with the forefoot being normal width. The upper uses a few different materials. The mesh itself is more synthetic-like and very lightweight. This blends with a knit-like material tongue that blends with the heel collar. There is a heel counter present that is padded pretty well throughout. The lockdown of the shoe is decent, but could be improved. Because of how sharp the toe spring is, the shoe has a tendency to shift your heel up. If you tighten it down well this goes away, but now the laces bite the top of the foot a little through the knit portions. The upper seems to be pretty integrated with the platform outside of this though and the sidewalls seem to be flush as well. Overall, the upper is pretty decent for a performance trainer/racer but could use a tad more padding on the tongue to prevent biting.
PERFORMANCE
The Onemix Light Armor was a pleasant surprise. I was not expecting such a lively transition through the forefoot. The shoe geometry is set up in a similar rocker profile than other racing shoes, but has a pretty sharp toe spring through the forefoot. This makes you feel like you are constantly rolling into the next step. The foam is soft, but still a tad firmer than some of the other super foams out there. The outsole provides decent traction underfoot and gives you that connected feeling when you are rolling forward. The shoe is marketed to perform best between mile paces of 4 and 6 minutes. I would agree with this, at least from a relative effort for me. The shoe likes to roll quick, but can still slow it down if needed to. I have had some easy days as high mileage of 7 miles in this shoe and they went fine. Because of the quick-rolling forefoot I did notice my heel lifted a little bit quicker and my hamstrings were working a little more. However, my foot strike and cadence did feel light and quick as well. The shoe does not feel like it has quite enough sauce for me to race in, but it reminds me a lot of some of the new generation performance trainers (Saucony Endorphin Speed in particular). I could easily see this shoe being a training companion for long road races or being used as a long run shoe. For the price point they match up closely as well.
STABILITY
The Onemix Light Armor certainly runs neutral. The high stack profile and somewhat narrow platform through the midfoot create some inherent instability in the shoe. I think the fast transition through the forefoot saves that a little bit, but it is noticeable. Upper lockdown is decent, though because of the geometry the heel is a little more susceptible to slippage. I noticed this early on but after lacing it tighter, it seemed to be fine. The shoe does not have much sole flaring laterally and did notice I have a tendency to roll laterally if I am turning or in non-road footing. I think that could easily be fixed though just by widening the flare or platform a little. The traction and the plate do help with some stability elements, but overall there are more stable options out there.
Thoughts from a DPT: A Design Flaw
By David Salas
I think Onemix did a great job in some areas and missed the mark in some others. They created a very quick-riding and fun transitioning shoe in a very linear direction. The way the heel, midfoot, and forefoot interact at toe-off create a very quick rolling sensation. However, they did not do a great job of creating an environment that would thrive with turns or uneven terrain. The shoe has a decently narrow platform through the heel and midfoot and does nothing to help stabilize these regions outside of providing a sidewall and a plate. When running straight this is okay, but I did notice turning and running on cambered surfaces this shoe has a tendency to want to roll laterally. It feels like the foam was undercut in that region a little, causing a predisposition to run turns and slopes a little more ginger. This could easily be addressed by either widening the platform or just giving a little bit more sole flare in the midfoot or even the forefoot to mitigate some of the instabilities in the shoe.
RECOMMENDATIONS
The biggest thing I would like to see shifted in the Onemix Light Armor would be the lateral geometry. I think the shoe could really benefit from sole flaring both medially and laterally in the forefoot. That would make your foot feel a little more confident when transitioning quickly and when running in terrain that is not isolated to straight lines. I think the tongue could also be padded a tad more to help with preventing biting from the laces.
WHO THIS SHOE IS FOR
The Onemix Light Armor is a performance trainer/racer for someone looking to have a really fast rolling sensation through the toe-off. The plate is rigid and the toe spring is sharp which combines for a near-falling forward motion when running. The foam is still soft, but firmer than other super foams; with the combination of the plate and outsole, the shoe actually puts out a slightly firm ride. For those wanting a slightly firm ride with a fast-rolling sensation through the forefoot and don't mind some lateral instability, this is a shoe that I feel isn't too far off shoes like the Endorphin Speed.
GRADING
David
Fit: B (Decent lockdown throughout but tongue bites when locking down and shoe has tendency to lift heel)
Performance: A- (Solid performance trainer moving linearly, slightly firm and really quick and responsive ride, though lateral instability and doesn't do great in a lot of turns)
Stability: C+ (Plate and outsole traction help, upper lockdown decent, though platform feels undercut laterally and has tendency to roll on cambered surfaces or in turns)
DPT/Footwear Science: B- (A decent application of new principles to create a performance trainer/racer, though the shoe could use some more stability horizontally to augment the ride forward)
Personal: B (Certainly a fun shoe to run in but I am pretty restricted to predictable roads when I have this on)
Overall: B (A good but not great performance trainer/racer, though in a straight line this shoe is awfully fun to pick up the pace in)
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