Speaking of the Speedland SL:PDXs, it is tempting to classify them among marketing gimmicks we have seen before: you introduce a new product and do it by launching it at an exorbitant price and in a limited run. As always, however, it is best not to limit ourselves to first impressions and to analyze the issue more thoroughly.
First, the price: the SL:PDX are the first product of American Speedland, are trail shoes, and are being sold in a limited run of 1,200 pairs for $375. And that’s where the WOW effect of the news ends, because if you want to better understand what this is all about, you have to read some more.
Who and what
Dave Dombrow and Kevin Fallon are its creators and owners of Speedland. Their names may say little or nothing, but behind the design of many a Puma, Nike or Under Armour is their hand. Once they stopped working for the latter, the two friends decided to continue collaborating by founding a company with a specific mission: to do something never done before and not create products but experiences. Of course, somewhat ironically, to sell at those prices it is better to convince people that they are paying for a unique experience rather than a product, but testifying to their good intentions was their history and professionalism. It is not a marketing operation in short.
What is special about these SL:PDXs? These are actually very simple shoes: they consist of a Michelin sole (unusual in a trail market dominated by Vibram), a Carbitex two-way carbon fiber plate, a Pebax shock-absorbing midsole, a Dyneema upper, and a BOA cable lacing system. Looking at them carefully, several original details are noticeable: first, the sole and upper are stitched and not glued; the carbon fiber plate is removable; and the studding is modifiable. How and why? Let’s look at it, starting with the tread.
The Michelin tread consists of studs that can be cut to lower the profile and change the grip, depending on the terrain on which you run. The operation, we understand, is irreversible.
The bidirectional carbon plate has the function of providing differential behavior depending on the impact on the ground: stiffer in the longitudinal direction and softer in the transverse direction. The fact that it is removable leaves it to the discretion of the person running in it to decide whether to have a more or less rigid shoe. The operation is reversible in this case.
Finally, the stitching of the sole to the upper is designed to make the shoe entirely recyclable and to avoid the use of solvents or glues.
A new experience?
As mentioned above, only 1,200 people worldwide will be running with these SL:PDXs. Beyond the product itself, the experience that Speedland offers is rather that of a shoe that can be customized by the user himself. We are not talking about aesthetic customization as much as technical customization: the possibility of varying the grip and changing the shoe setup by removing or keeping the plate are indeed original peculiarities never seen elsewhere, which certainly require a very high knowledge of the tool and of one’s running style. Not having it would be tantamount to having a rally car tuned by someone who does not know how to drive it and does not know it. Only those who know their running style and needs-as well as the different response a shoe can give depending on the tread it has or its stiffness-can afford to get their hands on them to the point of making them their own, very personal, shoes.
At a price, it showed. But still it is an experience.